Summer 2022
W
hether or not you’re a NASCAR fan, it is likely
you’ve heard of Dale Earnhardt in some
capacity. Considered one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, Earnhardt once said “second
place is just the first loser.”
I often hear anglers repeat the saying.
Following that train of thought, in a field of 40, there is
only one winner and 39 losers, in a field of 100, again one
winner and 99 losers. You get the idea – there are a lot of
spots to fill on a leaderboard that fall under first place.
That being understood success in major events is few
and far between, not frequently duplicated and rarely in
succession.
If we look at anglers that have had the G.O.A.T. moniker
thrown their way, we can see just how INFREQUENT a major
bass fishing win is – just how challenging, regardless of skill level, closing out a win really is.
Guinness World Records lists two record-holding anglers that share the title for the most career wins of the Bassmaster Classic. The first to accomplish the feat was Rick Clunn (1976, 1977, 1984, 1990), and the second was Kevin VanDam (2001, 2005, 2010, 2011).
Major League Fishing lists Scott Martin with eight wins from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, formerly known as the FLW Tour in years (2000, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017). Martin set a new FLW record with his 8th victory in that 2017 event.
At first glance, this may strike you as a lot; however, the four wins for Clunn has come through nearly a half- century of Bassmaster competition. In his 479 Bassmaster tournaments, he has a total of 16 wins.
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