Bass Club Digest

There is a thin line running through the membership of most bass clubs and perhaps even through weekend tournament circuits. And interestingly enough this line is not monofilament, braid or fluorocarbon.

It’s a line called shared information. And sometimes, depending upon the bass club, this strand can be either cut, knotted securely or tangled in confusion.

Anglers, by nature, are renowned for telling all and then some. (I mean we’re the inventors of “fish tales,” right?) And too, there is all this talk of sharing the angling heritage, and club mission statements that aim to teach others about the wonderful world of bass fishing and promoting the sport.

But then, well, then comes tournament time and some anglers’ lips lock up tighter than a post-front largemouth. The free-flowing information highway grinds to an abrupt stop like an outboard hitting a submerged stump.

So again, there’s a line. Do you mend it, cross it or cut it? Do you share info with fellow fishermen, or do you clam up and play your cards close to vest?

Go ahead, put your bass-fishing blinders on. Winning is the only thing and EVERYTHING. To heck with those rookies, that don’t know what they are doing. You have an Angler of the Year Title to win, right?

Ah, and sure, there is nothing wrong with competition. It is actually a fun part of nearly anything, and especially bass tournaments. After all, competitive fun is why many of us participate. But if the push to win overshadows other goals of the club, well some problems can cast a dark shadow on the club or tournament and possibly result in the loss of members or participation.

“Why’d you leave?”
“I wasn’t learning anything or becoming a better fisherman, and I felt like an outsider.”

Close-mindedness, thinking only of you, can hurt a club in the long run.
But, playing the devil’s advocate, one also has to admit it’s hard to go out on the water and work, to do your homework and learn things others don’t and then simply give them away – especially prior to a club tournament.

Is it selfish or not? Sharing fishing info, what do you do?

Mike Perry is a member of the Haywood County BASS Club in Tennessee. He agrees there are pro and cons of sharing information when it comes to bass clubs and tournament fishing.

“Sure, pros share info, evidently in their circles. I’ve even read articles where pros would loan a fellow pro a certain lure or give them plastics that they were using to catch fish,” Perry said.

“But my personal experience is that it (shared information) depends on the tournament. For a regular club tournament, I’ll tell most anyone that listens or asks what I’m doing, how and where I’m catching them. For a Classic tournament, it’s every man for himself, I don’t tell much in that event. I’m usually pretty free with close confidants, even if there is money on the line.”

So situations sometimes dictate the sharing of info. As an example, Perry said,
“We had a recent team tournament, and naturally we all shared information trying to ensure that our overall six-man team did well. We have an upcoming state tournament in May at Pickwick where eight of us (fellow club members) will be competing against other teams from across the state, so I’ll share information to a point. In this tournament you are also fishing individually with a shot of making the State team (the top 12 individual finishers) which will go on to fish the Regional and then possibly the National, all in hopes of making the BASSMASTER Classic, so while I share some information with guys from the club because I want us to do well against the other teams from across the state. In another case, a goal is to be in the Top 12 and move on, so I am not telling everything.”

Perry noted that competitive tournament fishermen are a non-trusting bunch by nature. “It’s because they’ve been lied to or have lied to people too many times to really trust others—unless it is a really close friend or someone with whom they fish with a lot. I think a friend and fellow angler said it best years ago when he said, and I am paraphrasing here, that he just, ‘tells the truth because no one believes me anyway.’”

Perry sees the bottom line to the sharing information dilemma like this: “I guess in summary it would depend on the event and the stakes and who’s asking the question. If I view someone as a serious competitor… (I) don’t tell them much if anything at all. If not a serious threat, I’ll usually tell them what I know, hoping they will catch some fish.”

Likewise, Perry notes the sharing of information, a little or a lot, can be determined by the makeup of a club. Some clubs are formed for fun, where others are formed with more of a competitive edge.

“Our club is a little of both—fun, yet competitive. It goes back to what I said about who’s doing the asking—if it’s someone I think will be in serious competition with me to win or do whatever, there’s less communication. If it’s a new guy or someone learning about fishing, most folks will help them as much as they can.

“There are some guys that form clubs of six to eight members only, strictly so they all can fish the State Tournament I mentioned. Our club had 20 serious fishermen this past season, so you can understand that 20 guys competing for eight spots can be competitive. You can also see why certain folks would form a restrictive (smaller) club. This does away with having to compete for a chance to fish the state tournament, and ultimately, it could add to the possibility of advancing on to the Classic. So, you see some anglers can also see the sharing of information as a team approach,” Perry said.

Bartlett, Tennessee’s Dennis Hollis is the Director of Division 40 for the American Bass Anglers (ABA) American Fishing Tour (AFT). The ABA AFT is a national tournament trail with Divisions all over the United States. Hollis said while this trail is not a club-based format, there are many members of in his division that have fished it for over years.

“The vast majority of members in this division will share information just prior to the tournament as to what the fish are biting and what type structure to look for,” Hollis said. “Even though we are all competitive, information is shared up to the point of giving exact locations. We want our division to grow and to help those out that are not fortunate enough to get on the water as much as others. To get any organization, club or whatever to grow, you have to show you care for all members.”

As an example, Hollis cited his most recent tournament on Pickwick Lake. “We had two new members join. One is a boater, who elected not to bring his boat and the other is a true non-boater. Both individuals were paired with boaters and they had much praise for the boaters, who (shared and) helped them catch fish.”

Kirk Gardner is an angler and bass tournament director from Charleston, Tenn.
He understands the flow of fishing information depends largely on the purpose/mission of a bass club.

“If the sole purpose of a club or trail is to hold tournaments, offer competition and a chance to win money, then I can see why secrecy might be needed. However, if the club was formed to get like minded people together and share knowledge about fishing, then secrecy is a very bad thing and counterproductive,” Gardner said.
“I would think in the long run, it would be better for a club to lean toward the “sharing” side of things. This is especially true with new members or up-and-coming anglers—the lifeblood of a club. Shared information helps them learn, be more interested and successful. And maybe it is a stretch, but I would think it would also be healthier for the long-term history of the club.”

Gardner added that it is obvious to him that many anglers fail to see the big picture.

“If fishing is to survive as a sport and a passion, there has to be recruitment. As anglers we have to be willing to open up our boats, our minds, and our fishing holes to new anglers. Mentor the new anglers, help them gain confidence, and most importantly make them feel welcome. Alienation of new anglers could result in bad public opinion of bass clubs and perhaps of fishing in general,” he said.

When “sharing information” is seen more as “teaching,” as opposed to “giving away all your trade secrets,” a bit of the selfishness goes away. And most bass anglers are glad to teach newcomers to the sport.

“My 16-year-old son fished several tournaments with me this past summer,” Gardner said. “He was very eager to learn what I knew. I bought him some good equipment and taught him how to use it. By the end of the summer he was doing great and was catching some good fish.

“When school started back in early August he could not fish anymore due to sports and school commitments. I asked a guy I work with if he wanted to fish the remaining four tournaments with me. He agreed. He is 35 years old and showed up at the dock with a child’s spinning rod and bait-caster he borrowed from his brother-in-law. After his spinning rod messed up, I handed him one of my high-end spinning rods and told him to use it.

“I showed him a few basic techniques, and he did fine for a newbie. I am a very accurate caster and he made a comment about how I could put the lure anywhere I wanted to. I told him it came with lots of practice in the backyard with a five-gallon bucket for a target.

“It was like I had ignited a hidden passion in him after the first trip. He went out and bought some new equipment and he practiced casting in his backyard until he mastered it. This is what the bass club members need to be doing. Igniting passions!” Gardner said.

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