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I don't know if its getting so bad that they are actually writing about it on Bassmaster.com but locals are pulling in on pros to mark spots. I am watching the tournament from last weekend and guys moved in on where they had seen a Jeremy Starks fishing the night before. Is it getting worse or is ESPN trying to focus in on confrontation to fuel online talk about it?
Now I am reading that its going on here on Ky lake and supposedly its even worse here.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outd...42213
Its as bad or worst, i had four Triton guys GPS me at four different spots last Friday of the Triton owners tournament. I also had two of the Bass guys do the same thing the other day. One even came up right besides me and went to fishing, i wacked them pretty good just for the hell of it. I wasnt about to leave any fish for him to catch LOL.
Perhaps some of the locals are pirating, but I know for a fact the pros are also. with alot of $$ on the line, I have seen ALOT of unsportsman behavior. Saw it 2 years ago when scott rook pulled oup on me after I caught a 6#, he fished my buoy casted close enough for me to see his lure color then hit a waypoint....Friday I am out in front of Moors on a well known community ledge with my visiting father-in-law....the guy with the Monster Grafix boat Kevin Langhill or something starts making obscene gestures with his crotch at us. My father-in-law was speechless. I was over 300yds away from him and we fished toward each other, and I pulled up when we got to 150yds away.....I took this week off to fish, and I know alot of others are on the lake because it is HOT now...I think the "pros" believe us locals should just stay out of their way and not fish....WRONG....I do believe in sportsman like conduct, but this time of year peoplle do fish close on some ledges, saw 7 guys last week in front of Sled last week. Looked like a parade....ALSO several of the pros did the same thing they accuse us of Tuesday. the PM local Moors tourny, I saw several "pros" follow the locals and mark their spots...
Needless to say the guy in the monster grafix boat really soured me on BASS, and I have been a member since 14 years old http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif
"GPS Pirate" http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif so thats the new word around bass fishing. but in all honety, i can say everything that ive read is true on the weekend angler stand point also. the lakes i fish are tough lakes because of pressure, i spend 4 or 5 days a week, trying to figure out the fish. im not saying im great but i too have had guys come in right behind me and just idle over spots, looking on their graphs to see what i was fishing, which bothers me..espcially when i planned on coming back there that day or the next. i dont imagine theres anything i could do.....just keep on,,,keepin on.
Oh my, never seen so many fishermen complain about trying to fish a spot on the lake. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/eyes.gif
Hmmmmmm just wonder if things would be better if gps was outlawed in tournaments? If you look at some forms of racing they are taking traction control etc out of it to improve the racing and put more of it back on the driver or rider. Fishing may have to make a move in that direction someday
I was fishing a ledge in the middle of KY Lake last Wed. & one of the pros (I won't metion any names) came close enough I could've pitched a jig in his boat. Notice I said pitch not cast..... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif
When there is money on the line, sometimes regular honest folks become azzhats. If you can't compete in an honorable way then you shouldn't be competing. I have near ZERO tolerance for liars, cheaters and thieves.
If a "pro" follows a local around all day, marks his spots, and "wins" the T, did he really win? Not in my book......he cheated.....
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KyLegndHamr »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When there is money on the line, sometimes regular honest folks become azzhats. If you can't compete in an honorable way then you shouldn't be competing. I have near ZERO tolerance for liars, cheaters and thieves.
If a "pro" follows a local around all day, marks his spots, and "wins" the T, did he really win? Not in my book......he cheated.....
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A MEN and that goes for locals also.
personally, i think the BASS guys that are whining are victims of their own success. if you look back 10 or 20 years ago, there weren't anywhere near as many guys fishing tourneys. when ESPN/BASS launched it's huge marketing campaign to promote the growth of bass fishing, it flooded the market with wanna be pros. now, you have the same amount of water, but signifigantly more anglers competing for checks. add to that, the cost of fuel and high end fishing components such as $40+ thousand boats, $300+ reels, crankbaits that can cost over $20, and you have alot of guys who will resort to desperate measures to stay competitive, or in some cases just to survive.
i'm not saying the "GPS pirates" are right in what they do, but like i said, BASS and other upper echelon organizations are victims of their own propoganda.
i would never GPS someone spots like that. if someone gives me a green light to fish water they have found, i'm all over it. but i will not take advantage of someone's good fortune without permission.
