Having base line equipment would be so much more fun to watch. If there wasn't so much sponsorship involved it would be cool to see a circuit where everyone has the same exact boat rigged the same exact way the way they did way back with Ranger supporting the Bassmaster Classic. Then it would be down to skill/luck.

Imagine a tournament with 1 pole, 5 baits, and 12lb test

@troutheadadventures6521

7 ай бұрын

Cool idea. Could you imagine Jacob Wheeler with only one rod?

@jn71000486

7 ай бұрын

Seems boring, poles and baits aren’t the problem. Remove electronics besides depth finder.

@itllkeal

7 ай бұрын

@@jn71000486 I'm there with you. Literally 1pole a few baits and some middle weight line. Nothing else.

I’m confused. First you say there are too many rules and most of them should be eliminated other than boat safety requirements and following state and federal laws. Then you say that rules should be made scaling down boat electronics, five rods, 20 pounds of tackle and no livescope. You don’t want rules that effect your ability to fish but you want rules that effects someone else’s ability to fish.

The income disparity is what gets me if you take a kid that loves to fish and his or her high school has a fishing team if the kid that loves to fish doesn't come from money chances are that kid won't have an avenue to pursue his or her passion and that is fd up imo

Thats why my favorite fishing show are the MLF Cup Team events....they all have the same boats and really don't know what Lake they be on....

Great video Randy. I couldn't agree more. I started fishing tournaments bass tournaments in 1970 and although I never fished the pro circuit, I fished my share of state and regional events. But the last 50 years has brought any changes to the sport, some of which I believe have done exactly what you said, creating a sport for privileged elitists. I appreciate, as most fishermen do, the many advances manufacturers have made with boats, electric motors, livewells, power poles and especially electronics. But come on, three Lowrances on the front deck and three more on the console is a little over-kill. And forward facing sonar should not be allowed. What happened to the challenges faced by competitors 50 years ago when it actually took some skill to read the water and catch bass. You're a good man Randy for speaking out>

You make an interesting point Randy. Every other professional sport has standardized equipment rules. Take golf. You can only carry 14 golf clubs. You can’t use range finders during a tournament. You can’t ride in a cart. You can only carry so many balls and they have to be USGA approved. The max head size of a driver is 460 cc. Maybe the bass tours should have standardized boats and motors provided by the tour sponsors (like NASCAR) so everyone has the same size, horsepower and electronics. So skill and experience are the true difference makers. I vote for that!

Randy, How would you draw the line in the sand regarding "information"? Over the past few years, you've seen a couple of "new" locations in the Upper Midwest that haven't hosted these top-level tours before. With each one of them, locals reported that they regularly saw boats with tags from "Southern States" going out and not fishing, but graphing areas on these lakes for hours on end.. And these aren't guys that are idling around for 60-90 minutes. These are boats that are doing extensive, thorough grid patterns over extremely large areas (like 1 mile by 1 mile) and for 10+ hours/day. And the entire time, there isn't a single rod on their deck. Somehow I don't think that a random dude from Alabama is driving up to Mille Lacs or Leech lake to do this for their own personal knowledge or doing this while on their family vacation. It's a hell of a lot of time and gas money to do this. Someone is benefitting from this info. When $100K is on the line, people will pay $10k for someone to go out and create these detailed maps for them. How else would all these pros be able to find the random, isolated rocks that they do on these giant bodies of water. It's too often of an occurrence to be random luck. Its also too often of an occurrence for all these guys to find these random rocks during their 3-4 days of official practice. Needle in a haystack is being generous here.

@ericahlstrom9506

7 ай бұрын

Getting waypoints up here is an incredible benefit and is 100% cheating. Finding random boulders all over Mille Lacs takes a ridiculous amount of time. You don't need to know patterns. You just need those boulders. Guys buying that info or getting it from someone else is 100% wrong

@RaceBoarder

7 ай бұрын

@@ericahlstrom9506 That's the kicker. You saw it on Mille Lacs. You saw it on Oahe. And you're gonna see it with the Open on Leech this coming year. No way an Opens angler is just gonna be able to idle around for a few hours, yet find the "magic" rocks.

