Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic [Hardcover]

Ken Schultz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2006

In Bass Madness, fishing authority Ken Schultz goes behind the scenes of the so-called “Super Bowl of bass fishing” to uncover what turned an unassuming sport into a full-blown sporting spectacle complete with athletes, spectators, TV cameras, and intense drama. This is an entertaining and enlightening guide to the history, legends, and lore of bass fishing’s greatest championship.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If anyone can do justice to the weird and wonderful world of professional bass fishing, it's veteran fishing journalist and longtime Field & Stream columnist Schultz. Although he tends to think of fishing as a contemplative avocation, he realizes that many see it as a competitive sport and a lucrative business. Focusing on back-to-back Bassmaster Classics, but also laying out the modern history of competitive fishing, the book features icons and wannabes, fans and fanatics, and a surprising amount of politicking: venues for the big bass tournaments are usually chosen on the basis of who pays the organizers the most money, and the quality of the fishing in the area seems to be distinctly irrelevant. (The 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held, of all places, in Pittsburgh, as part of the city's expensive push to increase its appeal as a tourist destination.) Schultz avoids almost every opportunity to poke fun at the sport and its splashy characters, and the book should appeal to both pro--fishing fans and readers whose minds boggle at the whole idea. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"It’s all here—the go-for- jugular competitors, in-your-face marketers and wowser TV coverage that define the bizarre world of big bucks tournament bass fishing. Fans of any high profile sport will delight while Ken Schultz systematically dissects villains and heroes alike with the kind of authoritative chutzpah that would have made Howard Cosell cackle in glee. It’s fast, furious all the way—a wicked good read."
—Jerry Gibbs, Fishing Editor, Outdoor Life

"Bass Madness is a fantastic book. Written with incredible detail and honesty to make it both interesting and entertaining. A must-read for everyone."
—Mark McQuown, Vice President, Lowrance Electronics

"Ken Schultz has done a masterful job of compiling a most comprehensive review of the Bassmaster Classic. It was refreshing to read Ken’s unbiased, accurate reporting of the current state of affairs of the sport of professional bass fishing. Someone finally tells it like it is. Bravo!"
—Jay Yelas, Professional Bass Angler and Winner of the 2002 Bassmaster Classic

"Ken Schultz provides us with a fascinating insider view on how television is turning the world of Big Bass fishing tournaments into Big Business."
—Don Logan, Former Chairman, Media & Communications Group, Time Warner Inc.

"In Bass Madness, Ken Schultz provides an entertaining and enlightening insider's look at the wonderful, wacky world of professional bass fishing. His research on the origins of competitive fishing is outstanding and very thorough, a must read for any avid angler. By interviewing today's bassheads, he illustrates how our once pastoral sport has become big-time entertainment, with all the foibles and financial obligations that accompany it. Anglers won't want to put it down."
—Steve Quinn, Senior Editor, In-Fisherman Magazine

"Bass Madness is an entertaining picaresque."--NY Times

"I certainly recommend all BassFans read Bass Madness – it's packed with info, and at certain moments, provides the best-ever inside look at the ESPN era of BASS."--Jon Storm, editor-in-chief, BassFan.com

"There's no better place to witness what has transformed this sport than...Bass Madness." – Ken Moran, New York Post

"This is a book that I’ve been waiting for....Very interesting....A terrific book." – Alex Langer, Outdoors This Week, USA & National Radio Networks

"If anyone can do justice to the weird and wonderful world of professional bass fishing, it's veteran fishing journalist and longtime Field & Stream columnist Schultz....The book should appeal to both pro-fishing fans and readers whose minds boggle at the whole idea." – David Pitt, Booklist

"It’s a riveting book....A great read....I highly recommend it. I endorse the book 100 percent." – Steve Sarley, The Outdoors Experience, WIND, Chicago

"What you see from the stands, or watch on your plasma wide-screen TV, doesn’t provide the whole story. Bass Madness does....Everything Schultz describes is right on the money. Even if you’re not into tournament bass fishing you’re going to love this book." – Dick Nelson, Hudson Valley Newspapers

"This book is incredible....Bass Madness is a pulsing read, a real in-your-face-this-is-what-is-really-going-on-now take of the Classic." – Tom Pagliaroli, Rack & Fin Radio

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471746274
• ISBN-13: 978-0471746270
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,276,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, January 11, 2008

By 

David E. Dirks "SilverDoctor" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic (Hardcover)

I read this book and couldn't put it down. It provided insights that you'll never see or hear about from almost any published source these days that covers bass tournaments in general. What some reviewers have called 'cynical' is nothing more than Schultz looking to draw some comparisons and contrasts to a sometimes overblown drama. In a multi-billion dollar industry, it shouldn't come as any surprise that it's all about the show and the money, folks.

Schultz has an insider's look at what really goes on in a bass tournament and is fully entitled to give us HIS viewpoint on what he has witnesses. Given the depth and breadth of his fishing industry experience, he has the credentialsl, credibility, and writing ability to make this book a great book.

In the bass tournament world where everyone is politically correct and plays nice in the sandbox, it's no wonder some don't get the value of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Candid but disorganized, October 30, 2007

By 

jsinger (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic (Hardcover)

Bass Madness provides an interesting background on professional bass tournaments. It covers the history of BASS and the way the landscape has changed with its takeover by ESPN and the rise of FLW -- very informative to us saltwater anglers who, as Schultz notes, were wondering why Sunday television is now filled with fisherman screaming at 12 inch bass.

The book's strengths are its honesty and candor, and Schultz's longtime experience in freshwater fishing and fishing journalism. It's disorganized, though, and issues are brought up repeatedly at various points, with no real structure to the book. It also frequently comes across as petty and cynical -- another reviewer already mentioned the silly sniping at Denny Brauer's grammar.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, August 6, 2007

By 

Charlie "Librarian" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic (Hardcover)

Plot: Schultz reports on the 2005 and 2006 Bassmaster fishing tournaments

Pros: Well written, some parts are amusing and interesting, has occasional pictures.

Cons: Boring, very boring

Other Thoughts: The only thing more boring than reading about someone else fishing, is reading about someone watching someone else fish.