Who’s the next KVD?

I understand this is sort of like asking who’s the next Jordan, and there may never be one, although some have done extraordinary things in their own right. But, who do you think has the potential to be the next KVD?

In my opinion, simply because he’s still young yet has already put together a hell of a resume, it could be Brandon Palaniuk. He’s won multiple tournaments, on multiple lakes, using multiple styles of fishing. But just like with Lebron being compared to Jordan, he’ll need a few classic wins to go along with angler of the year titles. But I think he can do it.

Honestly there are quite a few exceptionally good young anglers coming up, just shows how the sport is growing.

I think there will always be a few different anglers who will go through streaks but I don't know if we will ever see another totally dominating angler like KVD was for the length of time he did it because there are just so many great anglers fishing these days. There is just no way to beat all of them consistently tournament after tournament and always come out ahead.

BP would be hard to bet against but so would many others....
Lee Brothers, Lucas, Dustin Connell just to name a few

my bet's on this guy...

One thing is for certain he/she will come from the TFF

No one.

CHIGGER BRUMBELOW!!!!

CHIG!!!!
He was hilarious on BassTech

I'm in agreement here. I don't think there will ever be another person as dominant as KVD was for that period of time. The talent pool of fisherman is FAR bigger than its ever been before...just look at all these high school and college teams out there. Combine that with all of the "leveling of the playing field" items such as the new no info rule and very technical electronics, etc and I just don't see how it happens.

Jordan Lee.

I believe the number would not be a "few" classic wins......... It would be 4 just to tie at this point and KVD hasn't retired so technically he's still capable of adding to that.

I believe the young mans name is Pake South..... thats my vote for the next KVD.

No one will ever dominate like KVD. Hell.....he's still racking up winnings.

To me, KVD is like Jack Nicklaus and there will probably never be another person like this anytime soon since bass fishing is more main stream now there's so many good competitors out there.

Not gonna be one...just like golf to many good young guys and competition is much broader than back then. No more Tigers or KVDs

+1... he keeps hanging out with the Z-Train, no telling how good he will be...

I think its like asking who will be the next dynasty in the NFL after the Patriots. I do not think you can replace some of these great teams or individuals. I do not think we will see another KVD, Patriots, Tiger at the top of his game, or Jack. Their is just some things it was great to watch it happened. Their are so many great bass fishermen and golfers it's going to be hard to out do what was done by some of these guys and teams. I would settle for another great lake to get to fish in my life time like Fork was in it's hey day.

Never.....no more information rule fixed that. The amount of info traded in the last 25 years is incredible.

One general rule when you see someone dominate for a very long time is they get one of their wins, here a Classic, on the books at a very early age. So, Al Oerter would be a great example (first Olympian to win 4 gold medals in consecutive Olympics - Discus) as he won the 1956 Olympics as a sophomore in college. You might say the same thing for Usain Bolt: he got off to a fast start at an early age.

But, I think there is a bigger statistical argument than "everybody is better these days," meaning that it is simply more competitive. And, that is the more we "assign" winning competitive events to luck, the less chance, by definition, we assign to skills.

I can compete with Lebron James flipping quarters to see how many heads I can get out of a hundred flips (pure luck); but, I can't compete with him to see how many free throws I can make out of a hundred shots (almost pure skill).

Just in general, the more you think luck has to do with winning a slew of Classics, the less chance we see another KVD. The more skill you think anglers have, the more likely we will see another Martin or Clunn or KVD.

I think we will see another one day. To me, it has quite a high skill rating.

Brad

I don't think there will be another KVD.. not because their isn't any anglers with his skill set.. but because the competition is at such a high level now that it will be extremely hard for anybody to dominate the sport. All of the fishermen say it.. the guys on the Elite Series are the best in the world.. top to bottom.

^^^This.

Everyone you listed has already failed at being the next KVD.

y’all really believe these guys don’t get info anymore?

I believe there is someone who could be the next KVD or at least he thinks he as good!!! But you won’t find him on TV need to go to squaw creek to see this guy in action!!!

