Why KVD?

[Keri]

Thanks Paul for the numbers.  Most don't realize how much they are a factor.

[Paul Roberts]

I totally agree Paul, I reread a lot of good fishing books every so often and there are always things that don't really click until the 2nd or 3rd time through. Also, some of what I read doesn't make sense until I'm actually fishing and then it clicks for me. I'm not saying KVD is being secretive really, I just think he has a unique way of processing the big picture and refining it down to the best bite going in the shortest amount of time. You and I could start with the exact same info but not figure it out as quickly or make the correct reactions as quickly, if that makes sense.

Makes perfect sense. He's got WAY more experience than I.

[Captain Obvious]

P.S. everyone is just talking sh** Grin...Chill bro, you don't have to be so defensive...

What do you think I was doing

[BigEbass]

Clearly that guy is really good - hard work, dedication, and determination likely play a factor. Also the lord jesus christ likely wispers to him where to put each cast?  Hey Jesus, dont pick sides

[grimlin]

Hmm Michigan anglers?

Which state has the most classic wins? that would be Texas with 6

which state has sent more people to the classic? That would be Texas again

Which state has sent more people to the elite series? Texas

which state did creme lures and skeeter boats set up homes in? Texas

Which state has the most proven way to fish or hook a worm named after it? Texas and the wacky-style was also invented here

Sorry you guys up north just don't have the history and even if KVD is the best ever we still have more guys in the record books then you'll ever have

I know the truth hurts

Capt.O

You should be able to state the "obvious" we were just kidding when we said MI anglers are better... ;D

TX should be winning more...you guys can fish all year round down there....we can't.

[Rebel Angler]

I like KVD an all, but I wanted somebody else to win it this year. I was pullin for Russ Lane an Jeff Kriet.

I thought Jeff had a real shot at this year! But it's straight, he'll get'em next year.

[Mattlures]

KVD fished harder, smarter, and has more desire. He is always hungry. He has more strenghts then his competitors. There are others that are close behind but he is a little better.

I dont like when people say there is luck in fishing. Saying he is different then Jordan or Woods etc because there is a luck factor. No there is not. There is no luck Except bad luck in that leval of fishing. Luck is an excuse.

And to Captain Obvious. There is one simple reason that Texas has more top guys then other states. BECAUSE THEY MOVE THERE. They are transplants. Texas is centraly located. That fact alone makes it the obvious choice for a pro bass fisherman to live. No nock on TX, just pointing out the obvious 

[SirSnookalot]

71 wins of 239 events, 14 majors, record for longest cuts made with no need to mention 2nds or top tens, Tiger slam, periods when win ratio was nearly 50%, collegiate record or any of the minor records set.........Tiger Woods, that's domination !

[Catt]

KVD won $500,000 for this Classic alone; had the payout been that high for Clunn's 4 classic wins you would add $2,000,000 to his Career Winnings: $2,000,488.5.

Here are just a few of the records that Rick Clunn has accumulated at the Classic according to Bassmaster records.

Four Classic championships

The heaviest weight in a single Classic (75-9 in 1984)

The second heaviest weight in any Classic (59-15 in 1976)

The fifth smallest winning catch in Classic history (27-7 in 1977)

The largest margin of victory in any Classic (25-8 in 1984)

The only back-to-back Classic champion (1976 and 1977)

The 8th youngest angler to win the Classic (1976)

The 8th oldest angler to win the Classic (1990)

The first angler to lead the Classic during all three days of competition (1977)

The biggest comeback in Classic history (he was 10th going into the final day of the 1990 event and won)

Tied for the most daily big bass awards (4)

Had the heaviest daily catch in four separate Classics (1976, 1977, 1984 and 1990)

Most Classic days with the heavyweight catch (8)

Heaviest daily catch with a 7-bass limit (Clunn holds the top three spots in this category)

Heaviest daily catch in Classic history (10 bass, 33-5)

Most Classic appearances (32)

Most consecutive Classic appearances (28)

Most days leading the Classic (9)

Most Top 5 Classic finishes (11)

Most Top 10 Classic finishes (16)

Highest cumulative weight for Classic career (756-3)

[Captain Obvious]

TX should be winning more...you guys can fish all year round down there....we can't. Tongue

Your in luck I have the worlds tiniest violin right here let him play a song for you ;D

[Korea_Bassin]

Steroids...

