A fake, AI-generated video of the greatest bass fisherman of all time is going viral — and unfortunately it hints at what the future of fishing social media will look like.
The video, posted on Facebook by Seabolt Squad, shows what looks like VanDam seated behind a table at a Major League Fishing press conference. The audio and text play a rant torching catfishermen:
“Catfishermen crack me up. They sit in lawn chairs all night, rods in PVC, hoping something dumb eats a hot dog. That’s not fishing, that’s loitering with snacks. Duct tape rods, gas station reels, and bait that smells like a landfill and then they brag about dragging up a 30-pound mud-covered bottom feeder like it’s a trophy. I’ll stick to real fishing where you move, think and actually know what you’re doing. Not just sit there stinking like bait and Busch Light.”
@seaboltsquadfishing KVD must REALLY hate catfishermen 😬 #dadlife #fatherandson #bass #bassfishing #fishing #fishinglife #fishingislife #fishingtrip #fishingdaily #fish #bassmaster #bassproshop #Boating #boatlife ♬ original sound – SeaboltSquadFishing
This is all pretty funny so long as you know the video is fake, and you’re not a catfisherman who takes themselves too seriously.
Unfortunately, a lot of commenters didn’t catch that the video was AI generated; it is tagged #funny #catfish #catfishing #kvd #comedy #AI #aivideoart. So far the video has more than 750,000 views and 1,600 comments.
And many of those comments are from angry catfishermen: “You spent 100 grand on your boat, your truck and all your gear to catch a fish a 5-year-old could catch from the bank with a bobber and a worm. I use bass for bait,” one Facebook user wrote.
A lot of folks chimed in with the “bass are bait” comeback.
KVD himself jumped on to clarify the video is fake, but still, people seem to be missing the message.
“I never said any of that. This is a fake AI video that we’ve reported. One of my most memorable moments in my career was catching a 90-pound blue catfish on Wheeler Lake,” VanDam wrote in the comments.
Sadly this little social media flare up highlights two clear points. First, there’s too much animosity between anglers within the fishing community. Second, fake AI generated content is going to be a problem for us all.
So the next time you see a post that really grinds your gears, take 10 seconds to verify that it’s authentic — or not. There’s going to be a bunch of people who walk away from this post who will be wrongly pissed at KVD and bass fishermen in general. That’s a shame.
For what it’s worth, I once fished with KVD at a media event years ago. As you might guess he was sharply intense, but he was also a great guy. He taught me how to properly fish a drop shot and he was genuinely happy for me when I caught a couple of good ones out of the back of his boat.
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I could tell that he cared a lot about his image and how he represented pro fishing — and fishing in general. Over the two days that I hung out with him, he was the consummate professional when dealing with fans, media, and other competitors.
I could not imagine KVD ever tearing down other fishermen like this, which is partly what makes the video funny — but only if you know that it’s fake.
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