The evolution of competitive bass fishing is always compelling. Looking back at winning strategy, we see a full circle in terms of techniques. Three times.

Everyone involved was a specialist early in the game. The sport’s pioneers all had a favorite way to catch bass. Spinnerbaits, cranks, plastic worms. We see names from this original period like Bill Dance, Tom Mann and Jimmy Houston, as well as guys most fans didn’t realize were once tournament anglers. Al Lindner and Johnny Morris come to mind. Each had a favorite way to fish, a pet lure that delivered anywhere the tour bus stopped.

As the sport grew and more regional experts entered, the spectrum of techniques also expanded. Perhaps it was a jighead worm popular in the Midwest, or a willow-bladed spinnerbait that had followers down South. Jigs were being revolutionized in California. The best anglers picked up on these methods, new at the time, and introduced them to bass across the nation. Results were impressive. I can only imagine what it was like to fish a buzzbait first on many waters across the country.

This expansion gave rise to the versatile angler. A term likely coined in the early ‘80s, the best pros evolved from one-trick ponies to well-rounded competitors. Left behind was the idea of mastery, instead replaced by all-around ability.

This was the first time I saw the “rods on the front deck” concept, and I remember exactly where it was. Back then, Rick Clunn starred in a video entitled “Bass Fishing from Top to Bottom.” I burned up a VCR watching that tape. In it, Clunn went through a series of rods and techniques he used to compete all over the country. Remember, this was during the period when Rick Clunn was indisputably the greatest big-money angler on the planet, already capturing three Classic crowns.

There were rods for topwater, spinnerbaits and a “jig and eel” stick with a long, angled butt section. A “flip stick” was part of the mix, along with a “kneel and reel” rod. Readers as old as me will remember when Paul Elias popularized this method of getting crankbaits deeper, a move that quickly spread across the bass fishing circles, before later becoming obsolete with the advent of deeper-diving lures.

Anyway, Clunn illustrated the new wave of professional bass anglers. Versatile anglers. Able to pick up any rod and exploit the best bite on the lake.

Again, the sport evolved. As competitors became more versatile and able to catch bass on every lure, it now took specialization to win. When the bass were in the bushes, for instance, and everyone was flipping bushes, the best flipper won the pot. Enter guys like Denny Brauer, Tommy Biffle and Gary Klein. When ledges were the deal, the crankers cleaned house, again paying off Clunn, but also securing careers for the likes of Gerald Beck and David Fritts. Spinnerbaits still dominated, as did Hank Parker and KVD early on, and skinny water tactics rewarded guys like George Cochran. Finesse came on for the Hibdons. The list goes on.

We were again witnessing the era of the specialists. Heck, rod and reel companies designed entire product lines around these specific techniques and their biggest proponents.

Then things evolved again. Finesse continued to gain in popularity and was modified to meet more places with options like the shaky-head and dropshot rigs. Offshore bites expanded, resulting in pressure that required thinking outside the box, using tools like flutter spoons and swingheads. Modernization of jerkbaits opened up a whole new category, along with better crankbaits and advanced lipless options. The ChatterBait entered the scene.

All of this again pushed competitive anglers to diversify. In order to compete, a jack-of-all trades approach was again necessary.

Twice the winning formula went full circle, each time lasting about a decade.

Today, we’re seeing the shift again. This time, it’s back to specialization, but with a twist. Forward-facing sonar expertise is required to compete successfully at about half of the events on tour. Lure choice, as of now, seems relatively secondary; the real talent comes in finding the right fish and presenting a lure better than the others.

At the same time, shallow power-fishermen are also having their day, especially when conditions or timing make it tough on the ‘Scopers. Then, the tried-and-true method of being the best on the lake with a primary tactic has taken the crown. Cliff Prince and Skeet Reese are perfect recent examples.

Yep, today, it’s best to simplify. Perfect the offshore sonar approach, or wait your turn for a pet technique to come into rotation.

Or maybe both.

In the future, we’ll see the best pros again able to do it all, though “all” will be different than what we’ve previously known. My advice to the up-and-comers: Attach yourself to a power tactic or two, master the FFS game and leave the rest of the gear in the garage. History often repeats itself.

(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.)