Bassmasters Political crud

[ikeslayer]

So i am on the bassmasters HSOforum today checking in doing a bit of reading and one of the headlining articles was on Great moments in Classic History. i will post the hilights below and hopefully that is ok. And then below it i will give my take on what i think is happening here.

CLASSIC I

Former Alabama insurance salesman and BASS founder Ray Scott took the top 24 finishers in his fledgling Bass Anglers Sportsman Society tournament circuit to Lake Mead for the inaugural Bassmaster Classic. Scott announces the location to the competitors for the first time while in flight. Just outside Las Vegas, Arkansas' Bobby Murray became the first Classic champion with a winning weight of 43 pounds, 11 ounces.

CLASSIC VI

This sixth edition of the Classic was held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville and marked the emergence of one of professional fishing's brightest stars as Bassmaster Elite Series pro Rick Clunn scored the first of an unprecedented four Classic victories.

CLASSIC XI

In 1981, 21-year-old Stanley Mitchell of Georgia became the youngest angler to win a Classic. This Classic, held on the Alabama River, marked the first time that the event's weigh-in was staged indoors.

CLASSIC XIV

Clunn ran away from the field in the 1984 Classic on the Arkansas River with a record three-day catch of 75 pounds, 9 ounces and established the Classic record for largest margin of victory at 25 pounds, 8 ounces.

CLASSIC XIX

The 1989 event was on Virginia's James River. Florida pro Jim Bitter accidentally released a keeper-size bass while en route to his livewell. The fish would be the last he caught that day, and Hank Parker captured his second of two Classic victories by a mere two ounces.

CLASSIC XXIV

The 1994 Classic held on North Carolina's High Rock Lake brings forth conflicting emotions. It was the event in which 23-year-old Bryan Kerchal became the first amateur representative of the BASS Federation to ever win the sport's most prestigious event. Unfortunately, he was tragically killed in a plane crash months later.

CLASSIC XXIX

A record crowd of 30,000 attends the final-day weigh-in inside the famed Louisiana Superdome as Davy Hite puts the finishing touches on his first Classic victory.

CLASSIC XXXII

Jay Yelas turns in one of the most dominating performances in Classic history with a wire-to-wire victory on Lay Lake, the site of the 2007 Classic. His total of 45-13 was more than six pounds ahead of his closest pursuer. In addition, Yelas is the only angler to take all three Purolator daily big-bass awards in a Classic.

CLASSIC XXXIV

Bass fishing crowns its first international champion as Japanese pro Takahiro Omori scores a dramatic, final-hour victory on North Carolina's Lake Wylie.

CLASSIC XXXV

Kevin VanDam wins his second Classic by one of the closest margins ever in Pittsburgh. He edges reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens by a slight six ounces — Martens' third stint as a Classic bridesmaid. VanDam's winning weight of 12 pounds, 15 ounces set a record for the lowest Classic winning-weight in history.

CLASSIC XXXVI

Florida Bassmaster Elite Series pro Preston Clark bursts onto the professional fishing scene by destroying the long-standing Classic Purolator big-bass record with an 11-pound, 10-ounce Kissimmee Chain giant.

Ok so alot of us saw the classic and know that luke Clausen won it. but here it is they go through all the classic highlights and on everyone of them they highlight the winner until the last one when they talk about preston clarks fish instead of luke winning it. I could be wrong but didn't he have the most weight for three days in a classic. I don't know i just think that since luke is an FLW boy and the poster child for everything that B.A.S.S. isn't he got a short end of the stick. Maybe i am reading into this too much and maybe i shouldn't care. But fishing is so pure and yet they are making it so dirty in my mind. What do the rest of you think??????

ike

[Central Bassman]

I don't know i just think that since luke is an FLW boy and the poster child for everything that B.A.S.S. isn't...

What do u mean by that???

And yea thats talk that just because he left they dont put that on there. One thing i also didnt like is, last year someone from a Fedartion made it to the classic and finished 9th and they never even showed him or talked about him on tv!!! Just my .02

[ikeslayer]

i mean that Luke clausen is a ranger yamaha chevy guy and Bassmaster is the Toyota trition company. So he is for everthing that bassmaster isn't. And wasn't the federation guy Jimmy Johnson from Lax. Didn't he get the 2nd highest weight of day 3 only second to KVD?

ike

[Central Bassman]

Ok yea i see your point there

Yea i think it was him, ill have to check into it and im sure someone on here will know!!

[Daze Off]

Having been a little involved in that whole B.A.S.S. /FLW battle over clubs and turf I would not doubt anything. I think you are right on target.

I think it would have been somewhat like that back when Ray Scott ran B.A.S.S. but since ESPN owns/runs it now there is no end to stuff like that. It is much worse and I think ESPN only pays lip service to the state feds and then does what it darn well pleases anyway.

Ok, now I'll get off the soapbox and try to fix my spleen...

Daze Off

[Jason Durham]

You guys need to read Bass Madness by Ken Schultz. Got it for Christmas and it talks about BASS, the 05 and 06 Classics and gives an interpretation of what takes place from a standpoint you wouldn't probably expect. It's very frank and is a great read. The author poses some questions regarding the "air time" given for specific anglers. Luke Clausen and Preston Clark only got a total of 14 seconds of air time combined after the first day, even thought they had both made some huge accomplishments, while some other anglers got minutes with poor sacks. If you get the opportunity to read the book, do it.

[TwoBear]

I totally agree with you Ike. I used to be a BASS member and even fished in a local federation series league for one year in LAX. After receiving the BASS times last year and watching what ESPN is doing with the tournaments, count me out! I applaude what Luke accomplished and know Jimmy from LAX. Looks like me and my Ranger will stay on the FLW side of things.

TwoBear

[Sproguy]

Allow me to start by saying I totally agree with what is said above about the situation on both FLW/BASS airtime for anglers and their sponsors. Regardless of which tv show you watch they are totally bias toward the anglers that fit their sponsor list. Both has done a disservice to anglers by their actions.

Jason, I too have read the book. Very interesting read and one I would recommend to anyone interested in professional bass fishing. I am sure Jason and most reading are aware that Ken Schultz was fired by ESPN at one time. So I felt there were sections of the book that he was going out of his way to knock ESPN. Don't get me wrong a lot of what he wrote is true but I think so often in the book he made it a point to slam ESPN/BASS rather then write a great book.

So you have to ask yourself who is better? I think no one! FLW won't even let a Triton pro get 1 second of air time. So BASS followed suit or vise versa, doesn't matter who started it, but it is getting stupid! I think (could be wrong!) that FLW even has started fuzzing out anglers sponsors that don't go along with their production. Needs to stop on both sides!!!!

[prov1900]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Ike (Iconelli-I like him), his book tells of the politics of BASS as well. Regardless of what field you are in, we all have to eat the politics. Sad, really. Fishing should never be that way.

[Central Bassman]

I like him!!

[ikeslayer]

It will be rough if this idea of blotting out sponsors will take off. Then you are going to start to probably see it in nascar and pretty soon we will be wondering why the whole screen is fuzzy. Too bad money runs everything. Sorry to hear that this is happening both sides. Does anyone know how we can combat this. I am sure it is going to get even worse esspecially with the classic in amonth.

ike