I thank both of you for spreading the light on ffs because it is changing the fundamental's of the pureness of fishing and what it should be about and that is fishing not Gamming.
Thanks for the great show, Hank. I appreciated your thoughtful response to the FFS question at the end of the show. I think the only point you might have missed is how FFS has taken away much of the instinctual and creative aspects of what it means to be a good angler. Your points were spot on, that would be my only addition to your remarks. Thank you for what you do!
That was probably the best analogy that I've heard concerning FFS, it is depreciating the sport professional Bass tournament fishing. You didn't even touch on the fact that it makes watching a tournament on TV unbearable. Good job, Hank! I have always held you in high regard and respect. 😁👍
Hank, we love you Sir! I still remember walking the fishing aisles in Walmart (searcy, ar) at 12 years old and seeing your face on jig products with NO idea how to use a jig!!! Thank you for your contributions back to the fishing community and your tips given through the years.
Hank, you're exactly Right, The kids that have Won and Finished in the Top Ten, in both Elite tournaments, could not Compete At The Club Level Without FFS, and That's A FACT!!!!
@@muthafukajones1513was such a moronic statement !! He states something as fact that he has absolutely no knowledge of whatsoever. Sounded just like blockhead !! How ignorant can someone be !!
These young Elite Rookies would walk all over most anglers even without FFS. That's why and how they qualified over the entire field of national amateurs that were attempting the same thing.
THANK YOU! I've fished bass tx for almost 40 years. I was always able to compete well at local levels and won a LOT of tx UNTIL FFS came along. I have now quit fishing tx as I see pretty much all of them being won with FFS. I'm just a working guy with a family. I can't afford to throw out many thousands of dollars on top of what it already costs to fish. I can compete in a mediocre boat by working hard and thinking... I can't compete against $$$. No way anybody can say it is not having a negative impact on the sport. If only 1 person gives it up, there is an impact however small someone might think it is. Hank and Randy to the rescue!!!
I'm 56 and a friend owns a bait shop. I went to a very large fishing show and met the young owners and representatives of a fishing company. I bought some of their products and talked with them a little. I mentioned a couple of tried and true methods and they said that they had never even thought to fish that way. I mentioned this to my friend at the shop and he said that the younger generation doesn't really know how to fish. It knows how to look at a screen and go from there.
Thank you Hank for standing up for the majority of bass fisherman. If FFS isn’t doing anything else it is dividing fishermen and eliminating the purity of the sport. By stating your relationship with Hummingbird I hope it encourages others in the business that have working relationships with the electronics manufacturers to be honest about FFS too.
Hank your the greatest ever hands down buddy !!! I'm 54 yrs old been fishing out of a bass boat all my life.. been tournament fishing for almost 40 yrs.. still fish tournaments today. have Forward facing sonar on my BassCat.. i don't like it at all but what i really don't like is donating my hard earned money at tournaments.. you have to use it or you'll get torched !!! The states DNR need to ban it , before our fisheries are wiped out of bass and crappie...
All the fishing shows back in the day yours was always my favorite. You are still my favorite pro to this day at 53 years. Been waiting for a hank podcast. Didn’t know there was one. Thanks
My hero of bass fishing has spoken and I stand with him 100% and with Randy too . Also would like to see the side scan banned only GPGS and the traditional transom reading for tournaments .
I fish Ontario every single year, it is the best place on planet Earth , Uostate Newyork is a special place the turkey hunting , walleye , smallmouth fishing is second to none
The analogies with golf and baseball make sense. Technology is good for the sport but at some point it does cause some issues, which you have addressed respectfully. Thanks so much.
Hank, I think you nailed it perfectly. Very well said on FF there is a skillet that is definitely being lost. I would love to see a big tournament without those units on the boat. These guys would not even know where to start ?
Hank you are totally right about the technology stuff, very glad to hear another legend speak up on this. Real anglers practice woodcraft, we use the environment and the conditions around it to find and then decide how to catch bass, or fish in general. This is the foundation that the sport is built on and all this new technology threatens that very foundation.
I feel blessed to have started fishing as a kid in the mid/ late 70s and early 80s. Being able to watch Hank, Roland, Denny Brauer and the others pick up a pattern and make it work was far better than watching these young kids stare at a screen all day.
Hank, Thanks for your incite on forward facing sonar. It means something when one of the legends of bass fishing makes a statement on this. Hopefully people will listen. Currently I feel like the owners of MLF and Bassmaster have their heads buried in the sand and refuse to care or listen to anyone. Maybe this statement with wake them up. It is unfortunate Bassmaster and MLF care more about the sonar companies money and less about conservation and competition.
Thank you Hank. I watched anglers like you take this sport I love to the top of the mountain. At 65 years old I am seeing veterans of the sport lucky to make top 100 at a tournament due to this technology. Versatility and knowledge of learning a lake are no longer the way to win. FFS has allowed those that have it to break a lake down in hours without ever being on that body of water. If you want to use it I guess that's fine but I think it should not be allowed in a tournament situation. Hopefully your voice will be heard by the promoters of bass fishing.