I agree with Durham going to be hard to ever duplicate what KVD has done. The off limits rule applies to really only places like or similar to the Sabine most reservoirs these guys are going to find them. Big delta systems may throw a curve ball but all these guys do their homework. The internet does help tremendously in location of stuff going on and with BASS going to diverse fisheries the timing of the year can change that. There are some guys on the Elite series that may get close but I think the bar has been set by KVD. Jordan is amazing and will have his time as is Dustin Connell but this is a new era and every tournament will prove to be a different venture. That is what makes BASS great. The one person I think that can adapt and maybe be close is Palunik he really seems to be able to read the water, weather , etc. but to match KVD don't see it happening.

I have to agree with just about everything you said Brad. The big difference from the other sports and fishing is you're dealing with a live opponent that can see, hear, feel and to an extent think and reason. Some guys have instincts about how, when and where to fish during different seasons and they are pretty successful. KVD may be blessed with those instincts. A fisheries biologist might have an advantage locating fish and learn the techniques necessary to catch them and be a contender. But unlike other sports there is the luck factor involved in catching bass which I have experienced to a small extent, but you can't be as successful as KVD with just luck. One thing for sure you have to be extremely dedicated, be able to spend countless hours devoted to TOW, have a butt load of confidence in what you're doing and be financially able to hang in until you garner some support from sponsors. If there's another KVD out there he's probably still in high school or college and training right now to be the next GOAT but it may be another 10-15 years before we know his name. Right now KVD is still the GOAT and I'm enjoying watching him ply his trade just like I enjoyed watching Nicklaus, Earnhardt, Emmitt and Nolan be the best at their sport.

I totally agree, actually, that there is definitely a bigger element of luck in fishing than, say, shooting free throws in my prior example. In the latter, two competitors have the exact same circumstances. On the water, this can't be so.

But, enough skills in angling that I suspect someone will catch a few breaks added to their mad skills, get dialed up as another KVD. I sure hope so! It'd be great for the sport.

Brad

Brent Ehrler will come close.

Look at his career in FLW, then look at how much he has already accomplished in his short career in BASS. He may not be the next KVD, but he will go down as a legend at the end of his career.

I don't think there'll be another VanDam, but there's a lot of great, young anglers on tour. Jordan Lee would be my pick as a legend in the making. Had the pleasure of sharing a boat with him in the Opens...talent, desire, humility -- it's all there.

I know they do, just saying it may never be to the extent it was in the 90's and 2000s with the change.

Yea no way he expects the world to believe he found the 6’ wide foundation hard spot loaded with toads he did back in 16 on Toledo bend. No way he found that on his own

RedRanger?

Way too early to tell, but I think guys saying never are thinking very short-term. I just turned 44 and remember reading a slug-go article in bassmaster where Kevin’s Van Dam was saying letting it sink was a great way to catch fish them too back when I was in high school. While we was a good pro for a long time, he hit his prime a solid 20 years later. I think the real question is who will compete that hard for that long and who will burn out. Last year during the Classic Iconelli mentioned retirement and imprint did on stage yesterday as well. Skill and desire are different. Which of all of the guys mentioned had the most of both?

KVD is a brand to fishing

I never thought anyone would come along and be the next Rick Clunn........then came KVD. Someone will come along and be the next KVD but I have no clue who it will be. I will say Jordan Lee getting his win so early in his career launching him into elite company sure helps put him on the right track though.

Jacob Wheeler has the best shot. 2 elite wins in his first 2 elite events ever!..... bfl all American win & Forrest Wood Cup win.

Hahahaha

Dang, I completely forgot about him. Now I am starting to rethink my position. Red Ranger is my pick!

Maybe there will be an athletic, extremely efficient four armed/four handed fisherman that can cast and retrieve while tying jigs with the other arms. Best in the world shallow, mid depths, and deep. Best at cold water and warm water conditions. Someone that can break down a lake and find the unpressured fish the fastest. Maybe develops a lure technology that gives him/her a clear advantage and manages to keep it a secret for twenty years.

Extremely unlikely that there will be another KVD. Lots of good reasons already posted.

