Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2016, Page 36

Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Spring 2016, Page 36

eight B.A.S.S. wins in 208 events, whereas KVD has 20 in 208. Then there’s that pesky Classic albatross. AMart has come in 2 nd on four occasions, but has never won. No matter how many tournaments he wins, how many AOY titles he collects, it seems unlikely that he could pass KVD on the “All Time Great” list without winning at least a couple of Classic trophies. The US Open trophies he’s garnered may be every bit as impressive in their own right, but fairly or not they’re still considered a step behind the Classic.

Another factor preventing any angler from eclipsing KVD is that the competition is getting tougher. Years ago, there was some portion of the field – perhaps 20 or 30 percent – that had no chance of winning. Furthermore, there was some small percentage, maybe 10 or 20, that was markedly better than everyone else.

Now, the drop-off between the top tier and the second tier is smaller, and the gap between that second tier and the bottom dwellers is smaller still. It’s harder to dominate.

For every Jacob Powroznik, Randall Tharp, Brent Ehrler and Luke Clausen who makes the jump from FLW to B.A.S.S., the talent is further coalesced and the chances of going on a multi-tournament winning streak are diminished.

On the other hand, the more democratic dissemination of information means that a talent

that otherwise would have gone unnurtured can arise seemingly out of nowhere.

Granted, KVD wasn’t from the “Bass Belt” of the southeast, but he came from an area with substantial bass fishing credentials.

Now, with the rise of the internet, online tackle shopping and both high school and college programs it’s possible for a youth to set his sights on a career as a pro angler at an early age and make it happen, no matter where he lives.

That gives the natural talents like Brandon Palaniuk an opportunity that might otherwise be nurtured at such an early age a decade or two ago. Speaking of Palaniuk, he would seem to be among the likely candidates to make a run at it. Of course, that’s a tall order to predict for someone who hasn’t won a major title yet, but at just past his 28 th birthday, he has the same number of B.A.S.S. wins that KVD had at that age, and one fewer AOY title. KVD earned his first Classic win at 33, and his second AOY title at 29, so if Brandon’s going to make a run at the GOAT title, he needs to get cracking.

Of course, that may be a little unfair to expect of anyone. Could he have an exceptional Bassmaster career without coming anywhere near what KVD has accomplished? Of course he could. No one would say that Gerald Swindle or Denny Brauer or Jay Yelas

hadn’t succeeded at the highest level of the

sport, and their list of accolades all fall

short of what KVD has accomplished.

At the same time, despite the

seemingly insurmountable hurdles, I

won’t be utterly shocked if at some

future date a bass fishing prodigy

seemingly comes out of nowhere and

starts dominating. It’s happened in

every other sport. Records are made to

be broken.

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