When the concept of the Greatest Angler Debate was first mentioned to professional bass fishing insiders, opinions of who might win were as varied as the current roster for the Bassmaster Tour. Nobody agreed on one angler. This lack of concession solidified the Debate as a mission worth pursuing. Now that the list has dwindled to the Top 10 best of all time, we decided to bring together the most qualified panel of insiders we know of, the Bassmaster Senior Writers, and find out who they will put their money on to take home the GAD crown. Following is the first part of a two-part roundtable conversation between Bassmaster editors and the journalists who have been following this sport since its inception.

The cast:

Dave Precht, Editor in Chief

James Hall, Editor

Steve Price, Senior Writer

Don Wirth, Senior Writer

Tim Tucker, Senior Writer

Craig Lamb, Senior Writer

Louie Stout, Senior Writer

PRECHT — Some people have questioned our Top 35 list. So everyone knows, in coming up with the original list of the Top 35 anglers to start the debate, we felt that there had to be some objective criteria to develop the list. I didn't feel comfortable with BASS or ESPN just picking 35 names out of a hat. So, we came up with a formula that included BASS and FLW wins. This naturally eliminated some, but I think if you see the top 35, and also the top 10, there weren't many who had an impact on professional fishing on a national basis who weren't on there, or who weren't really good. So, y'all take it from there.

WIRTH — I tell you one problem I've had with this thing, and I guess it was due to a misunderstanding. There are a lot of avid weekend fishermen who are kind of annoyed that you are not including some [great fishermen], or you are only including some professional anglers. If the title had been the "Greatest Pro Angler," or "Greatest Tournament Fisherman," that would have cleared up the misunderstanding. For example, I know some guides who are better fishermen than some of these pros, but they don't choose to fish tournaments. You know what I'm saying?

HALL — So, what criteria should have been used in developing the list? What criteria should we have considered beyond the tournament wins?

PRICE — Don is right on target. If we call this the "Greatest Competitive Angler," then you've narrowed it down, and you have your criteria. But if you're talking about the influence someone has had on the sport, then you have to look at these guys that have had long-running television shows and are simply reaching a lot of people . . . at that point it becomes very, very subjective. And, of course, we'll all argue till the cows come home on who's going to be the top pro, but if we can somehow redefine this thing, or rename it the "Greatest Competitive Angler," then you've eliminated that. And you've also eliminated quite a few of the fishermen. It becomes something that I guess everyone who follows tournament fishing can relate to a little better.

TUCKER — But Steve, it's going to be a moot point anyway, because it's going to be up to the fans to decide, and the television guys in this Top 10 are going to get the bulk of the votes, probably.

PRECHT — OK, let's call it the "Greatest Competitive Angler," if that works better for the sake of this conversation. Nobody could come up with a set of objective criteria that would enable some of Don's guide friends, or some of the Western pros, to be on the list without leaving out some really bona fide great anglers. Every lake has its superangler, and you're never going to get consensus on who is the best in the country. So, let's call it the greatest competitive angler, or pro angler, if you want. So, now you've seen the list, can you think of anybody on the Top 35 who should have been in the Top 10?

PRICE — I think this Top 10 is a good list — a well-done list.

PRECHT — I was not surprised. Anybody else?

PRICE — I don't know who else you could have put on there.

LAMB — You've got a combination of youth, such as Kevin, and legendary, including Clunn and Martin. And as Steve pointed out, there's the mass fan appeal of Bill Dance. He hasn't fished in 15 years, yet he certainly merits being on the list. To me, it's very well rounded from the competitive angler side.

HALL — Is there anyone who should have made the Top 35 list but didn't, if we're considering this the greatest professional angler debate?

LAMB — What about Al Lindner? He didn't make it.

PRICE — Absolutely, Al was a competitive angler, and look at the empire he created up there at In-Fisherman. Even though he's not connected with that group anymore, he's still in television, and I put Al right up there with Dance, almost.

TUCKER — Yeah, but Al didn't win three Angler-of-the-Year titles. Dance gets a ticket to this Top 10 based on three Angler-of-the-Year crowns. I don't think we should be talking about the greatest angler without using three AOYs as at least the basis.

PRICE — That's a valid point, Tim. And since we've already established that we're talking competitiveness as the main criterion, then, unfortunately, Al falls through the cracks.

