Before we move into the new year, I thought we’d take a minute to reflect on the biggest stories of 2022. Professional bass fishing has seen quite a transformation in recent times, often causing newsworthy items to be overshadowed by more sensational topics. Join me as I browse through the highlights of the last 12 months.
Jason Christie returns to B.A.S.S., quickly wins the Classic and then follows it up with an Elite Series title
Boy, what a good move for this guy! Christie instantly became a revived B.A.S.S. favorite, receiving a plethora of media coverage even before winning the Society’s world championship. Backing it up with his incredible performance only added validity to the Christie legend. And why not? The guy’s been a monster since day 1. Christie doesn’t mess around and he doesn’t kiss butt, making him even cooler in a sport with plenty of media darlings.
Bill Taylor retires as Senior Director of MLF Operations
If you’ve fished a bass tournament in the last 40 years, you likely know the name Bill Taylor. While his reputation precedes him, Taylor’s real strength as a director was his relentless pursuit of fairness, supplemented by his relatable personality built from a foundation as a competitive angler himself.
Bill Taylor represented one of the last old-school tournament directors. He earned a place at the table – possibly the head – with guys like Dewey Kendrick, Trip Weldon and Harold Sharp. Without question, Taylor’s retirement from the sport represents the end of an era.
Alton Jones Jr. won more money at a major tournament than the winner of the event
Here’s a twist on what we know about top prizes. You’ll recall Alton Jr.’s back-to-back big bass awards at the BPT Heavy Hitters event, earning him $150,000 for catching two fish. Also of note is Alton Jr.’s consistent success as a major player in BPT tournaments. Fans likely don’t realize that only five pros have placed in the Top 20 in the points in each of the last three years of the BPT. Alton Jones Jr. is one of those five. Look for even better things from him this season.
The deaths of Ray Scott and Nina Wood give time for reflection
Both were pillars of the founding days of competitive fishing, when cowboy hats and handshakes were keys to making a deal. I can’t help but reflect on the changes apparent since these two helped lead their organizations. Bass fishing tournaments today, and fan involvement, are drastically different than the days of Ray. And boats built “One at a Time”, along with the relationships that took even longer to establish, are becoming a thing of the past.
Lake Mead is almost dry
Western water woes continue, a factor of a changing climate, poor management in response and a century-old water agreement that proves to ruin most of the area’s reservoirs. A sad note here, as Mead is an important location for the sport of competitive bass fishing. The U.S. Open will go on, but won’t be the same, if Mead isn’t the battleground. After casual review of the issues and potential solutions, I don’t see a good outcome on this one.
Jacob Wheeler wins another AOY and continues on his record-setting path
Wheeler is the BPT top winner and the circuit’s first back-to-back AOY champion. Surprisingly, Wheeler didn’t have a tournament win in 2023, but fear not, he will again soon. It’s reasonable to think that, at his age, Wheeler may still have his best days ahead of him.
Connell joins Wheeler as a three-time winner in a single season
This statistic is unbelievable. Both of these guys had three wins in seven tries against a star-studded field. To win once is a career moment for many. Three times in one season is ridiculous. I’m reminded of some other incredible streaks in the sport; conquests by Roland Martin and David Fritts immediately come to mind. Can anyone ever beat the recent feats of Connell and Wheeler?
Dee Thomas dies
Thomas was the only angler I can think of who was recognized as the undisputed creator of a technique. Anyone who’s ever swung the big stick and wrested a pig out of the buckbrush can give thanks to the father of flippin’. And, for goodness sakes, remember to leave off the “g”.
The Bass Pro Tour switches to a five-fish format
Near the end of the year, the BPT announced it would move to the more traditional five-fish limit scoring system, dropping the original all-you-can-catch format. The group credited a desire by both their anglers and fans as the reason for the change. A few vocal pros reasoned such would allow more anglers to be competitive when, in fact, statistics prove otherwise. It will be interesting to see how things pan out once some folks get what they asked for.
A 10-pound smallmouth returns to the scales
It’s been a very long time since anyone caught a 10-pound smallmouth. Thanks to forward-facing sonar, open-water bronzebacks are now the target, and we’re immediately seeing the results. Kudos to Greg Gallagher for his handling of the details of the catch, and the bass itself, presenting us all a glimpse at an incredibly rare fish.
Where will we go in 2023? Will it be possible to top these feats? Before we know it, we’ll be knee-deep in another season of excitement, with two World Championships blasting off in March. Join me in watching all the action, and chatting it over each week, here at BassFan.com.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
