Our Little Sandbox

Over the past weekend, I went on a media trip to Charleston, South Carolina, where I ate, drank a few beers, and fished, generally in that order. I’m fortunate to go to a couple of these events each year. Usually, they’re bass-centric. This one was not. In fact, the other writer was almost exclusively a fly fisherman. Due to weather constraints, we ended up fishing with conventional tackle the entire time, which meant that I didn’t have to show off my flycasting “skills,” which are roughly the water-borne equivalent of the Elaine dance from Seinfeld. We all caught redfish. We all had a really good time in the name of work.

I really liked the fact that I was the only person who lives primarily in the bass fishing world who attended this trip. I’d much rather have a chance to pick the brains of someone outside of my sphere to see what they do, as well as what interests them about what I do. Remaining in your silo is comfortable, but it’s rarely ultra-productive.

Those of us who live and breathe bass think that the world revolves around us, but in truth, it does not. I have vague memories of an ESPN sketch from years ago where they traveled the streets of Kalamazoo and most interviewees could identify Derek Jeter, but few could identify fellow hometown hero KVD. That may have shifted a little, but if laymen are likely to recognize anyone it’s the YouTubers or maybe “that guy who screams ‘it’s a giant’ when he catches one.” While we’re a multi-billion dollar business, in the grand scheme of things we're still small fish.

As we exited the South Carolina marina, I was reminded of that again when we passed a 42-foot Freeman center console. I’ve fished out of a smaller model in Panama, and there’s currently a four-year wait for these seven-figure boats. Think your bass boat is expensive? Think forward-facing sonar provides an advantage? Our redfish guide captains a big Freeman for a private owner and he reported that they were outfitting it with an omnidirectional sonar system at a cost of a hundred and fifty grand. It just reminded me of how big the sport is, and that while us bass folks are a vital and incredibly innovative part of it, we’re just one small slice.