[UPS VT]

I feel that there is not much argument that KVD, Rick Clunn, and Roland Martin are the 3 most dominant BASS anglers of all time.  Roland Martin's 9 AOY titles may never be matched, even as great as KVD is.  Yet, Roland Martin never won a classic.  Rick Clunn's 4 classic titles may very well get matched maybe even surpassed.  Clunn only has 1 AOY title.  In my opinion (for what that is worth) KVD's 5 AOY titles to go along with 3 classic titles and he is only 42 years old, he will certainly be considered the best of all time by the time he retires.  Even if he called it quits today, it would be a great debate.

[dave]

I feel that there is not much argument that KVD, Rick Clunn, and Roland Martin are the 3 most dominant BASS anglers of all time. Roland Martin's 9 AOY titles may never be matched, even as great as KVD is. Yet, Roland Martin never won a classic. Rick Clunn's 4 classic titles may very well get matched maybe even surpassed. Clunn only has 1 AOY title. In my opinion (for what that is worth) KVD's 5 AOY titles to go along with 3 classic titles and he is only 42 years old, he will certainly be considered the best of all time by the time he retires. Even if he called it quits today, it would be a great debate.

My thoughts exactly (or close). I think the level of the competitors has changed as well. Some of the older veterans have made comments to that affect. Today, the entire field is capable of winning any given tournament.

[dave]

wy is lance armstrong good at cycling, wy is woods good at golf, wy is vandam so good at fishing, wy is the sky blue, it just is the way it is and that is all is

Really?

[grimlin]

TX should be winning more...you guys can fish all year round down there....we can't. Tongue

Your in luck I have the worlds tiniest violin right here let him play a song for you ;D

You be careful now...I'm from TX..... ;D

I may just be moving back someday.....

[Paul Roberts]

KVD fished harder, smarter, and has more desire. He is always hungry. He has more strenghts then his competitors. There are others that are close behind but he is a little better.

I dont like when people say there is luck in fishing. Saying he is different then Jordan or Woods etc because there is a luck factor. No there is not. There is no luck Except bad luck in that leval of fishing. Luck is an excuse.

And to Captain Obvious. There is one simple reason that Texas has more top guys then other states. BECAUSE THEY MOVE THERE. They are transplants. Texas is centraly located. That fact alone makes it the obvious choice for a pro bass fisherman to live. No nock on TX, just pointing out the obvious

I'm not in that league. But, I don't believe that there is no luck, or let's say "chance", involved in fishing at any level. It's a game of probabilities and all one can do is chip away at those probabilities. Thus, there is no "domination" of angling.

My guess is KVD and every other pro would agree. I'm not going to take the time to look, but I bet every pro has made comments supporting this -that in fishing you simply do not have control of what's going on below. You can only think, plan, react, adapt, adjust, and at times, simply pray. KVD may be cool headed, but he "prays" at times too.

[Catt]

You can only react, adapt, adjust, and at times, pray

Sounds like luck to me 

Some times it all falls into place, some times it don't...that's why it's call fishing not catching.

[ww2farmer]

I dare say that  Clunn and Martin were at the top  of there game in an era when the compition was of lesser quality. They just can't, and don't compare with with half or more of the top guys today. Martin retired before he embarrassed himself, Clunn, well he makes 1  cut a year maybe in between rambling like a senile old man on all his "zen" like crap. Take KVD, Ike, Skeet, or any of the other top guys and put them in the 1977 classic and the will smoke the field,even with the old time equipment.

If you ask me, Larry Nixon, Woo Daves, Paul Ellias, and Gary Klein (to name a few) are the best fisherman to come out of that era, they have at least been relevant in the last 15 years.

