Cult Groups in Bass Fishing - The Rebuttal

Yesterday there was a funny little post on the "Fish Strong" website entitled "Beware.. Cult Groups in Bass Fishing" being a forum and blog Junky I read it, and came away with a few glaring mistakes (or omissions) that I would like to pass back to the author of the article.

Before I get to the rebuttal I will start off by stating that I am a proud member of the Cult now and forever known as Dobyns rods, and I do take exceptions to some of the comments printed in this article/blog. The last statement in his short photo heavy post states "Remember it's all in good fun" but that's just this authors way of glossing over the fact that he is clearly taking a shot at two companies he does not like very much, using them as examples in what is a much bigger problem, and that's not cool, and it is not exactly objective (but then again, that's not what he was going for), so when you read the below, please remember this is all in good fun

One of the only things that this author got right, was that yes there are "cult" like groups in the world of Bass Fishing, and there always will be.  Anglers like any other sports athlete are proud of the equipment we use and don't mind sharing it with the world (except when it comes to prize baits, then we are kinda sneaky). Here are some of the areas in which the author made a mistake when tackling the issue off "cults" in fishing.

Mistake #1: The author decided to make his point by focusing on two companies, and not the actual problem in general. I would argue that Shimano or St.Croix Rod users and Ranger or Nitro Boat drivers are just as cultish as Dobyns  or Bass Cat owners, the difference being, the two companies he has choose to pick on are making a strong push in the industry and the two he left alone are the old guard that no-one wants to piss off.. well that's not very fair is it?

Mistake #2: In the big picture the problem here is not so much the cult following some companies receive but in fact  it comes down to Anglers not knowing how to pose a proper question on a forum, as well as guys taking advantage of these questions to help them amass high posts numbers as some kind of status symbol. So instead of focusing on the fact that many forum members respond to a question with short answers like "Dobyns" or "Bass Cat" Lets focus on teaching the masses how to use a forum rather then complain about the companies being supported (in many cases these companies are not driving the push, and cant help that their product is popular)

How many times have you been on a forum and seen a question like "what rod should I buy?" the short answer to this is, you can't answer that question, you don't have enough information to answer it, so in turn the thread gets filled with quick hits like "Shimano", "Dobyns", "Powell", "Abu" and so on. Who's fault is this? (A) the Company being supported? (B) the person posing the question? or (C) the person answering the question? well if you said B and C you would be correct, yet for some reason the author believes this issue to be the Companies problem. (confused? I know I am)

 Another issue you find on forums and boards are Anglers  offering their 2cents in an off topic kind of way. For example, If the Question is "I have the Chance to buy a Ranger or a Bass Cat boat, which should I choose?" The response should never be 'Nitro" or "Stratos" if it is then you are part of the problem, but again the company you support is not (still confused?)

Mistake#3: It is obvious to me, as well as many other readers that this "Beware..Cult" blog was written to disparage two companies and the anglers that support those companies, not to actually address an issue of Cult like followings, so why not state it like it is, instead of hiding behind a comment like: "remember this is all in good fun", let your readers know.. "here is what I hate about Dobyns and Bass Cat.

The Wrap Up

To me the Fish Strong article reads very much like a what a Boston RedSox fan would write about the New York Yankees and their fans, or vice versa. Yes that blog post that had potential to address some real issues, that cause me to cringe when on forums, but instead turned into a tongue in cheek bashing of two companies and the anglers that support them.

If you would like to check out the original article it can be found HERE