WIRTH — I've got to chime in with Steve on that one. Al Lindner was one of the first people that came to my mind with the term greatest angler — not greatest bass angler or greatest tournament angler — but greatest angler. Al Lindner is probably the best fisherman that I've ever been associated with, in that he can catch any kind of bass, plus anything else that swims. And he did have some success in tournament competition [Al competed on the Bassmaster circuit from 1970 to 1978. He retired with two wins and five Top 10 finishes], and his influence on the sport has been gigantic — he and the empire he built truly helped advance fishing.

PRECHT — Back to the Top 10 list: Can an argument be made that these anglers on the Top 10 list don't deserve to be there?

PRICE — I don't think anybody could argue with having these guys in the Top 10. Every single one of them has made an impact on the sport, and they've all been very, very competitive — some for more years than others. But overall, when you mention the name of any of these anglers, with the possible exception of Yelas, the general public is going to know that he's a bass fisherman. Anyone familiar with the sport of bass fishing has to recognize all 10 names.

TUCKER — I think the only one that's even shaky in this Top 10 is Yelas. I think what's a little bit below standard for him is the five wins.

PRECHT — And his FLW success [Yelas has never won an FLW event].

STOUT — I think we can cut to five real, real easy.

PRECHT — Who's your top five?

STOUT — Well, I'll wait till we get to that point.

PRECHT — All right, let's get to that point, then. Who's your Top 5, Louie?

STOUT — OK, I'd go with Dance, Clunn, VanDam, who by the way has two great books out there … [coauthored by Stout] … Nixon and Roland.

TUCKER — You're leaving out three time Angler of the Year Mark Davis.

STOUT — I know, and it hurts.

TUCKER — This is tough.

HALL — Do you agree with his list, Tim, even though it hurts to leave out Mark Davis? Or would you put Mark Davis in there besides someone else?

TUCKER — It's hard to argue with any of those guys, but if I was gonna pick the absolute greatest angler of all time, part of my criteria is that he had to win at least three Angler-ofthe- Year titles. That's why I would automatically include Davis, but, boy, I don't know who I would substitute him for.

STOUT — You know, if Mark Davis would go on this year and have the kind of year he had last year, this conversation would change. I'd have to include him, too. And he might be the most versatile, best overall angler out there today. But if we're talking the greatest of all time…you know, I hate leaving him off.

WIRTH — I'm forced to interject my extreme wisdom, since I'm the most senior senior writer [a contributor to Bassmaster for 34 years]. I have to look at this from the standpoint of more than who won what, but to consider the total impact they've had on bass fishing. If you're going to call somebody the greatest, I've got to pick Bill Dance as No. 1, due to the fact that he has managed to connect with more bass fishermen over a longer time period than any other bass angler. To many, he's like a next-door neighbor or best fishing buddy. A lot of the pros are perceived as being a little aloof. But Dance's warmth and sincerity drives home any bass fishing tips he offers. He has won three Angler-ofthe- Year titles, and beyond that I consider him one of the pioneers of structure fishing, even though he doesn't get much credit for that. He pioneered some of the plastic worm techniques everyone uses today. Plus, he won eight bass events in three years, which is an awesome feat.

WIRTH — He has a great book out, too . . . [coauthored by Wirth]

PRICE — I agree with Don. My No. 1 guy has to be Dance. We can't lose sight of the fact that he fished in a different era from today. Nonetheless, he was a standout back then against some very, very stiff competition. Dance also has the longevity to keep himself in the forefront every single day. Following Bill, I would vote for Clunn, then Nixon, Brauer and Martin. You have to remember Brauer's consistency over the years: He's the all-time leading money winner, and he's won the Classic. Roland Martin's record speaks for itself, and it's just absolutely remarkable. Those are my five.

HALL — How do you leave VanDam off the Top 5, Steve?

PRICE — Somebody has to be sacrificed, just like Louie had to leave off Mark Davis. Give VanDam five more years, and he may surpass Clunn or Dance. But he hasn't yet.

