Another week, another tournament cancelled/prematurely concluded by B.A.S.S. and FLW. Might be tough getting future communities to "buy" into having these organizations host an event if they don't actually fish.
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July 2018
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Dustin Daggett of Twin Lakes, CO writes:
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 -
Mike Prickett of Evans, GA writes:
Monday, July 30, 2018RE: Chesapeake Elite cancellation – Thank you for your wisdom in cancelling this tournament in lieu of risking competitors' lives in this type weather. This should be done more before someone gets badily injured or possibly worse.
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Boots Beasley of Mooresville, NC writes:
Sunday, July 29, 2018RE: Chesapeake Elite cancellation – Good Move and hats off for making a very tough call.
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Thad Teske of Eden Prairie, MN writes:
Thursday, July 26, 2018RE: Favorite Zoom bait – The Ultra Vibe catches fish – small ones, large ones and good numbers.
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Steven Rockweiler of Luling, La writes:
Wednesday, July 25, 2018FLW eliminating co-Anglers was bound to happen. Professional competitive bass fishing, truly started by Ray Scott, has been the main driver for companies producing goods for the bass fishing market. The amount of goods sold, and the technology behind them in the '60s and '70s, are miniscule compared to today's products and technology. The pro endorsement is still a driving force for introducing new products, but the truly successful companies are marketing directly to the club and local tournament angler.
The truly small base of co-anglers who fished B.A.S.S. and FLW are a very small part of the economic fishing equation. I feel bad that the co-angler has been totally removed from the upper level ... although the pros are celebrating. Even a pro had a starting point, which they seem to forget once they have "made it." Being a competitive angler since 1970 on the Louisiana Delta, I find myself more and more disinterested in the pro fishing scene. Perhaps it is just Father Time.
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Fisher Jones Beasley III of Mooresville, NC writes:
Monday, July 23, 2018RE: Ranger at White House – First-class man and President needs a first-class boat. Donald, you Da Man!
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Edmond Brown of Trion, GA writes:
Thursday, July 19, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – As a co-angler who has fished every division of FLW, I think they just made a huge mistake. Many co-anglers lost intrest in the Tour when they took away the chance to fish the Forrest Wood Cup as a co. Now they cut them out totally.
The changes at FLW are the big reason that the BFLs are no longer filling up. When I started the BFL had 200 boats and a waiting list. Many do not break 100 boats by mid-season. Co-anglers have been a huge income-producing entity helping to finance FLW.
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Reed Finley of Oconomowoc, WI writes:
Thursday, July 19, 2018RE: Balog on co-angler elimination – Joe, I ask this question to you because you should have access to data which will answer this. Of the 150-plus co-anglers per tournament, how many of those have made the move to the boater side of the Tour? I know that certainly there have been some, although I believe it is a very small and gradually diminishing percentage. If this is true, then it would support FLW's position. I would like to know what the actual data says.
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Brent Chitty of Moultrie, GA writes:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018RE: Co-angler sounds off – Very well written, Mark. I am sure if I were a competing pro I would prefer not to have a co on board. But having co-anglers solidified the "base" of competitors by involving more fishermen and I am not sure this is best for the sport going forward.
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Terry L. Bonsell of Fruitland Park, FL writes:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – About time. I emailed FLW about signing up to marshal. No reply?
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Remi DeMatteo of Saint Bernard, LA writes:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – The term "elite" has more and more significance. Keep distancing yourselves from the people who spend nearly a billion dollars and watch what happens.
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Mark Lamb of Wake Forest, NC writes:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – I really do not have a dog in this fight since rules are rules and I understand business drives behaviors. I will say that I have fished as a co-angler on both B.A.S.S. and FLW and can say I have never and will never serve as a marshal. But the question I have for BassFan is what is the take from the sponsors? Another comment below brought up a good point about the captive audience a co-angler is for sponsor products. So the question would be, can we get some feedback from sponsors? You can let them comment on this anonymously to let them speak freely. I think that would be great insight.
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Johnny McLean of Little Rock, AR writes:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – I understand why many of the boaters (I hesitate to call all of them professionals due to their behavior on the water) wanted to eliminate the no-boater. However, if you cannot fill all of the marshal spots and you have one cheating scandal, professional bass fishing will be back to square one. I would like to hear Ray Scott's opinion.
