Favorite Or Greatest Bass Fisherman Of All Time

[USA-RET]

Favorites:

Bill Dance and Roland Martin. Both were weekly visitors to my TV. They both taught something as well as entertained.

Great:

Rick Clunn (having met him "as Ricky" and attended one of his week long seminars) back in the 80's when he was tops on the tournament trail. A really well rounded fisherman and successful tournament angler.

Greatest:

KVD is probably the greatest overall (and he's still a huge player), so his streak is likely to continue for a good while longer eclipsing everyone else.

[IlliniDawg01]

If I could go fishing with any current pro I would probably pick Jeff Kriet. Seems like a really fun guy.

DaveJ

[mhood]

What I respected most about Buck Perry was that he didn't fish for money.

[OkobojiEagle]

Two men I'd like to spend a day (or week) with in a boat... Larry Nixon and Dick Bengraf


oe

[dragon1]

In the same boat, there are plenty of great fishers that can fish toe to toe with any of the "pros", my opinion. In competition, there are many variables, and separate boats as well.

In so far as golf, all the variables aside, you are not chasing down a living organism in the animal kingdom, to try and get it to engulf a presentation. I have golfed 18 holes twice in my life. The first was a "scamble" and I putted in one birdie (and was plenty drunk by the back half, FWIW ). The second time the ex-husband of my wife's best friend took me to a starter course and I putted in three birdies and shot better than he did for the 18 holes. I do not recall my exact score, but it was in the high 80s. I have no doubt that if I golfed more, than I would likely achieve the same level of accomplishment that I have attained with billiards and martial arts.

FWIW, I have been an athlete and competitor all my life, so I understand more than fully. This said, I am not a fan of professional sport fishing as a whole.

[Chode]

this convo has def gone off on a tangent. my golf analogy was used not to state that golf was more difficult than fishing but to further my statement that without a true platform for individuals to compete, it's extremely difficult to state that one fisherman is greater than another.

Competing on a professional lvl is by no means a perfect system but it adds certain variables that one doesn't have to deal with while fishing recreationally; thus imho differentiates the haves and have nots. This may or may not be the case for kvd rick clunn etc but i know for me personally, when i competed on any platform, it wasn't for the money but to c where i stood in my respective sport.

[SLM]

Billy Westmorland
Don Iovino
Denny Brauer
Rick Clunn
James A. Henshall
Dave Gliebe
Dee Thomas

and...

Jason Lucas, of course.

[zodiak311]

Billy Westmorland
Don Iovino
Denny Brauer
Rick Clunn
James A. Henshall
Dave Gliebe
Dee Thomas

and...

Jason Lucas, of course.

X2 on Don Iovino, one of my favorites as well.

[BigG]

Statistically, regarding tour level tournaments, it's nearly impossible to argue against Kevin Van Dam. Roland Martin and Rick Clunn, along with KVD are a nearly consensus 1-3.
KVD- 20 BASS wins, 4 Classics, 7 AOYs
Clunn- 14 BASS wins, 4 Classics, 1 AOY
Martin- 19 BASS wins, 0 classics, 9 AOYs

There has been some historical variances in field size, field depth, etc. Clunn and Van Dam both had some brief dominant periods in FLW, with Clunn having an edge there, but also more appearances/opportunities.....but I don't think it sways the argument too far. People that argue for Clunn, talk classics and his ability to solve the equation quickly on unfamiliar water, but there was some lack of consistency. People that like to argue Martin, talk about the consistency of the AOYs and the wins, but many mention his "networking" ability to get info on unfamiliar water and his lack of a classic win...Again, hard to argue against Van Dam. Surprised no one has mentioned Denny Brauer, as he may be a solid 4th...and Bill Dance lacks the longevity because of his early jump to TV.

KVD, he's no where near done. Fishing machine. When his does videos he one of the best.

[Cagey]

Some great names mentioned. I tallied up the votes so to speak, and this is what I came up with after adding in my own one vote for each of my favorites and greatest would be Denny Brauer and Kevin Van Dam, and runner-up's would Be Larry Nixon and Doug Douglas:


4 votes:

Rick Clunn -Best/Greatest X2
Kevin Van Dam -Best/Greatest X2

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3 votes:

Roland Martin -Favorite
Don Iovino -Favorite

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2 votes:

Buck Perry
Bill Dance -Favorite
Aaron Martens -Best/Greatest
Denny Brauer -Favorite & Best/Greatest
Larry Nixon

-----------------
1 vote:

Basil Bacon -Favorite
Hank Parker
Brent Ehrler
Jason Christie
The Linders
Doug Hannon
Jeff Kriet
Dick Bengraf
Billy Westmoreland
James A. Henchall
Dave Gliebe
Dee Thomas
John Lucas
Dave Douglas

[Bassmar]

Here's another vote for KVD as the greatest.

[dv1]

I am going to go with

The Lindners
Rich Zaleski
KVD (from sw MI, have to)


Being from the Midwest, I always found the Infisherman stuff more applicable to what I was doing. bassmaster stuff seemed always too reservoir related when I was a kid. Rich Z's article on trophy fall bass fishing was the first In-fisherman article I ever read and hooked me on that magazine ever since.

[Cagey]

I am kind of surprised Denny Brauer has not been mentioned more than he has.

To me, Denny Brauer is my number one greatest bass fisherman of all time- favorite too. KVD is second to Denny on my list.

Denny has something extra- a sixth sense if you will. Denny can pick a spot and say I know there's one right there. And darn'ed if he doesn't haul one up. He seems to just know where the fish are.

He came down to Florida back around 1987 to shoot his Denny Brauer Flippin' Techniques bass fishing video and I must say that is one of the most influential bass fishing videos I have ever seen, right up there with KVD's spinnerbait techniques video- and John Fox's "How, When, and Where to Catch Bass."

In the Denny Brauer video he shows why he is the absolute master of his craft. And I don't recall him checking his fish finder not the first time in his video.

On the video he is working his way along the shoreline cattails, and he lowers a flip right down next to a cattail, and he always counts the lure down per foot. On this flip, it went down 2 feet and all he saw was the cattail twitch just a little bit and he set the hook instantly on a nice 7 pound bass.

How many of us would be so in tune with what is going on to yank on a rod to set the hook all because some plant twitched a little bit. Denny Brauer read that situation perfectly. It was an amazing moment caught on video. Never seen anything like it before or since.

He was fishing a small private lake in the hot summertime and he was catching one right after another reading the cover on the lake and was absolutely flawless in his technique and delivery.

For a man standing above the water, he sure has an incredible sense of what was going on under the water, and I just do not see this in a lot of the pro's out there today. I don't even see it in KVD. He looks at a spot and says well maybe... Denny looks at a spot and says "I know there's one in there!" And more times than not he is right. And to me, Denny's keen awareness and sixth sense combined with his knowledge and skill puts him at the head of the pack for me.

[lil_man72]

What no fish fishburne or charlie moore....lol
Well coming from someone whos never fished a touney i would still have to say that KVD will be considered the greatest bass fisherman of all time when its said and done... i agree

Now for favorite bass fisherman that id like to fish with would be mark zona then greg hackney
I fish as a hobby for fun and have no doubt that fishing with zona would be a blast...

[108642]

X3 Jason Lucas