Bassmaster Classic

[bowhunterfanatic]

TN kid Dylan Nutt won the Classic today at the ripe old age of 22. Crazy. He fished in a tourney on Pickwick two years ago that my brother was in and dominated it. I've been loosely following him since then. While I pretty much hate what livescope has done to bass fishing, it's really neat to see such a young TN kid have that kind of success.

 

[duvhntr]

TN kid Dylan Nutt won the Classic today at the ripe old age of 22. Crazy. He fished in a tourney on Pickwick two years ago that my brother was in and dominated it. I've been loosely following him since then. While I pretty much hate what livescope has done to bass fishing, it's really neat to see such a young TN kid have that kind of success.

Personally, I love watching them livescope.. who don't like to see massive bags of bass weighed.. way better than a dink fest.. way better than watching someone randomly fan cast a Carolina rig on a point..
congrats to him!

 

[West_Tn]

Drove down and went to the Classic. First one I have ever been to. All I can say is WOW. The Expo really is incredible, and so was everything else. Definitely recommend going, especially if you have kids to take. Mine had a ball!

 

[Kevin Snook]

TN kid Dylan Nutt won the Classic today at the ripe old age of 22. Crazy. He fished in a tourney on Pickwick two years ago that my brother was in and dominated it. I've been loosely following him since then. While I pretty much hate what livescope has done to bass fishing, it's really neat to see such a young TN kid have that kind of success.

Almost 67 pounds on Tellico/Loudon!
Was an awesome performance for a kid coming in through the federation..
He's not getting the recognition he deserves, just so many haters because of FFS..
FFS or not it was a great victory for the young man..

 

[sll]

I have been to 2 Classics and the Expo is definitely a must see…….piss on the weigh-ins. Knoxville is THE best venue for it.

 

[TRHC]

TN kid Dylan Nutt won the Classic today at the ripe old age of 22. Crazy. He fished in a tourney on Pickwick two years ago that my brother was in and dominated it. I've been loosely following him since then. While I pretty much hate what livescope has done to bass fishing, it's really neat to see such a young TN kid have that kind of success.

On top of that, his twin brother Carter snagged a team win in the Bassmaster College championship the day before. These boys live, eat, and breathe bass fishing. I am friends with their uncle John, so I hear a good bit about their commitment and work ethic. The same goes for all of those fishermen. They all study and try to master their craft. It seems like the kids who grew up on livescope are more able to effectively use it versus the older guys. Then there's the haters…..It cracks me up reading the comments on social media. My favorite is when someone wants to argue that KVD didn't need all that stuff to win. Those dummies posting that mess obviously don't know KVD was a master of the technology that was available at the time and ironically, that was one of the things that helped catapult him into bass fishing stardom.

 

[7mm08]

Almost 67 pounds on Tellico/Loudon!
Was an awesome performance for a kid coming in through the federation..
He's not getting the recognition he deserves, just so many haters because of FFS..
FFS or not it was a great victory for the young man..

What is FFS?
Thanks

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

What is FFS?
Thanks

Forward facing sonar

 

[Andy S.]

Kudos to him! I also read where Trey McKinney (21 y/o), who placed second this year with 57 lbs, also placed second last year with 68 lbs.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

what livescope has done to bass fishing

i'd like to see ALL sonar use banned in tournaments. technology is...no, HAS taken over from skills and knowledge. i'd like to see what the "pros" do in a boat without all of the bells and whistles. i'd let them have an actual depth-finder to find offshore humps, creekbeds etc.

 

[mjwendorf]

i'd like to see ALL sonar use banned in tournaments. technology is...no, HAS taken over from skills and knowledge. i'd like to see what the "pros" do in a boat without all of the bells and whistles. i'd let them have an actual depth-finder to find offshore humps, creekbeds etc.

Have you used any of the new technology?

Edit, my point of the question is im not sure how people can say it takes the skill and knowledge out of it. If thats the case why did Nutt have over twice the weight as 25th place? They all have the same equipment so if it takes no skill or knowledge one would think the weights would be tighter.

 

[CrossVolle]

FFS is great if you want to go out and have a good time catch and release. But it has no place in tournaments of that magnitude. I would argue it should not be allowed at all on any major circuit. They have to sell those bundles somehow though.

Does not take away from what Dylan did at all. He whipped their arse. They all have the same stuff.

 

[ewc]

i'd like to see ALL sonar use banned in tournaments. technology is...no, HAS taken over from skills and knowledge. i'd like to see what the "pros" do in a boat without all of the bells and whistles. i'd let them have an actual depth-finder to find offshore humps, creekbeds etc.

Ok. Zero electronics- no depthfinder, no nothing.

Safety concerns me. Moderate past that. Run down the river in fog at daylight with no gps and watch the bodies pile up.

I'm not good enough to fish with these new guys but i have the equipment that they do.

They are not cheating. If their governing body chooses, they can ban the use.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I wish they'd ban FFS for everyone except me. While I still couldn't come close to competing, it would at least make me above average I would think.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

FFS is great if you want to go out and have a good time catch and release.

i like your ways.

