Luke Clausen won both the BassMasterClassic and the FLW Championship this year.

This is a hard decision Luke also won The Ultimate Match Fishing show. Ike did win the AOY though. I think the best present angler is "ME".  ;D

KVD is the best right now. Before he is done he will be the best ever. He is the Micheal Jordan of bass fishing. Rick Clunn is our Dr. J. Ick is our Dennis Rodman.Like it or not, he IS a great fisherman, but the guy just has NO class.

No class, thats a good one.   ;D

He got us talking about him, and that is part of what his outbursts are all about.  He wants to get the younger generation more involved in fishing.  What other angler can you name that has brought a whole new audience to the sport?  

And his name is Ike, not Ick.

Rick Clunn is the doctor of Bass Fishing, but KVD can plain and simple just show up.

Corey

i see a lot of you saying it is ike because he is aoy if that is the only thing you are going by than it is a three way tie. ike, dianna clark wbt aoy and anthony gagliardi flw aoy. 95% of the names talked about are all from B.A.S.S. what about the other tours? doug

Ike,Kvd hard to choose really but I have to go with KVD though.  I read in a issue of Bassmaster when asked what angler KVD thought was most like him his answer was IKE so time will tell.

"Luke Clausen won both the BassMasterClassic and the FLW Championship this year."  that is wrong he did not win the flw championship this year. doug

KVD is the man.  Ike is good, #2 in BASS.  But, KVD rules the bass fishing world right now (& probably for the next 10+ years).  

If not for the DQ KVD would have been angler of the year.  All he had to do was catch one fish in that tourney to win it.  The man is SICK!!!!!!!!

current means different things to different people.  some people say AOY indicates current, and someone even said whoever won the last tournament was the best current angler.  for me you have to look at around 5 years and that is still current and a better indicator of what an angler is presently capable of than what they have done over a short period of time.  luck plays too much of a factor in fishing over the short run.  the longer a sample size you look at the less luck plays a part until eventually it is a zero factor.  

Ike had a great year but KVD is still hands down the man.  he is the guy most likely to turn in a good performance on any given day imho.  looking at the angler of the year standing over the last 5 years would be a good way to decide who the best is.  Aaron martins would be up there too as he is really consistently good.   noone would measure up to kvd though.

matt

No class, thats a good one. ;D

He got us talking about him, and that is part of what his outbursts are all about. He wants to get the younger generation more involved in fishing. What other angler can you name that has brought a whole new audience to the sport?

And his name is Ike, not Ick.

Calm down there, chief......

KVD would have won AOY if he weighed 1 fish when he was DQ'd. That being said, you have to look at versatility to deem the best current guy....notice the specialist guys didnt dominate or really even run at the AOY in FLW or BASS. I dont really give it up for the FLW guys since they have such long practice options. To be the best it means you have to be able to catch the biggest fish the most consistently on que, not be able to practice for a month before a tourney. So instead of picking 1 right at first here, Ill name a few and then whittle down. KVD, IKE, EVERS, CLAUSEN. None of these guys are 1-dimensional, and they all have had great success as of late. I figure if KVD did the FLW thing today, he would at least be top comp. Clausen has shown he is top comp on both sides. IKE won the AOY, and EVERS "shows up" every time he hits the water. They all fish junk and fish deep and fish fast and slow. KVD has made a ton of $$, but so has Clausen, and at a quicker rate. Btw Clausen and KVD who do you think would win. It depends on the lake. I think on average KVD would bring more limits to the scales. So who is it. another site says it is KVD, and Im inclined to agree. But by a very slim margin compared to the other guys mentioned here.

Trust me Speedbead, you'll know it when I'm mad.  Didn't you read my post a few weeks ago titled "It makes me so sick?"  I'm guessing not.

KVD is currently the best asngler on the trail IMHO with Clunn holding that title over the past 25 years. Nobody else comes close. Ike is a good angler but he has a long way to go and a ton of growing up to do.

KVD is currently the best asngler on the trail IMHO with Clunn holding that title over the past 25 years. Nobody else comes close. Ike is a good angler but he has a long way to go and a ton of growing up to do.

I agree 100%

.....you really dont have to be "grown up" to catch fish do you?

I can see "growing up" a little to carry himself more like a professional but we're talking about the best present angler,not the best present professional acting guy.

This is about catching fish and Ike can definitely catch some fish.....as can KVD,Clunn etc....

Ike just won AOY in the Elite Series,the toughest trail,the trail most dream of fishing,only the top bass anglers in the world fish the Elite Series and Ike was the best of them all this year.

Best present angler? My vote is for Ike.

.....you really dont have to be "grown up" to catch fish do you?

I can see "growing up" a little to carry himself more like a professional but we're talking about the best present angler,not the best present professional acting guy.

This is about catching fish and Ike can definitely catch some fish.....as can KVD,Clunn etc....

Ike just won AOY in the Elite Series,the toughest trail,the trail most dream of fishing,only the top bass anglers in the world fish the Elite Series and Ike was the best of them all this year.

Best present angler?? My vote is for Ike.

BOOYAH KVD fans!  In yo face!   ;D ;D

Facts are facts, and you can't deny what was said.

I am not a betting man, but if i were....

KVD would get the nod over Ike on any given body of water, any day of the week.

Haha, booyah...You're funny  LOL

For the record, KVD threw his rod in the water this year, a little temper tantrum displayed on TV after he lost a fish, he's not perfect either, one DQ, and theres no excuse for not knowing the standing rules he's fished by for years.

He's human just like the rest of us.     Should have, could have, would have caught one more fish, but he didn't.

Ike missed one cut all year, and how many others can say the same.     We saw one of the best trail going to all parts of the country and IKe was consistent 10 out of 11 events, and was contender in the 3 majors also.

You can see the FLW anglers gets no respect from looking at this thread.

I love KVD, but this year he was 3rd in AOY standings behind a rookie, and IKe, I think IKE wins this round for 2006, and until 2007 starts, IKE is presently the guy on top.

Matt.

You should have titled the thread best present bass angler..

I am sorry but I am willing to be the best present angler is not a bass pro...  He might not have the best stuff,  equipment, or a nice boat...  But you will know it when you see him or her.

I like IKE and Clunn is great but KVD almost come back even with the DQ and all the pros say that there is nothing worse than to look up at the leader board and see KVD after you.  2 Classics and 3 AOY show alot about how consistent he has been over the years.  

Mike Long!

I think that it's a tossup between KVD and Ike.I really like KVD better,but it's hard to argue with AOY(which I think KVD would have won if he hadn't missed a tournament with a nit picky DQ).

KVD is currently the best asngler on the trail IMHO with Clunn holding that title over the past 25 years. Nobody else comes close. Ike is a good angler but he has a long way to go and a ton of growing up to do.

What I was trying to say.   And anybody who really thinks Ike was better because KVD got mad at Amistad... I'm sorry, your grown up now, so you don't have to ride the short bus anymore. ;D It's a joke. Gett over yourself. KVD had an off year this year, if you look at his standings he was not in the top 12 as much as usual, he was DQ' ed once, and he was still SO close. Let's ask this ? Who would you want to spend a week with, amongst all the top pros? Oh, wait, that sounds like a whole new topic.