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Todd Moore of Peru, NY writes:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – The time for co-anglers to be eliminated was way overdue. The FLW Tour is now beyond needing a person in the back. It is not the days of mostly weekend jackpot fishermen, these are mostly guys who have earned the right to be called a Tour-level pro. If you want to be a professional co-angler, it looks like the lower-level circuits are still there to fill your need and desire to compete. But on all Tour-level events, there should not be someone in the back of the boat whose sole mission is to beat you and catch your fish, which absolutely effects the outcome that day and perhaps the tournament.
Sure, most co-anglers are going to complain it's gone. It was a sweet deal for them – show up at registration, climb in your paired pro's boat, go fish and brag you were better than your "so-called" pro that day because you caught HIS fish he spent days maybe weeks in pre-fish to find, not you. Not to mention expense. Cry me a river ... good move, FLW.
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Mike Entile of Aurora, IL writes:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018RE: Co-angler sounds off – Well-expressed and I totally agree with everything stated. I've been a B.A.S.S. marshal on one occasion and and a co-angler in numerous B.A.S.S. and FLW events. The difference between active participation and passive observation is the difference of night and day. Dealing with a long and rough boat ride in foul weather only to keep your seat while the pro fishes is for chumps.
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George Myers of Raleigh, NC writes:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018RE: Co-angler sounds off – This was very well-written and thought out based on true experience. I have done both boater and co-angler and see both sides, but will say the FLW Tour co-angler was the best of the best, so kudos to FLW for lasting as long as it did!
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Skip Bennett of Texico, IL writes:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – The elimination of co-anglers is not really surprising. In the years past it was a worthwhile adventure – you could fish 3 or 4 days with great people and learn a lot, but lately only being able to fish 2 days was financially not attractive. This will definitely expedite the long weigh-ins and I doubt they will fill half the marshal positions.
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Mike Smith of Forest City, AR writes:
Monday, July 16, 2018RE: No more Tour co-anglers – Another step backwards for FLW. True, the co-angler trail to fish as a boater has faded, but the real benefits are for the sponsor of the boater. For years I competed as a co-angler with B.A.S.S. and supported the sponsors, as did many of my friends in our very large clubs. When B.A.S.S. cut the program, I and many other anglers lost interest. Co-anglers are a great way to show your products.
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Tom Horner of Cortland, NY writes:
Friday, July 13, 2018No more co-anglers? What corporate schmuck came up with idea? Now they're "marshals." As my grandfather used to say, "Do not (pee) down my back and tell me it's raining." You've lost a fan.
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Manny Lenau of Vass, NC writes:
Thursday, July 12, 2018Fantastic move by FLW to eliminate co-anglers at the Tour level. I’m a big fan of co-anglers in tournaments that I fish. However, the professional level is not the place for a co-angler program.
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John A. Argese of Taylors, SC writes:
Wednesday, July 11, 2018RE: VanDam's MLF prowess – Does this mean we're finally allowed to consider MLF as a legitimate tournament organization?
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Rob Dixon of Lewistown, PA writes:
Saturday, July 7, 2018Gatorade, sugar-free Red Bull, Adrafinil and some L-Dopa will give anyone a competitive edge during a tournament. All legal and capable of turning a lazy slug into an energized, focused and clear-headed angler. Trust me, it will totally change your tournament fishing and potentially your entire life.
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Sammy Crouch of Gilbert, SC writes:
Friday, July 6, 2018I was a captain teaching Army ROTC at Clemson University from 1977-1980 and fishing bass tournaments in South Carolina and Georgia. I left for Germany in 1981 and had not heard of Zoom. When I got back in '84, Zoom lizards were the hot bait, but they were not national at the time. I was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. and fishing Lake of the Ozarks. I ordered them by the hundred bags for my fishing friends. I can't believe you didn't list lizards among the favorites.
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Allan Bridgford Jr. of Chicago,IL writes:
Thursday, July 5, 2018RE: Balog on Cup qualification – Another insightful article from Joe. Thirteen anglers with no FLW Tour experience qualify for the Cup? Pure ignorance.
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