Historically, the service crews were the unsung heroes of tour-level bass fishing, the ones who kept the trains running on time behind the scenes. That’s changed in recent years, as more and more anglers express their thanks on stage and in the press. I suspect that there are several factors in play.
With accessories and motors becoming more and more complex, simple repairs that anglers might have undertaken themselves in the past now require a trained or certified professional;
With more money on the line, anglers are taking more chances with where to go and how to get there; and
Time is at a premium. When I fished pro-am events in the late-90s, most competitors ended practice at 4 or 5 o’clock. These days, just about everyone (with the notable exception of Steve Kennedy) practices until past dark. That means that the time to fix things is compressed and there’s little rest for weary techs.
I hadn’t previously considered it much, but I’m sure there are tournaments that the service crews dread. Erie at this time of year is no doubt one of them. Not only are anglers likely to break stuff, but the days are especially long up north this time of year, so practice periods run well into the night. Listening to the FLW guys on stage Tuesday afternoon, with their tales of ripped-off trolling motors and graphs served up to the fish gods, I felt bad for the “unsung heroes.” I’m sure that the stories told at weigh-in were only the tip of the iceberg.
This week, gentlemen, it’s mostly forgivable. The weather threw you a big nasty heater. If you swung and missed, them’s the breaks. But I know that there are pros who show up at the service yard every event and make the rounds of multiple trailers event after event after event. If you’re one of them, you may get the stink eye. In fact, if you suspect you’re one of them, make it a point to show up with a 12-pack, a pizza or some gift cards at some point. The season you save may be your own.
