Sometimes I feel a bit like Bob Ross. You know, the guy on TV with the big hair that painted landscapes? While painting, he, on occasion, would have “happy accidents.” Not mistakes, but an unexpected twitch of the brush that sent the entire image in a different direction. I sort of feel that way about the content of the issue you are holding in your hands. Usually, we try to stick to a theme, like spring tactics, new gear or the best bass fishing lakes in the country. This issue, however, features topics that range from the historical (Glen Andrews) to the cerebral (Rick Clunn) to the futuristic (electric outboards). Individually, I think, these concepts are a bit random. Collectively, however, they deliver a well-rounded image of where our sport has been and a glimpse of where it might be heading.
Part of the mantra of B.A.S.S. is to be “the keeper of the culture of the sport.” This is no little task. We have to champion the concept of keeping bass fishing’s history in the forefront and wrap our arms around the moments that make now important, all while staying excited about what the future might bring. I firmly believe it is impossible to move forward until you know precisely where you have been, realizing the mistakes you have made alongside the benefits of good decisions. There are an awful lot of anglers out there that remain unaware of our sport’s origins. Throwing a crankbait to catch bass is fun, but knowing the story of Fred Young’s Big O from the early ’70s, and how it transformed crankbait fishing, sure makes you appreciate all of the options we have now. B.A.S.S. might not have invented bass tournaments, but the organization certainly legitimized them. Steve Bowman’s piece on Andrews (page 52 of the April issue Bassmaster Magazine) tells the story of a man who helped pave the road that so many tournament anglers now drive. Reading about his life and the obstacles he faced will certainly give you a greater appreciation of how far tournament fishing has come.
Bassmaster contributor Joe Sills spoke at length with Rick Clunn about his early days and how not only the sport, but Clunn himself, has had to evolve (page 28). As you will read, Clunn was a pioneer in comprehending bass fishing from both a scientific and artistic perspective. His concepts of how intuition affects success on the water will serve well anglers of all ages and abilities, right now.
As for the future, we have published some pretty outlandish concepts of what technology might bring to the water’s edge. In this magazine’s 20th anniversary issue, pundits guessed that trolling motors would shoot from the hull of a boat and that we’d be wearing helmets that would allow us to see through the water. Although that hasn’t exactly happened, we do have trolling motors that can anchor our boat via satellite, live sonar showing real-time movements of fish and outboards powered by nothing more than batteries (page 18).
It will certainly be interesting to look back at the happy accident that is this issue in a couple of decades to reflect on not only the bravery of Glen Andrews and the genius of Rick Clunn, but also report on whether the electrification of bass boats became a thing. Regardless of what our culture looks like at that particular moment, I know for a fact that it will be well-kept.
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