Beginning next year, weekend anglers who pursue a Bassmaster Classic berth through the ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series (EOBS) won't have to beat out tour pros to gain the coveted slot that goes to the series champion.
A BASS official said today that the organization will ban current Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour and FLW Series anglers from the EOBS starting in 2007. The decision was reached March 20, so pros who registered for this year's events prior to that date will be allowed to compete.
The official said BASS made the decision based on comments from EOBS participants about having to fish against pros. Elite Series angler Jason Quinn of South Carolina was one of the top competitors on the EOBS last year and finished 9th in the championship tournament.
"A lot of the feedback we got was that they (weekend anglers) didn't necessarily like fishing against some of the top anglers in the country – guys who fish for a living," the official said. "They thought it was unfair that the pros could walk away with the top prizes and get the Classic berth in a series that was created with the weekend angler in mind.
"That was the background for the decision, and we think it was the correct move."
The official said that to his knowledge, no Elite Series anglers had registered for this year's EOBS prior to the cutoff date. However, there may be one or more FLW pros fishing this year.
Jeff Coble of North Carolina won the inaugural EOBS Championship in January and finished 13th at the Classic.
