Kevin VanDam won the Bassmaster Classic last weekend, and while the majority of fly fishermen probably don’t care, it’s hard not to notice this little fact: He received $500,000 for his victory (in prize money alone).

Fly fishermen could only win a half-million dollars if fly shops routinely sold lottery tickets, which – given that we exist largely on hope – isn’t a wholly bad idea (yet another free, revenue-enhancing retail concept from the Underground).

That prize money exists only because somebody, somewhere figured competitive bass fishing’s audience is big enough to warrant the spending, and given the response the day after VanDam’s win, they’re probably right:

One day after hundreds of spectators watched Kevin VanDam win the 2010 Bassmaster Classic fishing in Beeswax Creek, the boat ramp there remained busy with anglers looking to capture some of his magic.

From jon boats to glittering bass rigs, the parking lot was crowded with trucks and trailers and the sound of running outboards filled the large creek. Anglers young and old packed the area where VanDam caught all his fish, making cast after cast with a lipless crankbait just like the KVD did.

Junior Hughes and Jimmy Oaks have been fishing Lay Lake for more than 50 years, starting before the lake was backed up. They rarely fish anything but the south end of the lake, but watching the final day of the Classic on ESPN2 Sunday night inspired them to come up to Beeswax in search of warmer water.

First, the next time somebody accuses fly fishermen of hot spotting, hand them this article.

And second…

We Gotta Ask

Bass fishing wears competition far better than fly fishing ever would (for starters, bass are tough, and trout are not), and most of the fly fishing industry’s attempts to foster a competitive circuit – at least in the USA – have foundered badly.

The original incarnation of the Fly Fishing Masters TV show seemed entertaining enough, but the later versions were awful things.

Packed with fly fishing industry insiders, the whole shebang was what we in the ad game once called a “sponsor stroke” (which we didn’t mean in a nice way).

Still, it’s hard to deny that competitive fly fishing on the International level is appearing on the radar more than before.

Saltwater tournaments (mostly for Tarpon) seem to be gaining ground, and I suppose – with the prospect of a $500,000 payout in the future – it’s time to ask the Undergrounders a critical question.

Is fly fishing ready for a competitive circuit?

For me, the answer before was no, and today, it’s still no.

Yet the pro-competitive arguments are many (and it’s just possible I’m a pain in the ass who isn’t always right).

It would raise fly fishing’s profile, and grow the sport. It would foster resource protection. It would (perhaps) turn a parttime industry into one fulltime one. It would draw kids to the sport.

And so on.

With a half-million dollars of something dangling in front of us, the question for the Undergrounders is clear.

Is fly fishing ready for “professional tournament anglers” – or are we too proud/smart/snobby to even try? Or is the sport simply not suited for it?

The floor is yours, Undergrounders.

n

{democracy:12}