This past weekend I enjoyed being mostly a lazy lump, by watching a bunch of classic fishing videos. Although I did tell myself that I was in a class room of sorts, and was engaged in increasing my fishing knowledge. “I’m studying and buckling down on homework!” This wasn’t entirely untrue, because I certainly did learn a few things, but truth be told, I had a thoroughly great time watching these old videos. Of course learning is best done when it’s enjoyable and fun. Today, I’ve picked out a couple excellent videos for better bass fishing, each of which features arguably the most accomplished student of bass science and bass fishing, the Bass Professor himself, Doug Hannon.
First up is a wonderful video from 1986 titled “Catching Big Bass,” with Doug Hannon. While parts of this film may seem a little dated, particularly when Hannon gets into tackle issues like line, rods and reels, and lures that were popular back in 1986. But rest assured, the tips and advice that Hannon presents are still valid today, particularly when he talks about attracting lures vs. triggering lures, weeds vs. brush, the influence of the moon on bass, and even his tips for outfitting your boat. Remember, this is old school stuff, pre-FFS and the advancement of a lot of technology since the mid-1980s, when anglers may have needed to be more students of nature than experts in digital electronics.
Next up we have an hour-long video again featuring Doug Hannon, titled “Understanding Bass with Doug Hannon.” This 1985 film really gets into the biology and behavior of largemouth bass, going as deep and detailed as you possibly can within a one-hour time constraint. I can easily see this abbreviated video summary being expanded into a semester-long seminar course. If you’re at all interested in learning about bass biology, their environment, and their preferences – and what passionate bass angler isn’t interested in that? – then this is a video you’ll want to watch more than once. As with the previous Hannon video, the underwater filming in this one is fantastic, and adds a whole other dimension to the dialogue.
I also wanted to include another educational video, from 1989, that features Doug Hannon, Al Lindner, and Charlie Farmer. The excerpts of Hannon are repeats pulled from the previous film, but the instruction given by Lindner is outstanding and unique. Al is both on the water and in a class room setting, and his in-class presentation is brilliant. Using a wall presentation board and a table-top diorama of a lake bed, he presents his ideas in a dynamic and engaging manner. It’s a pity that I could not link and play the video here on Bass Fishing Archives, because it’s dynamite, but I can provide the YouTube link for it. Here it is: “Largemouth Bass Fishing: The Formula for Success.” Please check it out.
Finally, I have a very cool old black & white video, “Bass Fishing Southern Style” that is full of awesome film images of vintage boats, motors and gear from the old days, along with some great live action imagery of Toledo Bend Reservoir in its early years, along with Lake Santee Cooper, Lake Amistad, and Sam Rayburn Reservoir. This film was probably made in the early 1970s. It highlights the early bass boat development and bass fishing in its heyday. This is a video that will just make you smile.
Hats off to the YouTube channels that publish these classic videos for all of us to enjoy:
OutdoorTVClassics
FishingWithGRAMPS
OldSchoolBassFishingVids
Please share with us the classic/old school videos that you enjoy. We’d love to see them!
