Mike Bolton: West Coast anglers joined professional bass fishing about 12 years ago – al.com

MIKE BOLTON

News staff writer

GUNTERSVILLE — Everywhere California’s Skeet Reese has gone in Alabama this past week, youngsters, women and men have begged for his autographs on hats, T-shirts and slips of paper.

On the water, weekend bass fishermen have shouted out his name and congratulated him on a job well done. Fellow pro fishermen have kidded with him, asked his opinion and swapped practical jokes.

That typically comes with the territory when you are the reigning Bassmaster Classic champ, but there was once a day when Reese found such acceptance unimaginable.

The invasion of Reese and the rest of the West Coast contingent into professional bass fishing a dozen years ago was about as welcome as a fish kill.

When BASS announced the creation of the Western Opens, many regulars on the pro circuit were outraged. Anglers fishing the Southern and Central Opens would have to fish against the best bass fishermen in the world to qualify for the Classic, they claimed, but those fishing in the Western Opens would be fishing against a bunch of nobodies and have an easy route to bass fishing’s biggest event.

Reese, in his bright yellow shoes and bright yellow boat, was the epitome of the gang that had no business being allowed to fish on level footing with the world’s best bass anglers, many pro anglers believed.

“It took a while to earn the respect of the anglers and the fans,” Reese said with a laugh. “At the first Bassmaster Classic that I fished in 1998, we had a pre-tournament briefing where all the fishermen were introduced. Whoever it was introducing all the anglers said `Now, we want to introduce the anglers from the West.’

“One of the pros – I’m not going to say who it was – stood up and said, `We don’t recognize any anglers from the West.’

“That’s the kind of reception we received at first. We got no respect.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Mike Bolton: West Coast anglers joined professional bass fishing about 12 years ago – al.com.