Pro Credibility

[SirSnookalot]

I don't know about pro fisherman, never met one and never been to a tournament.  I have met pro golfers and been to ton of events as well as TV viewing.  It doesn't mean anything what kind of hats they are wearing, or the brand name on the bag or head covers, whats' inside may be entirely different.  The bag may say Taylor made, but the irons could be Callaway,  the wedges could be Cleveland and a Ping puter.  I wouldn't be surprised if pro anglers did the same thing.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Don't just take any review as truthful either. ALOT of pro staff or people affiliated write those reviews both positive and negative against competing brands. Unless I knew the guy writing the review I wouldn't be convinced either way. There is a lot of money and ego in our sport.

 

LOL, I think the swimbait world might be the darkest corner.

[grampa1114]

You can't knock the sincerity and knowledge learned on Major League Fishing episode 6. Now if I can find some of those "rubber nails" at my BPS.

[RyneB]

I used to buy things i saw on fishing shows and such, but that was when i was young and dumb. Now i know that these guys are pros and im not. Just because i buy Michael Jordans shoes, its not going to make me play basketball as good as him. I base my buying off of what i read about here, general feedback, and colors. I throw SK Squarebills because i love the chartreuse sexy shad color and i have confidence in it. I take advice on how to find fish, boat position, casting angles, lake breakdown etc. from pros. But when it comes to tackle, i trust the guys on here more than i do a pro.

 

I get Bassmaster magazine and all the articles the pros are pimping there products. I dont care, as long as theyre giving me information that will help me, thats all that matters. I understand thats there job, i dont fault them. I know pros use whatever they can that gives them the advantage. For instance, i was watching In-Fisherman the other day. They were pimping Rapala the whole show. Yet everytime theyd reel in a walleye it didnt have the Perch color Rapala in its mouth. They would edit and then show the guy holding a nice fish and a perch colored rapala and hyping up the bait. Thats just business.

[TNBassin']

Just wondering how many of you guys listen to the pros recommendations for purchasing any kind of tackle.

In my own personal opinion, for myself, the pros have absolutely NO credibility when it comes to my choices.

One reason, and one reason only. They CANNOT be objective when making tackle  suggestions. They have to

promote the guy who's writing the check. ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that, I would do EXACTLY  the same thing.

A paycheck is a paycheck, and a job is a job. Example, one pro last year. was pushing Kistler rods, this year it's Okuma.

     When I am looking to by a new reel, rod, etc., I come here for honest user opinions, or Google user reviews for whatever

 I am thinking about buying. Actually, I'll do the same thing for just about any major purchase. Google user reviews.

 just wondering if any of you guys feel the same way. Not criticizing any pro for anything. I watch them all and enjoy all the shows.

 

Hootie

Agreed. They are all about pimping their sponsor's gear, and keeping all the good info to themselves. IMO, the pros are ZERO help.

[bassh8er]

Agreed. They are all about pimping their sponsor's gear, and keeping all the good info to themselves. IMO, the pros are ZERO help.

Is it possible for you to have anything positive to say? I get skepticism and being cynical, but your posts have become as predictable as RW talking about Rage Tail or the Mega Bug.

No help at all? I'm sure they keep a lot to themselves but I've caught a lot of fish on sexy shad colors and 1.5 cranks, of which KVD, a pro, had nothing to do with.

[TNBassin']

Every article I read, is nothing more than a commercial for a certain bait with very little detail or useful info. I'm just tired of someone trying to sell me something, when I'm just looking for honest to goodness advice. Pick up a magazine nowadays and read an article, and you'll surely see that they mention certain brands of baits constantly in these articles with very little info on techniques. It's not their fault, as their 2nd job is to please their sponsors so they can continue making a living off the sport they love. These guys are walking, talking billboards. In such a competitive sport, can one really expect them to clue anyone in on how to more/bigger fish? They'd be crazy to spill the beans on what makes them great. This is why I don't put any stock in what they say, as they 1, don't say much that's useful, and 2 they are salesman. And c'mon...NO ONE is as predictable as RW.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't think there is any question that Professionals are hyping their sponsor's products, there is as much hyping on any fishing board from amateurs as well.  I think to myself, why would I take advice from any person that catches less and smaller fish than I do.  Good fisherman catch fish for 1 reason, they know what they are doing !  Rods, reels, lines, hooks and baits are such a secondary concern to me it's hardly worth mentioning.  

