I know some will say it was at the intermediate level, but Ray Hanselman winning all three Rayovacs in a division plus the championship in a different geographic region of the country is one of the most impressive feats I have witnessed in my 35 years of tournament bass fishing. That will likely never be duplicated in my lifetime. Unbelievable.
RE: BFL co-anglers – Wow! Is this what anglers.want? Pay to not have a competitor in the back of the boat for the sake of keeping secret spots? What if your observer is with the local newspaper and puts photos of your spots in the Sunday paper? It has to be equal for all.
You cannot buy your way into an empty back deck. What's next, pay another $100 to save your creek or cove before the tournament? Also, I wonder how many of the "observers" will actually show up at 5 a.m. on a cold, rainy day. If yours doesn't show, you should be sent home.
RE: BFL co-anglers – I've been fishing BFLs since 2001 and I really don't care who's in the back of the boat. The last thing I want to see is an increase again for entry fees for the "weekend angler." This is just another example of someone wanting to just pay more money to eliminate some competetion. This is not going to increase the field size.
I learn from people I fish with regardless of who fishes with me. Yes, I have guided a few non-boaters to some great finishes, but those are the breaks. Be happy for the person and move on.
I really hate to say this because I have nothing against people who can afford to fish whatever they want, we all make choices in our lives. But honestly, the cost of tournaments in general are pricing people out. It has quickly become unrealistic for an average person to be able to afford to compete. Now you have someone propse a higher entry fee to eliminate a non-boater.
In 2001, entry into BFL was $150 for a boater and a Rayovac was $600. This year a BFL is $230 and a Rayovac $1,600!? Does the winner get much more that they did in 2001? Does the payout increase reflect the entry increase over this timeframe?
RE: Balog on FLW changes - I like the FLW Tour and I really love it when they come here to Beaver Lake, but I think they also need to look at changing the lakes that they fish. They always fish the same lakes every year and I know a lot of that has to do with sponsors (Walmart for Beaver Lake). While I like them coming here, I believe it is time for FLW to consider fishing different lakes around the country and maybe this would help grow their fan base.
RE: Balog on FLW changes – I do believe FLW has to figure a way to give their Tour pros more opportunities. Like going back to the four Opens. Also, how about about checking into how many anglers fish entry-level tournaments in both B.A.S.S. and FLW. The grassroots BFL seems to be the highest entry-level tournaments. FLW has probably a much bigger overhead offering all those tournaments across the country. I applaud FLW.
Times are tough in this economy and cutbacks are required to stay in business. I would assume most disgruntled anglers complaining about the payout cuts are usually not contenders anyway.
It appears that B A S S is ascending while FLW is descending in the public eye. Major League Fishing is becoming increasingly popular. The MLF's unique format is that "fresh" thing in tournament bass fishing we needed.
I sent the following email to FLW today. I think the BFL boaters should have the option of paying more to have an observer instead of a co-angler. I'm curious as to what the tournament fishing community thinks of this idea:
Ms. Fennel,
I have an idea that I think would cause FLW to have totally full BFL boater fields. My suggestion is that the role of the back-seater be rethought.
Boaters would prefer to fish by themselves. There is no doubt about this. One can simply look at the Elite Series and the FLW Tour and see that boaters do not want the co-angler messing up his day. I think I know how to solve this issue, keep integrity in the sport, and have you guys make more money.
Think about this idea:
For boaters, if they have a link that is a co-angler, they pay the normal tournament entry fees, just like today. And just like today, their co-angler link is linked with another boater for the tournament and the boater who brought the co-angler gets paired with another co-angler, just like it has been for several years in the BFL.
For boaters who do not want a co-angler, they pay an extra $100 per tournament. They also must have an observer that they link with. During the pairings, boaters who bring observers are paired with observers only. The observers get a check from FLW, after the tournament, for $50 bucks. The rest of the extra $100 the boater paid could be distributed such as:
> FLW could keep the $50 bucks.
> FLW could keep $25 bucks per angler and have a "door prize drawing" for the observers, after the tournament, for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (say 50%, 30%, and 20% of the other $25 bucks per angler).
