Traditionally, competitors at the Bassmaster Classic are barred from receiving local help within 30 days of the start of the official practice period (per BASS Rule 3). However, as previously noted on BassFan, that rule was changed for this Classic and competitors were allowed to receive local information up until midnight Monday (official practice began Tuesday).
BassFan did receive a clarification from BASS on why the rule was changed this year. It boils down to the BASS Federation Nation National Championship and Weekend Series Championship, which in total qualified seven anglers for the Classic within the traditional 30-days no-info period. BASS wanted to ensure that the rules were equal to all competitors, so it lifted the 30-day no-info rule. Whether any competitors took advantage of the freedom to collect local information isn't known.