The golf and baseball analogy. You would need to rebuild stadiums and golf courses to reflect the new standards of that ball, way easier to restrict the ball. You would not need to rebuild lakes. God Bless you Hank and family!
FFS shouldn't be in tournaments. Part of the sport is the hunt, being able to find fish, relying on personal knowledge. But with FFS, you're taking the sport aspect from fishing. It's no longer about you and your talent, but rather the gear you have.
Mr Parker I met you one day in May 2023 in Ohio at a church the second time. First time was at Fort Bragg NC for the warrriors on the water tournament. I love your stories and I watched you to many years I wish that I had half of your knowledge and would love to be your friend
Hank , I’ve always been a huge fan . Thank you so much for addressing this constructively. You’re 100% correct on all points in relation to FFS. This continues to affect to sport we all love negativity. What’s worse is this technology will only get better…. Something needs to be done after the 2024 season. Thank you so much for addressing this honestly. God Bless
BASS & MLF needs to regulate it somehow. Limit the number and / or size of units & transducers. A high school or low income angler can't compete with ones that have multiple electronics and transducers. You don't have to have deep pockets to compete in high school, college, & pro sports. Just will, hard work, & talent helps. Everyone pretty much has the same equipment within the sports regulations no matter the money they have. I played baseball and we all had the basic same equipment and tools. Not the same now in bass tournament fishing.
Hank I totally agree with ya on FFS issue and I have stopped watching the fishing shows that show most of the people looking down at there FFS it does hurt the sport! GOG bless you and your family ! Call Paul allis and I bet he agrees with us!
Thanks for the comments on FFS. There are many people I trust and respect in professional fishing, you and Randy Blauket are at the top of my list. You guys are spot on with your analysis of FFS. Taking the stand you two has taken can’t be easy, but the easy way is usually not the direction to take. Fishing is in good hands with you two, and I’m sure there are many more which will stand with you. I will. Now to be honest, I purchased one about a year ago, I’ve used it one time. It’s still on my boat, and I honestly, I don’t know if I’ll take it off or leave it there. However, my tournament days are over, so it won’t be used for that. Probably some striper fishing, some crappie fishing, and maybe some bass fishing. But if I had a vote where the choice is unrestricted use or no use of it restricted, I’m choosing no use at all. That’s upfront, and how I feel. Thanks for what you and Mr Blauket are expressing in your opinions of LIVE Scope.
My jig rod is a $50 lews Hank Parker and i throw small topwaters on my $40 HP spinning combo . That little 2 piece spinning combo has caught more fish than all my others combined 😅
I can say this much, my brother and I had three 1st place finishes, one 3rd place finish and we won our top 6 championship. We did all of that with all without FFs, we took the knowledge of each lake we fished, put it to use and came in hot last year. It's pretty neat, but the expense is ridiculous especially fishing jon boat tournament trails.
100% Agree with the forward facing sonar you cant stop technology but you can not have it in the tournament world yes some cant afford all the high dollar stuff and when one comes out the old one is obsolete in just a matter of months so it's the who's got the funds to have them let alone all the time anglers have spent on the water learning all the things you can about bass fishing I think it's all up to the big tournaments in the bass fishing world to call but it is a little to much on the cost for some of us, it's hard to just pay to fish a tournament in the higher class of it all
GOD BLESS and thank you for the great info Mr. Parker. One of my all time favorites no doubt. Glad to hear you giving such an honest opinion with respect to the sport.
We just received six of the new Hank Parker Classic spinnerbaits and will be using this week in Indiana. We currently don't own a boat (sold it prior to our last coast-to-coast military move), but did own one for years. My wife and are shocked at the cost of essential electronics vs. the FFS. Wow! what a difference. We catch a lot of fish from the bank right night and rent boats without FFS and have a blast. I appreciate your comparison to the technology of rubber related to MLB and PGA. Well said!
Great listening to you Hank on FFS If nothing is done about it change the name of the Classic to ( Bassmasters Live Scope Classic) 2024 Classic is embarrassing to watch
You’re correct 100% its to where now I know a lot of kids and parents that don’t fish the high school tournaments anymore simply because of ffs,as with your weekend or weekday evening tournaments.
Hank, I'm glad to have found your channel. My first spinnerbaits were yours the abled you to win the classic. I did catch lots of bass on those baits! My first bass fishing box was your huge black plano, equaling the size of a suitcase. I'll never forget my boater's expression when fishing my first Redman tournament as a Non boater and lugging that box into his Ranger. Anyways, I just would like to say thank you for the many years of wonderful shows and I honestly regard you as one of the forefathers of bass fishing. I couldn't agree with you more on the FFS topic. It's made watching tournaments unwatchable!!!