> FLW could raffle off the other $50 bucks per angler as a whole, to the observers.
I think this would drive a lot more excitement and participation into the sport at the BFL level. Boaters can pay to not be bothered by a co-angler, co-anglers would draw boaters who like co-anglers, observers are paid, and observers have a chance to draw even more money than the $50 bucks their paid. And FLW stands to make another buck on all the anglers who want to take advantage of the no-co-angler option.
The no-co possibility would not be in play for regionals or the All-American.
The no-co option also would protect the anglers' fishing spots. As it stands right now, if a person draws a co-angler, that co is getting a first-class guide trip on the boater's waters ... much of which took a boater years to develop. In the no-co option, the back seat isn't fishing, doesn't "feel out" the area during fishing, and is likely not as "hardcore" as the current co-anglers are.
As a boater in BFLs since 2000, I'd be glad to pony up an extra $100 and bring an observer, no question.
Perhaps you guys should put out a questionnaire about this possibility and see what the feedback is.
Just trying to make this more fun. For me as a boater, sometimes, the co-anglers can be a burden ... and sometimes enough that I don't sign up for tournaments because I dread some of them.
Hope you find this interesting and helpful.
RE: Balog on FLW changes _ As you have pointed out before, it's good to have choices. For guys like me who are business professionals first and bass pros a distant second, FLW provides us with the flexibility needed to hold down a day job and also make some money fishing at the highest level. If you want to be a full-time touring pro, B.A.S.S. offers a much larger exposure platform to build your personal brand. I'm just glad there is room for all of us to play this game!
RE: Megabass promotes Maruyama – Congratulations to Mr. Yuskei. I've "known" him for more than a decade as a dedicated Megabass representative. Continued success to him and the Megabass brand.
RE: TBF expansion – Will have to read the details, but love the way it sounds!
RE: FLW changes – I think it's awesome to see FLW recognize the necessity for a more sustainable model. It's all about "financial survival" on both sides of the tournament fishing game. Any series boasting inflated payouts is doomed and ultimately folds; let's hope this is a move that puts FLW back in line for continued growth moving forward and once again filling their fields.
RE: Defining pros – The concept of a "pro" angler is debatable. A pro baseball player is paid to play his sport. A pro football player is paid to play his sport. A pro golfer is paid in his/her sport if they finish high enough in the standings. They do usually pay a modest fee of about $100 per year, and a $50 fee for the locker room at each tournament.
The league minimum salaries for baseball and football are in the $500,000 per year range. The average golfer makes substantially more than that.
A "pro" angler pays over $4,000 per tournament with the hopes of winning a mere $100,000 top prize, and the odds of winning one of these tournaments are high. Most just hope to "make a check" to help defray expenses.
This sport isn't all about talent and skill. This sport is all about coming up with the funds to participate. If you can pay to play, then you are a pro. Try telling the guy who perhaps cashed checks in say, three tournaments during the year, and then come tax time has to pay the government its share, that he is not a pro.
A pro is the guy who pays for the chance to win money. Plain and simple.
RE: FLW pros react _ Hey Dan Morehead, to answer your question about FLW payouts ... Yes, it's this or go out of business. You're welcome.
RE: Defining pros – I know Bass Pro Shops spends a lot on its pro staff and sponsorship in the fishing industry, but in my view they could, and should, be doing a bit more. If they simply took half the money they spend in NASCAR and directed it at the fishing industry, they would be helping the community that is making the company such a success.
Hey FLW, you better look over your shoulder ... ABA is coming like a freight train! Like the Ram Open Series payouts and format! Plus, if they don't have enough co-anglers, boaters can still fish alone!
FLW needs help and quick or the BFLs are going to dry up. The BFL numbers are low and they wonder why? Why not lower the entry fees since you all are cutting costs and payouts elsewhere? We need Charlie back at the helm!
Bass fishermen are always looking for the best way to catch more fish. Many anglers are finding the topwater frog to be just what they need, but what many of them don’t know is that they could be missing out on some key bites. To catch better numbers and bigger bass, you should fish the frog to its full potential.
