Bill Dance And Private Ponds

[hatrix]

Yes Bill fishes on managed ponds ect. The chance that when you hook a fish it is going to be a nice one is very high. If I could I would fish them in a second. As for fish being easier to catch in a pond vs a larger body of water that isn't always true. I know plenty of ponds you would be lucky to catch a fish or two. Then on the other hand I know placed on Erie I can go and catch 3-4# fish all day. And from shore at that if I needed to. It doesn't get much bigger then a great lake. It's all about the fishery it self and the location on it. The size of it doesnt matter as much.

[davecon]

Sooner or later you young guys will figure out it's not so much the fish you catch but the overall experience. Sure you need to catch a few to keep your attention but think about it, it's the process. Getting the boat ready, preparing your tackle,selecting what lures to use, what body of water, where do you begin, what is your backup plan, checking the solunars, even the web reading ridiculous posts like this.

You guys that harump harump the private waters obviously don't have produtive private waters available. If given the option of fishing really good private waters or "challenging" public waters just go with lighter tackle and quit fooling yourself.

"Personal Best" is just that, personal. Face it, it's mostly where you live. I live in Florida and have caught dozens over 9. Does that mean I am a better fisherman than the guy in North Dakota ? Of course not ! If we were talking deer hunting the shoe is on the other foot. In Florida a 175 pound buck is HUGE. Not so much in ND.

Some of the most "Successful" fishermen I have ever known really didn't catch many fish but they laughed and joked the whole time they were on the water, were a blast to fish with, and had more fun than the guys that caught a lot more fish. That is what I call a great day on the water and keeps me going back.

Rant over.

[Big Bait Fishing]

It's like shooting big deer in a pen. It's not "cheating" because it's legal, but it isn't impressive to me or many others. Advertising and marketing is the name of the game for him these days, if it wasn't he'd get out on public water and show us actual "ideal outcomes". Just my .02

quit hating on Bill Dance , that usaul place he fishes is actually quite big , your reference is pretty foolish comparing it to shooting deer in a pen , come on now ... his buddy and another fishing show show host Jimmy Houston was filming his show at sugar lake at the same time (i forgot who) was filming also and they said jimmy houston was slaying them , my point is , bill dance can catch them all over , not just in private ponds , believe that . like a lot of people said , those shows are educational videos .

[Bluebasser86]

I don't care that Bill does his fishing shows on his private ponds, it's just not exciting for me to watch knowing he's catching fish from a private, closely managed pond. I'm saying this purely for the viewing pleasure of it for me. The fish I fish for are highly pressured and would never fall for a lot of the novelty baits or techniques that he uses to help his sponsors sell more baits. He's done a ton for the sport and I'm not taking anything away from him as a fisherman as he was obviously a top tournament pro in his prime and could probably still mop the floor with a lot of guys. 

 

That said, I'd fish the heck out of his ponds and blast pictures all over of the big fish I was catching and if I caught a new PB I'd be just as excited as if I'd caught it out of one of our local lakes. 

[Duster7466]

Bill Dance freely admits to fishing private waters, therefore he is not deceiving anyone. Those who watch his show, watch it for what it is. That's not cheating.
As for your personal best, it's exactly that, "your personal best". It's not a contest. When I go fishing there's only two personal bests I'm trying to beat, my own and the world record holder (which I'm expecting to happen anytime now).

[SirSnookalot]

The object of a tv show is to make money, how would it be fishing a mudhole and getting skunked or small fish.  Bet BD ha plenty of small fish edited out.  If you catch a fish you claim it to be anything you want, wherever you caught it.

 

Many people fish high end technique specific gear, along with electronics, does this not make fishing easier, would a PB be counted then?  Why not if you are fishing better water.   

My suggestion, forget watching Bill Dance and learn your own water and how to fish it.

[the reel ess]

If you want to see real fishing in one trip and exactly what was caught, watch Honey Hole Outdoors or Lunkerville. I especially like the latter.

