Hank Parker comes out of the closet

... against FFS https://youtu.be/I_1NYX0WXHw?si=anhEOBKzMDWyd5Sh&t=1410

There are more out there. I believe randy may have been right?

Whooptie Doo, who made Hank Parker the ambassador of fishing?

I believe so, and many are on the Elite series and BPT

Never figured Hank was into man buns or wearing his hair in a beehive. Sad so many have bought into the grift.

Always liked him but he has been off the tour for 35 years. 32 - 45 lbs will no longer win tournaments.

Always been a Hank Parker fan but everything has a “shelf life”. Time passes you by. Lion Kings “Circle Of Life”. Many, many decades ago he was a paid spokesman for the “latest & greatest” technology that was available and for sale.

Hank's point with the golfball/baseball technology analogy with FFS is spot on, don't know if he is the originator, but that is the point...

I've always liked watching his shows. But he can go pound sand like the rest of the whiners.

It's hurting bait sales lol. When I hear that argument want I hear is the bait industry needs you to but expensive baits that don't work and throw them in fishless places rather than cheap baits that do work, especially when you throw them where fish are..... it's OK to buy a 200 plus dollar swim bait, that's not expensive...... hell buy a box full. But go out and spend 1499 on a transducer set up once and that's just expensive.......

Maybe they should have banned titanium spinner baits, wasn't hank pimping the terminator back in the day......

Exactly. He is acting like Randy, wants to pause the moment in time the latest tech lined up when he was fishing at his peak and hit pause. They’ll come up with some sensible rules next season on number of transducers and screen sizes and life will go on.

This was a bit vague, tell us how you really feel.😆

he grew up on the local lake here and they called him hippie hank

I dont understand why it is that when someone comes out and expresses an opinion on FFS, pro or con, that doesnt agree with yours, some automatically try to discredit and put down the man, rather than take on his opinion. Some of ya'll sound like old women. Hank should be able to express his views without the hens all tearing him down. Him being on the cutting edge of tech since its induction gives him credibility in MY opinion. He obviously sees something different with this newest technology and chose to share his views. I dont agree with him, but this used to be America where ideas were celebrated, not impugned, and men with major accomplishments were respected. He was the Millikin of his day, used the tech, was a media star, and made a lot of money. He earned his right to his opinion, even if i think it is a wrong one.

Well, he is using Hummingbird so..........

I do think it has changed the way fishing is done, especially the tournaments. There are tournaments where you are 99% tied to fishing FFS or you will not have a chance in winning it. Yea, its boring to watch, it is not all that interesting because you are seeing 100 anglers doing the very same thing, looking down at their graph, pitching out a small jig bait and using spinning gear. There is nothing really that deviates from that type fishing in tournaments.
I know people have banged the drum at NASCAR and said it was boring because everyone has the same stuff, you cannot even wear the gloves to drive the car, its against the rules. Same engine, same spoilers, same shocks, same springs.it's all the same and NASCAR has lost a good many fans because it just got boring.
It would not bother me in the least to ban FFS for the professional tournaments. You then would see a different approach to catching fish. Each angler would have their strengths and weakness there and who ever can compensate those will usually do very well in the tournament.

Now let me go to the weekends guys, the people who never fish tournaments but like fishing and catching fish....in other words people like me now. I've had my run, I had my time running and gunning the tournament trails, I'm through with that, I just want to fun fish now. Nothing wrong in tournament fishing, I have gotten to the age and physical limits that 8-10 hour tournaments are not fun to me anymore.
I will also preface this and say, I have FFS, I have 360, I have Si, DI,and about 3 too many graphs on my boat.
I will use FFS "some" when I am fishing, mainly because I am not very good with it or understand it all that much, but just enough to see where it can help me catch fish. If anything it helps me eliminate dead water and find productive water. I find I like my 360 more or my sonar, but it is a tool I decided to get because ...well....I could afford that luxury I suppose.
I have limited time to fish, I work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. My time to enjoy fishing is cut down to mainly a Saturday with 2,000 other boats out on the water on a giving Saturday in the summer. I will fish to catch fish and when I either get tired, or get beat up from the waves, I go home. I want the equipment that allows me to catch as many fish as possible during that time allotted to me.
I normally fish by myself and enjoy the peace I find doing that. I forget everything around me and just focus to catching fish. FFS helps me do that. I would say I use FFS around the 30% range, the other 70% I am fishing banks, docks, lay downs, grass and I find I am not near good enough to understand FFS to enhance my chances. I am sure it does, I just do not care to delve into learning it that much I guess.