Run down the river in fog at daylight with no gps

slow down, that's how it was done before. fishing is NOT a drag race. GPS does NOT show you the fish...

 

[WTM]

lol tech wasnt one of the things that catapulted KVD, it was sheer talent, like some of the young kids today. all of them has been bass fishing since they were in single digit age. thats 12 years of bass fishing learning before they ever become adults. theownin high school and college and thats 8 years of tournament experience before they fish their first pro qualifier.

now, has FFS helped, yep it has particularly targeting suspended fish, which before were almost impossible to catch. this transfers to other species as well, especially crappie and bluegill. it allows catching suspended sauger, which most folks think they stay on bottom the entire time.

like i said before, lol, FFS can allow people to catch fish who couldnt catch them
out of a bath tub before and help top anglers catch heavy weights.

 

[TRHC]

lol tech wasnt one of the things that catapulted KVD, it was sheer talent, like some of the young kids today.

I've read or seen videos talking about how he'd go to lakes and side scan for hours or even days. Sometimes whole days without even making a cast. If that's the case, it definitely was ONE of the things that attributed to his success. To say otherwise is silly. Now, determination, stamina, and raw talent……he certainly had those too.

Here's a short clip of him crediting his electronics for a win.



You're right about this generation of young guns being "educated" in all areas of tournament fishing by the time they reach adulthood. That's one aspect all the haters on FB fail to recognize. In their shallow minds, they think just anyone can strap a livescope on their boat and go win a bassmaster classic.

 

[WTM]

I've read or seen videos talking about how he'd go to lakes and side scan for hours or even days. Sometimes whole days without even making a cast. If that's the case, it definitely was ONE of the things that attributed to his success. To say otherwise is silly. Now, determination, stamina, and raw talent……he certainly had those too.

Here's a short clip of him crediting his electronics for a win.



You're right about this generation of young guns being "educated" in all areas of tournament fishing by the time they reach adulthood. That's one aspect all the haters on FB fail to recognize. In their shallow minds, they think just anyone can strap a livescope on their boat and go win a bassmaster classic.

https://www.boats.com/on-the-water/vandam-leads-classic-into-final-day/

this was his first classic win and humminbird wouldnt release side imaging for another 4 years.

in the middle of the article a good friend and coworker, the late great mike holt, cause the big fish of the day. almost 4 pounds. miss that guy.

the point im trying to make is KVD was winning pro tourneys since 1992 before tech really took off.

 

[TRHC]

https://www.boats.com/on-the-water/vandam-leads-classic-into-final-day/
the point im trying to make is KVD was winning pro tourneys since 1992 before tech really took off.

Point taken, and it's a good point. I totally agree and think KVD is the all time GOAT of tournament bass fishing.

But don't get me wrong, and I'm not being argumentative, I just don't agree that he did it all on talent alone.

Side note….I think 360 was basically his idea and he convinced Hummingbird to develop that tech.

Tight lines.

 

[ewc]

i like your ways.

slow down, that's how it was done before. fishing is NOT a drag race. GPS does NOT show you the fish...

No but it can take you to your spot in a fog or pitch black dark.

 

[CrossVolle]

Point taken, and it's a good point. I totally agree and think KVD is the all time GOAT of tournament bass fishing.

Him or Rick Clunn. I go back and forth. About impossible for me to settle on.

 

[Crow Terminator]

Congrats to the young man. I'm not familiar with him but don't closely follow tournament bass fishing either. I hate that his win is mired up in the whole technology/right of passage break down saga though.

I think that's more to do with it than a lot of people want to admit. Older anglers feel like there's unwritten rules to a right of passage.

• learn slowly
• struggle
• pay your dues
• eventually compete at a high level

If younger anglers skip parts of that curve and come right out of high school winning huge tournaments it can feel like:

"They didn't earn it the way we had to."

That creates resentment even if the newcomers are legitimately skilled—just in different ways. What you're seeing right now is the classic Earnhardt Sr vs Jeff Gordon effect. Dale and his fans felt like Gordon came onto the scene without paying his dues. He basically had everything handed to him from an early age; the best of equipment and jumped right in and was competitive at the highest level of racing. Newer fans gravitated towards Gordon and there became that rivalry thing. When Sr died, a lot of people quit watching NASCAR and said that it died when he died. They didn't have any driver to relate to and none of the new kids really fit their style. Same thing in fishing. That's why some of you are gravitating towards Van Dam and Clunn instead of Wheeler and those kind of folks.

If the young man had went out there and never turned FFS on and fished his guts out and won...there would still be people grumbling about SOMETHING he did that they didn't like.

