unfair advantage?

[looking45]

Here's a question that's been floating around my group of friends with no definitive answer. We all know that the tournament circuits are trying to "level the playing field" so everyone has the same chance to win. Whether it be a cut off period, not being able to gather outside info, only being able to fish water accessible to everyone else,  things like that. Whatever they come up with, it's with the idea that it's the same for everyone so no one has a decided advantage. Here's the question. Say a fisherman is sponsored by a certain lure company and the company develops a lure that just plain catches fish all the time, under every circumstance. Is it an unfair advantage if their sponsored guy has them to use in tournaments when they aren't available to anyone else?  My group of friends is divided in their answers, I'm curious what you guys think.

[Bruce424]

The lures are still available to everyone else. Regardless of sponsors, pros kno what lures are the deal. 

[Russ E]

I dont foresee a time when that lure exists.

If it ever does, it would not be a very good business decision to design a lure and only give it to your sponsored fisherman. They are sponsored to promote and sell the product.

 

[CroakHunter]

Still gotta be able to find the fish to be able to catch them. Not gonna be pulling 40lb bags out of a glass of water in someone's kitchen. 

[looking45]

1 hour ago, Russ E said:

I dont foresee a time when that lure exists.

If it ever does, it would not be a very good business decision to design a lure and only give it to your sponsored fisherman. They are sponsored to promote and sell the product.

 

Clarification- the lure is a prototype, available to the public at a later date

[Mike L]

That's been going on for years. 

Van Dam didn't "perfect" his line of sq Bill's in his swimming pool before he put his name on it. 

Nor did Skeet Reese or anyone else "perfect" thier line of rods at a local pond near thier house 

 

Point is, prototype fishing equipment are designed, made and tweaked for certain pro anglers who have the record and selling power the manufacturer is looking for. 

The best selling point they have is if someone uses it to win. 

 

They still have to find em, hook em and land em like everybody else. 

 

Honestly, I doubt if I'd enjoy bass fishing as much if anyone anywhere can catch a fish with every cast. 

 

But that's just me

 

 

Mike

[PECo]

KVD had and used a Hydrowave before anyone else could. I read an article quoting a fellow pro who believed it gave KVD an advantage over him. He said he put one on his boat before the next tourney.

 

Was it an advantage? The pro quoted in the article thought so.

 

But was it unfair? He didn’t seem to think so. He implied that KVD was just ahead of the curve.

[Tennessee Boy]

Life's not fair and neither is fishing.  I've fished lots of tournaments where other competitors had faster boats,  better tackle,  more local knowledge of the lake, more time pre-fishing time.   If someone else has an advantage you can go home and cry about it or step up your game.   The playing field will never be level in life or fishing.

[J Francho]

Magic baits?  Okay.  It's moot.

[roadwarrior]

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I would say Panoptix could be a G.....No I;m not gonna say it. But possibly could give an advantage in the right situation.

[J Francho]

13 minutes ago, Comfortably Numb said:

I;m not gonna say it.

I'll suspend you! 

[clh121787]

Lures are only effective in the hands of a competent angler. Maybe 100 years ago this maybe a valid question. Today unrealistic. I believe lures aren't as important as being around fish and presenting proven techniques to those fish. 

[NHBull]

I think to argue over this is silly, and let's be honest.....all of this is about the $$$$$ at the top end.

 If you wanted to see who the better fisherman was, eliminate electronics and use public charts. 

On to your originally scheduled program.....

[813basstard]

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

I think to argue over this is silly, and let's be honest.....all of this is about the $$$$$ at the top end.

 If you wanted to see who the better fisherman was, eliminate electronics and use public charts. 

On to your originally scheduled program.....

You got it..the magic lure is called a fish finder. You want a real deal fishing tournament? Hidden lake, everyone has the exact same baits, boats and knowledge. Ain’t happening 

[Ratherbfishing]

On 8/14/2018 at 9:47 PM, looking45 said:

Here's a question that's been floating around my group of friends with no definitive answer. We all know that the tournament circuits are trying to "level the playing field" so everyone has the same chance to win. Whether it be a cut off period, not being able to gather outside info, only being able to fish water accessible to everyone else,  things like that. Whatever they come up with, it's with the idea that it's the same for everyone so no one has a decided advantage. Here's the question. Say a fisherman is sponsored by a certain lure company and the company develops a lure that just plain catches fish all the time, under every circumstance. Is it an unfair advantage if their sponsored guy has them to use in tournaments when they aren't available to anyone else?  My group of friends is divided in their answers, I'm curious what you guys think.

Such a bait doesn't exist so it's really a non-issue.  I imagine, however, that it would be legal/ethical until it was officially banned.

[BassNJake]

This was kinda like the Alabama rig when it first came out.

After Paul Elias won that FLW event on Guntersville, everybody else caught on and started using it making their own versions of it.

 

I know a guy whose 5 best bass weighed almost 40 lbs and he was using an Alabama rig on Lake Chickamuaga.

I bet he'd say it was a magic lure that day.

 

When the Alabama rig bite is on, there's nothing like it for numbers or size IMO.

I just hate throwing it.

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, BassNJake said:

I just hate throwing it.

Me too, but in fall on Oneida, you gotta.

[Dirtyeggroll]

I once fished with a guy who had mastered pooping off of the back of his boat without making any mess whatsoever. 

 

I think he had had an unfair advantage because he could grant himself relief without having to leave his spot or have a smelly sag in the back of his pants.

[Sam]

"Is it an unfair advantage if their sponsored guy has them to use in tournaments when they aren't available to anyone else?

 

Happens all the time. The pros get the new baits and colors before we see them and they use them for tournament fishing.

 

Even if they do not catch anything with "X" bait, they still hawk it on stage or in ads. Listen carefully to the pros when they hawk their equipment. They will not say they "caught that beauty on "X."  They will say they used "X" and it was a great help or some other baloney.

 

So is it fair? Nope.

 

Is it done?  Yep.

 

Will it change?  Nope.

 

What can you do about it?  Become a bass pro and join the club.  

[schplurg]

If you disqualify lures due to availability then what about people who make their own lures? Won't work.

[Sam]

13 hours ago, schplurg said:

If you disqualify lures due to availability then what about people who make their own lures? Won't work.

Good point.

To expand on it, what about what the pros do to their baits that they keep secret?

 

VanDam changes up his baits all the time.

[TOXIC]

Every "advantage" is not "unfair".  

[J Francho]

4 hours ago, Sam said:

VanDam changes up his baits all the time.

The Dream Shot is just a Caffeine Shad sliced in half.  You know who was doing it, and a "new" bait was born.

[Sam]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

The Dream Shot is just a Caffeine Shad sliced in half.  You know who was doing it, and a "new" bait was born.

I guess it was Glenn and Kevin saw it and used it to win another Classic.