What's Age Got To Do With It?

In some circles today, the popularly held belief is that age is more a matter of attitude than of a birth date. They contend that, as I saw one put it recently, "Young or old, it does not matter. Dream your dreams, and then act on them. Live the life you love."

And when it comes to professional bass anglers, that statement is no better epitomized than by the legendary Rich Clunn (left), who, at the age of 69, turned some heads back in March, when he won a Bassmaster pro event on the St. Johns River in Florida. "All of a sudden," wrote Dave Wolak, "the question of how old is too old to be a successful tourney angler sprung up on the interwebs.

"To set the record straight," continued Wolak, "Rick Clunn is no ordinary 69-year-old guy who casually takes a spin around his favorite cove with a spinnerbait once a week, or plays a slow cart-assisted nine holes at the local golf club on Sunday morning. He's in very good physical and mental shape. I've fished around him numerous times, and he casts enough in 20 minutes to make a 20-year-old tired just watching him. And he'll be the first to tell you that his success stems from the cohesiveness of his mind and body working together. All anglers, regardless of age, can learn something from Clunn.

"In 2007," said Wolak, "I finished second to a then-aging Guido Hibdon (right) in an FLW tournament at Lake Champlain. Not only was the fishing tough, but the lake also was really kicked up. During and after the event, I never thought twice about him being too old to beat me, but I still think about what I could have done differently to take the win. Early on in my career, I realized that tourney anglers are really fishing against the fish, not each other, and with that in mind, bass fishing is a sport where age doesn't matter much, especially when you consider older anglers often know how to fish 'smarter' than the young guys.

"For example, an older angler might take it slow and not beat himself up running 50 miles in sloppy conditions, but he also might know how to catch more bass in a shorter period of time once he gets there. Likewise, his bank of wisdom might help him out-fish the throttle-punching crew by simply staying local because he's put in a lot more time and has a better understanding of using time wisely in a tourney setting. When I was younger, my strategy was to outwork the old guys. Sometimes it worked, but often it didn't.

"Whether you're a tournament angler or just a recreational fisherman, you can't let age hinder your drive. You just have to let it change your approach for the better. Instead of being upset that you don't have it in you to run 50 miles at warp speed, use that to get better at fishing close. If you can't throw a giant swimbait all day anymore, don't. Use that need to slow down to get more effective at fishing a bait you can throw all day, and I promise you'll figure out new patterns and gain edges you never thought you had. Your personal strategy may not be as chiseled physically as Rick Clunn's, but at least you have to believe each day that you're capable of setting a new benchmark." Concluded Wolak, "It's what gets us up at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning."

Another angler in the same boat as Clunn is Larry Nixon (left). Now 65, he's still a dominant gun on the Walmart FLW Tour, and as Randy Blaukat wrote last year, "He shows that age can be an asset, rather than a limitation. I love the fact that Nixon acknowledges his age, but instead of fighting it, has adapted his fishing methods to suit his age, and he's a threat to win each and every event he fishes."

Blaukat put the whole matter in perspective by saying, "Ultimately, the great thing about tournament fishing is that it doesn't really matter how old you are. Where else can you compete on a professional level at 70 years old?" he asked before adding, "That's what makes it the greatest sport on Earth."