BassBlaster

An Inverse View of the KVD Tour?

(kevinvandam.com photo)

The following comment about Denny Brauer (left at the end of this post) prompted a thought:

In my opinion, Denny hasn’t really done that well in the past 10 years, especially in the Elite Series Era. The game has changed so much; simply flipping isolated cover every tourney doesn’t cut it anymore.

Have you ever heard of Denny throwing a dropshot, swimbait, squarebill, shakey head, etc.? KVD throws all those. Guys that win on a regular basis make it a point to master the latest techniques, showing the fish something different.

And more importantly, they recognize when to bail on a non-productive bait/pattern. If you don’t, the rest of the field will pass you by.

A strong statement involving two of the legends of this sport, and one that highlights the fact that the older pros may not have what it takes anymore – maybe not just for physical reasons. (I still wouldn’t bet against them – though Denny did say this about competing in a recent interview: “As long as I feel like I can be halfway competitive, why not? The body has more aches and pains than it used to have, but I still enjoy it. It’s kind of hard to go fishing for free when you can get paid and make money fishing.”

But…

…what if something else is afoot, Watson? What if one or both of these two factors are at work:

1. The events are different than they used to be. Timing, format, duration, etc. (Of course they are, but how different?)

2. The fishermen are different than they used to be.

So maybe, just maybe, it’s not that KVD has gotten so much better. Maybe it’s that…the field isn’t as individually (is that the right word?) strong as it used to be…and the current derbies actually favor a less-strong, more technique-diverse field.

Not the whole field, of course. But overall. (For those about to get skirts in a twist: I’m not saying the field is weaker. This is just what’s called for-fun SPEC-U-LATION.)

Obviously this is all a bunch of beer-soaked conversation without the beer. No validity check needed, though I do wish there was a way to test this statistically. Maybe there is, but it would take some doing.

In the meantime, we’re left without the causes but do have the results:

> KVD is king.
> As always happens, some guys improve. Others fade.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Brian

    May 17, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    It’s not that they can’t compete, but instead that they are not competing as consistently as they had in the past. Still, when you look at the numbers, it’s not as bad as you might perceive.

    I ran the stats on a bunch of guys to see where everybody fell out, and here is what I came up with.

    If you take as an example guys like Clunn, Nixon, Brauer and Cochran, all now 60+ years old, and all ranked about 100th in the BassFan world rankings, then look at their stats over the past 10 years, what you see is an average place of finish of 56.35 and an average of 15.5 Top-12’s over that 10 year period. If you look at any one angler in the group, the average well represents how they all fare individually.

    Back on my point of how they can still compete, every one of them has a Top-10 finish or two every year, and have for the past several years. But their consistency of finish isn’t quite what it used to be. They tend to be well up in the standings, or well down. But it’s not bad when we start looking at others ranked higher and lower.

    So KVD (age 43), #1 bass angler on the planet. Average place of finish over the past 10 years is 23.1 with 57 Top-12’s, as many as all 4 veterans combined over that same period. Yeah he’s versatile, but that isn’t the whole story as you’ll see. He’s just good (or really, great).

    So we move to Iaconelli (age 38), a consistent figure ranked in the Top 25 for the past several years. Definitely versatile, with an average place of finish over the last 10 years of 40.4 and 38 Top 12 finishes.No KVD, but about 2X (50%) better than the veterans.

    Now we slide down to Brent Chapman (age 38) currently ranked about 50th in the world. Average place of finish over the past 10 years is 45.3 with 18 Top-12’s. His average is a little worse than Ike’s, though not by much, but his number of Top-12’s is about the same as the veterans over the same time period. Versatile and young, but nobody is saying he can’t compete.

    Sliding down to a current world ranking of about 75th place, Jay Yelas (age 45), definitely versatile and experienced, with an average place of finish of 44.7 and 19 Top-12’s, almost identical to Chapman and not terribly far off the veterans. Does Jay have a problem competing?

    So the veterans cover all the rankings well around the 100th position. We move down the ranks to well knowns ranked lower. Chad Morgenthaler (age 44), ranked about 150th. Average place of finish these past 10 years is 73.2 with just 7 Top-12’s. Young, versatile, but about 2X (50%) worse than the veterans over the past 10 years.

