Hey Fellas; Just looking for your insight, I am not knocking the Pros here. How much do interviews with the pros actually help the every day fishermen. I found that the shows done by both Bill Dance and Al Linder to be much more help than the interviews in Bass and other such publications.

The causal guy usually goes to a lake without the benifit of pre fishing. We don't fish against a clock or for a specific total or weight. That seems to be a lot of what these interviews offer. Along with reccomendations of the equipment they use. That seems more like paying the bills for their sponsors.

The two shows i mentioned on the other hand offered insight to fish behavior, how to find them and the various rigs and tackle to use those presntations. This was all done in a way I could benifit from them.

Heck I have learned more for the type of fishing I do from you fellas on these forums than any interview in any magazine.

Like i said I do not fish compeiatively and have no opinion on Tourny Fishing I was wondering what your take on this is What do you find more helpful in building your skills?

I don't consider Bill Dance or Al Linder Pros.     Pros in the effect that they fish competitively anymore, therefore, they are more apt to give some actual knowledge that could help.

What I get from most pros are common knowledge.    Its been printed and talked about all the time.     Every once in awhile, the camera zooms in on a new bait, but that doesn't mean the pro is gonna give it up until the company is ready to put that bait into production.

Matt

Thanks Matt Hey I am 56 years old so when I first started watching Dance and Linder they were fishing the BASS tourny's  I m getting old

That makes two of us Muddy, grew up watching Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin, Doug Hannon & Rick Clunn shows, so that means we 're getting really old.  

On the other side, it really depends on how the interview is conducted and how the questions are asked, if the conductor only makes questions about what lure they fished with but doesn 't ask what were the conditions that made the pro select W o X bait over Y or Z bait, how they worked it, etc, etc I don 't think it 's going to help you; but if the conductor asks in-depth questions and milks the information from the pro then it can be valuable.

I think watching tourney shows are not for learning much.  I find that there is very little teaching done on those shows.  I remember growing up and watching BASS every week to find out who won.  Now you can watch the weigh in over the internet.  Personally, I enjoy shows that teach me something.  Watching someone fish where you don't know the bait and you can't tell how there are working it doesn't benefit me.  My current favorite shows, besides the ones mentioned, are the Bass Pros, Classic Patterns, Pro team Journal, Bass Pro Shops fishing and probably some that I forgot to mention.  I don't mind a show promoting their lures as long as they give me the knowledge to use it correctly.  Luckly, I can watch all these programs without missing a one with the invention of tivo.  Man, I love me some tivo!  Just my thoughts, for what they are worth.

I agree, Muddy.  Bill Dance still covers more detail than just about any other show, IMO.  However, if you get a chance, you might want to watch The Bass Pros on Versus.  It's a new show that just started in January and so far, it is one of the best informational shows for fishing techniques that I've seen.  

I LIKE IT WHEN HOME TOWN PRO'S GIVE INTERVIEWS...THEN THEY TELL ALL ABOUT WHAT WORKS ON LOCAL LAKES.  KVD ALWAYS GIVES UP INFO FOR LAKES AROUND HERE...MIGHT BE CAUSE HE FISHES THEM TO JUST FISH....WHO KNOWS 8-)

I agree, Muddy. Bill Dance still covers more detail than just about any other show, IMO. However, if you get a chance, you might want to watch The Bass Pros on Versus. It's a new show that just started in January and so far, it is one of the best informational shows for fishing techniques that I've seen.

What time does this show come on? I'd love to catch it one day.

I can learn more from hearing Bill Dance speaking without a rod in his hands than I can from watching other anglers actually fishing on some shows. Versus/OLN has added some new shows that are also excellent. Bass Pro Shops..Bass Pros show is pretty good. Rick Clunn even appears each week to give some tips including mental preparation for a day fishing. I found that very interesting.

 Once you understand that all of the shows are actually selling products, you can weed that out and get some info off some of the better shows.

p.s. I watch WAY too much TV.

You Said: What time does this show come on? I'd love to catch it one day

Sorry, it took me so long to type out my response I didn't see someone else mentioned Vs, but them shows are on many times a week. I watch them during the weekdays (some are on now), but they also show them during the weekends multiple times.

They have listing on the site versus.com under Field Sports

I agree, Muddy.  Bill Dance still covers more detail than just about any other show, IMO.  However, if you get a chance, you might want to watch The Bass Pros on Versus.  It's a new show that just started in January and so far, it is one of the best informational shows for fishing techniques that I've seen.  

What time does this show come on? I'd love to catch it one day.

Go to this link and click on the <Schedule> button.  Right now the schedule is listed up to March 18th.

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.CFPage?appID=487&option=2

Thanks Senile I'll make sure to Tivo a couple of them while I'm at work tomorrow! ;D

Although I enjoy reading interviews with the pros,they're generally not that informative.I do,however,pick up tidbits here and there.Any info however small is good for me.It may be as insignificant as various ways for retreiving a jig and trailer.Sometimes that just confirms what you already knew,but just knowing Greg Hackney does it that way can improve your confidence in what you are doing.As for TV shows,Bill Dance does give lots of usable tips and tactics.As for pushing a certain product,they all do that.Otherwise the shows wouldn't be on in the first place.I also like Pro Team Journal,Classic Patterns,Angler on Tour,and many others.

While I mainly get my information from this forum and the stockpile of DVDs that I have, I still can pick up a few things here and there when watching tournaments on television.  In my opinion, one of my fishing weaknesses is not being confident in how I am moving my lure in the water - I don't have access to a pool, unfortunately, and many times the water in my area is more on the dirty side.  So I do try to watch how the pros move their rod tip, cast, etc.  It gives me a little better idea of how I should move my rod to make my lure react to catch fish.  

Daryl

You aren't near old yet. I was playing highschool basketball when you were born and I'm not old. Aging but not yet old. I don't mind the aging but I sure don't look forwad to old. I agree about the shows that teach. My current favorite is Linder's Angling Edge followed by In Fisherman. I live in the north so they fit my life.

As to the T shows I might watch a few minutes then go do something else or if I have nothing else to do the T shows put me to sleep about as fast as the other drivel on TV.

I'd rather watch than read.  I think that many of the interviews/answer are failry cookie cutter in nature.  Good for someone who is just starting and looking for guidance.  However, as time goes buy I don't know that reading the interview will help much.  Plus, why publicize something that is putting money in the bank for your competitors?

I agree. I'd rather watch Al Linder or even In-Fishermen

Bass Pro are on three times a week on Versus

Sunday at 12:30 ET/11:30 am CT

Tuesday at 11:00 am ET/10:00 am CT

Friday at 10:30 am ET/ 09:30 am CT

The schedule is till the end of March

There is a need for more shows similar to Espn's "A day on the lake" I get a lot more out of it than I do Dance. Also Bill Dance pushes  the products of his sponsors as bad as any other fisherman on TV. Bassmasters is about only show that doesnt annoy me.