EDIT: I already saw it anyway. People grumbling about his flat bill hat and long hair lol

 

[Lt.Dan]

Well dang it. I didn't know the tournament was in Knoxville or I would have gone up. I don't follow bass fishing much anymore. Although at one time I did have aspirations of being a competitor and had even entered some bass tournaments. That was back in the 80's when fishing was skill and knowledge. Fish finders were just coming of age. I remember my first one, a Bottomline. It had fish ID which was all the rage at the time. It showed 3 sizes of fish targets. The screen was grayscale. You could see weeds. And bottom structure. This was all in little pixels. There was no definition like today's electronics. Good times I tell you, good times.

 

[sll]

Well dang it. I didn't know the tournament was in Knoxville or I would have gone up. I don't follow bass fishing much anymore. Although at one time I did have aspirations of being a competitor and had even entered some bass tournaments. That was back in the 80's when fishing was skill and knowledge. Fish finders were just coming of age. I remember my first one, a Bottomline. It had fish ID which was all the rage at the time. It showed 3 sizes of fish targets. The screen was grayscale. You could see weeds. And bottom structure. This was all in little pixels. There was no definition like today's electronics. Good times I tell you, good times.

My dad used to look at those 3 sizes of targets and say "the dam things lying because they can't all be facing the same way."

 

[redblood]

i dont find lake fishing for bass interesting at all nor do i follow it. But i will be the first to admit that ffs is a cheat code for crappie. i have streamed fish my whole life- wading creeks and floating rivers- for smallmouth, rock bass, spotted bass etc. in 2022 I bought a 1 yr old bass boat and added ffs and the learning curve was short. I caught one crappie without FFS on that boat while i was waiting for the lowrance active target to arrive. And within a few weeks was filling the cooler. Im not certain that it creates quite the advantage in bass, since i dont target them in lakes- but it certainly does create a huge advantage for crappie. I wonder if creating 2 separate tours is the answer.

 

[WTM]

i dont find lake fishing for bass interesting or all nor do i follow it. But i will be the first to admit that ffs is a cheat code for crappie. i have streamed fish my whole life- wading creeks and floating rivers- for smallmouth, rock bass, spotted bass etc. in 2022 I bought a 1 yr old bass boat and added ffs and the learning curve was short. I caught one crappie without FFS on that boat while i was waiting for the lowrance active target to arrive. And within a few weeks was filling the cooler. Im not certain that it creates quite the advantage in bass, since i dont target them in lakes- but it certainly does create a huge advantage for crappie. I wonder if creating 2 separate tours is the answer.

they can always fish in the NPFL.

 

[redblood]

Congrats to the young man. I'm not familiar with him but don't closely follow tournament bass fishing either. I hate that his win is mired up in the whole technology/right of passage break down saga though.

I think that's more to do with it than a lot of people want to admit. Older anglers feel like there's unwritten rules to a right of passage.

• learn slowly
• struggle
• pay your dues
• eventually compete at a high level

If younger anglers skip parts of that curve and come right out of high school winning huge tournaments it can feel like:



That creates resentment even if the newcomers are legitimately skilled—just in different ways. What you're seeing right now is the classic Earnhardt Sr vs Jeff Gordon effect. Dale and his fans felt like Gordon came onto the scene without paying his dues. He basically had everything handed to him from an early age; the best of equipment and jumped right in and was competitive at the highest level of racing. Newer fans gravitated towards Gordon and there became that rivalry thing. When Sr died, a lot of people quit watching NASCAR and said that it died when he died. They didn't have any driver to relate to and none of the new kids really fit their style. Same thing in fishing. That's why some of you are gravitating towards Van Dam and Clunn instead of Wheeler and those kind of folks.

If the young man had went out there and never turned FFS on and fished his guts out and won...there would still be people grumbling about SOMETHING he did that they didn't like.

EDIT: I already saw it anyway. People grumbling about his flat bill hat and long hair lol

very well said and accurate. we all do it and we always favor our way of doing something. But the reality is the great like van dam could be great with or without livescope, many of these guys may not be able to compete without it. doesnt matter to me, i admit-----i fish for groceries not trophies

 

[Wooden Arrow]

There was no definition like today's electronics. Good times I tell you, good times.

i've watched video of ffs so finely tuned that you could SEE what species of fish was there. a flathead catfish looks NOTHING like a bass crappie etc.

 

[mike243]

I never had the chance to see any of the new electronics, guess that's a good thing looking at the costs.

 

[whitetailz]

On top of that, his twin brother Carter snagged a team win in the Bassmaster College championship the day before. These boys live, eat, and breathe bass fishing. I am friends with their uncle John, so I hear a good bit about their commitment and work ethic. The same goes for all of those fishermen. They all study and try to master their craft. It seems like the kids who grew up on livescope are more able to effectively use it versus the older guys. Then there's the haters…..It cracks me up reading the comments on social media. My favorite is when someone wants to argue that KVD didn't need all that stuff to win. Those dummies posting that mess obviously don't know KVD was a master of the technology that was available at the time and ironically, that was one of the things that helped catapult him into bass fishing stardom.

Okay. You can't compare KVD using SideScan on TVA ledges to a 20 year old dropping the trolling motor and head down scanning "live" for fish to target with a bait that is as equally "live".