Agree with James Wheeler or Palaniuk

No idea who will be next, but I do scratch my head never seen the guy fish a creature bait, jig, once or twice a worm.

Me as well. Dilly Dilly!

KVD? He was fishing a finesse jig last week.

If winning the Classic is the measurement for being "the best" then KVD and Clunn are obviously the best and I agree there will probably never be anyone like them again. The timing was perfect for both. I don't think a younger (20-30yrs) KVD would dominate as he did in the past. Now, with that said it's my opinion that Jason Christi is the best out there right now. And yes I know he's never won the big one.

Must have slept through that part, I know on Lewisville he fished a drop shot over a brush pile down at the dam, caught a double digit,2005 maybe? He just seems to be a hard bait guy, maybe I should pay more attention...

I agree we may not see a KVD, but the next guy to really make a name for himself in my eyes will be Jacob Wheeler. He has a heck of a nice resume, and at 27 you can easily make the argument he is not even in his prime at this point. He is my pick for AOY this season, even though he did me no favors this past weekend.

All the best fishermen are too busy making Youtube videos. They don't have time to wet a line; they are busy googling for some cool background rap music to sync up to their drone footage.

I supposed KVD just stumbled upon that brush pile at loserville

Just like he did on the 6’ wide foundation at Toledo

Professional Bass fishing has definitely changed over the past decade. Everyone of the guys on the Elite series can catch them in the right situations. The better ones catch them in all situations. I for one do not think a Bassmasters Classic defines a career. Look at Edwin Evers he was consistently in the top 12 every tournament till his Classic win at Grand Lake he has not won since. Now saying that I believe he is in the top 10 of the best out there right now. Look at Swindle no wins but 2 AOY's to me he is a legend. Chris Lane is a multiple winner and has a classic but has struggled as of late. What I am getting at is the competition is so high that it is tough to win 1 a year much less more than that on the Elite series. Tak just won last week and he could bomb the next. I truly believe there are only 2 that may reach anywhere near KVD status (and I am not a huge KVD fan) that is Brandon Palunick and Jordan Lee. These 2 are really driven in their careers, Jason Christie and Jacob Wheeler are great but the 2 I mentioned before seem to be driven more than anyone. Strictly my opinion.

I agree with the golfer references above. KVD is similar to Tiger Woods. A person that dominates a sport as it goes through a transformation is a one time thing. I don't think there will ever be another KVD, Tiger, Jordan, etc.....

Late start. Not saying he will e KVD because no one will. I am excited to watch Ray Hanselman this year

This is true, I said Palaniuk first but it may be Wheeler.

nobody!

Yep,there you have it!

Connell already has a win and was Rookie of the Year.

ME

Thanks for your vote of confidence, but let me get him through the High School Tournaments first. Right now he's only in 8th grade but he plans on giving them a good run next year! His passion for fishing hasn't wained in the least and has only grown. We went out on our maiden voyage for 2018 after church this past Sunday and we caught them pretty good in 51 degree water. Pake's actually caught a 8.39 beauty on a jerkbait!

Tony Romo (once he finishes up dominating CBS and the PGA Tour like he did the NFL)

Going back as in age comparison, Wheeler has best stats in the Elites to be next KVD. I agree Christie is just a hammer and I love his thought and attitude.
And yes I am excited to watch Hanselman. Is he even considered a rookie this year? And he has never fished a majors tour if he isn’t. That’s some gangsta fishing if he isn’t considered a rookie.
I think Connell will be up there as well and very successful. Jordan Lee is a natural. I’ve been impressed with Ashley last few years.
As for information, what team or sponsors back in day associated with made big difference before electronics are what they are today.
But with all that said KVD isn’t done, works hard and is the best ever to date.

I don't know what most are gauging this on, but I will be suprised if we ever see someone with 7 AOY's and 4 Classic titles.

https://youtu.be/eG1yD5H_zCc
Saw this thought it was interesting about KVD

It would be hard to bet against it being Brandon or Jordan after the past season and this one so far

JO LEE is already on a very short list at his young age.

Very short list

There might not be another KVD. Palanuik probably has the best shot but I don't see anybody out there that has that thing that KVD has.