He Said What ?! Pro Angler Excuses

Ott DeFoe by Ott DeFoe

By Pros4- 1Source's Dave Landahl. 

Who doesn't love a good excuse or the occasional cliché? Seriously, we all use them. We all cherish the cheesiest of the cheesy excuses and clichés that have been passed down to each of us over the generations.

What applies in our everyday lives regarding the use of these little gems also applies to those competing at the highest levels of professional bass fishing. There are some time honored doozies that show up at every weigh-in across everya 10120 1300-250
professional tournament stage.

So, what are the favorites? Not sure favorite is correct, perhaps what are the excuses and clichés that bug the *** out of the participants at the highest level of professional fishing? Well, good old BassFIRST just had to know which excuses stand out to the pros fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series and the FLW Tour. So, we asked a bunch of 'em, and here are some of the responses that are suitable for the entire family.

The old "I gave it my all" excuse.

Luke Clausen

"The 'I swung for the fences' BS. It's an excuse for not catching ***. Were you trying to lose the other days?"

John Crews

"When people suck they say 'I swung for the fences'. Total BS. They think it makes them sound cool."

Josh Bertrand

"I love the guy that gets on stage and says he 'swung for the fences'. To translate, he didn't figure them out, but tells everyone he swung for the fences to pad your ego."

Randy Howell

"The worst cliché statement when an angler doesn't catch 'em is 'I was swinging for the fences'. That one always gets me! LOL."

Ott DeFoe

"'Swing for the fences!' We don't have any fences in bass fishing.

"I love when I hear someone say 'I ran this Nitro/Mercury all over this lake...' Well maybe you should have stopped and fished some."

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Where did my fish go?

Jay Yelas

"'The fish are staging'. I just completed my 29th year on tour and I still have not figured that one out. Fish swim, they don't stage.

"Also, 'the fish are in transition'. Like I said before, they swim, also eat and spawn. Not sure if they can actually transition, or what that really means."

JT Kenney

"I don't know what happened to my fish? Or, 'if I had the right bites I would've had 18 pounds'."

Product plugs

Jay Yelas

"The old 'I would like to thank my sponsors, without them, I wouldn't be here today.' None of us would, go sit down! LOL."

Brandon Palaniuk

"The one that cracks me up the most every year is during a sight fishing event where 45 guys mention how awesome their sunglasses are.

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"I wear the ones I think are best, but the guy at home watching hears that 10 different brands are the best. It's confusing."

Cringe-worthy.

Alton Jones

"I always cringe when a tournament angler catches a fish, turns to the camera and says, 'That's what I'm talking about.' Also, when anybody but Ike (Mike Iaconelli) 'goes Ike.' Cringe."

Dave Lefebre

"'That's what I'm talking about!' I wince when I hear guys say that. Or, 'I'm not competing against him, I'm competing against the fish.' Hate that one too.

"I can beat the fish all day long, but I don't win unless I beat him."