Does Jimmy Houston know what he is talking about?

[IrishJig]

Now that the final stats and money winnings were released by BASS I noticed that Jimmy Houston finished dead last in earnings for this year.  He took home a whopping ZERO DOLLARS.  He did not earn a single cent from the BASS Elite Series.  

Does that make you guys less inclined to listen to what he says on his show?  

Anybody can talk about fishing and edit a day on the water to make yourself look good, but tournaments are where you put your money where your mouth is.  If you really know what your talking about, then prove it.  He didn't prove anything to me this year.  I've never really watched him regularly, but have caught his shows occasionally.  But now I see no reason to listen to him because when he put his money where his mouth is he lost $55,000 in entry fees.

[Marty]

I am neither a Houston fan nor a detractor. However, I think you're being too harsh on him. He's certainly not a top competitive angler, but he's 62 and has seen better days. He has won some tournaments, had 68 top-20 finishes and qualified for 15 Classics.

And despite the fact that he might have finished last, just being qualified for the Elite series puts him in a very tiny fraternity of bass anglers.

He's been around the block quite a few times and his current competitive woes should not detract from his knowledge of fishing or his ability to teach others.

[Its a big one]

did he fish all the elite series tournaments or just one or two last year

[5bass]

Anybody who finishes lower than Byron Velvick has no fishing credibility in my book.

;D

[BASS fisherman]

Everybody has bad days on the water, he just had a whole 365 bad days on the water.   I like to get as many opinions as possible, and then figure out what works best for me.  I still value his abilities.  I think bass angling as a sport advances every year a great deal.  Keeping up with that advancement is not easy for an older man.  Maybe that is part of the reason he has done so poorly, maybe he has other issues that we don't know about that are distacting him while he's on the water.

[BucketmouthAngler13]

Everybody has bad days on the water, he just had a whole 365 bad days on the water.  

;D ;D ;D ;D

Too funny.

And yes, i think he knows what he is talking about. He is just too old too put his words in action

[BassnJoe]

I read somewhere about his philosophy on tournaments, recently.

He has a very busy schedule with his TV show and promotional appearances.

The tournaments are the time when he & his wife can get together and relax.

He doesn't even have the time to practice for a tournament.

Jimmy's paid his dues.  He's a very knowledgeable man.  He's probably forgotten more than most of us will ever know.  I'd certainly like to learn from him.

Joe  8-)

[Matt Fly]

What was it he did lately that qualified him for the 2006 Elite Series?

I think anyone who could come up with the money was qualified.

Jimmy has earned his spot in history, but not sure he earned his spot on this tour.

Matt.

[The Duke]

I agree that Jimmy has lost his edge as a fisherman, and I've never been a fan of his show (I don't understand a man that kisses each fish he catches and his laugh drives me nuts!). However, I understand also that his show is more for entertainment than it is for the serious bass angler. I think credit needs to be given to the man for surviving in this business for so long, but I do acknowledge his fishing skills are not good enough to compete in the Elite Series; I wonder if he could compete in a BFL.

Duke

[Matt Fly]

I kiss almost every bass, but its not the kiss, its the words that follow.

I thank each bass for giving me a moment of their time.    

Thank you bretheren for the moment.    Kiss and release.

Matt.

[edbassmaster]

I have been watching Jimmy Houston ( off and on ) since I was about 10, Im 33 now. Not cause I am a big fan but because I watch all shows about bass. He's made his mark in bass fishing. Also he does more hunting now. Now its the new generation...Monroe's, Ike's, Van Dam's. Theres alot of young guys taking over now

[earthworm77]

The Elite Series ain't Lake Tenkiller in Ok. That said, after a long long time in the business it is entirely possible that a man loses his edge and can't compete with the young guns. Rolo's retirement is a perfect example of that. Kudos to Houston for trying though. I wonder how many events he fished.

[flechero]

While he may not be the fisherman he used to be, IMO he has the "skins on the wall." He is a member of a small group of people that have had very long and very successful fishing careers. It's hard to argue with that. I'll be interested to see which of the "young guns" are still around in another 30-35 years in the public eye and making a good living out of fishing.

He didn't prove anything to me this year.

Somehow I doubt that bothers him. ...lol He's only been winning money fishing BASS tournaments since 1968 and has qualified for and fished the Classic 15 times. Now he's (probably) on the tail end of a great career and probably just fishing for fun and comraderie... I doubt he pays those entry fees. Besides he makes his salary with endorsemements and appearances. I'd be willing to bet he only fishes those tourneys to keep his name in there as it makes him worth more to sponsors even though he doesn't need to win anything.

Anybody can talk about fishing and edit a day on the water to make yourself look good

Really, so how did I miss YOUR TV SHOW??

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus aren't very competitive anymore but I think they still know what they are talking about.

[cart7t]

While he may not be the fisherman he used to be, IMO he has the "skins on the wall."  He is a member of a small group of people that have had very long and very successful fishing careers.  It's hard to argue with that.  I'll be interested to see which of the "young guns" are still around in another 30-35 years in the public eye and making a good living out of fishing.

