Patterning Bass With a New Online Database

Just wanted to make a quick post about a website I ran across the other day. I received a flyer in my Vicious Fishing line order about a website called FindtheBass.com. The idea of this website is to create a searchable database of seasonal patterns soley from the contribution of members information.

The way this database works is by allowing members to catalog their fishing trips and make notes about water temperature, structure and cover fished, lures used, fish caught, etc. This information then becomes part of a large database that is searchable by as many as 15 different criteria (including body of water, state, water temperature, etc.) as well as a few sub-catagories. There is also a section for private notes which is apparently not available in the database - just for your own use.

Right now, it doesn't seem like there is much information available - I only searched Vermont and New York and there wasn't anything, but there may be for other states. Anyway, the first 500 members get a free one-year membership, so it might be worth checking out for, at least, a year - could produce some good information for you.

UPDATE: I received an e-mail from Keith Harnish, the owner of FindtheBass.com, and he provided me with a little more information about how the site works and how it should be used:

I wanted to give you a little more info on the site and how it works. We’re only two months old, so you are correct in that there is limited information available right now, but the beautiful thing about bass is they don’t know what state they live in.

To better explain my point, there is an article in the “Featured Article” section titled “Did you FindtheBass in April”. In that article I wrote about a generic search I did for reservoirs in April. The results were pulled from states as varied as North Carolina, Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Tennessee, and Illinois. The really cool thing shown by that search was as long as similar water temperatures were used, the patterns in every one of those states were nearly identical.

The most productive pattern in April involved minor creeks in the upper third of the lake with only 12.5% of entrants fishing below 8’ deep. With this info, if I’m heading out on a lake I’ve never fished before in April, I know where I’m going to start my day. Is this the only place fish can be caught? Absolutely not! But by utilizing this information, I’ve eliminated about 90% of the water and can now focus on fishing and not spending time second guessing where I should be. That’s the entire premise of this site.

There are already a handful of sites that offer a fishing diary and allow entrants to post generic lake info and what they caught, but FindtheBass.com is the only site that is designed to make you a more efficient and productive bass fisherman by establishing patterns. With the other sites, if your lake isn’t listed, you’re out of luck.

With FindtheBass.com, as long as there are entries for the type of water body you are going to visit (i.e. reservoir, natural lake, tidal river or river) and the correct water temperature, you will be able to establish where on that body of water you should be fishing and what presentation you should be using.

Keith Harnish

2009 Bassmaster Classic: Bernie Schultz Weighs In

A few posts ago I wrote about the controversy surrounding WBT Angler of the Year, Kim Bain-Moore, and her appearance in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. One of the Elite series anglers who I quoted was Bernie Schultz.

This morning I received an e-mail from Bernie explaining the "wag the dog" tactic that BASS and ESPN implimented on this deal. He also asked me to post the e-mail on my blog, so here it is:

Sean-

Just read your column regarding my comments on Kim Bain-Moore fishing the Classic, and I have to say you, like many others, missed the point. But don't feel bad, after ESPN edited my quote, I can see why you might have interpreted my statement as a personal attack on Kim.

The fact is, my comments began with a very complimentary assessment of Kim's ability as an angler, and as an ambassador for our sport. Sadly, in an effort to drive ratings, ESPN decided to edit the quote, televising only the critical aspects of my statement. If you watch the interview closely, you'll see that they run b-roll footage over my statement at the start, then switch to me speaking on camera. They did that in order to conceal what would have otherwise been a very obvious chopping of the clip.

So you can better grasp what I was trying to say, consider this: Kim competed in the WBT arena which averaged fewer than 75 participants, in a total of four events. Comparatively, all the Elite competitors who qualified did so through a grueling 11-event season. Further, WBT entries are in the hundreds...Elite Series entries are in the thousands ($5000 per event to be exact!). Federation Nation and Open qualifiers did fish fewer events, and at lower entries, but they competed against swarms of other anglers to reach the few coveted qualifying positions.

But what stands out the most is the fact that Kim qualified through a system that is exclusive to her gender. Neither the Opens, Federation, nor the Elites are exclusionary. Men and women are invited to participate. And so long as they qualify, would be welcome to advance to the Elite Series.

I know and like Kim. But it doesn't matter if it's Kim or Roseanne Barr who won AOY on the WBT... no one representing a tour that excludes either gender should be allowed to fish the Bassmasters Classic. And it might surprise you how many WBT anglers feel the same way. Lucy Mize has gone on record saying exactly that, and she's more than qualified to make the statement.

Realize this, Sean. This whole thing was contrived by ESPN and BASS purely as a promotional stunt. And it worked. The truth is, BASS could care less about a woman fishing, unless of course she can improve the bottom line and/or television ratings.

