The Future Of B.a.s.s. Tournaments

[RSM789]

As I have watched the latest MLF Challenge cup on TV over the past few weeks, I have wondered how long will B.A.S.S. (& F.L.W.) will continue their current format of bringing fish in to be weighed and then releasing them.  When Catch & Release was first instituted in B.A.S.S. tourneys in the early 70's, it was a major change.  It shook up how tournaments were run and how anglers had to handle their catch.  I was reading about the upcoming Elite series tournament on the Sacramento River and it appears they will be returning fish to the basic areas where they were caught (i.e., delta fish back to the delta, river fish back to the river).  That is alot of work & logistics, a far cry from the time when they were all just dumped off the local marina dock.

 

Now I don't believe B.A.S.S. tournaments will adapt the MLF scoring system, it changes their history too much and eliminates the hype & anticipation of a weigh-in ceremony.  MLF are made for TV contests while the B.A.S.S. tournaments do well with an audience.  What I anticipate is a hybrid between the two, with fish being documented when caught & then released immediately and an in person ceremony that shows the results.  If I suddenly replaced Jerry McKinnis, here is how I would do it:

 

1. Every legal fish caught by an angler (that he chooses to weigh) is weighed by the angler & the marshal using identically calibrated scales distributed by B.A.S.S.  The angler is responsible for getting the fish securely locked on to the scale & removing it, the marshal is responsible for a fair weighing.  The scales transmit the weight of the fish, time of catch and type of bass (may need to be input) back to the tournament headquarters & the data is stored in the weighing device.  As a backup, the marshal can manually record the information.  I think it may be a positive if the angler is not told the official weight of each fish.  Once weighed, the fish is immediately released in clear view of the marshal.
    
2. The weigh-in ceremony is conducted as it is now, except instead of a bag of fish, the angler comes to the scales with his weigh-in device.  At the weigh-in line, each anglers weigh-in device is connected to the scoring computer, which checks the data against that which had been transmitted.  If there is a discrepancy between the two, the marshals backup records are used to resolve it (the marshals records can also be used to confirm that both sets of data are correct).
    
3. When an angler is called to the stage, his weigh-in device is connected to the scoreboard.  Drama can be added by having the scoreboard reveal information in a delayed manner.  Maybe the first thing shown is the number of fish the angler caught, then a listing of the times the top five were caught, followed by the weight of the top five.  The idea would be to keep the anticipation of "who is going to win" there without the fish being there.

 

One of the first things I thought of when this popped into my head is how likely is it for an angler to catch the same fish multiple times in the same day or tournament.  This and other issues could be resolved, most likely through some new technology, but it would bring a whole new skill set into play.  If you could get the same 10 lb bedding female to bite 2,3,4 times in an 8 hr day, that would be amazing.

 

What are your thoughts on this?

 

 

[Jeff H]

I think people want to see the fish..  Leave them out and you'll see weigh in crowds diminish dramatically.

 

I LOVE the MLF format!  I bet the Pro's like it too....just because the local navy isn't following them around all day. 

[Senko lover]

Yup, I agree with Jeff. B.A.S.S. is trying to make this a spectator sport. That wouldn't help it at all.

[corn-on-the-rob]

I don't think I would even watch to be honest.

[CDMeyer]

I believe it is a good idea..... But half the fun is showing off fish on the weigh in stage.  However my small high school bass club is using group chat this summer because for us there was never a crowd to weigh in fish for.  We are doing this so that the fish have a better shot of surviving.

Fish is weighed by boater (marshal) a picture is taken of the scale and of a ruler, and the weight is texted to the other anglers boaters. 

[JayKumar]

Interesting ideas. I think what will change everything is POV cameras like GoPros.  Just my .02

[MichiganBass80]

Can you imagine how boring the Classic would be if they didn't have fish to bring to the stage?

