TackleTour

Since a great deal was written about Aaron Martens and his new sponsors (particularly Enigma fishing rods) for 2015 on another thread in this forum, what type of year did he have for 2015? I am an extremely poor follower of pro bass tournaments, but would be interested to know (if in the opinion of tournament followers on this forum) did Aaron have less than his average level of success? near average success? or above average success during the 2015 season?

I understand that one year is not necessarily a representative sample of either the past or the future --- but at least it may provide some level of insight on how Enigma Rods / Tidal wave guides are producing in pro tournaments. What are your thoughts and thank you for all responses?

He has his best year ever. AOY and 2 wins plus a second and a third.

Tim,

Thanks for the response -- Your reply was helpful to me -- as I did not know of any of Aaron's tournament success in 2015.
That sounds like a very impressive year -- especially since to my understanding -- only one person achieves Angler of the Year.

It would be interesting to know what Aaron would attribute such a successful year to?

I think at that level it's pretty much all mental. I expect he could have done the same with Ugly Sticks and zebcos.

If you are talking standard Ugly Sticks and standard Zebco spincast reels against the best anglers in the tournaments using their own rods and reels I would bet against anyone using the Ugly Stick / Spincast combos. That would simply be too serious of challenge to overcome -- especially in terms of just cranking speed and power not to mention rod sensitivity and the reel's drag system.

Even consider Kevin Van Dam -- sponsored by Quantum / Zebco -- there is a reason he fishes and endorses some the company's higher end bait casting and spinning gear -- and there is also a reason I have not seen his tournament use or endorsement of spin cast reels. Does anyone on the tour regularly fish spin cast?

Point taken, however that anglers (and especially highly skilled anglers) frequently, do not need the very best rods and reels to post some of the best catches in terms of size and numbers.

Since talent, instinct, experience and time on the water are 95% of the battle when it comes to finding and catching fish, on a day in day out basis, I would wager that the guys that are reliably top of their fields in elite tournaments could whip every single one of us in a year long, multi venue series with nearly any bass appropriate gear. I wouldn't bet on myself just because KVD or Aaron had a spincast or two on board.

BucketHunter,

I would not want to wager much on myself against a tournament elite angler, either, but we digress.

So, how much would you wager on one specific elite tournament angler -- fishing exclusively (or even 50% of the time) with standard spin casting reels and Ugly Stick rods -- beating the entire field of tournament anglers fishing their regular gear?

I can see some possibility of a specific angler winning a specific tournament with spin cast / Ugly Stick --- but I would not bet with certainty any amount of money on it happening. Now compound that low probability with our single spin cast / Ugly Stick angler needing to win an Angler of the Year Award. The challenge is so large/ chances so infinitely small/ and costs of tournament competition so high that I doubt even if I offered up my entire annual income to anyone who could accomplish the feat --- a single elite tournament pro would seriously even consider the offer.

Gear does make a difference -- Especially at the elite level --- and on a Tackle Tour forum -- all of us should be willing to admit it.

a mart is a phenom. you can tell in how he carries himself he's like many crazy eccentric people that are wicked smart, yet have little people skills.

BucketHunter wrote:Since talent, instinct, experience and time on the water are 95% of the battle when it comes to finding and catching fish, on a day in day out basis, I would wager that the guys that are reliably top of their fields in elite tournaments could whip every single one of us in a year long, multi venue series with nearly any bass appropriate gear. I wouldn't bet on myself just because KVD or Aaron had a spincast or two on board.

The preparation Aaron takes to his gear is simply inspiring.

IAY wrote:

BucketHunter wrote:Since talent, instinct, experience and time on the water are 95% of the battle when it comes to finding and catching fish, on a day in day out basis, I would wager that the guys that are reliably top of their fields in elite tournaments could whip every single one of us in a year long, multi venue series with nearly any bass appropriate gear. I wouldn't bet on myself just because KVD or Aaron had a spincast or two on board.

The preparation Aaron takes to his gear is simply inspiring.

he us super meticulous. 3000 size stella and 2500 handle and knobs! LOL

Not taking anything away from him because he had a great B.A.S.S. season but if one looks at his MLF year it is not nearly as impressive (3rd was best finish). it will be interesting to see if he can keep it going for 2016.

Quite a different skill set for the MLF series. For the Elites you need to find THE fish, for the MLF you need to find lots of fish, and fast. There's a bit more luck involved in the MLF as a bad decision early on, or just not quite dropping on the right technique can put you a long way behind. The guys that win each round usually have a bit of luck in working it out quickly where everyone else is usually struggling to get on it at first.

I really enjoy the MLF format and it's got a lot going for it as it's pure fishing, but there is a bigger element of luck than the Elite series where you can practise and have a reasonable idea of what's going on before you start.

Tim Kelly wrote:Quite a different skill set for the MLF series. For the Elites you need to find THE fish, for the MLF you need to find lots of fish, and fast. There's a bit more luck involved in the MLF as a bad decision early on, or just not quite dropping on the right technique can put you a long way behind. The guys that win each round usually have a bit of luck in working it out quickly where everyone else is usually struggling to get on it at first.

I really enjoy the MLF format and it's got a lot going for it as it's pure fishing, but there is a bigger element of luck than the Elite series where you can practise and have a reasonable idea of what's going on before you start.

I would say MLF takes more skill since it requires an angler to identify a spot, key in on pattern and execute plan to catch all in a 1 day tournament with no practice (going in blind) whereas an Elite event has practice and is multiple day thus on has the ability to make major adjustments or hunt to catch the bigger fish.

Guess my point is just because you dominate one series does not mean you can dominate the other series (look how many fail when constantly switching between the FLW and Elite during the year).

It takes skill to make the best of the situation, but finding the fish is more of a lottery without any prior knowledge. You can luck into them or luck out fishing similar spots and that luck gives a headstart that is often very difficult to overcome by the other anglers in a short tournament.

We will agree to disagree on luck vs skill. With that said just because you dominate on one circuit does not mean you will dominate on another circuit fishing against different guys. AM had a great year and hope he has many more. As for equipment, it means less to the pros than to us. Look at KVD and his usage of lower teir products (not knocking them but a Quantum MG compared to a Steez or Core is no contest just like my Omens can't compare to the Envy and Archangel rods) vs others using high end stuff and not doing as good. Then there is always the money factor that can make some of the best promote mid level stuff.