Just in case some BassFans still harbored hopes for the future of two-tour angling, the 2008 schedules once again prohibit the practice.
BASS released its 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule on June 16. FLW Outdoors announced its schedule about a month later, with two dates smack dab on top of BASS's dates. The FLW Tour's Lewis Smith stop is the same weekend as BASS's Falcon Lake event in Texas (April 3–6). And the FLW Tour's Wal-Mart Open at Beaver Lake falls on top of BASS's Murray event.
Like this year, there's opportunity for BASS pros to enter the other four 2008 FLW Tour events as the schedule allows, but signup might be hampered by their year spent away, since automatic requalification's out the window. Then again, FLW Outdoors regularly allows non-full-time Tour anglers to register for events in order to fill the field, so some BASS pros could likely enter at least some events – especially those later in the season.
FLW Tour and Series pros are not permitted to selectively register for Elite Series events, since BASS policy states that Elite Series pros must fish the entire season.
BASS pros will presumably also be able to register for select FLW Series events. The 2008 FLW Series schedule has not yet been announced.
