Cook the Books

A recent conversation touched on records, “new age” bass fishing and credibility. I knew it was coming before the guy opened his mouth.

“I don’t care what they say, today’s wins don’t count," he said.

It appears that, with the advent of live sonar and the associated changes in competitive bass fishing, some die-hard fans believe the record books closed a few years back. A 22-year old, evidently, should never share a page with Denny Brauer.

These things, of course, are open to interpretation. Or are they?

Let’s run with the views of the critic. If it holds true that pro-level bass fishing can be regarded as a legitimate sport, complete with rankings, record books and lifetime achievements, perhaps we need to have a cut-off. Before and after FFS.

Such a monumental equipment advancement has changed the game in a way that impacts performance, thus creating a new “division”.

Imagine, if you would, a golf club engineered to hit the ball long and straight, every time. A computerized piece of equipment. The whole key is simply learning to use the club correctly and efficiently.

A handful of 20-year old kids get really good with the club, birdie every hole, and make Rory McElroy look like a has-been. These same kids go on to win the majority of events, all the Majors and set career earnings records in a handful of years. 

Would they be placed above Jack and Tiger in the record books? 

This analogy is a stretch, sure. But some would argue that it’s not far off. 

On the other side, it’s impossible to truly quantify technological impacts in tournament bass fishing. I stand by the idea that FFS is the largest advancement, ever. But other break-throughs have been real head-turners, too.

Imagine the first anglers to have a “graph,” rather than a flasher. A break-through advancement, anglers could not only tell the depth but could actually see fish and objects beneath their boat. That had to be incredible. I’d guess that, somewhere, a group of anglers believed such a piece of equipment violated the rules of fair play; changed the game entirely.

The same could be said for tournament formats. For example, decades ago, the Bassmaster Classic was a mystery tournament. Competitors didn’t know where they would be fishing until they boarded a plane (yes, an airplane) for the lake. Winners of those events were the true champions; future competitors were able to prepare for the Classic for an entire year if they wanted. 

In reality, we could be critical of expansion of the sport when it comes to the record books. Prior to 1996, there was only one true professional league – the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. There were single, showcase events that could be considered pro level: the U.S. Open, Red Man All American, a few other high-entry events. But in order to make a career as a touring pro, B.A.S.S. was the only choice. 

The FLW Tour brought monumental expansion to the professional ranks, but it legitimately influenced the record books. At first, most anglers fished both trails but, eventually, it became a Ford vs. Chevy affair. Guys like Bryan Thrift, Brent Ehrler and David Dudley couldn’t be found in the B.A.S.S. record books because their careers were built at FLW.

Today, of course, we have MLF and the BPT. When first organized, the majority of top-shelf anglers from Bassmaster migrated to the BPT, leaving the Bassmaster Elite Series far less competitive. The tournaments went on, but the remaining touring pros had a massive advantage. Do their wins and accomplishments come with an asterisk? Possibly.

So where, then, would the cut-off be?

Pro fishing before depth finders? Before Spot-Lock?

Bassmaster-only records? Pre-BPT?

With or without Forward-Facing Sonar?

No one can say. This again drives an argument I’ve been making now for six years: it’s up to the organized leagues to maintain integrity in the sport. If allowed to operate on an “anything goes” principle, records lose all significance. 

Today, these same leagues are modifying their rules to compensate for this issue. That, at least, shows more concern than the hands-off approaches of the past.

But are we too late? Will we ever again see a time when AOY stands for “best in the world?"

Without a complete reset, I have my doubts. 

Joe Balog is the Executive Director of Mighty River Recovery, a nonprofit organization working to restore Florida’s St. Johns River. A former national tournament angler, product designer, seminar speaker and guide, Balog has worn just about every hat available to a professional angler. Today, he enjoys rehashing his experiences and adding veteran insight through his weekly Bass Wars column.

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