I love bass fishing but after watching the classic and guys are only catching 4-5 fish a day I don't understand why it's so popular compared to sand bass and striper. For one bass lures and equipment are ridiculously expensive from 6-15$ lures to 50-800$ rods and reels. But back to my original point I can limit out on sand bass and striper in a couple hours whereas bass I might get 4 on a good day.

I feel like bass fishing is becoming so over pressured these bass are so used to seeing these same lures everyday there not feeding.

4 bass from fishing all day is a joke on a professional level

90% of the classic was them talking and Comercial just to sell you stuff that you don't need. Plus the dam video wouldn't work half the time!

I don't even think Kevin Van Dam caught a fish

I know what you mean.

But is still fun to watch

Don't judge it on just one event. There have been some really amazing Classics in numbers and size of fish. This was just a tough one. They just hit this lake at a bad time. Had nothing to do with over pressure of bad fishing by the contestants. The lake caught a ton of cold rain recently that muddied it all up and shut the fish down. They are human and sometimes fishing is just tough. Unless you understand the conditions and have experienced fishing in tough conditions to say its a joke is simply an opinion that most who fish will not share. It can be a lot harder than you think even at that level. Understanding what they faced makes it all make more sense and in the end a tough tournament can be just as enjoyable as a fan because you can learn a lot from watching and listening. When they are all catching them it sometimes seems too easy.

Sounds like you did not enjoy it so maybe just skip the next ones and keep on doing your thing. Its obvious enjoying the Classic ain't for you.

All good points, and I am seeing more and more other fish species posts in some of the general sub forums. Bass vary in the right amount of size and bite in just the right amount of frequency to make it very addicting. Golf is very similar; the average golfer will hit just enough great shots to keep trying again and again. Thus, there is a market for 3K sonars and 3K golf club sets to chase green fish and hit a ball toward a flag stick. You can choose not to spend that kind of money if you aren't competing against others financially or otherwise. It's also very regional. In coastal areas, saltwater fishing tends to be more popular.

I'd rather watch women's golf than professional bass fishing. I don't really care to see someone start whooping and hollering and jumping up and down and break dancing over catching a 3.5 lber. All this going on in between guys trying to push products while fishing. Hell, half the guys with big sponsorship $$$ have never really done anything on the big stage. It's pretty pathetic.

However, I do like bass fishing.

An 8 year old girl can also limit out on sand bass in a few hours. Some folks love doing things because of the challenge. If the classic had been a week or two later you would have seen a slug fest.

This is it....I live near fresh and salt and know from experience I can always catch saltwater fish fairly easy. But I just love the challenge of bass fishing more....the grand kids like to catch fish so it's perch or salt water. For me it's about figuring out the puzzle....been doing it for over 40 years and it never gets old! It's also about your perspective on things...I love being outdoors and on the water even if I don't catch a bunch.

It has always been my dream to make it into the classic field once in my lifetime. I love this sport and honestly if it were to go away I'd never own another bass boat. I think it is the competition that I enjoy, not so much the fishing. The thing that really bugs me about the whole deal is the spectator boats that follow folks around. I'd love to see these guys catch fish and how they do it just as much as anybody but I can't help but wondering is KVD's success his own undoing???? He bound to have and armada of boats following him around everyday. I know the others do to but he is probably getting a lot more followers than most because of his popularity.......my two cents

I bass fish for the challenge and fish tournaments because of the competition.

Not much of a challenge catching sand bass and definitely no competition...

The last three days has been a lot of fun for me watching the Classic online. I chose to stay home and watch because I thought that I could see more than being on the water watching or attending the weigh in. BASS Live for me is awesome. We need a mix of tough and slug fest tournaments to highlight all of the different strategies and techniques. Granted - there are some tournaments less entertaining than others and there were some slow moments in this one but not near as boring as drop-shotting small mouth for 8 hours on St. Clair.

When in laws come into town that have to fish Zebco 33's we go sand bass or striper fishing . That is boring to me.

I agree, it's not the diehards of 70 & 80, now days it's the cool thing to do, anyone that has money now days is bass fishing for the most part, you have people who was never raised up boating or fishing running out paying $70,000 for a boat or $15 for a single bait, $2500 for a 12" depthfinder, that basically cost less to make than a 60" tv that sells less than $2500 to buy! It's all in the name of popularity, I am not saying that all bass fisherman are like this, but I will say the majority now day are! It's not about catching fish, if it was you would see guys fishing for those other species, it's about looking cool. I really think bass fishing is headed for a major crash. I love smelling the exhaust fumes the running lights around the take off landing and watching the classic but it has changed a lot, myself I catfish on my down time for big river cats! That's fun and relaxing, put a bell on your rods take nap. Lol

LTCM09,
I like your post, and understand what you are saying. Any professional sport can have its tuff days and or tournaments. The answers on here come from how each one feels about bass fishing.
My wife and I (at 50) decided we would take up bass fishing ten years ago. I bought an RV and a Bass boat, and have a beautiful place at Lake Fork that we both love. We have had 80 fish days with a guide, and also gone all weekend without a bite. But I can't wait to get back. We also decided the last couple of years that there are more than just bass in lake fork..we're learning Crappie fishing, and sand bass fishing.
It's all perspective, I'm fishing strictly for recreation and enjoyment..some guys fish as a passion, and love and appreciate the competition, and I respect each and everyone. Try watching Major League Fishing, that's fun to watch the pros,..and a little less commercials. I don't like the screaming and yelling when the catch a fish either,...but thats just the sports stick that all sports think is necessary to get their name on TV...
that part sucks,....jesus had nothing to do with them catching a 2 pound bass..

I know what a striper is, but what the hell is a sand bass??

He's ^^^ exactly right! More people out there taking "look at me and my rig" selfies than actually catching fish. As far as the pros go, I'd like to see them fishing against each other with and for their own money and THEN you'd see who the very best is.