Who Speaks for Bass Fishermen?

by Pete Robbins
(Who is Pete Robbins & what else has he written?)

The question is not easily answered.

In the area where I live, there are thousands of bass fishermen, and two major newspapers. In one of those papers, the outdoors editor writes an article about bass fishing maybe once every several years, and writes about tournament bass fishing even far less frequently.

In the other paper, the outdoors writer is a friend to bass fishermen, writing about our favorite topic regularly and with great passion. It must be noted, however, that he seems to be at least somewhat beholder to certain persons and companies. I’ve seen him at sportshows and events wearing the shirt of a particular boat manufacturer with whom he apparently has some relationship, and he touts particular guides and products with great regularity. On the one hand, this is how he gets the stories that we enjoy. On the other hand, how can we expect him to present unbiased journalism when a conflict may exist.

The problem with bass fishing journalism is that the people with a vested interest in the industry as a whole also control the means of disseminating the information. Bassmaster, the most widely read publication for our sport, is owned by the same people who bring you the tournament trail. Same with the publication of FLW Outdoors. If there’s a major scandal in either of their circuits, as there allegedly has been recently, are they going to be able to present the facts in an unbiased manner. After attracting huge corporate dollars to support their endeavors, can they afford to present the sport in anything less than a positive light?

Which is better, bad news or no news?

I don’t pretend to know the answer to that question.

I do know, however, that those of us who support the manufacturers and the tournament organizations with our free time and money have the power to demand answers. And with the rise of the internet, now more than ever we have the power to express our opinions.

The internet is the first medium by which just about anyone can disseminate his message to a wide range of people around the world. In that respect, it is an utterly democratic force, but one that can be abused as well [As the oft-repeated old joke goes, "the real problem with democracy is that crazy idea about letting any old fool have an equal vote."].

The problem with the internet, unlike more conventional media and face-to-face conversation, is that cowards and liars can hide behind its anonymity. Perhaps this is best exemplified by the New Yorker cartoon with the dog sitting at his computer with the caption: "On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog."

When Pete Herbst first presented the idea of a dynamic, content-laden website to Virginia Federation President several years back, the purpose of the new format was to give the Federation a voice. But the Federation does not have a single voice. Within our ranks there is dissent and diversity, as indicated by the many angler profiles that we have published. Democratic or not, however, this medium has de facto become controlled by the pens (or keyboards) of a few writers, including myself, Pete Herbst, Dave Watts, and a few others. Surely some of you must have ideas that you want disseminated. At every tournament and every region or Federation meeting I attend, there are spirited debates and discussions about a wide range of topics that affect us directly and indirectly. The internet chat boards are filled with similar diatribes.

The challenge that I am presenting to you here is to write something to your fellow Federation members, something that means something to you and about which you care dearly. It could be a particular tournament success, an environmental cause, or a controversy that has been eating at you. It need not be Dickensian in length, or in strict iambic pentameter, but it should reflect your opinions and experiences. You pay for the maintenance of this website, and it should (in some form) reflect you.

Who speaks for bass fishermen?

You should, and you can.

Feature Column Archives