Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990 TAG: 9006300137
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"We got four catches today," cameraman David Wallace told Bob Cobb, producer of "The BASSMASTERS" television series, on Friday at the LancerLot.
"Four, that's great," Cobb answered, a smile pushing his billowing beard downward.
Let's put the situation into perspective. Wallace's remark to Cobb would be like a network cameraman at an NFL game telling his producer he managed to find the tackle on four downs in a game. Big deal.
But consider that on Smith Mountain Lake this week, Cobb has two camera crews trying to cover the 20,000 acres. Those guys are trying to find 40 anglers in 40 boats in the Wrangler/B.A.S.S. National Championship. And the bass in the lake don't exactly have the munchies this week, either.
Wallace, Beau Anello, Tim Miller and Chuck Roberts - two to a boat - roll tape . . . and wait . . . and hope.
"Luck is when the fish bites and we're not rewinding [the camera]," Cobb said with a laugh. "There's some frequency out there that tells the fish we're rewinding, and that's when he bites. If someone can figure out that frequency and put it into a lure, they'll make a lot of money."
It's definitely an inexact science. But "The BASSMASTERS" series, which airs Sundays on The Nashville Network, is in its fifth season and has the highest Nielsen ratings of any fishing show. The show was nominated for two ACE awards for cable TV excellence a couple of years ago, then was legislated out of the recreation-leisure category because the rules were changed to bar fishing competition shows.
"I figured that was sort of flattering," said Cobb, 53, a former newspaper outdoor editor in Tulsa, Okla., who was BASSMASTER magazine's editor from 1969-85 before moving into television.
The odds of capturing the winner of today's championship are 40-1. But if Cobb and Co. have the top five catching a fish and the No. 6 guy, away from the whirring camera, manages to overtake the others, the occasional magic of television won't happen.
"We don't stage anything," Cobb said. "If we can, we might take the winner back out the next day and have him describe what happened and show us where he made the catch. For the people who watch, the competition is interesting, and it's important we have that.
"When the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society started in 1967, the basis was information and education on the sport. You put the best out on a lake, and the lake is like a big laboratory. What drips out is pure fishing knowledge. People watch our show to learn as well as be entertained."
As many as 1.5 million homes are tuned to "The BASSMASTERS," which this year runs for 39 weeks (through September) on TNN. The show shoots 13 tournament shows, repeats those, then combines other tournaments with "best of" past events in 13 new shows. The half-hour show from the Smith Mountain Lake tourney will air July 29 at 1 and 9:30 p.m., and will be repeated twice on Sept. 9.
Cobb said the B.A.S.S. telecast crew will shoot 30 20-minute reels of tape at this tournament, to be edited into one show of 22 minutes, 30 seconds, plus commercials. The LancerLot weigh-ins will be included, with host Ray Scott, the B.A.S.S. founder, handling the commentary.
"We do a lot of roll and rewind," Cobb said. "This is a tough tournament. There are so many arms, so many coves. It's hard to find the people on this lake."
by CNB