Story by Hunter Sales | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
This past weekend, I made the trip down to Fort Worth, Texas to work with sponsors during the Bassmaster Classic and catch up with a bunch of industry friends. To be frank, I was really disappointed in the attitudes of a large percentage of people in attendance. The negativity, divisiveness, and general lack of gratitude has been brewing in our sport for a few years. Everyone in attendance has so much to be thankful for and I really believe our industry would benefit from us all taking the time to reflect on that.
This isn’t another article centered around FFS, but it’s impossible to mention divisiveness and bass fishing in the same sentence without also mentioning FFS. It seems that both “scopers” and those who prefer not to use the technology are so infatuated with proving the other side wrong that this topic sears its way into every conversation. There are valid points on both sides of the aisle regarding tackle sales and the dismantling of decades of information that the veterans of the sport have both gathered and learned. Regardless, it is no one individual’s fault and to see so many people beating up young, hard-working, successful anglers for perfecting their craft and winning is disappointing.
In my opinion, the entire industry could benefit from anglers building each other up and recognizing how blessed we are to be able to share such an awesome pastime. We don’t often realize that by dividing against ourselves, we are pushing a lot of really great people out of the sport and inviting conversations from government agencies centered around restricting our fishing rights. I’ll touch on both of those statements in more depth.
I get to interact with the youth of our sport nearly every day and I have never heard so many young anglers make statements like “I’m not sure if I want to fish after college or even stay in the industry” as I’m hearing right now. Their rationale? All I hear is how you can’t make a living doing it and everyone just seems miserable.
It’s hard to argue that this is not the message so many in the industry are preaching these days. I’ve been guilty of it as well. Sure, it’s hard work and the financial gain isn’t always great, but what would happen if we all talked about how much fun it is to travel the country fishing, talking about fishing, and spending time with great friends.
We should thank God every day that we’re able to do this and still make ends meet. The second part of that is the conversations around conservation (tongue twister, I know). All of us anglers should focus on conservation and making sure the sport is here for the next generation, but I worry that we’re opening the door for government restrictions, and we all know that can get out of hand quickly. I don’t think it is a coincidence that you are seeing states like Alabama propose restrictions around tournament size limits. After all, half of our industry has been talking about how “LiveScope is killing the fisheries.” Whether it is or not, I’m nervous to invite lawmakers into these conversations. We may get more than we bargained for.
My final point might be the most important one—everyone is dealing with their own issues in the world today. Health issues, financial burdens, relationship strains, and mental health concerns impact all of us. As anglers and fans of the sport, we have a common passion that allows us to escape the stress of the world. Let’s realize how important this is for so many. The action step is simple: lift each other up, spread positivity, and let’s shift the conversation from how terrible the sport is back to how blessed we are to have something as great as bass fishing.
Love y’all!
Hunter Sales – Angler Profile
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