[Paul Roberts]

I dare say that Clunn and Martin were at the top of there game in an era when the compition was of lesser quality. They just can't, and don't compare with with half or more of the top guys today. Martin retired before he embarrassed himself, Clunn, well he makes 1 cut a year maybe in between rambling like a senile old man on all his "zen" like crap. Take KVD, Ike, Skeet, or any of the other top guys and put them in the 1977 classic and the will smoke the field,even with the old time equipment.

If you ask me, Larry Nixon, Woo Daves, Paul Ellias, and Gary Klein (to name a few) are the best fisherman to come out of that era, they have at least been relevant in the last 15 years.

Man, that's pretty unkind. They all built what we are all standing on. Clunn's ideas were a big step in breaking down bass water. You might not even realize just who's shoulders you are peeing from.

[Chaz Hickcox]

The late Doc Counsilmen (Head swimming coach at Indiana University circa 1960-1980) who also coached the likes of Mark Spitz, Charlie Hickcox, Gary Hall, and the rest of the USA Olympic Swim Team in 1968 and 72, had a theory on what makes people great. It's his Hurt/Pain/Agony Theory. Anyone who wants to compete and just basically show up will go through the Hurt of hard work, but will never go past the Hurt Phase due to lack of willpower or tenacity. People who want to be good will stop after the Pain Phase, thus never achieving true greatness. It is those few in any sport who push themselves beyond the pain into the Agony Phase and thrive there that makes them great. Going through the Agony Phase requires a mental fortitude that so very few people actually possess. You can see the ones who do possess the fortitude to go through the Agony phase, Micheal Johnson, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretsky, Brookes Robinson, Roland Martin, Ricky Clunn, Dale Sr. and in the topic of this conversation, KVD. There are still phenominally good athletes who are stuck in the Pain Phase, but those 'stars' come and go. It's the truly great ones in the Agony Phase that are few and far between.

[Big-O]

I dare say that Clunn and Martin were at the top of there game in an era when the compition was of lesser quality. They just can't, and don't compare with with half or more of the top guys today. Martin retired before he embarrassed himself, Clunn, well he makes 1 cut a year maybe in between rambling like a senile old man on all his "zen" like crap. Take KVD, Ike, Skeet, or any of the other top guys and put them in the 1977 classic and the will smoke the field,even with the old time equipment.

If you ask me, Larry Nixon, Woo Daves, Paul Ellias, and Gary Klein (to name a few) are the best fisherman to come out of that era, they have at least been relevant in the last 15 years.

Man, that's pretty unkind. They all built what we are all standing on. Clunn's ideas were a big step in breaking down bass water. You might not even realize just who's shoulders you are peeing from.

Couldn't agree with you more Paul, we have to consider their opportunity to understand at that point in their careers. With all of the technology and learning curves that have been achieved since each of their time, they would have had a better foundation to build on thus gaining the same valuable information to build on.

Cars of today are better than the cars of yesterday because of the innovation of yesterday....

Had they all started from the same point and all had the same benefit of todays innovation, there's no way to imagine the result. But without hesitation, I would venture to say that these same few icons of our industry would rise to the top just from their God given abilities and work ethic 

I can say that they are all GREAT and each have had their own individual "Greatest Positive Impact" in our sport. Hard to argue that point...

Ask Kevin why he is who he is and he will quickly tell you that it's because of those before him and those who he gains knowledge and support from today.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[Catt]

I dare say that Clunn and Martin were at the top of there game in an era when the compition was of lesser quality. They just can't, and don't compare with with half or more of the top guys today. Martin retired before he embarrassed himself, Clunn, well he makes 1 cut a year maybe in between rambling like a senile old man on all his "zen" like crap. Take KVD, Ike, Skeet, or any of the other top guys and put them in the 1977 classic and the will smoke the field,even with the old time equipment.

If you ask me, Larry Nixon, Woo Daves, Paul Ellias, and Gary Klein (to name a few) are the best fisherman to come out of that era, they have at least been relevant in the last 15 years.