Well put Clint!
agreed, everyone want to watch their "hero" including on the water...it is now a spectactor sport that is what is generating the money. ESPN,TV,internet if people did not want to watch then no dollars, no advertisements, etc...gone are the days when they could go out and fish alone.........the main difference is a golf tournament excludes everyone from the course except the players, cant do that on a lake.
I could GPS a spot and never find the sweet spot. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/roll.gif
you know I think its getting a little media blow up......I fished the BFL yesterday...way down south...and seen maybe 3 boats within a mile or 2 of us..it was like a ghost town down there..seen KVD with his fan base..but other than that nothing..my boater lives down ther and he made the comment at one point.."man did something happen we dont know about...where did everybody go" http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif
I guess I'm a poor boy. I'm still using a JPS. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif
In the 15+ years that I've been bass fishing, I have never in my life, seen a place like KY Lake... There are many locals, as well as pros' who will get so close that you can pitch into their boat! I've never in my life seen a place with so much water, have guys fishing on top of each other on "hot-spots"! Last year, in 2 separate incidents, I had a boat come in - darned near on top of me and proceed to fish! Fortunately, I have not seen this at any other lakes, and hope that it doesn't become a trend!
It is all of those folks from Indiana coming down to fish. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif They just move right in on top of you. Thought I was fishing Lake Monroe again. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/stirthepot.gif
It does seem kind of bad there. We fished a T there a couple weeks ago and had a guy come up behind us as we were fishing down a bank. Then he put the TM on high and went around us. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/eek.gif We were kinda pissed but I imagine he didn't know that it was actually our second trip down that stretch and caught 3 keepers the first trip, one 5.5. we just turned around when he pulled up. Then we went across the pocket and picked up another one. i didn't see him catch any. that was probably his first stop of the day because it was very early, like before 7:00am. Had another guy cut us on day 2.
but that stuff happens everywhere. We just roll with it. When it happens we just go away and come back throwing an LC crank. Chances are they ain't seen many of them
I guess there is an advantage to being a crapy fisherman. Nobody GPS pirates me. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif
yeah its a problem. I can't go fishing without all the spectator boats, locals, pros.....all GPSing my stuff. Getting old really. Seriously, I'm a big deal.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rippinlip »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Seriously, I'm a big deal.</TD></TR></TABLE>
One more time http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/doh.gif
One thing to keep in mind that there is always two sides of a story and one side is usually not true. One of the major complainers/whiners about this situation was Gerald Swindle. And the fact on this one is that I personally know the fella he was referring to who is a very close friend of mine. Gerald Swindle told the story that he had a guy follow him around every day of the tournament marking waypoints on every spot he fished and then even made the comment that the guy was fishing his primary spots before he got there. This is a bunch of crap and an out right lie. My friend whom I have known for several years now is one of the most ethical, upright people I have ever known and has always shown total respect for others in everyday life and on the water. His ethics on the water for fellow anglers could not be any better. My friend was on the lake fishing for fun during his vacation which just happend to be when the BASS tourney was taking place. He happened to see Swindle fishing on one of his (my friends) favorite fishing spots so he decided to stop and be a spectator to see how Swindle could do on this spot. My friend politely asked Swindle if he would mind him watching from a distance. Swindle told him that he did not mind. Later that day at the weigh in, Swindle made the accusations that I noted above and my friend was so offended by it that he did not put his boat in the water the next day. Swindle told the story the second day that the same guy had followed him around and pirated his way points which was a total lie. This really ticks me off. The pro's need to keep in mind that they are fishing "our" local lakes which we have fished for many years. Do they think they are the only freaking ones on the planet that can find a good fishing spot? The spot Swindle was fishing on the day that my friend saw him had been marked on my freinds GPS several years before. I guess Swindle thinks his name was marked in the bottom of the lake where he was fishing and he owned it. I actually felt sorry for swindle a couple years back when he got DQ'd from the Classic for flying by the other angler and the spectator boats. Since then I have learned that he is a big whiner and notw a liar. I have lost all respect that I had for him after this. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/mad.gif I think some of the pros should take some tips from some of their competitors like KVD. People like KVD are who give professional angling a good name.
