Gerald Swindle
December 26, 2007 by admin
The always entertaining Gerald Swindle brings his unique no-holds-barred brand of straight talk to BassFeed. He looks back on his disqualification from the 2007 Bassmaster Classic, looks ahead to the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series, and offers his controversial take on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the addition of a WBT qualifier to the 2009 Bassmaster Classic.
Thanks to Picasso Outdoors for arranging the interview with Gerald.
Good interview Billy… If I can do anything to help you out let me know.Fish Harder!Tom, Jr.
I really enjoyed this episode. Also, I totally agree with Gerald about the WBT. I respect this guy.
I’ve been thinkin a great deal about some of the mistakes ESPN has been making with BASS. At the same time, I understand how hard it is to compete with a company that sells FLW tackle sacks for 9.99, right?
I believe that trying to find BASS shows for the entire family to watch is just silly. Why not just re-create another crazy idea like MTV CRIBS and apply it to professional anglers.
If we’re ever going to find ways to mainstream our sport we need to start thinking about ways to build unique mashups.
I would hope that when I’ve finished with my fishin project that a few kids searching for video games, or other unrelated topics might have learned a little bit about the worlds greatest sport.
Great interview Billy
Awesome website!
Your link to Picasso Outdoors is broke…
Link is fixed. Thanks Tbone.
I agree with Gerald 150% about the WBT. I am a B.A.S.S. tournament Angler and I also compete in the Federation Tournaments as well as the Bassmaster Opens.
In my bass club our tournament Director is a WBT Tour Pro. She currently competes in our federation tournaments as well trying for a shot at the classic. ESPN has really made an unfair advantage with this decision. We compete at events all year long, We have to qualify through our club, then the regionals, divisionals and so on, but now the Women get a chance to compete in the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing after only competing in 5 events all year? I think that ESPN needed something that would draw in more sponsorship dollars. I have seen first hand how Sponsors are trying to jump on the WBT bandwagon myself. I can’t mention names but I personally saw how 5 companies offered sponsorship in the form of baits and other products just because they happen to talk to this woman for 10 or 15 minutes and was wearing her jersey and was sporting the WBT logo.
It has also seemed unfair that on the mens side of professional bass fishing at least on the B.A.S.S. side that we do not offer Co-anglers the chance at competing in the Bassmasters Classic, but the WBT they do allow the women to have a championship Co-angler spot.
And yes I do agree with Gerald in the sense that if they can compete in 5 events for the season and can qualify for the classic then why can’t I go and compete on the WBT tour and qualify for that same classic.
Recently at the ST Johns River in Palatka we had 3 women in the field and that included some big names from the womens tour. Now they have always been allowed to compete in the federation, Opens, and they may also qualify for the Elites, so you tell me, Why all of the Special Treatment?
I have absolutely nothing but respect for the women on the WBT tour and I have friends that are on the tour now. I feel that it is ESPN and B.A.S.S. that has made a few mistakes.
I see this issue as a discrimination suit waiting to happen. There will always be doubt between the two tours, if Women are not made to qualify the same way the guys do. I support the WBT anglers and I do watch there standings and see how they place.
But where my problem lies is the fact that there are Federation Anglers and Weekend Series Anglers and the Bassmaster Opens that are being made to compete in multiple events and their qualifying spots are being awarded by competing against 200 boat fields. In the Opens you are also competing against Elite Series Pro’s already, but you as an Open angler still have to qualify for the Elite series as well as the Bassmasters Classic.
The women have always been allowed to compete on the Bassmaster Weekend Series, Federation Nation tournaments, and the Bassmaster Opens. So I just wanted to clear some things up that may have come across wrong.
Hmmmmmm.I would have to agree with Probass and Gerald Swindle.
I have seen B.A.S.S. make some pretty hasty decisions and this is one of them.
As far as the Sponsorships, I too have witnessed how some companies are basically saying they will only support the WBT Tour, and I was told this by an inside source from a company in which I can’t disclose. I will put it like this: Most companies are more apt to Shell out Product: but they are not having to take a financial plunge like the other companies that support the B.A.S.S. Opens, and Elites.
Basically the source said that they will gladly give product, but when it boils down to dollars and cents the WBT Angler for this particular company would have to prove themselves on a larger more competitive scale.
So I see where they are coming from when they don’t care for the format system of the B.A.S.S. and ESPN.