@MrFishBlood

7 ай бұрын

Now that you mention it, I saw a lot of similar activity on Lake St Clair this summer... Another lake where this "strategy" could pay off HUGE. St. Clair is basically a big, featureless, shallow bowl. Locals know that the key to monster Smallmouth in the Summer is to find long contour drops of 4" to 8" in the sand... Pretty subtle structure that's never in the same place year to year, and you gotta graph slowly to find it.

@Stonehorn

7 ай бұрын

@@RaceBoarderthey fish most of these lakes year after year for decades, knowledge isn’t something you build over a season. These guys have been breaking up lakes and rivers for decades. Because you don’t have the equipment and skills they have, doesn’t make them cheaters

I think placing limits on equipment, etc.. makes good sense for the lower level tours. But on the elite series tours, 90% or more if their total income comes from sponsors, not from payouts. I don't know how to put limits on that.

I have souch respect for you randy!! I am so greatful that the bass fishing community has someone speaking out about the income despairitys, i know a lot of guys that are incredibe anglers that could never afford to fish professionally, thanks for all you do randy the bass community is lucky to have you

@scottfrost8956

7 ай бұрын

Truth is buddy, most top elite guys couldn’t afford it either! The difference is, they took the chance cause they wanted it more than the guys you’re talking about. This is fact you know why? Because I was that guy and now in two Hall of Fames.

@clogic7445

7 ай бұрын

@@scottfrost8956good job guy. Not everyone lives in your shoes.

Can you make a video explaining all the leagues and how they work? I just started tuning into bass pro leagues but its a little confusing.

You are on top of this Randy , your points nail the issues .

The thing that’s crazy is I saw a US Open check back in 1985 that was for $100k! Why are the payouts in today’s tourneys the same amount? 30+ years later and checks are roughly the same. I get organizations expenses but for the price of living/inflation today I’d think checks should be way more. My two cents. Great content as always Randy!

@rangerbull

7 ай бұрын

And entries have gone up.

The way that you are explaining it about how much money it cost to professionally bass fish , I’m kind of glad I did not know how to get into it cause paying all that money would have been very hard for me

@mikelembke5121

7 ай бұрын

Now it is expensive,years ago it wasn't

@SpookyRedz

7 ай бұрын

@@mikelembke5121 true too

By not calling them out publicly you guarantee this behavior will continue? What are you worried about if its the truth?

@kevinlynch6799

7 ай бұрын

Ah, you call someone out for Cheating you better be Right, have unquestionably Proof and be ready to be sued by the accused. Life is not simple.

@JB-un2iv

7 ай бұрын

I would have thought with your name you would have realized how terrible of a take this is....

@astrophysicistguy

7 ай бұрын

@@kevinlynch6799 so if you’re NOT positive they are cheating then you have no business talking about it. That’s what’s wrong with this country - the Internet has allowed people to talk out of their butts without consequence. maybe we should just stop opening our mouths unless we know what we are saying is true and can back it up if questioned? That’s how we work in the scientific community. You don’t publish something unless you can back it up and others can duplicate your work. When we stop doing this we get the Anthony Fauchi’s of the world …

@astrophysicistguy

7 ай бұрын

@@JB-un2iv in my world we don’t hesitate to call out these types … of course we also don’t typically open our mouth unless we can back up what we say, otherwise our careers are over pretty quickly

@JB-un2iv

7 ай бұрын

@@astrophysicistguy exactly, which Is why your 1st comment is a head scratcher

Randy. Enjoyed your video. One point I’d like to make. I love my aluminum tracker boat. That being said beyond fun fishing the occasional derby I have no goals to go beyond being a recreational angler. Keep making the enjoyable thought provoking content. I don’t agree with everything you say but you do put together some good points that comes from a wealth of experience.

im with ya Randy. those are all good points that need to be addressed by the pro tours. good luck with your career

The only cheating I've heard of lately is at mlf/bpt. Their AOY and others were accused of cheating (Marty Stone even called it out on national TV) at Cayuga, only Spencer Shuffield (sp?) paid the price. Their CEO was caught "bluegill fishing" on a lake during the off limits period. As far as your gas station analogy, if someone gives you unsolicited information all you have to do is report immediately to the tournament director. Boom, you're in the clear.

