by John Jefferson
Several professions can’t call in sick. Police, Firefighters, Nurses, and the Military are a few.
Tournament bass anglers can’t either.
If they stay home, they lose standing and probably money. Granted, they don’t defend our safety and health, but if they snooze, they lose.
One I know is Clark Wendlandt. He takes his work seriously. See the photo of his “working conditions.” That’s what successful tournament anglers do.
When he pursued a fisheries science degree at Texas A&M, people asked him what he would do with that degree. Jobs for grads in that field are limited.
And to make his answer more questionable to justify, he told them he planned to become a professional fisherman. Most laughed.
Wendlandt recently retired from tournament fishing, and several media sources referred to his 33-year career as having earned him three-million dollar$. Nobody laughs at that.
He told me he decided early on that he needed to be on the water early if he wanted to be a winner. Early to him meant being the first boat on the water.
“That’s just me,” he said.
He is a four-times Angler of the Year (AOY) – three times on the FLW tournament circuit and once on B.A.S.S. That title usually goes to an experienced bass fisher but not one nearing retirement. Clark’s last AOY award came at age 55, making him the oldest recipient ever. He retired at age 58. But he’s nowhere near the proverbial “rocking chair” age. He just went out as a winner!
Some recent retirees have done so without commenting. Clark is respectful of what tournament fishing has done for him and his wife and two daughters but has openly and honestly said he no longer wants to fish in tournaments allowing use of forward-facing sonars (FFS).
Those are recent electronic devices which show continuously updated pictures of what is in front of and around the boat. Before FFS, fish finders only showed what was either directly below or already behind the boat.
It took Wendlandt years to know how to locate bass by conditions and habitat. Now, a newcomer with FFS can operate the FFS system considerably quicker. And they are winning tournaments without solving the mystery of where the fish are.
Legendary bass anglers like Rick Clunn could go to a new lake and figure out how to catch bass without FFS. It’s a different sport now, according to Clark.
The mystery is gone. He wonders if fans will still find it exciting to watch. Me, too.
Speaking out against FFS had already cost him one sponsoring sonar manufacturer.
When asked how he will spend his retirement years, his reply was similar to Willie Nelson’s. Willie said all he did now was play music and golf. That’s all he would do in retirement, too. Clark said he would still fish as much as possible, but for grandkids and others, and work on his ranch.
He’ll be missed for his fishing skills … and for being a better human being.
JJ
