Is Powerfishing Relatively New?

[Catt]

Power Fishing: Long rods, heavy line, big baits use for fishing heavy cover.

In early tournaments it was called Bubba Fishing, the only difference was "Bubba" used short pistol grip rods.

Leaving your trolling motor on high while working a shore line was & is called "Run & Gun".

Nick Creme invented the plastic worm not rubber!

[5fishlimit]

I consider "power fishing" to be techniques that require me to be constantly reeling in - crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.

I consider "finesse fishing" to be presentations that do not require me to impart most of the needed action - dropshot, senkos, etc.

I don't believe it has to be determined by the actual size of the lure being used.

[Teal]

I just fish. Lol. What you call it doesn't matter... I just fish

[WRB]

Power Fishing: Long rods, heavy line, big baits use for fishing heavy cover.

In early tournaments it was called Bubba Fishing, the only difference was "Bubba" used short pistol grip rods.

Leaving your trolling motor on high while working a shore line was & is called "Run & Gun".

Nick Creme invented the plastic worm not rubber!

Dee Thomas won the Bassmaster Bull Shoals tournament in '75 flipping with a long rod.

Nick Creme worm is plastic, however called rubber worms for decades before correctly called plastic worms.

Run and Gun is running around the lake with your boat and stopping at various spots, is another definition.

Regional differences in interpretation of terms.

Tom

[Megastink]

I think the Term is new, within the last ten or so years. But people have been using power techniques for decades.

[Team9nine]

I think the Term is new, within the last ten or so years. But people have been using power techniques for decades.

 

As Megastink mentioned, we can argue all day about what is or isn't considered "power fishing" and how long it has been practiced, but in regards to the term itself, the earliest article/story I've been able to find which used the term as applied to bass fishing and bass pros dates back to very early 2001. Would be curious to see if anyone can document its use previous to that in any similar story, article, book, etc. 

 

-T9

[J Francho]

Seems like I heard the term earlier in In-Fisherman, but that might be about right.

[Catt]

Bass fishing archives *

[Fish'N Impossible]

^{my understanding of "Power" Fishing has nothing to do with the lures you choose, it is speed and targets. You fish non stop trolling motor down always moving and only cast to high probability locations with yout lures; pitch to the dark spot on a stump, cast you spinnerbait through that small grass line and so on. stopping to soak a lure or shake it more than twice and your finessing it.}

[hawgenvy]

According to KVD (from the KVD website), power fishing is "about maximizing your time with the lures and techniques required to catch fish under current conditions." Isn't that what every basser tries to do except when he's feeling too lazy to try? "Power fishing" seems to be a meaningless and subjective term that can cover almost anything but sitting on the bank in a folding chair with a cane pole and a cork, kind of dozing off, and the night crawler has been finessed off your tiny hook by a little bream a half hour ago. Now, that's definitely not power fishing. But maybe what I do is, even when it's from the bank.

[Sam]

Kevin  VanDam is given the credit for the term "power fishing" due to the way he fishes his hard baits.

 

I have no idea who coined the phrase.

 

As stated above, power fishing has been around for many, many years.

[Catt]

Kevin VanDam = Power Fishing

[basscatcher8]

Power fishing to me has always been fishing something for a reaction strike. Cranks, buzz baits, spinner baits. Your just running it through an area to fire a fishes instinct to kill it, if nothing fires from a target your casting to move onto the next. And that instinct is there all year long no matter how cold or warm it is in the water. But like y'all have said its different definition for different people. That's whats great about fishing is you can do everything your own way and can be different from the next guy but your both right and both having success. That's why to me copying pro techniques doesn't make sense. You can take parts of what they are doing and work it into your own routine but they are doing what works for them you gotta find what works for you.

[FunkJishing]

^{when i think of power fishing i think of people fishing heavy structure with heavy equipment such as braided line, heavy action flipping sticks using techinques like punching mats or anything that would require them to use more power than usual to get a fish into the boat. sometimes you gotta drag a fish to the boat with an extra 3 pounds of weeds on your line, or yank a fish from over a laydown. thats what i think of as "power fishing"}

[J Francho]

Two articles that feature different versions of "power fishing."  Suppose it depends on who you ask.

 

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/node/98467

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/flipping_pitching_fishing.html

[Chris S]

Ike give his answer and I think it matches a lot of our answers as well. Hit it and get it! from 2009

 

[Patrick Morrow]

I do not user term "power" fishing, but if I had to define it then- heavy line, bigger lures(read crankbaits), casting in so called "hot-spots" where fish would likely be.

[F14A-B]

I didn't hear the term in the late 70's or thru- out the 80's and on into the 90's... Seems a 21 century term.. What does it mean?, idk.. But I do think of KVD and his hyper approach to spinner baiting when I hear it.

[Team9nine]

Bass fishing archives *

 

Contacted Terry over at BFA and they're going to dig into it and see what the oldest reference of "power fishing" in an article they can find is. Terry was thinking late 90s.

 

 

I didn't hear the term in the late 70's or thru- out the 80's and on into the 90's... Seems a 21 century term.. What does it mean?, idk.. But I do think of KVD and his hyper approach to spinner baiting when I hear it.

 

Looks like it either developed with KVD in the East, or with the one ton jig in the West. Your timing seems to be very close. Curious to see what BFA comes up with...

 

-T9

[gulfcaptain]

So what if you "power" fish with a "finesse" approach?  Power Finessing?

[J Francho]

I fish for bass with rod and reel, artificial baits, and what ever it takes to get them to bite.  I like to tell what I did, not label it.

 

As far as labeling your techniques goes, I think it's better to qualify, briefly, what your talking about.  Someone says, "I powerfished to the win."  I might assume that person used cranks, spinnerbaits, and spooks.  Another might think he punched the slop with a jig.  Even amongst both top level pros, well experienced members here, and people I whose fishing  theories and opinions I respect disagree on what is what.  This is different than the old, "What is a Texas Rig?" debate.

 

Hopefully Team9 can come up with something soon.  I'd like to see the early references, and defer to those.

[gulfcaptain]

Well if we look at fishing equpment as tools, I choose to use the ones that will lead me to succeed.  So my prefered fishing style is to succeed in what ever way I have to get the job done with the tools I have.  When asked what I did to catch them, well it' simple, I found what they wanted and got them to bite on what I was using.

[corn-on-the-rob]

to me its about covering water quickly. So I suppose any bait can apply.

[J Francho]

Is this a power fishing reel?

 

[Chris S]

Is this a power fishing reel?

 

yes for Swords off Key West in a 1000 feet LOL!!