There's A New Marshal In Town
April 14, 2009
When BASS announced the new Marshal program for the Elite Series, I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to see how an Elite Series angler approaches a major tournament. The “Marshal” would not fish but basically be replacing the co-angler and would be responsible for phoning in catch weights, assisting with on-board camera placement and most importantly, insure the Elite pro’s adherence to tournament rules.
The job of an Elite Marshal is no small task considering the numerous additions of rules infractions and disqualifications the past couple of seasons. Nonetheless, the prospect of spending up to three days with some of the best fishermen in the sport intrigued me. As a fishing guide and avid fisherman, I feel I have a pretty good grasp on the baits and techniques to be a successful fisherman but I am curious how the “Elite” anglers differ from the rest of us. They put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us, right? I knew the only way to find out was to throw my hat in the ring and participate in the Marshal program.
To begin, I posted my thoughts on a few internet sites that I frequent and I was amazed at the responses I got. They ranged from those who agreed with my thinking to some who thought it would be a waste of time and money. Some called it babysitting and reasoned they could use the $100 entry fee (which includes a nice gift package and access to additional exclusive events) to put gas in their boat and follow any pro they wanted. I saw it as a way to experience another facet of the sport. It's the same reason I travel all over the country to fish different bodies of water . . . for the "experience".
Whether or not I'm wetting a line is beside the point. For all of the weekend fishermen and those who don't fish tournaments, the payback from fishing is all non-monetary anyway; it's for the "experience”. If it hurts your pride to watch somebody fish I recommend you not doing this. As a guide, I watch clients fish all day long without dropping a bait in the water, but I’m also a tournament angler. I'm not "star struck", nor do I idolize these pros but they operate on a whole different level than the average weekend warrior and I wanted to experience that up close and personal.
I often hear fishing compared to golf and NASCAR. How would you like to caddy for three days with Tiger Woods, Greg Norman or Arnold Palmer and watch them work their magic on the course? What would it be like to ride along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon? I want to “experience” that first-hand . . . without all the extravagant entry fees of course! I personally know a couple of Elite Series anglers and have talked to them at length but being in the boat with them would be different.
Fishing as a co-angler seemed like a bigger waste of money to me. Fishing the back deck with one of these guys seining the water in front of you means you’ve got your hands full trying to come up with your own limit. Sure, the chance to cash a check is there, but you pay a lot for that gamble and your attention is (or at least should be) kinda focused on your own fishing.
To me, fishing the back deck is an art form all it's own that most never realize or master. I compare it more to any spectator sport where there are "Pros". Living in the D.C. area, f I want to go watch the Nationals play baseball I have to pony up way more than a hundred bucks for good seats - same with Wizards basketball, Capitals hockey, DC United soccer or Redskins football. Add all the extras like food, drinks, parking, etc and I can tell you, it cost me over $300 to take my son to a Wizards game last year. I figure in this event I pay $100 and get to be ringside for three days (three days!) at 1/3 the price I paid for three hours of NBA, NFL, NHL or MLS "thrills"! I also get to go to one private dinner/evening event with the pros. Last I checked none of the teams I mentioned above offer that. Not for the price of a ticket anyway.
This may not be for everyone but the way I see it, I'm getting a lot of bang for my fishing buck! I'll let you know if I still feel that way after it's all is said and done – I’ll be covering the upcoming Blue Ridge Brawl on Smith Mountain Lake April 22nd – 25th. I plan on reporting day-by-day from the event, so stay tuned sports fans, there’s a lot more to come!