I think the correct statement would be three sides to every story. You never know, he may have been talking about someone else. But I agree, these guys don't think that these are our home waters and we can/will fish them with or without them on the water.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Roddy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I guess there is an advantage to being a crapy fisherman. Nobody GPS pirates me. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif </TD></TR></TABLE>
http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif Me neither http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif
I guess, not being a tournament fisherman anymore, I don't get the big deal. The lakes are public water, everyone is out there to catch fish. I find it hard to believe that everyone of us hasn't, at some point, observed someone catching fish in a certain area, then gone back there later to try that spot out. Come on guys!
I go to catch fish, if I see a pro on a spot catching the crap out of fish, you bet I'll mark that spot and come back to it later. I'd wait until that tournament is over, but why the heck wouldn't I try it out later?
Actually, the day my freind watched Swindle, he was the only spectator boat around Swindle that day. Then the following day Swindle made the comment that "the same guy" followed him around again which was absolutely not true. Granted, there may have been someone following him the next day but it wasn't my friend. The funny thing about all of this is the fact that out of all the places that Swindle fished the day my freind was the spectator boat, he only fished one spot that my friend had not fished before. One would think that with the many thousands of acres of of water on these lakes (Barkley and KY Lake) that there would not be such a noise being made about fishing realastate huh??? http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif
tell your friend not to sweat it too bad, swindle was fishing a local's spots anyways so they weren't his to begin with. http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthdown.gif To that crybaby http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthdown.gif
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Barnboy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Swindle is the biggest CRYBABY in the sport of bass fishing and I hope he reads this board..</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well......now I know 2 of them then. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/popcorn.gif
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mdunc »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Well......now I know 2 of them then. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/popcorn.gif </TD></TR></TABLE>
Yeah me too...I know a guy that cries about wanting a new boat all the time, but he is too chicken s..t to buy one. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Barnboy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Yeah me too...I know a guy that cries about wanting a new boat all the time, but he is too chicken s..t to buy one. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif </TD></TR></TABLE>
Really........chicken s..t or just smart?????
I think it was Swindle that pulled in right behind me one day. I put my rod down and got out of his way. He never said thanks, kiss my a$$ or anything. Just acted like I shouldnt have been there to start with. After watching him catch one short fish after another, I started to get back on the other side of the point and show him how to catch 4 pounders, like I was 30 min before he got there. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif
Although Gerald doesn't have the time to keep up with all the internet bashing that takes place out there, some of us try to take care of our boy. We don't appreciate the people out there who think they know everything just because they hear a story from some Joe-blow out there hating on Gerald for his success. Its pretty sad really, Gerald felt pretty strong about the situation on Kentucky lake and voiced his opinion like he does frequently, I don't see what the big problem is. The local was being disrespectful to Gerald out there trying to make a living.
This was not a story that I heard from some "Joe Blow". This was a close freind of mine who I know would never do the things that Swindle stated. Ihave known him for several years and have fished in several tournaments with him and I have never known him to not show respect to other fisherman or any other unethical behavior. And as far as Swindles success, he sure did not look very successful on KY Lake when KVD blew him out of the water once again I might add. And just for the record, it was Swindle who was being disrespectful, not the local. I am glad to see people like KVD succeed rather than the ones who give the sport a bad name. Regardless of whether a person is out fishing for enjoyment or as a career, there is absolutely no excuse to not be ethical, moral, and show some etiquette on the water. I think BASS should really step up the rules and penalize the individuals who break them. It seems to me that Swindle did not learn any lessons from the last time he got disqualified for the wide open blow-by in the Classic year before last. The bottom line is that some of the "pros" expect the rest of us to bow down to them as if they own the lake which just isn't right. I treat other fisherman with respect but I expect it to be reciprical. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/smile.gif
regardless of the outcome of the tournament, G felt adamant about the situation and you people out there calling him a childish names needs to grow up.
Looks like we've got a troll. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/popcorn.gif
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by arjone01 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Looks like we've got a troll. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/popcorn.gif </TD></TR></TABLE>
Yep, but I'm not bitin.