[South FLA]

In my opinion it is really tough to judge whether the endorsement is genuine or business related. Unless, you personally know the "pro" then their endorsement is just as good as the next guy.  Nevertheless, I believe that "most" people are good at heart and recommend products they have used and have been successful with regardless of whether they are a pro or not, call me gullible.

 

Remember the helicopter lure and the pros that endorsed them?

[grampa1114]

I just don't know what to say about that video...the sincerity was heartwrenching........

[Bigbarge50]

I have a plano box of those still from my mother, bless her heart, thought it was a good buy for me one Christmas when I was a teenager.  I still have the vhs tape with roland martin on the cover selling those things like they were the next coming...... oh Roland, how could you.  

 

It would seem some guys have checked out and are selling and other guys are really out there and sharing some with what they are using.  

 

I also do not think we can be mad a pros for not revealing everything.  We all get very "pm" oriented on here when discussing spots and lures on our favorite spots...... I do not because I do not like to share with those who also share, but because there are a lot of guys who do not respect our resources the same way and troll on here without posting themselves.  The pros are basically doing the same thing, I mean look at the alabama rig explosion.  

[SENKOSAM]

Question: In BassMaster magazine there is a section A Day On the Lake with...which follows a pro around using various brand name lures to catch fish. Sometimes they work, sometimes not, but one thing sticks out with these articles and most other articles about tackle - they don't claim the baits are the only ones an angler should buy, just that the baits, line, rod and reels mentioned were chosen for the task and that body of water. I would think that after years of reading into articles and videos information that wasn't included such as versatility, cost vs. quality, and comparable products, one would automatically think, what other products can do the same thing if those features mentioned are even important.

 

For example, I hold Denny Brauer in high regard and used to watch him religiously. Though he pushed Strike King's Rage Tail Craw in the latest Bass Times, I read his reason why and from my own experience have to agree. Denny consistently offers information, for the most part, I can count on. The rest is up to us Missourans - Show Me (I wasn't born yesterday).

 

Granted, Shaw Grigsby, Doug Hannon and Roland both lost credibility putting their names on substandard lures (Shaw's plastics are garbage), but worse is the suggestion that what they're pushing is versatile at all depths and in all cover/structure areas. The Bango Minnow does have its uses, but is nowhere near as versatile as the video claims. (I did pick up many good tips from Hannon's spot on TV, especially his underwater videos.)

 

It's kind of like buying a used car - if you don't go under the car or the hood, you can't blame the salesman and anglers should note what information is missing in any article or video as part of the misinformation that is meant to convince us to buy stuff we sometimes end up storing or giving away. But on the other hand a lousy angler may not have what it takes or the time to effectively use a sponsored lure under the conditions it was used or the best presentation of the lure. You can't blame the messenger for that!

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

My $150 Quantum KVD rod caught a biggest last year of 2.00 lbs. my $19.99 Berkley from Walmart caught one 5.80 lbs. I use what works best for me. Trial and error is key. I listen to the pros just to see what they use out of curiosity. I can't tell you all the countless bass I catch on the el cheapo minnows from Wally World.

[SENKOSAM]

Quote

I can't tell you all the countless bass I catch on the el cheapo minnows from Wally World.

 

I pour most of my own plastics for less than a dime apiece and build my won spinnerbaits and jigs for less than a buck fifty; I'll put them up against any brand. Granted, not all cheap copies can hold up against some of the better made sponsored lures, but sometimes they do.

 

Many of the good quality reels that I own made within the last ten years, do fine and I can't see replacing them because of the latest hype. I also have many Quantum Torsion rods from Wally World in different actions and size that match the kind of fishing I do and they were less than $30 each. A buddy of mine bought a Woo Daves rod for over $100 from Woo Davea at a seminar and it broke first time he used it as did the replacement. (He wouldn't give me the time of day unless I bought something from him.)

[grampa1114]

It seems to me that every time I hear a Pro trying to explain what works for him...To a Man they all say the same thing..."Do what you have faith in" "Fish in your Comfort Zone" If you believe in what you're doing then you will be successful. That's what I hear when somebody shows me how to skip a whacky worm under a dock or hum a squarebill over a weed bed or fish a spinnerbait in the wind or whatever. It's always "Do what feels right to You"......That's what makes them "Credible" to me....JMHO

Grampa

[Dinky]

I agree that pros are paid to hype their products.