Don't know much about tournament history do we

I fished with many of the top Pros of both era's and can confidently say the competition was greater during the 70s than in any era.

In 2008 at age 62 Clunn fished in 9 tournaments placed 5th, 7th, & 9th twice!

[nboucher]

KVD and Rick Clunn have some interesting similarities that I think are key to their success and that take them one notch higher than just about everyone else. For the sake of argument, let's say there are a couple of dozen anglers who have as much knowledge and as good technique as KVD and Clunn, so we can take that out of the equation. Let's even say that there are a handful of anglers who have the mental toughness and confidence of these two.

What distinguishes these two, I think, is clear-headed concentration and self-discipline. Fishing is more like poker than it is a lot of other sports. There is an element of luck, obviously, but like poker, fishing requires you to be constantly making what seem like small, relatively inconsequential judgments: Do I play this hand or fold? Do I cast there or three feet to the left? In both sports, you prevail more often if you make more of these small decisions correctly than your competitors. KVD & Clunn don't let emotion or sentiment affect their judgment.

When we make these decisions, some kind of static often gets in the way for most of us normal people: These cards are kind of nice, and I've mucked every hand I've been dealt for the past half hour. Or: I really like this bait, and the fish were here going after it every day for the past week. I think KVD and Clunn have the remarkable mental ability to block out mental static quicker than everybody else and to make just slightly more correct small decisions over the course of a tournament than their competitors.

In the end, fishing isn't me against the fish; it's me against myself.

[Paul Roberts]

That "mental static" in my mind is the lack of experiential knowledge to make deliberate decisions based on something other than emotion.

[Chaz Hickcox]

I dare say that Clunn and Martin were at the top of there game in an era when the compition was of lesser quality. They just can't, and don't compare with with half or more of the top guys today. Martin retired before he embarrassed himself, Clunn, well he makes 1  cut a year maybe in between rambling like a senile old man on all his "zen" like crap. Take KVD, Ike, Skeet, or any of the other top guys and put them in the 1977 classic and the will smoke the field,even with the old time equipment.

If you ask me, Larry Nixon, Woo Daves, Paul Ellias, and Gary Klein (to name a few) are the best fisherman to come out of that era, they have at least been relevant in the last 15 years.

Man, that's pretty unkind. They all built what we are all standing on. Clunn's ideas were a big step in breaking down bass water. You might not even realize just who's shoulders you are peeing from.

Couldn't agree with you more Paul, we have to consider their opportunity to understand at that point in their careers. With all of the technology and learning curves that have been achieved since each of their time, they would have had a better foundation to build on thus gaining the same valuable information to build on.

Cars of today are better than the cars of yesterday because of the innovation of yesterday....

Had they all started from the same point and all had the same benefit of todays innovation, there's no way to imagine the result. But without hesitation, I would venture to say that these same few icons of our industry would rise to the top just from their God given abilities and work ethic

I can say that they are all GREAT and each have had their own individual "Greatest Positive Impact" in our sport. Hard to argue that point...

Ask Kevin why he is who he is and he will quickly tell you that it's because of those before him and those who he gains knowledge and support from today.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

In addition to the comments of Big-O and Paul.  Who is the better scientist?  Einstein or some jack at MIT?  The idiot at MIT is going off of someone else's work with tools designed from lessons learned from the likes of Einstein and Oppenheimer.  I have more respect for those who created what we have today from scratch and actually working at it.  If you respect someone more because tools like the "Color C-Lector" or Side Imagind Sonar, or different presentations that guys like Roland Martin or Ricky Clunn came up with, give them more for their time; then I would say you need to get a grip on reality.  I'm sure the simple little sounder I have on my boat right now was top of the line in '75.  Which give you the technological advantage over those who competed then.  If you have to use electronics to catch fish, then you have issues.  If you can read the water/shoreline and a simple depth flasher and still put em in the boat, then maybe I will have something more in common with you.