    Finally, let’s look at someone ranked around 200th, Craig Powers (age 48). Well recognized, deadly with a topwater, mean with a shallow crank, an all around angler. Average place of finish is 75.9 with just 7 top 12’s to his credit. Almost identical to Chad – maybe he should call it quits soon, too.

    So, the point of all this is that the veterans are still holding their own, not as dominant as they once were, not making the cover of the magazines or getting all the press now days, but certainly faring well with respect to their world rankings, and in comparison to other “younger, more versatile” anglers. Their “off” finishes are a little worse than others which drag their averages down (consistency), but they are still doing as good or better than a lot of well known anglers that nobody has hinted should drop off the circuit, even in spite of their perceived “singular” dominant techniques.

  2. Ronald J. Lindner

    May 17, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    one item missed in all this analysis…FIRE IN THE BELLY…that driving will to win…in time it simply plays out.. all these wonders of yesteryear Clunn..Nixon..are still wonders…and might just win one again..(don’t bet the farm against them)…but to stay on top decade after decade..even if in fair health…in spite of the talent…takes a fire in the belly most folks cannot sustain

  3. Flip 'N' Pitch

    May 17, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    Sorry for the rant but I’ll have to respectfully disagree with NW_LouisianaBasser. I once drew Marshal Duty with Brauer in ’09 on the Big G (Lake Guntersville). Being a Marshal is an awesome learning opportunity by the way. So the night before I mentally prepare myself to go to Flippin’ and Pitchin’ school the next day with the generally regarded and accepted “Greatest Flipper and Pitcher of All Time”! Guess what he threw 95% of the time?…Wait for it…SPINNERBAIT!!! He threw it so much I actually teased him about it as opposed to his trademark technique. At midday he went to flip some docks close by as more of a mental diversion than anything but quickly returned to the same location and technique. So believe me when I say Big Bad Denny Brauer is not afraid to do what it takes to adapt to the conditions within the range of his operational inventory (He ended up finishing 18th throwing a spinnerbait for basically 8 hours a day for three tournament days). Would he ever throw a flick shake? Prolly not but here’s another possible reason: He can be as stubborn as a Swamp Donkey! He zeroed the 2010 Classic! Not just one day, BOTH DAYS! Why? He was quoted as saying something to the effect of “I refuse to catch a fish that won’t bite a flippin’ bait”! Actually, that stubborness is a trait several of the more succesful Elites I’ve observed possess. After performing their due diligence during practice, they develop a plan of attack. Then, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, they strap it on and go out and execute the living heck out of that plan to the absolute best of their ability! Another solid Elite at the time, Todd Auten, explained it to me this way after I watched him throw a chatterbait nonstop all day and asked how long is too long to stick with a particular bait/technique: “Hey I’m only fishing for five bites and that’s it!”. Well, he got his five bites plus a few more and ended up finishing 15th! Guess who won that day, another allegedly aging Flippin’ Mule by the name of Tommy Biffle! Regardless, I don’t think there is much monetary pressure on Denny anymore to bring home the bacon via tournament winnings. He’s got sponsorship deals and lures and rods and reels with his name on it to pay the bills. So please don’t begrudge him if he wants to spend his Elite golden years fishing the way he wants, which is the way he likes, and still have fun doing it that way after more than 33 years of competitive fishing!

  4. JP

    May 18, 2011 at 10:34 am

    Retired fisherman.. They would be doing the same thing if they were not on the tour- this way they have a chance to cash a check.

  5. NW_LouisianaBasser

    May 23, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Let me just say when my obsession with bass fishing began (90’s), Denny was the man and I’ve got a ton of respect for the guy. And while I didn’t run statistics (which Brian provided a really cool analysis!) I still think my observation is valid. I bet if you were to ask anyone who follows the sport to name the best 10 anglers on tour (BASS and FLW) over the last 10 years, Denny wouldn’t appear on many list.

    How far back does the world ranking go? Since its existance, has Denny ever been in the top 10?

    Again, I’m not hating on Denny, he’s a legend of the sport. One of these days, when KVD is 60 and if he’s still competing, the same observation will be made by someone else. Happens in every sport: the rise and fall of greatness.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Gitcha Bassin' Fix

To Top