The last big migration between tours happened in 2005. That's when BASS announced its new Elite Series and triggered an exodus of pros from BASS to FLW.
The fortunes are somewhat reversed this year, as several pros who most recently fished FLW might make the switch over to BASS – names like Sean Hoernke, Pete Gluszek, Frank Scalish and Terry Baksay.
At the same time, though, there's a long list of Bassmaster Elite Series qualifiers, and hopefuls, who still aren't sure what and where they'll fish next year. It points to the current climate in competitive bass fishing, defined by a flavor of uncertainty.
Sponsor money's incredibly tight, and even memo-billed boats can be tough to come by. FLW Outdoors has yet to announce any contingency prizes for 2010, so the total payout picture on that side of the fence lacks clarity. And the foundation of FLW Outdoors itself is shaking as Ranger Boats goes on the auction block.
Yesterday, BassFan reported on two Bassmaster Open pros who plan to accept an Elite Series invitation – David Kilgore and Byron Haseotes.
Today, BassFan covers three other Open pros – each fishing the Central division – to investigate their positions in respect to 2010.
Curtis: Out
David "The Texas Terror" Curtis has torn up the triple-A leagues for years. He pulled a lot of money out of the now-defunct Texas Tournament Trail, then beat up on the Strens. He fished two consecutive Forrest Wood Cups and finished 6th at the most recent Cup in Pittsburgh.
He did fish the FLW Tour for one season (2006), but for the most part has haunted the minor leagues, and this year that haunting included the Bassmaster Central Opens.
Fishing BASS for his first time since 2004, Curtis breezed through the Texas-heavy Central Open schedule with a 39th at Toledo Bend and a 33rd at Rayburn. That put him 19th in the Central points and well in position to qualify for the Elites at tomorrow's Atchafalaya Central Open season finale.
Which is why it was a surprise to discover he's not fishing Atchafalaya this week.
"There's no championship for the Opens, and I don't really have any aspirations to fish the Elites, so I'm just hanging out and enjoying some deer hunting at home on my deer lease," Curtis said. "Normally, this first week of November turns out to be the end-of-year championships, and fishing gets frustrating for me because it's the peak of our rut and for the last umpteen years that's got cut short. I just decided to do things a little different this fall."
As for next season, The Texas Terror is "not real sure" where he'll fish. The shuttering of the Stren Championship was "really a disappointment," he noted, but he'll likely fish some Strens. And he's not interested in the FLW Tour.
"I sound like a broken record about needing doors to open, but in light of the economy, I know that guys who have sponsorships – if they haven't lost them outright, they've been drastically reduced. Like I said, I'm just focusing on the here and now. I'm enjoying the fall hunting. I'm disappointed to see the Stren Championship gone, but I'll probably look forward to fishing some of their (Stren) events. And I'm certainly looking at the PAA next year."
FLW Tour pro Cody Bird wouldn't mind having the option to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Bird: Open to Options
Former two-tour pro Cody Bird, also from Texas, dropped the Bassmaster Tour after 2005, but he's at 18th in the Central Open points. So with a solid showing this week at Atchafalaya, he might have some options. And history's on his side, as he notched a 3rd at the 2004 Atchafalaya FLW Tour. Plus, he said he had "a really good practice" this week.
Bird told BassFan he doesn't have any solid plans for next year. He'll wait and see how things look after Atchafalaya – whether or not he does in fact have an option with the Elite Series. And by that time FLW Outdoors may have announced further contingency prizes for next year in addition to the Cabela's contingencies announced yesterday.
"If I do qualify (for the Elite Series), I'm going to take a look at both sides and see what's shaking out," Bird said. "You know how fishing's going now – the business is changing daily, it looks like to me. So I'll wait and see how I do in this tournament and go from there. If I do have to make a decision, I just hope it's not like last time where I don't have but a month to make up my mind. I don't like that. I like to think about it.
"And actually, I liked fishing both tours," he added. "That was really neat. One year I got a Top 5 on the FLW Tour and a Top 5 on the Bassmaster Tour, which always helps the bank account. I've never been real consistent just fishing one circuit anyway, so the way I look at it is, the more tournaments for me, the better."
Chris McCall lost his FLW team deal and didn't fish the FLW Tour this year, but says that tour would probably be the best fit for him next year.
McCall Leaning Toward FLW
A third Texan, Chris McCall, is a longtime FLW Tour pro who likewise might have a road into the Elite Series next year. But McCall also has a decent shot at making the Bassmaster Classic, given his current 7th-place standing in the Central Open points.
McCall took this year off from the Tour. His Coppertone sponsorship through FLW Outdoors dried up, so he took the opportunity to focus on just the Strens and Opens and start a payday loan business with his friend. McCall qualified for this week's Stren Championship, but opted to fish Atchafalaya instead.
Interesting is that he's had probably the most frustrating practice of his entire career this week. He experienced continuous trolling-motor problems that, after several repairs, continued to haunt him. He eventually grew so frustrated that he pulled out and drove from Atchafalaya all the way back to Jasper, Texas to visit his hometown repair shop. That cost him the final 2 days of practice, which he said are typically the most important.
If he can scramble and preserve a spot inside the Elite Series qualification cutoff, he'd consider it, but like everyone else, faces the money obstacle. All told, his primary focus right now is qualifying for the Classic.
"Next year, I'll probably for sure fish the Opens again," he said. "And I'm an FLW guy, but I'm pretty disappointed in the payout in the Strens and what was done there. The (FLW) Series isn't an option because we're all struggling, but then they want us to go to Champlain. I couldn't understand the thought process behind that.
"To be honest, if I had my choices of what to fish, the thing that makes the most sense to me with schedules and money is getting back on the FLW Tour. I really like that six-event schedule. I want to fish the Elites, but man, with the first two being in California and everything, that's a lot."