Told randy this on his comment section this morning. I've entered a tournament and going in hard mode. Pond hopping, no ffs or wifi bobbers, cellphone is my only tech. Got a pattern down, will change when April starts. Planning on sinking some boats. I'm likely going up against guys with boats and ffs. Scoring is best five in length. Think i got it mostly nailed down.
Sir. I just wanna thank you for really shaping my life I remember as a kid watching you on t.v and just falling in love with bass fishing as I watched you cast that spinner bait and catch a ton of fish. so I just want to thank you Sir. God bless you and your family Mr. Parker.
Thanks for standing up against this forward facing sonar I actually have megalive on my boat really doesn’t play a role in catching fish where I live in East Texas I do find brush piles with it but the other day I caught it on a tree, my transducer was pulled off the mount and I did a little research on the Internet and Humingbird charges about $800 to fix it which most people said probably it’s just giving you a new transducer for a deal so I’m just gonna glue it back on with 5200 3m I was thinking if I went and spent all this money and had hummingbird fix it I could go out the next trip because I fish around a lot of timber and pull it off again it’s just become a money pit with this stuff. I’d rather just see everybody go back to regular fishing.
Agee with Randy and you opinion of FFS. In the hands of a very good fisherman it’s dynamite, but with a so so fisherman he will blame something on why he didn’t catch. Fishermen like you, Shaw, Kevin etc have a sixth sense on fishing. Enjoyed video, I’m a new subscriber. God bless
Hmmm throwing one hook at a fish or having a Chandelier of 12 hooks hanging out there to snag a fish even looking at it. Yeah those are totaling the same…
I agree with you about the dangers of FFS on the history and future of bass fishing and just fishing in general. I don't think talking to the current anglers is the right approach honestly. They have the most invested in the short term as they depend on the tech to succeed today. Its the same reason why MLB doesn't consult hitters when taking decisions about the composition of their baseballs.
Thank you Hank I’m on the fence about FFS ALTHOUGH … I have trouble trouble competing against the technology, I am trying to learn it to be competitive There are a couple of guys that are making an attempt in SOMO/NARK to put together a limited electronics series
Thanks for saying all this. Baseball also allows metal bats in college in wood in the pros they gotta do more with less. Also we have cars that can drive themselves like Teslas . How exciting would Nascar Be if they were all tesla driven cars. Takes so much from the sport this FFS . Not including all the records !
Thank u Mr. Parker luv everything u do,but bass n mlf ( not cap. For a reason) need to figure this out!! 🤬Ffs it's Ruuiing "Our" sport!! Thanks again Hank!!!
Hank, love your show and have been watching since you started it. I have FFS on my boat and love it. I don’t know the answer to it but did you see the podcast with Rick Clunn on Dave Mercers show? He talks about FFS and his thoughts on it.
Hank! Love this take on the sport. My grandad (Pete Henson) who passed years ago, and my grandmother(Betty Henson) who just recently passed always talked about what an amazing man they thought you were. I agree with your take on the sport. And I hope that the leagues listen to your opinion on how the sport has changed for the negative in recent times . I love b.a.s.s and I will continue to watch no matter what , but I hope that they listen to the biggest supporters of bass and change some things in the recent future. To me it seems like it’s being over run by guys that are best at FFS. That could not have made it to the classic without it. So I thank you for being outspoken about what seems to be a serious issue in the sport. Keep on entertaining, we thank you for your longstanding contribution to the the sport we all love.
I never thought I would agree with Blaukat but now I find myself feeling like he was right but went about it wrong. Definitely think it should be banned from tournaments, just like in professional golf, they can use range finders during the practice rounds but not in tournament play.
You said the it un fair that some kids family’s can afford it and other can’t, agreed! I compare it to a young Jeff Gordon showing up to drive for HMS!! There was a lot of teams with almost 0 chance to win, on a weekly basis and can only afford what they can afford! Unfortunately it is always going to be that way, I believe FFS is here to stay!
Los of great comments. I see pros & cons for each side. My first years of fishing was using a cane pole, string, bleach bottle bobber, hook with a red worm or grasshopper. Caught a lot of fish. Subscribe to a lot of magazines & watched a lot of fishing shows. They all put great emphasis on how to find and catch more fish. I bought their products and used they're tips. Now we have FFS and suddenly its being considered by some as ruining our sport. When are sport is all about finding and catching a limit of fish? I am still learning about fishing with FFS just like I was 40 years ago trying to do what the pros were doing. Now, I'm finding & catching more fish than ever. Enjoying my time on the water more. All my life I've been schooked by the pros how to find and catch fish & I thank the pros, tv shows, and the whole fishing industry fir my success & failures in fishing. They have all helped me learn that THE FISH ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM. FFS has helped me find them! Yes, its expensive. But so was my first rod & reel, my first tackle box and my first, second, third & fourth boats. Thanks to all those involved in the fishing industry for the progress in making my fishing experience more enjoyable. Can't wait to see what the future brings!
