It's one of the weekly opinion columns by Joe Balog (Balog's Bass War), which appears in that publication.
"'That's not bass fishing,' my buddy said. I had to agree.
"We watched the tournament angler in what now could be called 'bass pro pose.' Foot on the trolling motor, head down. Rod in hand, lure dangling, dry. A cast would only be made once a fish was spotted on the space-age sonar. No use wasting energy, right?
"The two of us, observers of the action, were old-school. Bass fishing represented something now foreign. Baitcast rods and big line. Flippin' bushes, or endless casts to submerged river ledges. Spinnerbaits waked along laydowns, the purveyor slinging underhand so rapidly that the lure was but a blur. That was bass fishing.
"Or was it?
"Hypocrisy is one of the worst aspects of our culture. Gosh, it gets under my skin. So I cringe during times that hypocrisy permeates bass fishing. Often, I have to check myself to avoid falling into the trap.
"At one time, bass fishing was all about power-fishing the bank. Early tournament winners found spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to be efficient at plucking fish, using a run-and-gun strategy. Longtime fans will remember acclaimed tournament pros modifying hand-controlled trolling motors to better meet their active approach, steering with one foot. Modern plastic crankbaits soon found a place in the pro's tacklebox as well.
"Fast forward a bit, and anglers were learning offshore tricks. The advent of flashers, then graph recorders, helped them understand what was out there. Soon, tournaments were being won by offshore aces dragging lures like do-nothing worms on nothing-looking spots.
"'That's not bass fishing' was likely the comment of the pistol-grip gunslinger.
"Or was it?
"Time progressed, and it became apparent that lots of bass still lived shallow around the stumps and bushes of our favorite lakes. Oftentimes, the lunkers seemed all but inaccessible to the methods of the day. Along came a Californian, of all people, with a rod influenced by the cane poles of bank fishermen, some 12 feet in length and loaded with stout Dacron line. He'd dip into the cover and lift out a bass. Time went on, rods were modified, and nearly everyone fell victim to the efficiency of flippin'.
"But that wasn't bass fishing--really.
"With the expansion of the sport came more capable boats. Fisheries across the North were discovered for their vast water and endless smallmouth bass. At first, the usual Southern methods of fishing proved productive; spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps taking advantage of brown-bass aggression. Later, big-water experts, myself included, would go farther offshore, using strange finesse tactics to fish vertically in the most challenging conditions. Trolling motors grew longer shafts. Sonar looked up, down and side-to-side.
"Holding the boat in 6-foot seas some 20 miles from the shoreline, perched 30 feet above a centuries-old shipwreck, I'd pick off giant after giant. But, certainly, I wasn't bass fishing. Not even close.
"Well, folks, this is bass fishing. Despite what the non-supporters say, forward-facing sonar is now bass fishing. Anything less is hypocritical.
"But make no mistake. Just because this technology has fully overtaken competitive angling doesn't mean it's good for the sport. In the past, we've accepted--even temporarily embraced and promoted--things that weren't good for the sport.
"Catch-and-keep wasn't good for the sport.
"Press observers fishing in the championship wasn't good for the sport.
"Combining boat racing with bass tournaments wasn't good for the sport. Remember it was endorsed but failed.
"Alabama rigs, evidently, weren't good for the sport. Though the arguments supporting that decision were shockingly transparent if not applied to forward-facing sonar.
"Which, in turn, is not good for the sport. Sure, if the goal is to reduce the number of participants and the overall interest by fans, then mission accomplished. Because the thought that limitless technological advancement in fishing is somehow good for the sport continues to baffle me.
"But it would be hypocritical to say that it's not bass fishing. Because it certainly is now."
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
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