Loved what you said. Eliminate forward facing sonar should be done.

The no info rule is pointless. A rule that is untrackable and unenforceable is a waste of time.

Good stuff Randy. All we need now are some of the names to see who the frauds are. Bring it all out.

I remember Bill Dance talking about the early days of B.A.S.S. tournaments and if I remember correctly the location of the tournament was a secret a I believe the boats were provided. If this is correct should the tournaments return to this format?

@Stonehorn

7 ай бұрын

No tournament has the money to buy boats and equipment for 80-100 pro’s. They can barely afford to pay out money for winners, let alone buy, maintain, and haul a hundred boats, which they also need trucks for.

@mallardcutter7209

Ай бұрын

That is how they used to fish the classic back in the early days.

I’ve been a guide on the Potomac river for over 25 years. I know most of the top level pros, and none of them have ever asked me for any information and I offered none. But in the last couple of years guys are showing up at the boat ramp I generally launch at to try to pick my brain for information. Some of them will follow me to my spots while I’m guiding to see what I’m using and where I’m fishing. And some of them are persistent, and will show up several days in a row, asking everybody where I’m fishing what I’m using. This new generation that you referred to are playing on mommy, daddy money and making the field unlevel.

Some of those rules were adopted just because of you! But I agree... way too many controls put in place that really have no impact on the overall outcome.

I truly believe that the playing field needs and should be level. I feel that it will always allow for the best anglers to rise above the competition. I’m with you randy!

They have been buying GPS waypoints for underwater hydrilla hotspots from locals for years in florida.🤠I would expect that kind of behavior from people who sight fish beds during the spawn in a tournament.No regard to locals if that messes up the quality of fish stocks in their pond,they just pack up like gypsies when it's over and go to the next circus.Get rid of tournaments,grown men getting paid to fish is idiotic!

The average man can only fish in local club tournaments. They can’t afford to go professional.

I believe that info is the most less talk subject in bass fishing tournaments, the info that is available now is next level stuff, so specific with plan A , B , C etc.

Such great points! I’m over the live scope personally - takes the sporting out of it.

Since I retire I (brother and me) fish midweek to avoid the skiers and watercraft rangers. That means I can watch tournament fishing on Saturdays. After seeing the forward looking screen fishing I quit. I can watch my nephews play WII fishing. I've lost interest in "Pro Fishing" because of the sonar they use. Old school, you could see how they were fishing a bait and try that the next trip out. I'd hate to be a beginner now with no one to help interpret the electronics for how fish respond in each seasonal activity. Pro fishing just became Pro Wrestling. It's all about the money and what they can sell us.

Cheating in many ways will happen always when money is involved

I saw something a few years back at an flw in northern California, I never questioned it,a practice day,there was a local pro fishing with a top pro from California that has fished mlf,he was fishing an area that if you didn't know it you would never fish it,I watched them fish three local knowledge spots,then he fished them during them tournament, is that legal?

@Stonehorn

7 ай бұрын

Im calling bs. Practice days in MLF are very, very structured, and their boats are checked before they go out, even on practice days.

@ronfussell8244

7 ай бұрын

I didn't say this was an mlf tournament, I said this person had fished mlf,had nothing to do with the question I asked.

Hey Randy yeah money definitely took me out of the game I would love to give it a go I’ll just stick to a few local tournaments

Wasn’t it Swindle that mentioned a few “Blauket” rules 😂😂😂. Watch tossing them stones in a glass house

I'm amazed there is not an "IROC" style tournament for the BASS Masters. An invitation given to the top 25 Anglers of the world where there is one kind of boat, with one sized motor, one kind of trolling motor, with one or 2 of the same type sonar systems, and the exact rigs [everyone gets the same poles, reels, and choice of lines] and gear [Same lures, same colors, and same action] given to each and every angler. Everyone is put up in the same motel, given the same map, the same local Joes insights, and the same forecast. Everyone gets a Bass Master ride-along to film the event. Same IROC shirts to scare away the fish, same sunglasses, same scents, same everything. THAT is a tournament I would PAY to watch!!!! I would even enjoy a smaller version of it, with BASS PRO SHOPS Pelican Bass Raider 10e 2 man boats with again everything identical. Pick a lake that no one has fished before. THEN see who the best Angler really is!