You have probably heard that the best time to use a frog is during the morning and evening hours. While it is true that these are key times, you shouldn’t overlook the opportunities in the middle of the day. As long as you are more aggressive with your retrieve, the bass will bite on even the hottest of summer days.
One thing that tends to turn people off from using a frog is the bad reputation it has for missing fish. If you find this to be an issue, there are a few things you can do to fix it. It is very important to give the fish some time before setting the hook. Also, trimming the legs of the frog to about two inches and bending the hooks up a bit will help you catch more fish.
When fished right, a topwater frog can produce a great day on the water. There is no other experience quite like seeing a bass attack a bait on the surface. It will all pay off when you land your next 5-pounder.
RE: Lappin's passion – I've had the pleasure of working directly with Ron on many projects/events. Thank you for accurately recognizing him so well.
This is what makes our industry so special. Ron represents the best of it. Where a man with passion, integrity, hard work, and most importantly, genuine excitement for other's success is the model to follow. In so many other professions, leadership is defined by advanced degrees, fancy credentials, and getting ahead by looking out for No. 1. Ron has more wisdom and positive influence than he sometimes gives himself credit for.
If Ron asks for help, people will jump at the chance, not because of his title or position, but because "it's Ron" and he's built so much respect, and helped build up so many others along his career. That's what leadership is about.
Finally, FLW anglers are lucky to have him on stage and not on the water competing because he sure can catch them too!
I'm blessed to call him a friend and to have learned from him along the way. Thank you, BasFan!
RE: 68-hour drive _ It would seem Mr. England caught a keeper when he met his Mrs. Many more happy, healthy and casting years to them!
Only FLW can cut $800,000 from it's payback, raise entry fees, and then act like they did us a favor. They literally think we are idiots and I think they are correct.
RE: FLW changes – Here are the real numbers:
FLW entry fees in 2 years have gone from $4,000 to $4,500 per tournament. That’s $3,000 more per angler per year, times 150 equals a $450,000 entry fee increase for 2016
Payback has decreased by only paying 50 places. That's $100,000 per event times 6 events equals $600,000.
The Forrest Wood Cup gets $300,000 instead of $500,000.
So for 2016, the payback has been decreased by $850,000 on pro side and there's a $450,000 increase in entry fees. That's $1.25 million taken from the anglers.
RE: B.A.S.S. changes – I have been a member of B.A.S.S. since the 1970s but I am not rejoining after my membership runs out. I hope others feel the same way.
RE: Balog on B.A.S.S. changes – Just to put this into perspective, 108 B.A.S.S. pros are going to pay $48,375 each. That come out to $5,224,500. Wow!
RE: 2016 Bassmaster Opens – What's up with the Central Open locations? There's not much central about the Red River. With the exception of the Kissimmee stop the Southern Opens are more "central" than the Central Opens.
RE: FLW 2016 changs – It's good that FLW added two more major events. It's sad, though, that the Cup has gone from $1 million to win to $300,000. I would love to see some organization with huge pockets do what it takes to combine the FLW tour and Elite Series into a 12-event big money series. As it stands, though, I'd settle for FLW having some tour events in the North and stop recycling the same boring ledge-fishing, bumper-boat events and throw in some smallmouth lakes or some tidewater. Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho would make for one amazing tour event.
RE: FLW 2016 changes – All in all, I think these changes are what the anglers asked for. More ability to promote their own sponsors and more events. I hate that the Cup payout got cut, but it's now compatible to the Classic payout. Great job, FLW, for listening to the anglers.
RE: B.A.S.S. changes – Just curious, how many places do the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA, ATP leave open for amateurs in their various championships?
RE: Balog on B.A.S.S. changes – Thanks, Joe, for covering some of the concerns I seem to share with the pro bass fishing system. It seems to me that there is a movement towards B.A.S.S right now which will leave them no choice other than to cut the poor performers from the Elite Series if they want to keep numbers around 110. That, in turn, will leave a bunch of guys without income streams needing to fish the Opens to re-qualify and receive minimal exposure with minimal chances at making a living.
RE: Lowen's consistency – It would be nice to have a more complete breakdown of his patterns that were sucessful for him.