 

Likewise many on this board do the same.

 

But I would not say that they had NO credibility simply because they hype their products.

 

If I did that I would have to say RW, Glenn, and Long Mike have no credibility.

 

I think some of you need to tell us exactly how you decide which crank bait to buy and why it is better than other crank baits--then of course if that crank bait has ever been hyped or advertised by a pro you should be prepared for a few uncomfortable questions.

 

Unless you actually use several different brands of baits under the same conditions (which would be very expensive), how do you decide that this or that pro's hype has no credibility?

 

Please enlighten us all.

[IntroC]

 ^{When I see KVD win numerous tourneys on SK cranks(RES and Series 5) I'm gonna check them out. The price is definately right and the quality is there so I bought some and since have bought many more and have had some of my best days using them.  Now did I buy them because he said so? No, I bought them because he has proven they are awsome baits.  One pro will tell you their lures are the best , others will prove to you they are.  I follow the latter.}

[SENKOSAM]

We should put all pros in the same category as those that have mislead in the past and taken advantage of the newbies and fisherman wives that needed to buy
their husbands a gift. I've always thought KVD a class act and believe that most anything he puts his name on, he's endorsed because he personally helped ensure its quality. An all American boy not corrupted by success, ego or greed IMO.

But, if he ever did start mass producing crap, word would spread fast and his rep would suffer. You can tell that a pro has something of value to say that we can use when he only mentions the product name a few times or not at all. When I spoke to KVD at a seminar, he never suggested I buy anything but answered my and others questions to our satisfaction. People like KVD want to be
liked and respected on or off the water because he is and has been the
poster child of integrity and class.

Roland Martin is a different story. Not a nice man according to others and from my own personal experience with him at a BASS invitational where he kept to himself. He shot holes in his reputation early in his career after he started losing
more tournaments then he won. But once he started putting out the
Helicopter Lure and his crap economy line of jerkbaits and crankbaits,
he was done in my mind. I couldn't even stomach watching him on TV. (I
did buy the willow leaf spinnerbait he won with on the 3 day tournie on
the Hudson River and did really well with it.)

It doesn't hurt to take each pro separately and give him a chance to screw up before judging him or the products he hawks. But once is all it takes in my mind to denigrate the pro's image and integrity. There are more than a few.


 

[J Francho]

First off, no one did fishing promotion before Roland.  He pretty much invented the deal, and the top pro bass anglers did not make nearly what they do today, so things like the Helicopter Lure, or that weird bobber launcher were probably easy money.  Remeber, Roland also endorses products like Megastrike and Yamamoto. 

 

The Banjo Minnow was not invented by Rich Gannon, it was Capt. Ken Daubert, maker of the Clone Frogs that came up with that.  He even still uses that goofy kahle hook with the rubber band.  Gannon has that rubber snake thing.

 

 

 

Personally, if some gimmicky lure gets someone into bass fishing, then who cares. 

 

I'll leave this thread running, but it is not an opportunity to bash any specific pros. 

 

Yogi Berra used to sell Mr. Coffee.  I bet he gets his coffee from a Kuerig now, lol.  Sell out!

[SENKOSAM]

There were a lot of fishing shows in the early 70's I watched when I was living in Texas that pushed a lot of products, some good, some not so good. But one thing the promotions were good for was to get people to start experimenting with artificials. This topic was for anyone, experienced or not, to be skeptical when claims are made on TV or in print and to pay attention to fellow anglers that input about this or that tackle, kind of act like a Consumer Reports for bass anglers. IMO misleading claims should be exposed regardless of the sponsor or media and not allowed to go unchallenged. Money can be made honestly in this sport whether it be winning tournaments or selling products and the pros don't get a pass. Again, KVD is an example that all should pattern themselves after or face derision on the many forums that discuss fishing products.

 

(I edited out the comments about RM.)

[*Hootie]

Yogi Berra used to sell Mr. Coffee. I bet he gets his coffee from a Kuerig now, lol. Sell out!

Wasn't that Joe Dimagio?

Hootie