The rule about Carrying extra gas is probably for safety concerns

It's nice to hear a Pro say this, because at times I feel like I'm the only one stating this and the tired response I often hear is jealousy. I don't see it that way and even though this response is based off biology versus mechanics. It's why there are weight classes in a lot of sports. Male and Female divisions. If you think I'm wrong on the finance side, then come to the water with the exact same setup I have and see if you fish at the same level. I wasn't even aware of some of the rules he mentioned. Wow those are ridiculous. I mean if your going to make rules that can only be arbitrarily enforced. Then you might as well add an experience rule as well. Excluding Anglers from tournament waters to which they live on or very close to. Because, statistically, a person who has more time and experience on a particular body of water will have a natural advantage. I can't believe carrying extra gas is a rule, that's absurd. Is there rule on carrying a jump pack in the event your cranking battery runs dead and you can't start your boat? When I see people on the water and I'm having a good day or feel like I have a pattern figured out. I will gladly tell a passer by. I want them to have as much fun as I am. Based on what he's saying here. That could get your disqualified. In order to enforce that rule you would have to ban all outside water activity until a tournament is over.

I know a guy that won the delta bassmaster was told about a bedding winning fish at paradice point marina by local friend

I will not mention any names or organizations, but i had a person tell me that he was pre fishing for a very well known pro. Broke my heart to hear that. #cheating/cheaters suck.

@Stonehorn

7 ай бұрын

And you believed him without question

@ronknight7863

7 ай бұрын

I do .I have known him for some time. Not the kind of person to go around telling stories like that.

@justindankert171

Ай бұрын

@@ronknight7863 give me the initials lol

My 2 cents, throw all the rules about obtaining info out the window. Honest Pros will sleep better, not having to worry about some blabber mouth walking up to them. Or yelling from the shore, etc. On the haves and have nots and FFS, I'm with you, but that horse has left the barn and out of sight. Thanks for your content. Sam B.

I can see the need for some of the rules Randy scoffed at. Anglers absolutely should have to stay in their boat. If not, there's nothing that prevents them from hopping out and casting into a stock tank just feet away from the lake. And true intel isn't from some yokel at the gas pump, its from a network of fishing guides at tournament lakes. Those guys can definitely put you on the fish if they're out there everyday.

Several pros used to have people pre fishing for them years ago. Some old pros used to buy information too. But back then everyone knew who they were.

I’ve heard Jacob wheeler’s name in this conversation ALOT

It’s crazy how there r not more defined base equipment restrictions in Pro fishing.

Ring the Truth to us. Thanks Randy

Randy I draw the line on how many rods on deck. Took me too long to acquire the 14 rods on deck and the 10 other spare in the rod box come on man!

@pgm1970

7 ай бұрын

Lol!

You are so right

I watched a couple of the events live, I definitely saw some questionable stuff, especially during the spawning tournaments. And not just once, multiple “crafty” moves, where the anglers found ways to either trick the referee or obscure when they remove the hook. I imagine there’s tons of other stuff going on, especially with regards to off limits info and having other people watch the live on their off days.

@michaeljordan3084

7 ай бұрын

Hey Randy, try grape seed extract for the allergies. Most powerful anti oxidant around, only thing that works for me.

@michaeljordan3084

7 ай бұрын

The inequalities are in every sport, especially the “fringe” sports. Basically sponsors only want to work with people who can live the lifestyle regardless of “professional income”. That’s just the facts. These companies don’t want to be accountable for actually paying out on, holding their end of contacts, and treating their team with loyalty

why don't you call them out?! Otherwise its just rumor and only denigrates the sport. See something, say something!

What you mentioned about financial disparity is absolutely true. Especially in high school fishing teams. They didn’t even have those when I was in school. I see high school kids with the equipment you spoke of. The kids whose parents can’t afford that kind of equipment are at a huge disadvantage.