RE: B.A.S.S. changes – B.A.S.S. made the choice a long time ago. The average Joe doesn't make a difference. It's all about the money. This is why I will no longer pay any kind of membership fee for either FLW or B.A.S.S.
RE: B.A.S.S. changes – 30,000 B.A.S.S. Nation members get 3 Bassmaster Classic spots, down from 6 spots. That's 1 for each 10,000 members fishing their way through club, then state, then divisional, then national-level competition, buying new boats and tackle and everything else along the way. Then B.A.S.S. comes up with a new format for 2016 where 8 pros fish out of Buffalo, N.Y., for 1 Classic spot. This is a slap in the face to the thousands of B.A.S.S. Nation anglers that support the sport and organization. But we all will still fight and claw our way through the tournaments, buying fishing stuff and dreaming of one day making it to the Bassmaster Classic.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron is a special guy. When you fish his tournaments he makes you feel part of a family instead of just a customer. Great article on a great dude.
RE: B.A.S.S. changes – Well for sure all the B.A.S.S. Nation clubs should change to FLW format. Crush all the little guys' dreams of ever fishing the Classic. Not cool.
RE: Lappin's passion – Wow, BassFan struck a nerve with the Ron Lappin story. Great work and what an honor for Ron to have the industry he serves recognize him with so many accolades. Fantastic to see the impact! I hope his senior leadership has publicly acknowledged his impact and dedication as well! Congrats, Mr. Lappin, on a life and career of significance and positively impacting others!
RE: Pro Angler Survey – Interesting data: 55 to 60 percent indicated they made money. Even if they netted 30K, with the hours these guys log in, thats a $10 an hour job. Without the big money the organizations are not going to get the best of the best. The best talent in any sport follows the money. You can't live on the love of the sport.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron is an amazing guy! I volunteered this year at the Lake Champlain Northern Rayovac and he and his team taught me so much about tournaments and fish care. I'm 8 and want to be a pro fisherman and teach kids how to fish when I grow up. Thank you Ron for all you do!
RE: Lappin's passion – Best tournament director out there and even a better person. Glad to call him my friend.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron Lappin is the BEST in the business and an all-around great man.
RE: Lappin's passion – I have fished some tournaments that Ron Lappin was the director. He is the greatest. He makes you feel comfortable on stage. I would enjoy seeing him again.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron does a great job with the Rayovac Series and we thank him and Joan for all they have done to continue the events here in the West. Our favorite tournament director.
RE: Balog on sponsorships – Joe, great article! Could not agree more!
RE: Menendez DQ – I think it's kind of funny that several weeks ago at the St. Lawrence River, Mark Menendez stated that he intended to press charges against a harassing landowner (which was stated to be illegal ), then he himself brings an illegal fish to weigh-in and says nothing until a day after the tournament. He says it was the heat of the moment. Maybe that's what happened to the landowner. I just believe that anyone who brings an illegal fish to the scales should not only be penalized by the tournament, but fined by the DNR for breaking the law. I doubt Menendez will continue his harassment charge knowing he is a public law-breaker also. I have no bad feelings toward Mark, but watch where you throw stones.
BassFan says: The case involving the landowner who confronted Menendez at the St. Lawrence River Elite Series is now closed. The man was cited for "fisherman harassment" and paid a $175 fine.
RE: Lappin's passion – Thank you for writing on Ron Lappin. I have fished very few FLW events and several Red Man and many more B.A.S.S. events. Then there are countless others over the last 40-plus years of competing. In considering all tournament directors over time, Ron is a class act and one of the best ever.
RE: Lappin's passion – Absolutely the best in the business, period. Sets the bar high and hits the mark every time! Ron and his crew are family to me and many others. Much respect!
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron Lappin excels at directing tournaments because he is an excellent person. I feel that a man of his integrity is a rarity, not only in the realm of competitive fishing, but in today's world. I am honored to have met him, and look forward to each time we cross paths.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron is one of the most professional tournament directors I've ever weighed in with. Great guy!
