The FLW Championship bracket format is new, and because of that you'd expect some skepticism on the part of the pros fishing it. And that's exactly what BassFan.com got from those we contacted. Following are their reactions.

Clark Wendlandt (Ranger)

"It'll be tough. I don't really know how it will play out. My opinion is that you'll have to catch everything you can catch every day, and hope that you get in the Top 2 after 3 days so you can fish for the big money. Because if you don't end up in the Top 2 after 3 days, you might be fishing for 8th or 10th.

"So don't hold anything back, catch all you can and hope you're in the top couple of people."

Paul Elias (Triton)

"I'm really skeptical. I don't like it for the simple reason that you can have a good stringer and be doing well vs. the rest of the field and still get eliminated if you happen to be up against the wrong guy. I don't think that's very good.

"Supposedly it's patterned after basketball. I'd feel all right if it was a team effort. But this is fishing. What if a guy catches a 3-pound average for 2 days and gets eliminated, and a guy who catches 8-9 pounds for 2 days stays in? That to me doesn't add up in bass fishing. It could be different if it was a points thing.

"But maybe when all's said and done, the two guys in the (top) bracket might have earned it. It may turn out to be a really neat thing."

Tom Mann Jr. (Ranger)

"I don't like it at all. My main reason for saying that is when they make that cut to get to 12 people and only two of those can win, I think that's ridiculous. So if you're 3rd (going into) the last day, the best you can be is 3rd. Your championship is over with.

"Their whole deal is to eliminate guys for TV so they can just focus on two boats. I guess they think they can make a better TV show like that. But that doesn't work for all the guys who have done all the things to make that championship.

"If they do that format next year fishing for $500,000, it will really be ridiculous."

Rick Clunn (Nitro)

"You can beat anyone on one day and anyone can beat you. It's like the NCAA finals in basketball. It's like Duke: Don't have a bad game. If you do, you lose. And if you lose, it's over. You just can't have bad day."

Bernie Schultz (Ranger)

"It's the worst idea I've ever heard. It won't test the field fairly.

"This is not match-fishing. It's 50 guys who qualified to compete in a year-end championship for the purse, and every guy should compete against the field. I feel sorry for the guys who are going to be eliminated because of this format.

"The biggest problem I have with it is that the two finalists will be decided before the last day of fishing. So there's no chance for last-day heroics for a guy in 6th, 7th or 8th place. There's no chance for a come-from-behind victory. That leaves something to be desired for the spectators.

"This is not tennis (which also has a bracket system). It's not like two guys are out on the court, then two more guys, and two more and so on. It's not the same format. It's 50 guys competing at the same time. If two guys were allowed a day on the lake by themselves, that would be one thing. But you have to compete against the crowd. It's basically (like) 50 guys on the (tennis) court (at once), trying to advance.

"In golf, whoever shoots the best rounds on a given day make up the leader board. It should be the same in fishing. If that many competitors are using the field on a given day, (the best on that day) should comprise our leaders on the board."

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