Where the heck is Bill Dance fishing?????

[Bassnajr]

I just got Versus Outdoor channel and love it!!! Gives me lots to watch and learn for the winter.

Bill Dance has a great show....but where the heck is he fishing??? Very rarely does he catch a "dink" and most bass seem to be 3-4 lbs. or more!!!

I am not questioning his skill, so please don't go there. The man's a legend...and seems like a real nice guy.

So, to any of my Southeren bassin" brothers, do you know any of the spots he fishes?? Anyone every fish with him??? I'd like to hear the stories if so!! Thanks,

ajr

[roadwarrior]

Well, he lives here in the Memphis area and has a managed pond,

but I don't know that his shows are actually shot here. Generally,

the shows are filmed on privated water.

.

[Sam]

As Roadwarrior said, he fishes private waters.

And you see only the big ones he catches.

But he is very entertaining and informative.  

[Strike King]

I've always thought the same think.. rarely a small bass but lots of manbearpigs lol. also i cant remember seeing anyother boats in the background. but the show is awesome! i even watch the reruns especially during the winter months.

[Wayne P.]

Judging from the background, most of his shows are at non-public accessable phosphate pits in Florida. Those are the ones where he mainly has his boat in one position and makes numerous casts to a particular spot and catches 4#+ bass every time.

If you watch real closely at the end of his show, you can tell that the "blooper" where he falls out of the boat is staged as you can see the rope disturbing the water that pulls him in.

[Strike King]

oh really? i'll have take a closer look lol.. what about his blooper dvd? do ya think some of that is staged? i have it and its funny either way  ;D

[Strike King]

hey i just watched the Bill Dance show on my DVR.. I didnt see a rope when he fell out of the boat. i looked at it in slo mo 5 times and all i saw was his fishing rod hitting the water..  did i miss it somehow? or do i need high deff?

[Wayne P.]

Thanks Strike King, my perception must be incorrect. I don't record his shows so don't have the benefit of HD, slo mo, and replay. No, I don't have the blooper DVD.

[Strike King]

oh its ok man i was just curious so i had to check it out. i still wonder how he slid out of the boat soo easily lol. poor guy.

[Bassboss]

I just got Versus Outdoor channel and love it!!! Gives me lots to watch and learn for the winter.

Bill Dance has a great show....but where the heck is he fishing??? Very rarely does he catch a "dink" and most bass seem to be 3-4 lbs. or more!!!

I am not questioning his skill, so please don't go there. The man's a legend...and seems like a real nice guy.

So, to any of my Southeren bassin" brothers, do you know any of the spots he fishes?? Anyone every fish with him??? I'd like to hear the stories if so!! Thanks,

ajr

He fishing private ponds! That's why his bass are some huge all the time.

It's a great show don't get me wrong, it's just rigged is all!

[32251]

You think anyone would watch if he did not catch all those nice fish?

[Dan:]

I thought all the bloopers were staged?

[FD.]

I watch his show all the time.  I think the pits he is fishing is in GA or maybe north Florida.  He used to spend a lot of time around here.  I know several of the old timers around have fished against him "back in the day".  

The scoop is he is only an average fisherman with great personality and the best marketing skills around.  This is something you young guys with hopes of being a pro should take notice of.  Marketing skills are iimportant.

Regardless of his fishing skills,  I like his show and watch it all the time.

[jack1]

Almost every time he goes for largemouths, it seems like he's fishing the exact same body of water as his previous shows.  All 3 lb + fish, every single one.  The only time you see him fishing public waters is when he's fishing for stripers, catfish, and etc.

He's got a good personality and the information he provides are useful, but the scenery tends to get boring after awhile, plus the fish he's reeling in is an exact duplicate of the fish he just released.  

[cart7t]

The scoop is he is only an average fisherman with great personality and the best marketing skills around.

Yeah, just an average fishermen....   :

23 National Bass Titles; Bassmaster Classic Qualifier 8 out of 9 years and finished 2nd in 1973. Three time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year 1970, 1974 & 1977. Of 78 total B.A.S.S. entries, finished 64 times in the money. 7 wins, 8 times runner up, 6 third place, 40 top ten finishes (51% of tournaments entered) and 51 top 20 finishes (65%). In first 11 tournaments, was only out of the top 7 once. Won 7 of the first 17 events entered (41%).

[FD.]

That's what I was told, "average".  On local waters in local tournaments in Polk county he did not dominate anything.  It was his other skills that got him on the pro tour.

What he did once he got there is a different story.

I think that would be true of most pros.  We all know someone that is just as good at catching fish as the pro's.  But for some reason they are not pro.  

[George Welcome]

I heard - someone said - it's rumored:

Ah, to know so much and yet so little.

[FD.]

An old man in his early 70's, David, who I have worked with, go to church with and fish with quite regularly, related these stories to me.  You see, it seems, he was actually here fishing against the likes of Bill Dance, Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston in the 70's and 80's.  So unless you guys fished in those tournaments or have any first hand information to dispute his stories, I'm going to choose to believe him.

[Bassnajr]

Guys!!!!!

There are many "average" fisherman on many tours out there. Average to you and me is STILL in a totally different league than the way we fish. And they make a living at it. I don't think anyone is "bashing" Mr. Dance....just putting things in perspective. His stats speak for themselves, but his main skills are his personality and marketing. I love to watch the guy. I never get tired of watching those 3+ lbers being reeled in!!!!! Be nice all!!!  

Happy Holidays!!!!!

ajr

[Muddy]

That's what I was told, "average". On local waters in local tournaments in Polk county he did not dominate anything. It was his other skills that got him on the pro tour.

What he did once he got there is a different story.

I think that would be true of most pros. We all know someone that is just as good at catching fish as the pro's. But for some reason they are not pro.

 Gotta disagree with you here. I don't care what a 70 year old guy says! Johnny Bench is probably an average catcher today, but he was the greatest of a life time. Bob Gibson, might not be able to throw to home plate anymore, but he was the most feared pitcher for an age. Pros become pros because they can do what the rest of us can't do. Otherwise we would all be pros, it is a mark of distinction.

 I do not or will not ever fish for competition, but I grew up watching the beginning of BAASS and guys like Dance,Linder,Man etc.etc. were more than a cut above the rest.

 Can you do what you did when you were 16? Age gets us all in the end, grueling tournament tours are no place for the older guys, that's just a fact of life

 I learned more from Dance and Linders shows than anyother shows, and I do not care if any or all the bloopers were staged their enetertainment value is worth the price of admission!

[Bassnajr]

Age does get you in the "end" Mud...no doubt!!!! My "end hurts right now!!! All that shoveling!! ;D

ajr

[Muddy]

 Not as bad as the youngster Spider man...Oops my mistake : Tin's rear end and adjacent regions and areas

[jack1]

Their shows are to inform, entertain, and to get us to talk. What a typical show is suppose to be.

[FD.]

I like his show and watch it all the time.  

My point was that becoming a pro is more than being the best local fisherman in your area.  

He has the combination of skills that have made him one of the best pro's of all times.  I believe all of the greats have more than raw talent.

If I can throw a 98 mph fast ball for strikes, I will play in the majors, regardless of almost anything else.  Bad attitudes and a prison record are ok as long as you can throw.

Professional fishing, I believe, is different.  Your conduct, appearance, attitude and marketing skills affect your ability to attract sponsors.  Without sponsors it really does not matter how much skill you have.

[zbass]

Professional fishing, I believe, is different. Your conduct, appearance, attitude and marketing skills affect your ability to attract sponsors. Without sponsors it really does not matter how much skill you have.