Anything Goes
Bass fishing from both ends
Editor's note: Mark Hicks is one of the country's most widely read and respected bass writers. He has penned countless articles for Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and other publications.
Sept. 8, 2009
Bass fishing from both ends
I don't mean to disparage fishing from the back of the boat. It's loads of fun, and I fish intensely when I compete as a nonboater.
However, as a nonboater, I don't wear myself out practice fishing. I show up at the pretournament meeting rested and upbeat.
During the tournament, I never worry about where to fish, how long to stay on a given spot or what adjustments to make when things go south. I'm happy to let the pro deal with those pressure-packed decisions. All I need to do is choose a bait that matches the conditions and cast.
Yes, nonboaters must deal with being front-ended. But blustery winds can work against the pro, especially when bass hold in submerged grass or relate to ledges or some other bottom structure. As waves crash over the pro's feet, I can relax on the back deck and get in two casts to his one.
After the weigh-in, I don't need to fool with the boat or stew over the next day's game plan. I head back to the motel, respool a few reels and go for a leisurely dinner. The first time I fished as a nonboater, I was sitting on the balcony hours before dark, drinking a cold one and smoking a stogy. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself.
When I fish as a pro, the onus is on me to find the bass, determine the best way to catch them and keep my boat functioning. Preparation begins weeks or months prior to the tournament, and anticipation mounts as I study maps and look for places that should hold bass at the time of year the tournament happens.
This starts a trickle of adrenaline that doesn't stop until the tournament is over. It gives life a welcome edge.
During practice days, I usually explore the tournament waters from daylight to dark. Something invariably goes wrong with my boat or tackle, which keeps me up late doing repairs. I've spent so much time with the tournament support crews, I know them better than my blood relatives. I should send them all honey-smoked hams for the holidays.
Then it's back to the motel, more map study and fiddling with tackle. The nights are far too short, especially on the eve of the tournament when I'm lucky to get in five or six hours of sleep.
I'm more exhausted after practice than when the tournament is over. Chris Bowes, director of the Bassmaster Opens, makes us weigh in long before dark, which lets us recoup for the next day. Bless him.
The tournament days are a whirlwind of effort and emotion. The hours race by impossibly fast. That might have something to do with Einstein's theory of relativity. Maybe he was a bass fisherman.
If I'm struggling to get bites, which is too often the case, I must make gut-wrenching decisions. On those rare occasions when everything goes my way, I jubilantly fly over the water to the weigh-in with a heavy limit of bass. It's about the best feeling there is.
August 25, 2009
Kevin VanDam — the perfect bass pro
Given Kevin VanDam's dominating performance in the sport of tournament bass fishing, it's no surprise that he has earned substantial financial support from a host of sponsors. I'm sure his sponsors are thrilled when he wins a tournament. I suspect they're even more impressed when they see how hard he works for them when he's not competing.
From a sponsor's perspective, VanDam must be as close to perfection as a bass pro can get. I say that with confidence because I've been writing Bassmaster Magazine articles for well over 30 years. My occupation has given me an opportunity to work with many of our sport's most celebrated fishermen several times, including KVD.
If you think KVD kicks butt during tournaments, you should see him in action at media outings. I'm invited to several events like this every year, along with other writers, photographers, reporters and video crews.
We media types typically have two days on the water to photograph, interview and pick the brains of eight or more pros gathered for the event. The pace is frantic. Besides getting photos and story material, I see how the pros handle the business side of professional bass fishing.
With few exceptions, the established bass pros are friendly, professional and willing to do whatever is asked of them. However, no angler puts out as much effort as KVD. Invariably, he is the first to show up for work in the morning, and he's eager to make the most of every second. It's as if he's in tournament mode 24/7. His enthusiasm is infectious. Even I tend to work harder when I'm around him.
I got a sampling of KVD's competitiveness several years ago when I was paired with him for a media tournament at Table Rock Lake, something we rarely do. We blasted off at daybreak and were scheduled to return to the marina at noon for the weigh-in. The idea was to have fun and catch bass we could use for photos that afternoon.
