Some Elites Will Go, But Cost Too High For Many

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

(Editor's note: In observance of Veterans' Day, the top story will not be updated until Tuesday.)

Approximately 60 Elite Series anglers are eligible to compete in the inaugural Bassmaster Wild Card, which will take place next month at Florida's Lake Okeechobee to determine the final berth for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. Some will ante up for this last-chance gambit to get into the sport's premier event, but many more likely will not.

For a lot of potential competitors, the risk/reward scenario of the Wild Card leans too heavily to the risk side. Anglers who fished a full season in any of the three Opens divisions are also eligible, and only the Top 5 (out of a maximum field size of 175) will even recoup their $2,000 entry fee along with the expenses they'll incur for the week. For that reason alone, it's reasonable to assume that a hefty portion of the field will be comprised of Florida residents.

The registration deadline arrives Monday, and some Elite pros have yet to decide whether they're in or out. Others made up their minds long ago, although the criteria that factored into those decisions varied widely depending upon individual circumstances.

Ex-Champs Split

Four Elite anglers who've won the Classic are eligible for the Wild Card, but only one is going.

"I'm going to fish it," said 2007 winner Boyd Duckett. "The Classic's on my home lake and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't do everything I could to make it. I don't think I'd do it if the Classic wasn't coming to Guntersville, but I just built a house here and I don't want to sit on my porch and watch everybody go by knowing that I didn't do all I could to get into it.

"Nobody likes a tournament like this. It's a $2,000 entry fee with very little payout and for a lot of guys it's a long way to go with a great deal of expenses. It's hard to go fish for no money, but all that being said, the Classic's still a pretty big deal. It's a giant carrot."

Davy Hite, the 1999 Classic winner, said the timeframe simply doesn't work for him this year. He has one son at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. and another finishing up his final year of high school football, and he's unwilling to sacrifice any of the time he and his wife are devoting to family activities this fall and winter.

"If they had it for the next 10 years and I needed to win it to get into the Classic every year, I might do all 10 of them," he said. "But at this point in my life, with all that my sons have going on, this time of year is real important to me family-wise.

"January through August is the time I have to devote to fishing."

No Way, No How

The decision to forgo the Wild Card was real easy for the two other eligible ex-Classic champs. They flat don't like the principle of it.

"The Classic is the most sacred event we have and I want to earn my way into it," said Rick Clunn, who claimed the first of his four Classic wins at Guntersville in 1976. "I fish some of the Opens, but I don't like that you can win one of those and get in, and I don't like that you can win one Elite tournament and get in and do nothing the rest of the year.

"Those are spots that the Elite guys have invested their lives and their money into for the whole year. Now guys who fished the Opens and did nothing, relatively speaking, are going to get a shot at the Bassmaster Classic."

The objections of 1982 winner Paul Elias stem more from a practical rather than a historical standpoint. The event, which could potentially generate $350,000 in entry fees, will pay out only $80,000.

"I just don't think it's right for a tournament organization to keep that much out of the entry fees," he said. "I realize that things are tough for everybody in this economy, but it's real hard for anglers to make it on sponsorships and stuff. Every time there's a downturn things have to be cut, and the anglers are the first ones subjected to that. I pay way too much in entry fees already to go to a tournament that's taking so much out of the payouts.

"It's great that somebody else gets to qualify for the Classic, but the person who gets to go might be somebody who wasn't in contention to make the Classic, and that doesn't seem right. A wild card is a wild card and I understand the principle, but I'd rather see it go to the next guy in line (from the Elite points list)."

Other Elite Views

Below is a sampling of opinions on the Wild Card from some other eligible Elite Series veterans.

> Scott Rook: "I'm gonna pass. The odds against you are pretty stout. If it paid a little better, I think that would be a big factor. I'd love to have another chance to make the Classic, but that's not the avenue for me. Too many things about it don't make sense from a financial standpoint."

> Greg Hackney: "I'm going, even though I wish I wasn't. The main reason I fish B.A.S.S. is because of the Classic. It wouldn't matter where it was, I'd go regardless. It'll be fishing for big fish in heavy cover, so I'm looking forward to that, but I'd much rather be deer hunting that week."

> Mike McClelland: "I'm not fishing it. If it was a situation where I didn't have to drive 18 hours to get there I might consider it, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for me. I've never been that good in Florida – even though I've won at the Harris Chain, it's never really suited my strengths. More than anything, though, I don't like these last-minute, win-and-you're in deals. I'll take consistency over the long haul over winning one event and qualifying for the Classic."

> Brian Snowden: "Financially, it doesn't make sense unless you win. There's not enough money involved to be driving all that way (from Missouri). That was the reason I decided not to do it, and it was an easy decision."

Notable

> The Wild Card winner will receive no monetary reward, although participation in the Classic comes with a $10,000 guarantee. Here's the payout for the remainder of the Wild Card field: 2nd – $10,000; 3rd – $7,000; 4th – $5,000; 5th – $4,000; 6th – $3,000; 7th through 12th – $2,500; 13th through 30th – $2,000.