@shadygraves

7 ай бұрын

I've said it for years; Bass Fishing is going the way of NASCAR. Corporations are pricing little guys right off the water.

@mikerice8185

7 ай бұрын

Financial disparity is BS. Randy must be a Democrat. If I work hard to be able to afford better equipment why should I have to use less because someone doesn’t want to work hard to have more. Fishing at a tournament trail level isn’t cheap, if you can’t afford find something else to do.

@joshtabor8201

7 ай бұрын

@@mikerice8185 which tour are you on? bpt or bass?

Please someone start a weekend series with limits on tackle and equipment. I guess the Kayak people has the closest thing to that. ??? I have no connections or organization skills. Speaking of organization do a video on how you have your tackle in your boat situated. I sometimes think I just have too much tackle and too many methods of trying to cover in a trip. Thanks

Some people are just lowbred thieves. I just read that one of the walleye anglers that was caught cheating last year was caught this year poaching deer. Ugh!!!

I can guess the names of the anglers you are talking about. When you are near or at the top of any sport there will be accusations. I remember something happening at Buggs Island in the tournament you won, that was against (or should have been) safety rules and putting a co-angler in jeoopardy. Stuff happens.

Fishing itself became a rich mans sport .. i mean new bass boats are 60k + .. i mean come on really .. who has 70k just laying around for a new boat these days .

So if someone tells me hey I been catching em on a brush hog on lay downs up the river that means I can't go up the river and throw a brush hog on lay downs? Who don't go up the river and throw a brush hog on lay downs?? That's like saying I ate a bowl of cereal this morning with milk and a spoon but since i told you that you can't have a bowl you have to go somewhere else and eat something else. BS they'd just have to disqualify me and when they did I'd raise 9 kinds of hell.

There will always be disparity in any sport when there is money involved.

tournament bass fishing is all about "spot" knowledge and the knowledge sharing of hot spots is a very corrupt cheating aspect of tournament fishing and that needs to be a rule and a managed rule with enforcement to not allow information sharing. blue dots for structure spots is deadly way to cheat

Randy you are 100% right about it. It been going on for a long time it sucks. I'm I fish locle. I love fishing but you could not pay me enough to leave my family and drive the miles that you guy drive to fish and make a living. I know if I was out there and I caught someone cheating in an avent that I was in. I would be disqualified. Because I would speak my mind and tell then what I thought. And would dare them to lie about. Because that's when it would physical and that wouldn't be good.

@RickyCarter-ro8fr

7 ай бұрын

That would be the same with me,too!

Theres only a couple pros I respect and one just retired most are just rich dog crappers that cant find a fish on their own

Most comps here fish are contained in a cage they have fished a full week ago .

Thats a tough one. How about if you relay that info you heard to the TD. Kind of takes it off your shoulders and TD can make it public to all if he/she so wishes.

Most sports competitions are based on a level playing field. Competitive Angling is not one of those sports. Im not saying that a clueless angler can win with just cash but an average angler can easily become a tournament winner with cash. I have fished at least 500 hundred tournaments from local pickups, clubs , opens, B.A.S.S regionals etc etc etc.. In my state we have seen a couple guys who could not even win Mr Bass in their clubs buy their way into the pro ranks. I have also seen guys who are pro caliber not be able to afford to fish their way up the ladder. Now you see guys with money show up to lakes with a month of practice on a lake that they rented a house on and used guides , flyover airplanes, 30k worth of electronics etc etc etc. Roland absolutely a great fisherman but he used to use his money and name to learn lakes from guides etc.. In a nutshell they need to level the playing field and have restrictions on gear, boats, electronics and practice. MLF is showing a very painfully competitive side of tournaments. All the others is glitz and done with mirrors for corporate non fisherman.