There were no prizes or coveted awards to be claimed, but I could tell right off that KVD intended to win. He doesn't know any other mode. We made a sizzling 100-mile roundtrip, fished crankbaits and topwater stickbaits like mad men and won the tournament. Most of the bass were caught by KVD, of course, but I wasn't about to admit it. I was happy to bask in whatever glory there was to be had at the dock.
The demands on KVD are enormous at media outings because everyone wants to work with him. He runs hard from daylight until dark, and often later. KVD never complains. He is as tireless, intense and professional when dealing with the media as when casting a crankbait over a ledge at an Elite Series tournament.
No doubt about it, KVD is the consummate professional. He leaves the competition in his wake, both on and off the water.
August 18, 2009
I Am What I Am
This is the first of what I hope will be many blogs/columns on the Bassmaster Opens Web page. Let me say up front that anything I write here is strictly my opinion, and not that of BASS, ESPN, God or my wife. They might agree with me from time to time, but, more often than not, they probably won't.
What will I be writing about? I can't say for sure. I want to keep it freewheeling. I'll deal mostly with the BASS Opens and the anglers who fish them. Beyond that, anything goes.
For the past 30 years or so, I've made my living as a freelance writer. About 90 percent of my writings deal with bass fishing and bowhunting whitetails, my two passions. Don't be impressed. Freelance writing is like being permanently unemployed. The upside is that I don't have a boss, and I can immerse myself in things I love to do.
I've always considered myself an outdoorsman first and a writer second. The editors who correct my copy might agree.
I sold my first story to Bassmaster Magazine some 35 years ago, and I've been a regular contributor ever since. I'm also a true fan of tournament bass fishing, and I love to compete when I get the opportunity — in other words, when I can afford it.
I actually made a profit when I started fishing local Ohio bass tournaments back in the mid 1980s. I even won a few major state championships. That's when I figured I was ready to take on the likes of Rick Clunn and Roland Martin. After a few rounds of fishing the Bassmaster Invitationals, I learned I was in way over my head.
I stubbornly fished Bassmaster tournaments until 1991. I occasionally collected a check. I also qualified three times for the Bassmaster Top 100 tour, but I never came close to qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic. My bank account was gasping for cash, and I had a wife and a 4-year-old daughter to support. I put tournament fishing on the back burner for 14 years.
Why did I stay away so long? Because I knew if I entered something as innocuous as a Wednesday night pot tournament, I'd be back at it full bore, trying to compete with the pros.
During those non-tournament years, I worked regularly with the bass pros to generate story material for magazine articles. I am fascinated by this sport. The learning never ends. I also took up bowhunting for whitetails with stickbows, including primitive selfbows I make from staves of osage orange. Bowhunting is one of my greatest blessings. It keeps the spice in my life.
In 2005 FLW invited me to fish one of their tour events as a co-angler. They were willing to comp my entry fee because they figured I'd write about the experience and give their organization some exposure. What could it hurt?
So, I entered an FLW tournament at Wheeler Lake, won the co-angler division and pocketed the $20,000 first prize. Along the way, I boated a limit that weighed well over 20 pounds, and, on another day, a largemouth pushing 9 pounds. I had the time of my life and was itching to fish tournaments again.
The following year, I competed in the BASS Opens and wound up 37th overall. I failed to do even that well the next two years. Finances have forced me to take this season off, but I will be fishing two Northern Opens (Champlain and Erie) as a non-boater.
I haven't given up on fishing as a pro in future Open tournaments. Although I'm 60 years old, and I've underachieved — to put it kindly — I still dream of someday fishing the Bassmaster Classic.
Insane? No doubt about it.
In 2008 Rick Clunn saw me at a pre-tournament meeting for an Open event on the Red River.
"I didn't know you were crazy enough to fish tournaments," he said.
"I never grew up," I replied.
"I refuse to," Clunn shot back.
It's nice to know I'm not the only angler afflicted with Peter Pan syndrome. Let me introduce you to my old friend Tinker Bell.
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