Voted the All-time Greatest Bass Angler by ESPN in 2004, Rick Clunn is still immersed in the sport that he once clearly dominated. No one else can claim four Bassmaster Classic world championships (and 32 qualifying appearances, including one 28-year, consecutive stretch), along with his two U.S. Open titles (both back when they were four-day battles without the shared weight.)
Yet, even now he remains a driven angler. And it would seem that facing the highest standards of competition is what keeps him out on the water. For that reason, I presume, he returned to Lake Mead this past week, knowing full well neither the Nevada desert nor his fellow competitors would relent.
“This to me is probably my favorite tournament,” he said on the phone as he was driving back to Ava, Missou. “I’m asked, ‘Isn’t the Classic your favorite?’ but the Classic is never or almost never at the same site. With the Open it’s a traditional site, a place to come back to (year after year).
“The lake was tough, but it’s still the most fair tournament you could have. (Gary) Dobyns kind of blew everyone away this time–and I had a win where I won by a pretty good margin–but more often than not, if you catch a limit every day, you’re in the hunt. That’s why I like it.”
Last week during practice, when I caught up with Rick and his family, I could see there was a certain serenity in his life now. Secluded on a houseboat on the far side of Callville Bay, he and his wife Melissa and their boys Sage (11) and River (6), were just enjoying time together in the late afternoon.
“My family is kind of unusual,” said Rick. “Some like the Vegas scene, the women’s stuff. But after the final weigh-in, we went back out on the lake–into the Virgin Basin–and went (swimming.) I took them over to the Little Gyp Beds. The boys enjoy being in nature and seeing the amazing things. We came back through the canyon with the full moon up–for them, that’s why they came. Tournament travel has always been the way to see the world.”
But shifting thought back to this year’s U.S. Open, I could tell he was already searching for answers he had not really found on this trip. “Tournament-wise, I didn’t do well,” he admitted. “But I’ve had bad tournaments before. Lake Mead kind of surprised me. Not the tough fishing–I expect that when I come. But I was here for eight days and the wind only blew one day.
“Every time you come you expect the wind to blow, at least for some part of the day. The one day it did during the tournament, I did okay.”
And that last statement seemed to energize him as he considered having competed yet again in the West’s longest running and richest bass tournament.
“There are not too many lakes like Mead,” he said. “Every other time we come here, it’s a different lake and that’s what makes it such a great tournament body of water. It’s sort of like playing the Masters (golf) at Augusta–where it’s the same course, but the greens keepers make it a little different each time. Nature does it here.”
And then he dropped the bombshell. “If you’re a competitive fisherman and if you haven’t fished the U.S. Open,” he told me, “then you’re not a competitive fisherman. I’ll say that to anyone.”
5 Responses to “Rick Clunn reflects, then throws down gauntlet”
Nice hat. What’s that saying about pictures and their worth in words?
Good article George. I have to agree with what he says here.
Rick Clunn is the Bob Dylan of bass fishing. When he lets one of the voices in his head have a chance to speak, it’s a good idea to pay attention. The career path he has conquered is a dragon that would consume most mortals.
Good article. I met Rick Clunn many years ago when I was covering one of the Bassmaster Classics for my show, and read about a lot of his philosophy prior and since. He is a great angler and a good guy to talk to and fish with. Steve
Clunn is so right. Clearly, he considers a US Open victory as a Holy Grail of competitive angling in the USA. I love the challenge he is throwing out there. I hope it hits home with some of his cohorts on the national scene!