Deerslayer_37

Kevin VanDam won the Classic, followed by Aaron Martens(CHOKE!), Gerald Swindle, George Cochran, Mike Iaconelli, and i forget the rest. Anyone else watch it? I missed all of today at the tourney, i made it home for the weigh in. Congrats to KVD, this solidifies him as one of the top guys in the sport.

slayer

PAHUNTER21

Been watching every minute of it. Got to catch Friday's takeoff in person. Unfortunatly I came down with something evil this week/weekend and wasn't able to make it to the weigh-ins. Watched them on TV though. I was suprised nobody came up with a big fish this tourny. I expected small fish, but 2lb14oz big fish is very suprising. We have a good number of 4lb+ fish in the rivers, it's unfortunate that these guys weren't able to find them.

bigbass191

i watched all of it and i was sad because i hate kvd so much i wanted davy hite to win or mike iaconelli to win but what can you do

Champlain Islander

I watched the weigh in on TV and was pleased that KVD won. He is a really nice guy and I met him at one of the weigh ins a couple of years ago at the FLW Lake Champlain event. He fishes hard and you can't count him out. I still like Rick Clunn the best but he is getting older and KVD will be the man to beat in my estimation. He is on a roll winning his last 3 events. Northern boy too which makes him even better in my eyes.

Carpmaster

KVD is a heck of a fisherman, always been one of my top picks!

MNfowlplay

i was pulling for mike iaconelli myself but i think KVD earned it.

Deerslayer_37

why do you hate KVD? he's probably the best bass angler in the world right now. With all the Rick Clunn hype going this last year, it was Clunn's tourney to lose. Everyone figured he'd do well because of his mental aspect. KVD doesn't need that zen crap..he just goes out and finds the fish. I was really pulling for Hite, Ike, and Cochran, because i've met them all in person and they're just great people. My fave angler, Larry Nixon, didn't do so hot. Larry Nixon is probably one of the most down to earth people on the Tour. Being able to spend 20 mins one on one with him in person was probably one of the greatest things i've done.

slayer

RedAllison

I think it was a GREAT week that ended properly. NO DOUBT that Clunn is THE best of all time, the man's a threat anytime he picks up a rod. LOL "zen crap" and all, he is a machine and is still feared and revered by the best on the trail. He has been my favorite even before he won his third Classic on the Ark. River in the 80s. I also love Roland Martin, too me he is the "Richard Petty" of bassfishin. His time has probably passed but the man can still smoke the fish with the best of em.

KVD is the "Tiger Woods" of bassfishing, no doubt and he has a LOOOOONG and successful career ahead of him. He could retire tomorrow and will forever go in the books as one of the greatest but I believe he is just now maturing and hitting his stride. He is the ONLY one on the radar screen with the ability, talent and all out "balls" to possibly surpass Clunns records. He is "all that" and is very well likable as well. I just wish the "best" were on another team besides Nitro! lol...

Larry Nixon? Yep he is truly one of the sports greats as well and was one of my heroes when I first began tournament fishing as a kid in the 80s. I remember back when Larry still lived near and guided out of Pendelton Harbor on Toledo Bend. "The Hemphill Gang" they called them, Larry, Tommy Martin, John Torian and John Hall. Those boys racked up back then. Anyway, my grandfather and I were down there fishing for a week in March and Nixon had just won the first Megabucks. We wanted to go over too Rayburn for a day and try it out. Larry sat at our breakfast table, just the three of us, and showed us where to go, what to look for and in general just made us feel like we were ol fishin pals of his. The ink wasn't even dry on his Megabucks check and yet he still was "ol Larry". Tommy Martin on the otherhand, a bigger prick and arrogant "pro" I have yet to meet! Stark contrast between the two and look whose still on TV today!!!

I was also glad too see Bill Dance ranked 3rd on the greatest list. Being a born and raised Memphian myself, Bill is like Elvis in that town "practically a God!" I have had the pleasure of being around him off and on for 20 years as he did alot of appearances for my brothers sporting goods stores and lives nextdoor too my oldest brother right outside of Memphis. THE KING PR MEN OF PR MEN. Dance showed us ALL how to do it and basically invented the idea of fishing promotion from a commericalism aspect, along with Ray Scott these two men basically CREATED the industry as we know it today. The fact that his was the first show and is STILL on the air today is testament too that. I only wish those under 60 years of age rememberd or knew about how really great a competitive angler Mr. Dance was in his early years. If you go back and look at the early 70s you will see that Bill won ALOT of B.A.S.S. tournaments and it was basically a "Bill and Roland" show for a couple of years. %age wise he won over 25% of the tournaments he entered, really now THINK about that. If someone did that today they would be the fishing equivalent too the "Second Coming"!!! He quit the competitive fishing trail for business and family reasons (very commendable IMHO) and THAT is the only reason he didn't win more and possibly even a few Classics. I wonder how many Angler of the Years Roland would've won had Dance still been around after 72 or so?

GREAT Classic, one for history that's for sure. And I will admit I was wrong about the ESPN/BASS partnership a couple of years ago. FINALLY our sport has gone prime time and gotten the break it deserves and it is primarily because of the commitment of ESPN too competitive fishing! The tide REALLY took a huge swell this year guys, think what it will be nextyear when the Classic is in February (ALOT more eyes on TV during that time of year) and is in Fla. The weight records are about to be SHATTERED and the $500k first place payout is gonna add alot too the media frenzy as well. We're still a long way from it, but we are closer now too PGA type coverage and money than ever before! The "Bass" is out of the bag now...
RA

rdneckhntr

i was hoping for Iaconelli but kvd was my second pick

Champlain Islander

Ike is a talented fisherman but he needs to grow up. Almost all of the pro fishermen are really careful about how they conduct themselves. Ike puts on a show when he wins but he blows it when he loses.