RE: Lappin's passion – I met Ron when he ran a tournament on the upper bay in North East, MD. When I spoke with Ron it was like you were talking to a friend that cared about what you were saying. This is only one of many things that make Ron an excellent tournament director. Look forward to seeing Ron again when they return to this area.
RE: Lappin's passion – Ron Lappin is the primary reason I will continue to fish with FLW.
RE: Lappin's passion – Nice to see Ron getting a little recognition for all his hard work. The man is a Hall of Famer in the tournament director category.
RE: Lappin's passion – Anyone who really knows Ron will tell you that this story on him is 100 percent true. He is a man of great passion for the sport and everyone he talks with will be treated the same. I spent many years fishing B.A.S.S. and FLW and will have to say he is the best at what he does and has the best team helping him.
RE: Lappin's passion – Thanks for the great article on FLW Series Tournament Director Ron Lappin. Ron is tops in the industry and very dedicated to what he does both at FLW and in his community! We are so blessed to work with Ron and Joan Lappin and call them our friends!
RE: Lappin's passion – This is one of the best articles I've read on BassFan in a while and I've looked at this site most everyday for years. Congratulations on a great article on someone's who's getting the job done with pride.
RE: Clausen's Elite Series berth – I think that this is what makes the sport of top level bass fishing so great. Two great tournament organizations with two considerably different business models giving anglers the opportunity to make a choice and even swap back and forth between trails. I wish that B.A.S.S. would not cover the dates of FLW and vice versa. Some anglers are tough enough to compete in both tours such as Ish Monroe, who is an awesome draw if you ever get the chance at the FLW Tour level. Good luck to Luke Clausen in his marriage and his fishing in 2016.
RE: Clausen's Elite Series berth – FLW is becoming the prep league for the Elite Series.
RE: Pro Angler Survey – From a lifestyle perspective, I have a huge passion for fishing and hunting. I travel professionally around the U.S. on business and often engage in outdoor recreation conversation. Generally speaking, about 35 percent of business professionals I talk with hunt or fish. Probably 1 percent have heard of B.A.S.S. and 0 percent of FLW. So, awareness/interest is quite low from a national perspective. Secondly, I have thought for years that it doesn't make a lot of sense to split the sponsor base for funds. Sponsors have the upper hand. If there was one national professional tour, they would be forced to play ball or sit on the sidelines. Third, in today's business world, you have to innovate or you die. I don't see Irwin or Irwin's daughter Trish Blake moving there other than PR stunts and Jerry McKinnis.
RE: Pro angler survey – To all of you who are against the Elites and FLW Tour not having co-anglers, I only have one question for you: Do the B.A.S.S. Opens and Rayovacs not still allow co-anglers? Do the BFLs, ABA and many other lower-level circuits not also allow co-anglers?
These are supposed to be the professional divisions. Many of these guys started at the club level or BFL division and won many tournaments on their way to becoming a pro (although some simply began in Opens in boats their parents bought and had their entry fees paid by parents and only had to concentrate on fishing until they qualified, but that's a whole different post) and if the only thing that changed by becoming a pro was a higher entry fee then we can hardly consider it a pro sport.
Co-anglers are not pros and there are hundreds, if not thousands of tournaments all over the country that allow co-anglers to compete. I've done dozens of tournaments as a co-angler, yet I'm 100 percent against them being allowed to compete on the FLW Tour or Elite Series.
RE: Pro angler survey – Interesting and fun.
RE: Pro angler survey – I think the people surveyed have a lot of valid points on many issues. I do think there should be an organized group for the sport of bass fishing that regulates tournaments, participants and sponsors as well as protects and promotes the sport and industry.
The statement of "No co-anglers" really irritates me. My son is a Boy Scout. He doesn't like hanging with the younger Cub Scouts once or twice a year. I tell him you have to pay forward what others paid to you when you were young. These Pros complain about money, sponsors, not enough publicity, representation, retirement. Why are they trying to cut their own grassroots supporters and those who aren't quite as financially set as they are? What a God complex; worship me, pay me lots of money, limit my competitors, pay my expenses in a sport that is basically nonexistent to 99 percent of the population of the United States.