For me, I said "me", I would ban FFS on the pro circuit and let what happens to local tournaments or clubs decided based on what they want to do. I will use the analogy in baseball here. Hank did the baseball, I will use the bat. In High School, College you can use an aluminum bat rather than wood. That aluminum bat can make that baseball fly off the bat and go further, but the pro's, MLB has said NO!, we will use wooden bat because it is just not fair that the best of the best use something that will change the game forever. I see that now happening to the Pro Circuit in fishing. These guys are the best of the best, they do not need FFS to catch fish, these guys are super good without it.

Me on the other hand, not fishing tournaments, who cares what I use, just do not use dynamite please..you could really kill yourself doing that, and a bunch of fish. I am a catch and release guy. I cannot even tell you the last time I took any fish home. I'm sure it has been over 40 years or so.I do want to keep those fish alive and to grow bigger for another day to catch them.

I know this has been a longer post, but that is how I feel about FFS if any cares, which I'm sure they don't because I have no voice in the matter either way. I just do me.

I'm not against FFS and I think Randy is a clown, but I think Hank made some valid points and presented a reasonable view on the issues.

I'm not a Randy fan myself. He is your typical Liberal, if you do not agree with him, you are the enemy.

Correct. The guys on this forum get so butthurt when people come out against FFS.

Yep!!

There are 3 (and only 3) rules on this fishing forum.

1. Under absolutely NO circumstance, do you speak ill of the the FFS. The FFS pro wannabe's on here will come unglued, and it will essentially ruin their week.

2. Under absolutely NO circumstance, do you speak ill of their idols. Miliken, Hall, Jones, ect...Just don't do it. To do so if TFF suicide. If you want to risk not being invited to the TFF Christmas party, then go ahead and express that unpopular opinion. If you're good with having you own opinions and not being led around like a sheep, then go ahead and tell us how you feel.

3. And lastly, NEVER EVER, say anything against the "cool crowd on here". They are the governing body of the TFF. They are the 30 pound sack in practice guys. They are the maxed out credit cards but I have 8 graphs on my boat guy. They are the ones whose opinions matter, and only their opinions.

If you can follow these rules, then you to can be a "celebrity" on here. If you can't, then unfortunately you're just an average Joe whose opinion is wrong. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Lol

Someone needs to get Bill Dance off the Live Mix. He can't hardly form a sentence.

You mean he has Joe Biden syndrome?

Best post yet and probably true

You didn’t get an invite?

They should put Hank Parker on with him, they could discuss private lakes and fat free shad cranks. Pump those ratings up

Olds gonna old

Hank Parker has been irrelevant for 30+ years. He's just trying to get his name back in the main stream fishing.

Scrolling YouTube and it appears Randy has already jumped on Hanks comments.

All he said was to keep the "challenge" in bass fishing

That’s not what they heard though, they heard: it’s the devil, it kills all the fish, causes cancer in California, makes the fish sterile, gives everyone a limit, is like spotlighting deer in a 10’x10’ cage and blah blah blah.

Someone get Josh some cheese for his whine.

Nobody in West Texas gets an invite. Y'all couldn't handle us.

I used to watch his show…35 years ago.
Can’t say his opinion means much to me now.
But that’s just me.

OK! Cracker!

Some of the guys in here are in lock-step tighter than the democrats in congress.
I've seen whole threads they didn't approve of that didn't violate a single rule disappear. Be Careful!

This is my opinion an only my opinion, but let me say this, Hank Parker has an opinion! 😎

I get it’s his opinion but wasn’t he the one to promote some silly electric reel back in the 80s

Secret ballot... You didn't get one???... Dan

Probably whoever told tvat one guy he that he was the director of the Alabama Bass Council. Nothing about that schtick is remotely entertaining.

Facts

Is that the “Slick Johnson” fella?

Exactly. Well-said.

Yep.

Lol it's terrible

Yet people subscribe.