[mnbassman23]

Comparing fishing on a private pond to hunting in a pen is completely different.  Sure the fish are less pressured and most likely easier to catch but you still have to catch them.  Hunting is completely different as you can see them and shoot them and don't have to trick them into doing anything.

Is it though? You have bigger fish in a confined lake that are much easier to catch once they are found. Hunting a private pen/fenced area can be hundreds of acres. You still need to find the animal and execute a shot. The point is with both the odds are in your favor for landing/harvesting bigger species. If they weren't then people wouldn't fish or hunt there. 

 

 

 

quit hating on Bill Dance , that usaul place he fishes is actually quite big , your reference is pretty foolish comparing it to shooting deer in a pen , come on now ... his buddy and another fishing show show host Jimmy Houston was filming his show at sugar lake at the same time (i forgot who) was filming also and they said jimmy houston was slaying them , my point is , bill dance can catch them all over , not just in private ponds , believe that . like a lot of people said , those shows are educational videos .

See my post above. I'm not saying Bill is a bad fisherman and I'm also not denying the things he has done for this sport. I also never stated anything bad about his fishing ability or past achievements in my original post. My point is those fish are different animals then public water fish. Pressure alone makes fish act differently in public water and his show is far from an "ideal situation" when comparing it to what you should expect in your fishing trips. If you learn from his show keep on watching, nothing wrong with that. I for one see no merit in his show and if he can catch fish all over the US why doesn't he get on public water and do it? I feel that would relate more to the typical angler that watches his show. Plenty of people are out there making information shows, videos, and youtube channels and doing it on public water. 

[NJSalt]

its a TV show and a business.

 

Fishing in private, managed waters will more than likely require less filming time and at the same time, produce more quality catches for the show. I think it's pretty clear why he would fish in these waters... he and the people producing the show would be stupid not to from a business standpoint

[A-Jay]

Mr Bill Dance has repeatedly shined on the biggest of stages for a long long time.  

 

To those who feel compelled to cast aspersions his way I have to ask "What have you done?"

 

A-Jay

[SirSnookalot]

Biil Dance is great.  I've watched him many times land bass and never gets up from his chair, none of these wild hooksets. Most people do what he does, goes to a  familiar place and fishes the areas where he has had success.  I've seen him fish saltwater he doesn't struggle there either, seen him land tarpon on bass gear, being a tarpon fisherman myself I can tell ya that isn't easy.

 

He is vocal and his explanations are easy to follow.  The real question is can you do what he does on your home water? 

[Fun4Me]

I never knew there was so much ego wrapped up in catching fish. 

 

If Bill dance is cheating by fishing a certain pond, are any of you cheating by buying the latest greatest lure to fish pressured water, hoping to give the fish "something they haven't seen before"? 

[Raul]

I don´t know what´s the problem with BD fishing in private ponds to film a show. It ain´t like bass in ponds gonna jump on the boat when they see Mr BD approaching and it ain´t like Mr BD bragging ´bout how many beeg feesh he can ketch out o´them private ponds, it´s about Mr BD teaching you how to fish, cuz no matter how you look at it, the man is a legend and probably knows more ´bout ketching bass than 90% of the crowd in this forum, the man is fun, informative, well spoken and explains in a way that makes things very comprehensible and simple. You think you know more ? -----> then don´t watch the show.

 

Actually I like his shows and Roland Martin´s show or Jimmy Houston´s show.

[hoosierbass07]

  Yeah, fishing in private ponds is kind of cheating.  But Bill Dance doesn't come off like a know it all arrogant overconfident buffoon like Dave Mercer (Facts of Fishing) and Mark Zona (Awesome Fishing Show).  Bill Dance will tell you how great a lure is.  But Mercer and Zona act like a new lure is the second coming of God.   

[scaleface]

Nobody is doubting Bill Dances accomplishments. Some of us just dont like his TV show . That is all . 

[bigbill]

Bill Dance is a stand up guy. I asked him a question on his Facebook and only he would know the answer. He got right back to me. I think that's really awesome.

Bill dance, Jimmy Houston hank Parker, infisherman Linder brothers, are like the fishing God's to me.