LAMB — My Top 5 would be — not in any order — Clunn, Martin, Dance, Brauer, Nixon. For my criteria, I looked at not only titles, but at the knowledge they brought to the average angler regarding innovative techniques. Like Dance and structure fishing. Martin had considerable contributions to structure fishing as well. Tackle, techniques and lures, and there are remarkable (Continued) things that you can weigh in on each one. I hope the fans will look beyond the statistics. Don't just look at Clunn's four Classic titles — remember the fact that they occurred in just 14 years. And not only did Davis have three Angler-of-the- Year titles, but last year, if the Elite 50s had been considered in the AOY criteria, he'd have four.

WIRTH — I didn't weigh in five, so let me mention my next four: VanDam, Brauer, Clunn and Martin. Mentioning VanDam is especially important, because he represents to me the new era of bass fishing. He brought youth to the sport, and he proved that you don't have to be a redneck to be a good bass fisherman. He was the first of the new breed of young, articulate, accomplished pros that ESPN is now featuring. That's going to be very important to the sport overall.

TUCKER — My Top 5 list is the same as Craig's, except I'll substitute VanDam for Brauer. As everybody in this debate lists criteria, I have to point out that there's one guy who meets everybody's criteria: from Angler-of-the-Year awards [nine] to impact on TV. And that's Roland Martin. I don't know how you can argue with his numbers . . . I don't even know how this can be a debate. The guy's got 25 Classic appearances; he's still making the Classic, unlike my buddy Clunn, who has not made one in four years now. Secondly, how can you argue with nine Angler-of-the-Year titles? If this doesn't show which guy has been consistently the best angler over the longest time throughout his career, I don't know what does. He's got 19 wins, and he's also got 19 runner-ups — that's almost as impressive. He has one of the longest running television shows; nobody has educated more fishermen than he has; he's had an impact in the development of tackle and electronics and so much more. I can't see how Roland Martin is not the greatest angler of all time.

PRICE — [joking] If I'd ever caught a fish on his Helicopter Bait, I might change my vote.

TUCKER — [also joking] What about the Dancin' Eel?

STOUT — If there's one thing Dance has over Roland, it's the way he interacts with the public. If we're talking about the greatest angler, I think an individual's impact on the sport of bass fishing should be considered, and I have to give Dance an edge on that.

TUCKER — But we're talking competition; we're talking performance.

HALL — If we're limiting this to the most competitive bass fisherman, nothing else, who would be your No. 1?

TUCKER — Go Wirth, you're the oldest.

WIRTH — I would have to say, VanDam. He's just got it together, plus, I don't think he's as good as he's going to get, either.

TUCKER — Roland Martin, he's 64 years old, still making Classics, still making runner-ups.

PRECHT — And still blonde.

PRICE — If you're going to narrow all of this down to just pure competitiveness, then it has to be Roland Martin. I say that not only because of his record, but because Martin taught Clunn some very valuable lessons about competitive fishing. Martin was competing before Clunn arrived. And you can't ignore his record, even though a good bit of it was established in the early years. It's like baseball's homerun record — the fact that Barry Bonds beat Babe Ruth's record from 1927, does not take anything away from Ruth. Finally, in pure competitiveness, Roland Martin has no equal.

STOUT — Man, that was pretty convincing, Steve. If the question is who is the most competitive of all time, right, I have to go with Martin. I've heard so many stories about how he would do anything to win, so I have to go with Roland.

LAMB — Roland. One thing to consider is that he started in, what, 1970? Going into the '80s, everybody said he was in a slump. Well, in 1980 he won three tournaments in a row. He's still going strong. There is not a man alive at his age — and probably not at any other age — who gets up every morning and is so enthusiastic about going fishing.

HALL — If we were going to ask which of these top 10 guys deserves the GAD title just based on what they have added to the sport, or how they have changed the sport, which guy would y'all go for?

WIRTH — I wanna say Dance for all the reasons I've already mentioned.

TUCKER — I'd agree with my older and wiser compadre, Mr. Wirth.

PRICE — I think it's Dance, also. I don't know anybody on the list, Martin included, who has had a greater impact beyond competitive fishing than Dance.

In the next issue of Bassmaster our Tour insiders will chime in on who should receive the GAD title based on contribution to the sport, which angler is most impressive to fish with, and each writer's top two choices. In the meantime, let us know who you think deserves to be crowned the Greatest Angler by visiting www.bassmaster.com/vote.