They have to turn them into the tournament directors

Information rules are impossible to enforce bc you can rarely prove they've been broken... they hurt the honest guys and reward those who are willing to push the boundaries

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink!!!…

Normally I agree with most things you say Randy, I enjoy your channel. I respectfully disagree on your opinion that there shouldn't be no info rules. Like you said, there's guys out there who have amazing info networks, and it creates a major unfair advantage. I call bulls$&it on never being able to catch "another guys fish." Sometimes that is true, most of the time its not. You give me or any good fisherman a waypoint that's loaded, damn straight I/any good angler is gonna wreck em'. And it happens all too often, especially with the well connected folks. Bass fishing is an odd sport.

@bradleyrussell1973

7 ай бұрын

In my experience, “catching another man’s bass” is next to impossible when fishing offshore.

@bradleyrussell1973

7 ай бұрын

The magic word…….WAYPOINT. That’s still fairly new tech. Randy was doing this when we had paper graphs, and had to cross-triangulate. Something no high schooler or college angler is taught.

@troutheadadventures6521

7 ай бұрын

As long as the waypoint is loaded. Lol

When money is involved it brings out the worst in people hell I don’t fish tournaments ever anymore at any level

i stopped fishing tournaments years ago due to cheating!

I do know that there are a few that have boats fishing the next lake and finding and marking spots, to me that's unfair, to me, no sonar would be a great start but they won't do it cause of the money they make off the people using them;;;;;;;

Sir Randall total respect

Its not the gas station scenario. It's the screening of the area, like blocking in football. The anglers network is putting less pressure on a specific area, coupled with the electronics, and the typical disinformation campaigns...100%.

But..... Buying G.P.S. locations is a serious matter. It's putting more money in the mix!

Ok that's it ! No more visiting gas stations ! 😅

If they know it and can prove it then they should report it to the tournament director. Plain and simple the cheaters should go. Any infraction should be punished

The BFL’s and ABA’s have too weak of numbers limit which boats can enter…But if you fish the ABA’s or BFL’s out of a $60+ boat you are bringing a corvette to a lawn mower race. Those tournaments are built for the bass trackers and smaller aluminums.

@timmiller8499

7 ай бұрын

Are you kidding? BFLs across the country are are on big water with nearly all anglers in top of the line 20 ft plus rigs

A good analogy would be if a couple players in the World Series this year we’re able to use aluminum baseball bats & the ready can’t.

I think there's a serious audience that can be drawn to a circuit qhere the anglers have no FF sonar, no pre fishing, just hey, this lake, this date, be there and just fish. See who actually can read the body of water and mood of the fish on the fly with pure knowledge and experience

I’m not a pro and don’t try to be. You said “one rod one lure” does that mean an Alabama rig/ umbrella rig/ a rig would be outlawed. An Alabama rig holds a special place in my heart because I caught a 9 pound bass on it in late summer early fall. About September. Also I caught a MASSIVE striped bass (rockfish) on one too. So they’re a little special to me.

Its not breaking a rule if you did not intentional request information.

Man the whole pro bass fishing sport is suffering from growth overshoot. Just like our ecological footprint in general. Humans are self centered on growth in every arena which will be our demise . But about cheating, I don't think it's about lure choice and technique etc., I'm sure there's a few guys who get calls on their burner phones the night before and get waypoints of the best bite area's on the lake. Location is everything. There's always a few guys who are desperate to advance in the sport even if it means living with the dishonesty. imo.

Yd have to agree there are a ton of dumb rules in your spots … WRT information i agree that there vshould be no restrictions. You want to hire a local guide a week before event? Go for it, all competitors can do the same thing no no competitive equity issue.

Soliciting information after the cutoff is cheating (which goes on at every event) but everything else is just noise and should be ignored

Yes too many rules

People with the most money have always ruled the world. As the saying goes the more bread you have the less shit you eat.

I'm making it with a disabled veteran salary. When I take my 15 year old Stratus to a local tournament , I see guys show up with sponsors and loaded 21ft boats. They like to come beat up on the little guy because they can't beat an equal. It really pisses them off when they get beat. The cuss and whine.

They’ve been doing it forever

100% agree it is now an elitist sport!