There are less than 1,000 TBF members in Pennsylvania. Maryland TBF bring in their wives to meet the yearly quota for membership; about 56 I've heard. One of the great fishing states of the East Coast. With those kinds of demographics, they should be lucky to get a free happy meal at McDonald's.
The sport needs help to grow, and the pros have to contribute to their future. The two cases of product I just got from my sponsor have to be sold for me to get my money. That's the deal. Buy at 50%, promote/sell product, you keep the profits.
MLF has the perfect format to gain new fans and viewership. It doesn't have to be live – yet. Right now it's a real reality show that works. People are willing to wait for the next episode, and they do wait, too.
Hopefully things will get better with this sport and it will grow in a positive manner for all. We do have to ask ourselves a question: How many more bass anglers do we want on the water when we don't like pleasure boaters, jet skis, sail boats, trollers, and co-anglers?
RE: Pro angler survey – I'm a co angler on the FLW side. It's been a great learning experience but I hate being a co. Do away with us! Throw us out! Stop our self inflicted-pain.
Actually I would suggest a 3-year max on co-anglerss. It is a great way to step up, but that's what it should be – a stepping stone. No more professional co-anglers.
RE: Pro angler survey – It sounds like the touring pros need to organize a union. It is great to belong to one and has worked great for most other sports.
RE: Balog on fish smarts – I always wondered just how far a bass would travel on this immense (Louisiana) Delta of over 200 square miles. This wonder led to a lifetime of studying the bass movement and life cycle. I agree with Joe, human activity can have sudden and long-term effects on these bass.
I started tagging bass back in the '70s and collected more than just a little info on their movements and habits. One thing I started to notice around 15 years ago was their spawning habits in relation to the fishing pressure exerted on the area. Bass here on the Delta spawn in various places, but the majority spawn in oilfield dead-end canals. These dead-ends have good water, food and cover. The bass will move from the major waterways around the end of December, and start to migrate to go into these dead-ends that are connected to the larger waterways.
I would set up at the mouth of the intersecting waterways and catch them coming in, and then going out. The bass used to stay in these dead-ends until February, some until March. There, the spawning would take place. As fishing pressure mounted, the number of boats fishing these dead-ends started to really increase in the late '90s ... and it was not unusual to find a few dozen boats in these canals each and every day. The oldest bass changed the quickest and started to spend less and less time in the dead-ends. Now, I will catch a bass coming into a dead-end in late January, tag and release her, and catch her coming out in 2 to 4 days. She will go in, find a male, spawn and leave the male for the main waterway.
This just astounded me to see how they changed their life cycle due to the immense pressure of the fishermen.
The February Classic took the kids away and it also stopped any northern Classic. The water is a little hard that time of the year.
RE: Pro angler survey: I understand the real pros wanting more guaranteed money in the sport, but it is what it is. Tournament bass fishing can't be artificially made bigger. ESPN just about ruined it when they owned it. It is fast becoming a rich person's sport.
I agree that pros shouldn't compete in lower-level events, but totally get it. I fished two Illini BFL tournaments this year that Dan Morehead fished in. I assume he was practicing for the Rayovac Championship, but still, really. I don't fault him.
The age of 21-foot boats with 250-hp outboards has made it difficult. And I don't know how they could enforce the rules much better. I agree that they should be, but it's a tough task.
I think all outside information should be illegal. It's amazing when you watch on TV you see these guys sitting in the middle of nowhere fishing two big stumps in 20 feet of water. In most cases, they sure didn't find those on their own. Outside help de-legitimizes the sport.
Personally, I like the MLF format. I was a skeptic at first, but I think it's the best.
RE: Pro angler survey – The only way sponsorship money is going to find its way into purses is for anglers to demand it, not ask for it. Why should tour promoters put money into purses if they can fill fields without doing so? Anglers have to understand that they put on the show, now more than ever because of onboard cameras.
Every professional sport put money into the pockets of performers only when it had to. Bass fishermen have to understand this and stand up for themselves, or they will always be on the outside looking in when it comes to money.
RE: Pro angler survey _ I think that B.A.S.S. should allow catch-and-release-type landing nets in tournaments (I believe FLW already does). It's proven that they do not harm the fish and I think if a professional angler hooks a crucial fish, he or she should have the option to flip it in or net it.
