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RAY
SCOTT OUTDOORS, INC. "To
Be or Not To Be?"
The spring fling. Ah, the approach of the spawning season. The ultimate big bass time. But, is it the season? Right or Wrong. Such is the debate. "To fish or not to fish?" Sounds like a Shakespearean theme from Hamlet. Could it be a Three-Act Play? Some say a tragedy: a pending downfall of the great sport of bass fishing. Act I: Bassmaster Hamlet perched in the bow of his bass boat. The question pondered: "To Be or Not To Be?" Act II: Slowly, the shape of a huge bass, heavy with roe, emerges from the edge of the cover and eases toward the spawning bed. The ritual of spring unfolds as a smaller male bass escorts the larger female onto the nest. Act III: How would the bard Shakespeare chose to recite the curtain closer? What destiny or doom? As our mythical hero toys with his inner-voice, the conscious struggle "To Cast or Not to Cast?" Evidently, from reading the many comments in the BassFan FeedBack section, more bass anglers are questioning the merits of allowing or condoning as harmless the practice of sight fishing and targeting trophy bass during the nesting season. "Sight fishing" as the term implies is the concentrated effort to pinpoint bass visually; setup on the spot; and be persistent in the lure presentation to trigger the bass to take the bait. How successful in tripping the fish's trigger depends on the angler's skill or patience. The angler transforms into the hunter - the stalker of the game - rather than the fisherman and random caster. Caught in the cross-hairs, the spawner is an easy target. For some professional tournament fishermen the spring season is a license to steal. Nothing illegal or underhanded. But, thanks to the "teachings" of Guido Hibdon early-on the practice of sight-fishing gives some gifted-pros with almost X-ray like vision the upperhand from the start in any springtime tournament. Matter of fact, Guido Hibdon exhibited such piscatorial prowess, tournament foes lobbied to stop scheduling Bassmaster Tournament Trail events during the spawning season. Others realized the tactic could be copied and cashed-in with the sight-fishing technique. Thus, it comes as no real shocker to see that the winning way of "sight fishing" is being taught to students attending the 2003 Citgo Bassmaster University weekend classes on fishing tactics and techniques. As the cartoon character Pogo so observed: "We've met the enemy and it's us!" Of course, Mr. Pogo was referring to the problem of pollution, the cause and demise of our water quality in the 1970s. Today, as stewards of the environment, we've acted as safeguards and secured a future for fishing with better water quality. The by-product is better bass fishing. But, for how long? Can the systematic sweeping of big bass off the spawning beds be countered in the long run? Should spawning bass be protected? Should closed areas for spawners be posted as off-limits? And, should serious consideration be studied as to the practice of tournament fishing during the spawn? All serious questions. With increased fishing pressure and a mounting cadre of skilled sight-fishermen, some serious studies should be merited. But, "Hark! Will it Be?" As Hamlet seated on the Shakespearean stage faced the darkness, the unknown, the unanswered query comes back to us: "To Be or Not To Be?" In each heart, the bass angler - the sportsman - must judge his own values and destiny for the future of bass fishing. However, keep in mind, in states with year-round open fishing seasons there's no restrictions against stalking the trophy bass of your dreams in the spring. And, believe me, it's a nerve-jiggling thrill to spot a monster fish circling a bed and wait for it to lockdown and hopefully be tempted to inhale your tube jig…rather than timidly nudge the lure off the nest. Regardless of what you may think or believe, "sight fishing" is not like shooting fish in a barrel. This is the art of angling. But, as bass anglers, are we getting too PRO-ficient and well-advanced in the art for our sport's own good? Thus, the play's moral problem. A Shakespeare's dilemma morally ambiguous rather than explicit. "To Fish or Not To Fish?" the quandary! Our apologies to William Shakespeare for
bastardizing his greatest classic. "Hamlet":
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