The Bass Fishing Bachelor (and his best girl)

So I admit it. I watch The Bachelor. Sometimes. I never watched any reality shows until Byron made his debut in the genre back in...when was that? Three years ago? Wow, hard to believe.

But since then the lovely woman that Byron chose (pictured above with her man and bass angler Chuck Economou) has become one of my best chicas. Mary Delgado is a gem.

I remember the first time I ever saw Mary (in person). We were at the competitor meeting for the first BASS event of the 2005 season and she was there with Byron. I was looking forward to meeting her, but I have to admit that I was a little incredulous that this glamourpuss would really want to hang in the bass fishing world. Since then I've gotten to know MaryDiva (as I call her) and she is the real deal. She only LOOKS like a glamourpuss. In reality (and I mean the real reality, not the "reality" you see on primetime) she can hang with the best of the bass fishing crowd and is as genuine as the day is long.

So tonight I'm watching the After the Final Rose episode of this season's Bachelor and was so pleasantly surprised to see Byron and Mary make a guest appearance. And my girl was representing. I was so proud to hear her say "I've fallen in love with the sport of fishing." In fact, both of them talked about fishing for most of thier time on air.

After they left the stage and the high drama of the show continued, I was amused when I saw another familiar face in a crowd reaction shot.

First, you gotta know that the ratio of men to women in that audience was about 1 to 10,000. And most of the women there looked gorgeous.

So who is in the audience but Ish Monroe! I have to wonder if he was there auditioning for the next cycle of the show, or to check out all the pretty girls. Nah, not Ishama...I'm sure he was just there to support Byron and Mary. (right)

Bass, money, Clunn, et al

Speaking of Bass Times, this month they ran an article called “Green concentrated at the top.” It’s all about how the top anglers in the Elite Series brought home some serious cake this year. For instance, Skeet headed west with $429,250 in his change jar and Kevin VanDam deposited $404,050 in Sherry’s account. Steady Freddie Roumbanis gathered a nest egg of $381,650 and get this – Peter T has made $735,000 in the past two years.

Now remember these numbers are Bassmaster Elite Series winnings only…no sponsor ching factored in.

There were a few eyebrow raising facts in the article as well. Like “Longest In-The-Money Streaks.” Of course, KVD leads that gang with 10 consecutive money finishes, but lurking back in the 6th position is Cliff Pace with a streak of 6. You have to watch out for those guys that tend to stay below the radar. Pace had a good year and that can position an angler for a great season next year.

But the thing about all those facts, figures and dollar signs that stayed with me for the rest of the day after I read the story was this. On the BASS All Time Money List Rick Clunn is still holding his third place spot behind KVD and Denny.

BASS ALL TIME MONEY LIST
1. Kevin VanDam   $2,604,000
2. Denny Brauer    $2,218,000
3. Rick Clunn        $1,856,000

Now think about that. Both KVD and Denny have won major events in the era of the sport of Bass fishing where purses are popping. Clunn on the other hand made most of his mark over a period of the sport when a win might get you a $28K and the Classic (which he won 4 times) paid $40,000.

Note that the Boyd Duckett took home over $500,000 in the 2007 Bassmaster Classic and his career earnings are just $30,000 short of a cool million. After one year of fishing at the Elite level!

So I think Rick’s accomplishments stand in a league of their own. I mean a "Whew! How'd He DO That?" league. Of course, most fans of the sport would agree with me. What would he have earned if the purses he won back in the day had been of the gigantic proportions they are today?