Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
When we think about bass tournament success, we should think first about the raw number of fish caught by individual anglers. Having studied tournament results for many years, I assure you that the anglers who catch the most bass over the course of a season or career are the ones who consistently finish the highest. They are the ones who weigh-in limits, and they are the ones who cash checks.
Show me an angler with a high “bassing average” (average number of bass brought to the scales on each competition day), and I’ll show you a top performer.
But what about the anglers who catch larger than average bass? Don’t they do well in tournaments, too? Does that counterbalance bassing average?
Yes and no. Yes, they do well. No, the size of their fish does not compensate for a low bassing average. Here’s why.
First, the anglers catching the most bass are cycling through more fish than anglers who catch fewer fish. Running through more fish means more opportunity to catch bigger than average fish, to cull and to gain ounces or pounds.
Second, the anglers who can put a limit in the boat early can take a chance and try for bigger fish either by changing location, method, or lure. How often have you heard a tournament winner talk about catching an early limit and going “looking for a kicker” that wound up making a big difference in the standings? It happens all the time.
Here’s a list of the anglers who bring the biggest average bass to the scales in NPFL history (9 tournament minimum). It shouldn’t surprise you that all of them also catch more fish than the average pro.
# Weight Angler
1. 3.3703 Patrick Walters
2. 3.1247 Trent Palmer
3. 3.1216 Will Harkins
4. 3.0614 Taylor Watkins
5. 3.0431 Bryant Smith
6. 3.0179 Keith Carson
7. 3.0045 John Soukup
8. 2.9312 Brandon Perkins
9. 2.9190 Gary Adkins
10. 2.8884 Todd Goade
As you can see, a lot of the “usual suspects” are there. All but Bryant Smith and Todd Goade have won NPFL events. Goade is the reigning Progressive Angler of the Year and Smith finished in the top five of AOY in each of the two years he fished the league.
All 10 of those anglers are way above average in the number of bass they bring to the scales each day, and that translates directly into bigger average bass.
It’s all about catching a limit, and that’s one thing all the best tournament anglers have in common. It’s rare for them not to have a limit.