And regrading your comments on my career....whether or not I've won any BASS events in my 20+ years really has no bearing on the subject. As a qualifier to that Classic, I am entitled to my opinion. And if taking shots at my resume somehow helps you elevate your status, I feel sorry for you. I'm a survivor, Sean. I'll be here when your blog is long gone.

Print that!

Bernie Schultz

I have exchanged a few other e-mails with Bernie today and hopefully I will have Peter T, Kenyon Hill, and Mark Tucker weighing in on this subject in the not too distant future.

Sorry I Haven't Been Around....I'm Back now

Hey all - sorry I have been delinquent in my postings, but I had one heck of a month and am now just getting back on my feet and settled. Some of you know about my truck; for those of you who don't the short story is at the beginning of March some guy hit me from behind, rolled it over and totaled it - yup...totaled. So I finally got that taken care of and a week later find out that my temporary lay-off is now permanent...Rats! So anyway, those two biggies compounded with trying to get the house refinanced, get the boat engine running right, and other daily rigors the blog kinda took a back seat. Sorry.

Now is probably a good time to tell y'all that I will not be fishing any tournaments this season either. It is just one of those deals where I lost a couple of great sponsors due to money being tight, so unless a miracle occurs I will just be fun fishing this season with maybe a couple of local club tournaments thrown in.

Anyway, sometimes things just don't go your way and apparently it was my turn. The good news is that I am back at the blog and have some cool things coming up to tell y'all about. Thanks for sticking around and I will post again soon.

2009 Bassmaster Classic: No Girls Allowed...Apparently

I was pretty excited to sit down and watch the coverage from day one of the Bassmaster Classic. Aside from watching the likes of IKE and Skeet Reese carry-on and swing for the fences, this Bassmaster Classic marks the first time that a woman is competing in the most prestigious tournament in bass fishing. Kim Bain-Moore qualified to fish the Classic this year by fishing her way to AOY on the Women's Bassmaster Tour (WBT) and winning the WBT Championship. But after watching a few interviews with guys like Ken Cook and Paul Elias I started to get the feeling that Kim Bain-Moore was an unwelcome addition to the traditionally all-male Bassmaster Classic. However, once I heard the comments made by Bernie Schultz, Scott Rook, Greg Hackney, and Peter Thliveros, it was very clear that Kim was not welcome and that they, and many other anglers, did not think she deserved to be there.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Schultz said, "The simple fact remains that she did not qualify like the rest of the competitors. She didn't compete against the guys who earned the right to be here. She competed with a completely different league of anglers."

What?!? Are you kidding me? Look at the Classic line-up: Aside from Kim, (who qualified through the WBT) 36 anglers are from the Elite Series, 6 are from the BASS Opens (including Rick Clunn), 6 qualified through the Federation Nation, and 1 qualified through the BASS Weekend Series. Call me crazy, but aren't those all different leagues of anglers?

In the same interview, Peter Thliveros said, "I don't really care that she's fishing, my biggest gripe about it is she was given an opportunity that none of us were ever given. None of us had the opportunity to fish [the WBT]. It's a girls' club".

What, What, What!?! I think Peter Thliveros needs to recount his blessings before he says he and his Elite Series brethren haven't been given opportunities. The Elite Series and the other circuits leading up to it (like the E-50's) have given them the opportunity to make a career out of bass fishing - I would say that is a huge opportunity and I think it is pretty selfish of him to say he is feeling excluded and missing out on an opportunity. As far as it being a "girls' club", yeah - maybe it is, but tournament bass fishing has always been a boys club and the Elite series is the grand pubah of boys' clubs.

What these guys are not considering is that the WBT is giving women an opportunity to compete in a traditionally male dominated sport and to make a career out of it - it is leveling the playing field in tournament bass fishing. Having Kim compete in the Classic will increase the popularity of the WBT, attract new fans and new sponsors, and above all, encouraging women to become involved in outdoor sports. All of which is going to, ultimately, help the sport of bass fishing.

Kim has every right to be fishing in the Classic. She qualified through her division, just like all the other anglers. If you ask me, these guys are being a little selfish, a little chauvinisitc, elitist, very short-sighted, and above all, worried about getting beat by a girl. I also think that they are worried about having to fish with a girl on the Elite Series. I'll tell ya - I hope Kim decides to fish the Elite Series and beats these guys day-in and day-out (shouldn't be too hard to beat Schultz - he hasn't won in 25 years with BASS). Go get 'em, Kim!

Here are the interviews with Bernie Schultz, Scott Rook, and Greg Hackney: