Sporting

The boat is tight, and I’m supposed to do little more than watch as Crews labors to land five hefty bass and get them back to the weigh-in station—alive—by 4:30 that afternoon. Tournament officials have told me to expect a long day: Pro fishermen work hard and take no breaks while competing. For energy, they cram food and drink while in frantic transit from one fishing spot to another, and they relieve themselves in the most pragmatic manner: over the side. There will be no getting off of the boat.

     Fishing is a hugely popular hobby precisely because it’s not very demanding on mind or body. It’s the quintessential leisure activity. You putter around in a little skiff or jonboat and while away the hours, a beer cooler by your side. Or maybe you stand in a trout stream, fly rod in hand, nary a care in the world.

Professional bass fishing is completely different. These guys are fishing for money—it is their livelihood—and the competition is intense. Due largely to the promotional efforts of the sports network ESPN, which in 2001 bought the Bass organization (which has 530,000 members) and now essentially runs these tournaments, the sport of bass fishing has grown significantly over the last decade. In recent years, it has produced more fans, more tournaments and more prize money than ever, though the recession has thrown some cold water on the business. And, as Crews points out, “There are more opportunities to make a living as a professional angler than ever before.”

     That’s not to suggest that bass fishing is a mainstream sport. It isn’t, of course, but Bass Elite Series director Trip Weldon says he “absolutely” wants to make it one. That won’t be easy, because fishing is not fan-friendly. You can watch the tournament “launch” in the morning (the anglers heading out), and watch the weigh-in that concludes a day of competition (when the pros proudly display their fish as part of the ritualistic “grip-and-grin”), but there is no way for sizeable numbers of people to follow the action live—100 fisherman, scattered around a big lake, hooking large- and small-mouth bass.