He didn't prove anything to me this year.  

Somehow I doubt that bothers him.  ...lol  He's only been winning money fishing BASS tournaments since 1968 and has qualified for and fished the Classic 15 times.   Now he's (probably) on the tail end of a great career and probably just fishing for fun and comraderie... I doubt he pays those entry fees.  Besides he makes his salary with endorsemements and appearances.  I'd be willing to bet he only fishes those tourneys to keep his name in there as it makes him worth more to sponsors even though he doesn't need to win anything.

Anybody can talk about fishing and edit a day on the water to make yourself look good

Really, so how did I miss YOUR TV SHOW??  

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus aren't very competitive anymore but I think they still know what they are talking about.

Right on Flech. Been making a lucrative living in the business since 1968, has his own show,  Former Bass Angler of the year, multiple tournament winner and qualifier of 15 classics.  Yeah, what the heck does he know anyway?   ;D

[Grey Wolf]

You have to respect him for what he has done over the years and yes he is past his prime.

Which would you want to be , A HAS BEEN or A NEVER WAS ?

[Sam]

This is a very interesting thread.

I see and hear old college and NFL coaches and playes on TV every Saturday preaching what they think is right or wrong with each team but they are not coacing nor playing anymore.  However, their opinions are valued by everyone who loves college and pro football.

I have Jimmy's DVD, Jimmy's Best Ever, which is outstanding.

And one of my favorite all time bass fishermen is Uncle Homer Circle and I wish he would publish a book on all of his suggestions that appear in the Bassmaster Magazine.

Just because they don't fish as often or do as well as they once did doesn't mean they don't know what they are talking about. They still have the experience and knowledge to help us all.

And talk about old fishermen who may not do as well as before, check out Denny Brauer or Bill Dance or Stacey King or Lee Bailey, Jr or Woo Daves or Hank Parker. These guys know bass fishing and they are willing to share their knowledge with us.

I strongly suggest purchasing these "old" guys DVDs and videos and watching them this winter.  Along with Ike and Kevin's DVDs and videos you will learn so much that it is mind boggeling.

[justtrying]

i met roland martin this past year. got a chance to shake his hand, spend some time with him ....and, yes, i know this is a thread about jimmy houston.

but, the same thing applies to jimmy that applied to roland.  i thanked him for what he has shown & taught me in the past!  ...i know both of them have exxagerated size of fish, have said & done some crazy things, BUT, they've entertained, taught & helped me enjoy this sport of bass fishing that i love.

does he know what he's talking about.  You Better Believe he does.    ...And, i'm glad he does, & i'm glad he's shared it with all of us, especially me!  

ronnie

[Syfer420]

I kiss almost every bass, but its not the kiss, its the words that follow.

I thank each bass for giving me a moment of their time.

Thank you bretheren for the moment. Kiss and release.

Matt.

thats beatiful man can i use that also??And can you be too old to fish??? i saw a Roland Martin episode where he fished with his friend, who was attt least 65 and in a wheel chair!!!!! he pulled in most of the big fish and was even talking about touneys he won anyone seen it???

[Guest avid]

after a long long time in the business it is entirely possible that a man loses his edge and can't compete with the young guns. Rolo's retirement is a perfect example of that..

Did I miss something?  RoLo sounds awfully sharp to me.  Please elaborate.  

[Guest avid]

I like JImmy Houston because he makes me laugh.

Maybe he needs to fish for bass in an enclosed swimming pool  ;D

[senile1]

I bet anyone of us could go out over a period of weeks with Jimmy Houston, or any of these older guys who have seemingly "lost their edge" to the younger guys, and we'd get our butts handed to us the majority of days.  Fishing ain't football.  Yeah, sure a young guy can fish harder and faster for a longer length of time, but the older guys have the edge in experience and knowledge.  You don't lose fishing knowledge as you get older.  You gain it.  At least until you become . . . . . senile.  

[gatrboy53]

he's made more money from bass fishing than most of us will make in a lifetime

[janalon]

Jimmy has been around longer than most of us here.

We can pray that we will experience the catches he has.

If not, we can always put him down and call him a has been.

Everyone feeling better now?

[haysokla1]

I had the chance to meet Jimmy just last week. I have to tell you, I don't care or even know how many tournaments he has won. All I know is he is one of the few that has helped advance Bass fishing. he is truely a class act, and for someone with his reputation to sit with a common man like myself and just talk..... well that says alot in my book. Believe me when I tell you, The guy knows how to fish! I'm no slouch either, but I learned a few things that day. So I would just like to say. give respect where respect has been earned. Jimmy earned it. He also plans on fishing for at least another 5 years. I asked him jokingly to stay around long enough for me to compete against him. He laughed the way he always does. THANKS JIMMY!

[Jeff_NHBA]

Jimmy was one of my instructors at Bassmaster University this year.  He may not win or fish as much nowadays but does that really matter?  He spends a lot of his time teaching others with his "text book" being nothing better than his own life experiences.  

 He also works with Berkely designers to give them some insight for lure design and other product testing.  

I'd say he knows what he's talking about.

Tight Lines.