I really think the no info rule is dumb just for the simple fact it can’t be policed and really it’s just doc talk kvd could give out waypoints and baits but how many people are really gonna go catch his fish

Randy my dream is to be a pro fishermen but i lack the funds or the means to get my own boat and it feels so far out of reach i might as well just make a youtube fishing channel and hope it make it big like that because its just too costly for someone like me who comes from a poor family where no one owns land or anything

@randyblaukatintuitive

7 ай бұрын

Been there man. Totally understand

On board with about 50% of your talk. It would be naive to suggest some local hammers aren't getting tips on location from their buddys , just like the star struck tipping their favorite pro at the filling station. How often do we hear caught them in practice but now can't get a nibble? Or conditions change thru the tournament, for good or bad. Agree mostly unenforceable and probably less impact than the gossip suggest. "Income disparity" is a class discrimination turd wrapped in a PC gold wrapper, so in vogue today. Every sport, every station in life has some disparity. Time, money, desire, bla bla. That's why there are multiple levels of tournaments, even Kayak fishing thrown in the mix. Going out on a limb to suggest the top tournament business folks have looked at every angle to make their business model profitable. Look at the changes next couple years. Complaining about how well off others are doing isn't helping and unlikely to even be on the table for consideration. Take to Midol and drink plenty of fluids.

Sadly, this is just a flaw in our species... Money corrupts. No different than any other area of life. For example, let's say we're talking about a multimillion dollar business contract or government contract, I guarantee you that someone somewhere is skimming money out of that contract. When money is involved, cheating is involved... That's why I don't fish tournaments and why I don't play in neighborhood poker games. I'll even go so far as to admit that I'd be tempted to cheat just out of the paranoid knowledge that someone else is already cheating and thus screwing me over... So I just don't play that game. I fish purely for fun, and all my goals are personal (I aim to top PBs and catch new species).

AMEN. Def an elitist sport, I knew I shouldn't pursue the dream when I was little watching early 00's ESPN. We were still fishing on the bank. Theres overly competitive people in any competition sadly which brings rule breaking.

Yeah getting info early where and how somebody has been catching them don't mean jack chit in my opinion

Randy Randy Randy, Rules are there for a reason. They level the playing field to create fairness. You can’t have a few “innovative” kooks out there doing things that not only could endanger themselves, but their co-angler as well. What happens if someone gets injured, or has a medical emergency, and rescuers can’t reach them?! As a tournament org, they can’t be exposed to those types of liabilities. Running down the lake w an extra 20 gallons of gas on board is a floating fireball waiting to happen. Explain that one to the co-anglers family. You seem pretty smart on most things, but dude, think it through.

Just change the rule to a month off limits and get all the info you want. Some guys will pick up the same info lol then ban forward facing sonar and your set. Sonar company’s won’t lose out. Pros vs crappie fishermen and club and money tournaments are where the money is.

Speaking of it being an elitist sport.i know anglers that have 70-80k bass boats with LS/FFS that fish these local tournaments where the 1st place payout is maybe $500 and I'm like why?if you've got that much money in your boat,why fish these smaller tournaments?could it be that they're not as good of fishermen that they think they are and can't do crap in the bigger tournaments?

@SouthJerseyBaitReviews

7 ай бұрын

or they can cheat or dominate those tournaments very easily do to the smaller numbers and less eyes on the boats and etc its way easier to cheat in those smaller tourneys then the larger ones where there is literally TV coverage. Fishing is a form of gambling u lower the amount of players u have a higher chance of winning.

Wow I'm with you on the inequality of fishing Profesionaly, I thought about going pro in the 80's but worried about my family eating, But everyone in the Tournament should have the same boat,same equipment to be equal and that away everyone Is equal with no advantage ! Its a shame the pro circuits worry more about image than the fisherman , there isn't much room really for Cheating, especially when they have someone on the boat watching them. Way too many stupid rules. And it doesn't take a 100.000 dollar boat to catch fish. Or Bass

@Stonehorn

7 ай бұрын

They are equal. They all have the same boat, electronics, and all the equipment they could ever want.

I can almost bet that the ones whiny about info has gotten info themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12:13 💯👍🏻

Randy, if a guy comes up to you, and says i been wrecking them on a black and green jig. Or you make calls, to other people trying get information, or even get way points. Thats 2 diffrent scanerios. 1 will get you in trouble, 1 wont.