B.A.S.S. Will Allow All 2013 Elites To Return

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

B.A.S.S. will expand the size of its 2014 Bassmaster Elite Series field to accommodate anglers who finished in 91st through 100th place in this year's Angler of the Year race, CEO Bruce Akin announced in an email to Elite anglers. Next year's field was originally capped at 105, which would've left out 10 competitors from 2013 due to unusually low attrition among re-qualifiers and a higher-than-normal rate of acceptance among the 15 invitees from the three Opens divisions.

The list of anglers impacted by the expansion is headed by 16-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Zell Rowland, who was 92nd on this year's points list. The others are Jamie Horton (91st), Clark Reehm (93rd), Kelley Jaye (94th), Matt Greenblatt (95th), Grant Goldbeck (96th), Kevin Ledoux (97th), B.J. Haseotes (98th), Dave Smith (99th) and Chip Porche (100th).

Next year's field size could be as large as 115 anglers, but that number likely won't be reached as several among the bottom 10 are expected to depart voluntarily. For instance, Greenblatt had previously let it be known that he planned to fish the FLW Tour next year, and Reehm has given no indication that he'll return after leaving the circuit with two tournaments to go this season due to personal reasons.

Help from Their Friends

Akin's email implies that some Elite anglers went to bat for their brethren at the low end of the points list, and B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon confirmed in a phone conversation that such was the case.

"Many of you have asked us to consider letting some of those anglers into the Elites," Akin wrote. "In the interest of fairness, and because we believe there has been some misunderstanding among some of the fishermen, we have decided to invite everyone who fished the Elites in 2013."

The "misunderstanding" that Akin mentions likely refers to the belief by several members of the bottom 10 that there would not be a cut for 2014. More than one said their sole focus for the second half of the 2013 campaign, after they were already out of Classic contention via the points list, was on winning an event in order to make the Classic through the win-and-you're-in route. Their contention was that they would've fished more conservatively had they known their spots on the circuit were at stake.

Weldon said the 2014 field filled up quicker than usual – from both ends of the spectrum. Only two of the Top 85 anglers on the points list opted not to return in 2014 – likely an all-time low. In addition, 14 of the 15 Opens anglers who received an invitation accepted it, with Alabama's David Kilgore the lone exception.

Also, veterans Mark Menendez and Byron Velvick will return next year after taking hardship exemptions in 2013. Menendez sat out the season to remain at home with wife Donna, who was battling cancer, and Velvick had a recurrence of issues with his surgically repaired spine.

"It's an unprecedented situation in regard to enthusiasm for the Elite Series," Weldon said. "In years past we had a higher number of guys drop out and we couldn't get enough guys from the Opens to participate, so we'd end up going down the full roster. This year, we didn't get that far down (when only 105 spots were available)."

More Loot to Divide

The expansion will create a larger prize pool and should ensure that the Top 50 finishers in each Elite Series regular-season event will receive a minimum of $8,000. The exact way in which the additional money will be divvied up has not been determined.

"All entry fees generated from this expansion will be applied to the Elite Series payouts," Akin wrote. "B.A.S.S. will determine an equitable distribution of the prize money."

The re-invited anglers have until Dec. 3 to pay their initial entry-fee deposit. The precise makeup of the 2014 Elite field won't be known until B.A.S.S. releases the complete list later this year.

Akin's email also referenced the future establishment of an Elite Angler Advisory Board, which will be comprised of anglers nominated by the competitors in a survey conducted earlier this year.

"This Advisory Board is not a rules committee, but it will help improve communication between B.A.S.S. and our anglers – and avoid confusion over processes like this in the future," he wrote.