It never feels good when you make a mistake, especially a costly one. But, in the immortal words of Pam Beasley: “Pobody’s nerfect.” We all make mistakes, some just bear bigger consequences.
And while it’s hard enough when the mistake rests solely on us, what’s worse are those simply unfortunate results of seemingly uncontrollable circumstances. That’s what we’ll be talking about today — some big bass-fishing blunders where fate cruelly interfered.
I grew up seeing clips or hearing all these stories about the one that got away. Whether “the one” was a single fish or an opportunity, it always stung hearing how other anglers had been so close to realizing their dreams, only to have it all fall apart right at the finish line. As I aged, I began to empathize with those stories even more, having made my fair share of competitive fishing mistakes. Before I’m accused of picking on two legends, allow me to share one of my biggest blunders first.
Wild Card Gone Wrong
In 2013, I had my best tournament finish ever in a major event. BASS held a Wild Card tournament at the end of the season, inviting all Opens and Elite Series pros who hadn’t qualified for the Bassmaster Classic to come down to Okeechobee for one last shot: the final qualifying spot for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.
The biggest bag of my life, anchored by the biggest public-water bass of my life, landed me in first on Day One, with 29 pounds, eight ounces for my five biggest and a nine-pound, one-ounce kicker. Obviously, things were going great. Day Two was a little tougher, with only 19 pounds, six ounces. But still, I had a five-pound average across two days and a five-pound lead going into the final day, with everything I wanted within reach.
Unfortunately, that last day did not go as planned. The areas I had been leaning on didn’t hold up, and I didn’t make the right adjustments. But that alone wasn’t the blunder. My heart jumped to my tonsils and then fell to my feet when I opened my livewell at weigh-in to find that — somehow, at some point — I had put six fish in the well. I knew the penalty right away: I had to throw one back and then take a two-pound penalty. After a tough day on the water, it was already going to be close. That mistake was almost certainly going to cost me the Classic spot.
Oddly enough, I’m thankful that Chad Morgenthaler had a solid final day and rocketed to the lead with a 20-pound bag. I finished the event four pounds behind him, in third place. But my mistake did cost me second place and a few thousand more dollars.
A Bitter Loss
There is no more prestigious tournament in all of bass fishing than the Bassmaster Classic. It’s a career-maker: Win one, and you’ve all but ensured that you can fish out the rest of your days if you so choose. But the bigger the prize, the bigger the heartache when it slips through your fingers. Such was the literal case for Jim Bitter in the 1989 Classic.
Bitter led the first two days of that James River Classic. Already a seasoned professional at the time, Bitter had the winning fish in his hands. But as he measured the fish to ensure it would keep, it flopped, bounced off the windshield, and went straight back in the water. Bitter would finish the day two fish shy of a limit and lose the Classic by a mere two ounces. Over the next 15 years, he qualified for another six Classics. But the title of best in the land eluded him until the end.
Of course, every armchair angler has assessed the infamous footage from that day, critiqued Bitter’s decision-making, and offered up what they would have done differently. I’m as guilty as anyone of this. What apparently got Bitter on this deal is that he measured the fish on the front deck of his boat. In theory, had he measured it down deeper in the boat, he could have avoided all of this and been crowned champion. But Bitter had undoubtedly measured hundreds of bass this way over the years with no issue. Still, I can’t imagine those sleepless hours spent rehashing this small but ever-so-costly decision.
Bobo’s Booboo
Competitive bass anglers work tirelessly to keep the fish in their livewells alive, partly because tournament anglers tend to be among the most dedicated conservationists. But it’s also because the penalty for a dead fish can feel like the death penalty for your career. No one knows the sting of this unfortunate scenario better than Dalton Bobo.
While representing the grass-roots anglers of the BASS Nation during the 1997 Classic, Bobo was an amateur angler by definition, going up against the biggest names in the sport at the time. The Alabama angler was not intimidated by the big stage, though, hovering around the top of the leaderboard throughout the event.
Bobo eventually amassed enough weight to win the 1997 Bassmaster Classic. But a four-ounce dead fish penalty on Day Two was a costly casualty: Bobo finished the event in second place — by only one ounce. What’s worse is that the dead-fish penalty has just changed from only two ounces, meaning Bobo would have taken home the title any year prior.
In a 2007 article for Bassmaster, Bobo noted that he never had a fish die on him in a tournament before or in the decade since that day, chalking his misfortune up to fate. A fair assessment that proves the adage “When it’s your time, it’s your time.” The 1997 Classic proved to be Dion Hibdon’s time, as Bobo’s blunder bumped him into the lead.
Final Thoughts
Though these were all Classic close calls, there have been countless more drama-filled moments throughout the history of competitive bass fishing. But it’s those mistakes that are made in the biggest moments that seem to stick with us, not only for those involved, but also even for the average professional-angling fan.
Growing up hearing these stories, my heart went out to these guys even as a kid. Against their wills, Bobo and Bitter both share similar fates, despite being well-respected star anglers.