[Basseditor]

I just ordered a digital scale that interfaces with my phone. Weigh fish and some data is recorded automatically and you can manually enter more info. You can take a picture too. Keep tracks of a day's catch and more.

[J Francho]

As much as I love tournament fishing, what the Elites do bears little influence on my fishing. It's interesting though, and I suppose I find myself relating to the same challenges they face on the water.

[mhilgtx]

The new live coverage is going be a monumental change for the future as it is.  For the first time ever B.A.S.S. will have inventory to sell off to TV that is not a staged show requiring weeks of editing work.  The way I see it there are a number of things holding back bass tournaments from becoming the vehicle for creating inventory that ESPN thought it would become.  I don't know if the McKinnis group has the capital to invest, judging by  the number of phone calls I get to  extend my membership I have doubts, but I hope they do.  They need way more than 4 boats and either new on air talent or teach Zona how to let a moment a breath instead saying the first thing that pops in his head.

 

Look at a sport like F1, Golf, or Nascar vs the way the sponsors treat anglers.  The number one reason is the lack of TV exposure, turn that into a guys shirt being on the air for 50-80 hours a year and instead of him getting a discount on the reel he is using in exchange  having the logo on his shirt it cost $10,000.00 a tournament to rent that space and for a title sponsor of a top 25 guy it cost the cost of the boat AND $400,000 for the wrap.  That isn't happening now except for the very top guys like KVD etc.  It is a d**n shame too.

 

Also as this takes off I hope to see them limit the fields down.  I think 100 is too many, there is no scarcity so the sponsors don't have to invest they just put up rewards for winning using their boats etc.  If there are only 50 fisherman and 20 or more events plus the Classic and B.A.S.S. was able to carry Wed online and sell the rest to ESPN or Fox or .... and get off of living off the entry fees of the guys on the bottom things would be much better.  It would also get rid of all of the Home Field Advantage stuff because of consistently having to go to all parts of the country to find fish.

 

Then if B.A.S.S. wants to run a jr series they could and let that live off entry fees.

 

As far as the MLF goes they are probably the most accurate barometer of who the best angler is and the small fields only make the better.

 

One final thing I think they will  have to address is sight fishing for spawning bass. I think as popularity grows and hopefully explodes there will be a hard look at the damage taking fish off beds CAN do to a fishery.  Whether you agree with it or not I assure you that wildlife activist will end up making this an issue.

 

Congrats to Justin Lucas on winning!

[hoosierbass07]

Also as this takes off I hope to see them limit the fields down.  I think 100 is too many, there is no scarcity so the sponsors don't have to invest they just put up rewards for winning using their boats etc.  If there are only 50 fisherman and 20 or more events plus the Classic and B.A.S.S. was able to carry Wed online and sell the rest to ESPN or Fox or .... and get off of living off the entry fees of the guys on the bottom things would be much better.  It would also get rid of all of the Home Field Advantage stuff because of consistently having to go to all parts of the country to find fish.

 

Then if B.A.S.S. wants to run a jr series they could and let that live off entry fees.

 

As far as the MLF goes they are probably the most accurate barometer of who the best angler is and the small fields only make the better.

 

 

 

   I agree on cutting the field down.  I'm not a big fan of tournament fishing but I do follow it some.  I've only been fishing for three years and my favorite tournament fishermen have become my favorite from watching MLF and not Bassmaster tournaments.  There are just too many in the Bassmaster tournaments.  

[Canyon explorer]

I like the concept but i am concerned about the dilution of spectator appeal that supports the heavy purses.

[Trek]

As much as I love tournament fishing, what the Elites do bears little influence on my fishing. It's interesting though, and I suppose I find myself relating to the same challenges they face on the water.

 

  I'm with ya on this one. Fishing is not a spectator sport to me. I don't get all caught up with the commercials the pro's hand out when they're on stage. If I get time I'll watch a few weigh ins on line but I'm not going to spend the whole weekend following them around to see how they fish. To me that would be a waste of time.