One part flip, one part skip

For years, bass tournament organizations have attempted to create a broadcast-friendly format that resonates with viewers, allowing our game to entertain as well as educate. When Major League Fishing created its Team Series, they finally got it right.

For my money, nothing touches this concept. Expansion is imminent.

This week, of course, I’m nerding-out over daily doses of the action coming from Minocqua, Wisconsin, where 12 teams are going head-to-head over the course of six days. At the time of this writing, Ott Defoe and Andy Montgomery are making it look easy, their patented 1-2 punch delivering on boat-dock bass.

The storyline, of course, lies in the camaraderie. Sure, these guys are chasing a big check, but you’d never know it.
DeFoe and Montgomery again hold a mastersclass on bassing with a buddy.

My attraction to the format began with the rules. Anglers receive no information on the host waterbody. There’s no practice, at all. No pre-fishing, no hundred-hour graphing sessions that plague other competitions.

Competitors are unaware of where they'll be fishing until the morning of competition, when their boat official drives them to the lake. From there, a short ride-around is all that’s allowed for navigational purposes and to allow anglers to get a quick glimpse of the playing field.

In essence, this is exactly like fishing a new lake with a friend for the first time, aka Saturday.

The competition boats are league-issued and identically equipped. Again, this not only eliminates any potential advantage an angler may have, but does so much more.

In today’s techno-crazed bass world, most anglers have some version of the best gear. Pro anglers, however, take it to the extreme. A case in point: I recently counted seven graphs on a pro’s personal boat. Most fishermen simply can’t relate to that. The league boats, with high-end but realistic add-ons, keep things sane.

Regardless, the Team Series allows for a differentiation in styles, and that’s where the format excels. Ott and Andy, as we mentioned, are currently skipping baits under every dock on the chain of lakes, while Drew Gill and Marshall Robinson - two of the best young players - scope the abyss.

Every fan has a favorite, and a stake. The competition defines the current state of fishing, where younger, tech-savvy anglers pressure veterans desperately trying to hold on through experience and casting skills.

And while the different approaches are obvious, subtle strategies play a key role, too.

As anyone who’s fished a few buddy tournaments can attest, teamwork is key. Words like consensus, cooperation and harmony come to mind when I think of the best performances in team bass tournaments. It’s a lot like a golf scramble.

We see this every time with the winners.

We’ve also seen anglers that seem to butt heads a bit, and never get in the groove. By the time they figure that out, though, it’s too late.

We’re watching synergy in technique, as well. Forward-facing aces are catching a fish, backing off, and letting their partner take the pedal. One fish is weighed while another is hooked up, back and forth, like an assembly line. But will the offshore smallmouths be big enough?

Dock skippers hit every pole and piling, rather than every other, never missing a target. Will the shallow largemouth run out?

And we’ve seen off-the-wall approaches, combining open-water bass with old-school tactics in offshore grass. Perhaps subtle spots will again hold the motherlode that no one else has found.

Or maybe a combination of all tactics, or even all methods, will prevail.

Could it be that similar personalities and fishing styles are actually holding these guys back? What if an offshore ace partnered with a master power fisherman, ensuring that the lake’s best bites would always be capitalized on?

We’re seeing it in singles competition, where guys that are good at everything are ending up in the winners circle, while the specialists - both offshore and on - seem to fight for second place.

Should Keith Poche be calling up Spencer Shuffield to create the Team Series Supergroup?

For now, I’m still picking the old guard to take the title. Northern bass just love boat docks, and the greens outweigh the browns. In any case, if the early sessions are any indication, this one won’t be over until the final casts are made.

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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