Today is the final round of the Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., and we are alarmed that only one Arkansan qualified.
Stetson Blaylock of Benton is the lone representative of a state that once dominated professional bass fishing. Canada has more anglers in the Classic than Arkansas.
There are a lot of potential explanations.
The major circuits are too expensive to fish. Arkansas doesn't have the same level of talent that it once had. Or, maybe we have the same level of talent, but the level of talent in other states has surpassed us.
Fewer young anglers from Arkansas are fishing in the big circuits.
It's too big of a leap financially to advance from the weekend circuits to the open circuits, and too big of a leap financially from the open circuits to the Elite Series.
Maybe the price to play is too great. Bass boats, a tow vehicle, travel, lodging and meals are major investments. You have to be committed to make those investments.
It's the same in Major League Fishing. Only three Arkansans qualified for the Redcrest Bass Fishing Championship in Charlotte, N.C. A lot of Arkansans compete in the weekend circuits, but we don't see many advance to the intermediate leagues, and fewer advance to the pro leagues.
High school fishing programs are turning out better anglers at younger ages than ever before. Mike Iaconelli, who won a Bassmaster Classic as a kid, spearheaded youth movement in professional fishing two decades ago. He recently said that today's anglers, with their high school and college experience, are 10 years ahead of where he was at the same age.
Of course, other states have high school and college fishing programs, too. The bar is higher for everyone that enters competitive fishing.
Location is also important. We used to say that Arkansas anglers had a great chance at success as a pro because of all the different kinds of waters we have. We have clear upland reservoirs. We have rivers. We have lowland reservoirs.
Alabama and Tennessee have all of those things in abundance, too, but they are also more centrally located to the main waters that the pro circuits regularly visit. The pro circuits love the Tennessee River reservoirs, all of the big Florida lakes, all of the major Alabama reservoirs and some of the major East Coast reservoirs. That is why so many major West Coast anglers moved to Alabama years ago.
The quality of fishing is part of that equation. The more important factor is that those reservoirs are near major cities that are capable of winning bids for major bass tournaments. There are only two candidates near Arkansas, Tulsa and New Orleans. Tulsa (Grand Lake O' The Cherokees) has hosted the Bassmaster Classic twice. New Orleans has hosted the Classic twice, but because of the politics of doing business in New Orleans and some very bad interactions between pro anglers and residents, major tournaments won't go there again despite its world-class bass fishing.
We love Stetson Blaylock. We've been following him for more than a decade, from his beginnings as a co-angler on the FLW Tour. He is a great representative for the sport of bass fishing and a great representative for our state. We would like to see him competing against a lot more Arkansans on the sport's largest stage.
Big bass tournament
The Arkansas Bass Team Trail will hold a big bass tournament April 1-2 at DeGray Lake near Arkadelphia.
Keith Green, Arkansas Big Bass promoter and organizer, said tournaments like this are integral for preparing local anglers for regional and national tournaments.
The angler that catches the heaviest bass of the tournament will win a fully-rigged Skeeter bass boat and trailer valued at about $75,000. A tagged bass will also be released into the lake. An angler lucky enough to catch and weigh in that bass will win $100,000.
Weigh ins will be held both days at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The anglers catching the five heaviest bass for the hourly weigh-ins will win $500, $400, $300, $200 and $100.
Registration to fish both days will cost $150. You can fish just one day for $100. You can register online at arkansasbassteamtrail.net, in person at Gregg Orr Marine in Arkadelphia, or on March 31 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., at the DeGray Lake Spillway.