RE: Angler survey – Any sport is as profitable as supply and demand allow it to be. Too small of a fan base to upgrade all these financial things the comments reflect. If there was money in it, ESPN would have kept it. No money in this sport comparatively speaking, so unless that changes this will never be golf or NASCAR.
RE: Lefebre's options _ Glad to see Dave come over to the Elite Series. I'm sure there's more to follow. Would love to see Scott Martin make the move as well.
RE: Pro angler survey – I thought the professional angler who answered that there are many on the tours who'll "do anything for a bag of worms" is clearly part of his very own "unity" problem. What's more, anyone fishing at that level stepped up the rungs of the professional fishing ladder. Additionally, his issue with the shallow sponsor pool is easily rectified by winning more tournaments or opening a business that allows him to fish with fewer financial concerns.
Finally, the overwhelming agreement to unionize is surprising, considering most every angler on tour, realistically, depends upon themselves to fish. Their sponsors, or the like, are not making tournament-day decisions for them.
RE: Pro angler survey _ Not just the pros, but everyone who competes and has a vested interest needs to get on the same page regarding information sharing, liberal use of sponsorship claims and forming a union that forces B.A.S.S. and FLW to be transparent in what they are doing with the money that comes in.
There are only 200 or so true traveling pros, which leaves them weak in terms of a voice for change that benefits them and the sport. Pros shouldn't have to poach lower-level tournaments to support themselves but as it stands now, they don't have much of a choice.
Tennis would be a good business model to follow, but again, it requires more than just the few at the highest level to make it a reality.
In my opinion, FLW has been the minor leagues for years now. I'm happy to see the pros who can see the light try and qualify. The question is will the Elites create a way to let the up and coming young pros (who no doubt want to make the switch, but don't qualify) cross over and further decimate FLW legitimacy?
RE: Pro angler survey – Great article. Regarding scales, Wesley Strader asked for and received a re-weigh of his fish when he couldn't believe the announced weight at the Toho FLW. They re-weighed the same. That wasn't shown on the TV show. I was at the weigh-in and saw this.
RE: Balog on Bass smarts – I agree, in our lifetime we have witnessed a change in fish behavior due to tournament/fishing pressure. As far as how smart is our prey? I always laugh about what a saltwater guide told me years ago: "You are worried about them seeing your line ... they swim into nets."
RE: Kayak bassers – I wanted to point out that the Kayak Angler Tournament Series, aka KATS is having its 10th aniversary this year. It was started by Dennis Hermes in 2006. In no way am I suggesting it wad the first ever. I just want to point out that KBF started 3 years later.
In response to the survey: The Bassmaster Classic win got diluted when ESPN moved the event to February. Imagine any World Series, SuperBowl or other championship starting a season. The winners have no time or opportunity to prosper for their accomplishment. They can not equitably advance endorsements and it reduced the value of a Classic win. There is no "show tour" as they go from winner to competitor within weeks, as the next Elite event starts. This comes from a perspective of someone who has attended many Classics.
The February Classic also took families out of the equation on tourism with the event during a school year. This was done to get media attention before Daytona and post football, during dead media space. It conflicts momentum and involvement of youth, high school and college anglers in our sport. It basically has taken over a decade of youth away from engaging anglers and realizing the fun of celebration at a Classic event – something that goes well to promote youngsters' involvement in fishing. The lakeside youth fishing days at a Classic once drew kids from all over the USA. A return to that end-of-season format would better allow a clear following of the sports season, improve promotion and endorsement of the anglers, engage a generational loss we have experienced and expand the diversity and crowds from other farther away areas.
The Classic is less a family vacation choice than it ever was. It is an enthusiast's destination goal and we have seen enthusiasm spike with the youth events.
By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
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By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
PALATKA, Fla. — John Cox grew up on Florida’s east coast, so he is intimately familiar with nearly every section of the
By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff
LEESBURG, Fla. — Sometimes, you close the door. Other times, you slam it shut. John Garrett did the latter and tallied