Then we have Glenn here all of them are on the same level.

God status, willing to share knowledge and help others. Take the time to give back to the sport.

The great, great grandfathers are gadabout gaddis the flying fisherman with his float airplane. And Jerry McKinnis were talking many years of black n white tv here. Jerry McKinnis was the godfather of the bassmaster tournaments. He's in the bassmasters hall of fame. Jerry's fishing hole show has come along way.

It takes a week or so of taping a show to catch those bass bill does

[Racerx]

Most of these "fishing" shows are staged, anyway, right?  I'd be willing to guess Dance's show is no different.  I DO watch his show, but usually FF through most of the "catches", especially because they way he handles a fish annoys the **** out of me. I hate watching someone hold a fish at such a steep angle, without propely supporting them.

  That said, I DO take note of what tips and lessons he has to offer.

[bigbill]

I wish Hank Parker was on tv more. Hank taught me about cranks. (Crankbaits), Glenn here taught me spinnerbaits, plus his new educational videos taught me everything else. How can we lose we have the best of the best here. My mentor my older brother taught me patience and keep on going fishing.

Plus we all help with the ibetweens

It's there skills that's taught to us. There putting more bass on our lines.

[the reel ess]

Mr Bill Dance has repeatedly shined on the biggest of stages for a long long time.  

 

To those who feel compelled to cast aspersions his way I have to ask "What have you done?"

 

A-Jay

There's an interview with a Memphis news sports guy where Bill said he placed first or second in his first 5 professional tourneys and that's what catapulted him to prominence so quickly. Who could make a similar claim these days? That's amazing.

[Canyon explorer]

Your personal best is "your " personal best; not what someone else claims it should be.

[RoLo]

Frankly, I don’t understand your question.

 

Do I Like Bill Dance? 

Yes, ever since the late 1960s (Green & Murski era).

There's no one in my circles deriding Bill, in fact he's one of the most universally respected bass pros

 

Does Bill Dance Fish Privately Managed Ponds?

Yes, it’s pretty obvious that he does

 

Is That Cheating?

On the contrary, if Bill filmed infomercials on well-worn public waters,

he'd be cheating his audience by forcing them to watch paint dry  ;-)

 

Double-Standard?

That sails over my head, like a piece from another puzzle

 

Roger

[davecon]

If you don't think fishing shows should be filmed on private waters then make sure that you never go to private waters when filming for your syndicated fishing show!

What's that ? You don't have your own show ! Well nevermind then.

Thats what I thought !

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

If Im watching a fishing show I want to see fish caught so doesnt matter where they are public private.

 

Now for state or world records I feel only fish caught out of public waters should count. A  record crappie caught out of a 1-2 acre machine fed private farm pond in no way should be allowed(to me) but it is and where the record crappie in IL came from. Ive been on a pond with feeder and buddy just started the feeder and had it empty but was humming  and the fish went into feeding, anything that got tossed in got hit. So the odds are heavily tilted for the better on private small feeder fed farm ponds

[Bluebasser86]

Nobody is doubting Bill Dances accomplishments. Some of us just dont like his TV show . That is all . 

Exactly. I haven't seen anybody say anything about him fishing his private pond being "cheating", it's just not as exciting for some guys to watch. If you enjoy watching his show and learn from it, great. It doesn't do it for me. 

[Fun4Me]

I haven't went back and counted the people who used the word "cheating", but since I used that word, I will try and clarify the context in which I used it.

 

The premise of this thread, IMO, is  not whether anyone likes BD's show or not, but if we feel slighted ,"cheated", or somehow done a disservice because he fishes private managed ponds, 

 

Personally, I like watching tournament shows the best, 

 

I don't tend to give credence to any show that is specifically made to try and sell me something. I just enjoy the fishing, even if I've heard that people will catch fish on another bait, only to reel it in, rehook it to the bait they're trying to sell, let it swim away, then film it like it was caught on the bait they're trying to sell. I hear that happens quite often, although I can't prove it because I wasn't there to witness it first hand.