Maybe he is just doing what he wants to do. Is what you have to say or think relevant? Never heard of you. You use this platform to express your opinion. So you must believe you are relevant.

Honestly, it’s fine if someone doesn’t like the way the FFS direction is going. But when “it’s dropping the profit in lure sales” is a reason, then . Listen up Ol’ Hanky, most of us have buckets and buckets full of lures that we purchased and have never touched, it’s about time the fisherman quit being the one getting gut hooked.

Exactly, I don't think one of the most prolific bait peddlers of the last 30 years has much room to talk about technology that actually works. Throw in Bill Dance too.

Bill Dance had his name all over a jig and Carolina weights that had a battery in them that would start “clicking” when they were in the water. I remember having a co-angler in the boat one time, it was raining and every rod he had in the boat started making noises.

it’s funny now, sounded like a gd hydro wave on the back deck.

Opinion's are buttholes. Everyone has one but some are better than others. Technology is not a bad thing. I mean you can have a smart house and do everything from your phone. I wonder if my wife can watch FFS on my Fridge while I am fishing..

So much for wanting to get the younger generations into fishing.. Things change when they young kids are beating them

What did the Fat Free Shads do?

Fat Free Shad.... you mean the original FFS? lol

Ray Scott.

I need some of those golf balls!

Don't underestimate the impact DNRs and P&W departments could have.

The Title of This Thread has me Cringing every time I read it.......

Talked to a Tennessee Wildlife guy the other day at the ramp taking a fish survey... FFS is nowhere on their radar... So chill out dudes... Dan

Of course not, the government is usually decades behind the curve.

Don't get the hate for Hank Parker just because he sees things differently than some on a single topic.

He has expanded beyond fishing and is doing more hunting now, but I have always enjoyed his shows.

He also does a lot of work taking underprivileged kids and handicapped kids fishing and hunting.

I think he is a great ambassador for outdoor sports in general.

I have updated the "Hurt Feelings Report to V4.0", just a FYI I could not say a bad thing about Hank Parker, Him and a couple of others were all I ever had to watch on TV when I was young. I got more enjoyment from those fishing shows, and there were not that many to watch when you only had 5 channels to watch. This was way before the cable TV time period.

Come on man, you know better. You can't say anything on here that's of a differing opinion without the cretins of the TFF coming unhinged.

Agree. My opinion - TPWD and others through their creel surveys will begin noticing decreasing populations, starting with crappie (which according to WAWI and others on here are the easiest to catch with FFS), and will start decreasing limits. Wouldn't be surprised to see a 10 fish limit on crappie in the next five years.

Aliens are landing on the White House lawn and the biggest worry some here seem to have is about a fishing sonar/radar/thingy...:) Oh wait the aliens didn't land...that was just a holographic projection of a FFS screen from some fishing guys boat...:)

And more power to those who can master new technology....because they are the leaders of tomorrow whether we like it or not. And they will no doubt find something like this topic to complain about in their time...:)

Reminds me of the whole dust-up when higher power rifle scopes started to be introduced. Lots of folks said it would make hunting too easy...yeah right. I might be able to see that herd of elk or deer across the valley better but I still needed to be able to get close enough for a clean shot and even then there was still that chance of a miss. And believe me I've missed shots that to this day I have never figured out why.

Fishing or hunting....it's a hobby, a sport, and is supposed to be fun and if you enjoy a day on the water just what is the problem???

Mind over matter, if you don't mind, it don't matter. FFS or lack thereof, has not changed my fishing one bit.

Good lord how old are you, century club?

Talk to one at Dale and you will get an entirely different response.

MISTER Petro, brilliance.

I think Hank was offering an opinion without getting to what he would really like to say.
Todays anglers want instant gratification,. FFS provides that, no need to spent years learning seasonal patterns on tournament lakes. Have mommy or daddy drive you to the lake, wipe the snot off your nose and start staring at a screen. Then chase and harass the fish, casting your spinning reel ( you can’t cast a baitcasting reel ) until it bites.

No sportsmanship or fishing knowledge required

Oh Hank Parker IS an Ambassador because
HE earned it.

You sir, need to be banned.

Yep, both statements are totally correct.

Oh this is good, that dudes won more tournaments than you have even entered.