Big enough?

[MarkF]

My friend sent me this photo via cell phone yesterday of a bass he caught fishing in a charity tournament in Georgia last weekend. He asked if he could use fly fishing equipment and was given the go ahead with many of the participants laughing about it. What they still don't realize is how effective fly fishing is when the fish are in the top 30' of water. How many more casts can you make by just lifting the rod and putting the line back down instead of reeling it all the way in? I would say if it is top water you could easily fire off 4 casts into likely spots for every 1 on conventional gear. It is also much easier to keep your fly at the proper level under water for a longer period with a sunken line that does not rise up immediately as you start pulling it in, unlike conventional gear. He ended up winning the tournament, with many of the participants who were laughing about his choice of gear now complaining about it. Typical. Anyways, WAY TO GO SCOTT!!!

[Hairstacker]

Wow, nice bass!

[MarkF]

Scott just emailed me earlier. He's had 5 phone calls from guys that want to challenge him one on one. They heard about it from the other guys in the tourney. When he told them he wasn't really into competition one of the guys actually called him a chicken.

[Hairstacker]

That's crazy. What's the deal, was he talking up the advantages of fly fishing or are they just put out by losing to a fly guy? I can understand his response to being challenged, as that's about how I would feel about it.

[Darian]

Hmmm,.... Maybe it's a promotion of some sort. A gear vs fly challenge would be interesting and fun to watch. Instead of one fly or fly guys only, this would make a great series to watch and be informative at one time. How about Mike Iachonelli (sp?) for the gear guy Damn!!! I sure wish I was a producer/promoter....

[MarkF]

No, he wasn't talking it up, Scott is a fairly humble guy. They were put out by him winning it. The guys that are calling him learned about it from the other guys in the tournament. The guy that called him a chicken was also mocking him over the phone, so he asked the guy if he was in 3rd grade or something. Thinking about where it is, the guy might still be in 3rd grade....
Why do we need another tournament? I personally am fairly turned off by the fly fishing tournaments that were being televised. My idea of fishing is not racing from spot to spot and pounding an area into oblivion.

[Darian]

MarkF,.... Relax. My post was mostly tongue in cheek.... Besides I wasn't thinking tournament but more of a one on one, hour long TV series....

Ya know, if you play with people who're very competitive, you have to expect them to play that way. Win or lose. It's everyones choice as to whether to complain, participate or not. Doesn't matter what they call you....

[MarkF]

Completely relaxed, just stating a dislike for tournaments. As for competitiveness, I think you would be hard pressed to find someone more so than myself, but win or lose, I would never respond like these clowns did nor would I make excuses for them.

[thekid]

Him winning that tournament on the fly rod is awesome! Wish it would happen more often. Here's a few we have been getting on top in our area around Chico.

-The Kid