New tournament circuit announced today

[BassNJake]

4 hours ago, Arlo Smithereen said:

Only 40 fish at a time, not 80. Party Marty and Fletcher are gonna be just fine, buddy.

So Day 1 and 3 you compete with 40 other anglers to get TV exposure and days 2 and 4 you get zero tv coverage.

 

Big names/co-owners will also get a large chunk of exposure regardless of how they are doing.(IMO)

 

Some of these guys did better when they were fishing MLF than they did BASS and I think that is due to the field being so much smaller.

 

I just think there will be guys that find the grass was not greener on the other side.

 

[Arlo Smithereen]

19 hours ago, BassNJake said:

 

 

I just think there will be guys that find the grass was not greener on the other side.

 

You might be right. Only time will tell. I just find it hard to believe that the best of the best when it comes to professional bass anglers made a hasty decision when they made the jump. This isn't like deciding between working at McDonalds or Burger King. They talked it over with their sponsors and families.

[scaleface]

I  dislike the MLF format of counting every fish though  some folks will love it . I like the strategy that goes into trying to catch the biggest five .  

[WRB]

B.A.S.S. always struggled to bring tournament coverage to TV audiences. A few clips on the water action with a big weigh in production. Black eye in the ESPN era trying boat racing to bring some excitement to TV, followed by big bass die off at lake Falcon and cartel gang conflicts on lake Amistad border with Mexico didn't help secure TV advertisements.

Along comes MLF with on the water C&R with TV appeal creating excitement watching anglers trying to stay alive to fish another day. What was the B.A.S.S. response? tried 1 on the water C & R with a modified weigh in, eliminating marshals and adding cameraman hoping to get some bass catching action....zero excitement to hold a TV audience. 

B.A.S.S. goes back to it's roots hoping the Classic and AOY will keep thier tournament format relavent and only time will tell. BPS is all in with MLF along with non bass fishing sponsorship with TV audience coverage.

Tom

[BassNJake]

BASS has a crappy TV deal. 

 

With them having BASS LIVE, I don't know a single person that watches the ESPN2 show that airs weeks to months after the event.

 

When they bought BASS back from ESPN, I was really hoping for a new TV deal.

But no, same crappy deal they had before they have again.

[Jrob78]

No entree fees for the BPT in 2019.

 

Quote

The 80 anglers who comprise the new Bass Pro Tour will not pay entry fees for the 2019 season, Major League Fishing announced in a press release today.

 

The anglers reportedly voted to avoid contributing the proposed entry fee of $48,375, giving the BPT the distinction of being the first national tournament circuit to operate without entry fees.

 

The results of the voting were not disclosed in the release, but another site has learned the decision was approved by an “overwhelming majority” of the field.

 

Without the $3.87 million in anticipated entry fee revenue, the payouts for each BPT tournament will be less than initially announced, but no further details were made available. It’s believed the group is considering alternate payout models that could be put to another vote.

 

Gary Klein, a co-founder of MLF and a BPT competitor, lauded the decision.

 

"What brought this great group of anglers together in the first place was the allure of being able to ultimately control our own destiny because collectively we now make the rules," Klein said in the release. "It's all about the big picture of what we want this sport to be and getting it there. We call this 'Major League' Fishing for a reason and no entry fees is a monumental move in our achieving that distinction."

 

 

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, Jrob78 said:

No entree fees for the BPT in 2019.

You mean an organization run by the anglers chose to not have the anglers pay entry fees?  Shocking I tell you, truly shocking... ?

 

Where it will truly get interesting is when some angler gets in a disagreement with an on-board referee and does something dumb like curse at him.  Will the other anglers vote to punish the offender or will they be lenient thinking it could be them next time?  Further, what if a clique of 3 or 4 anglers is on the outs with the rest of the anglers, will you suddenly start seeing rule changes aimed at that group?

 

I'm telling you, with the inmates running the asylum, it is going to get ugly.

 

Also, I saw an ad for on board referees on the MLF site.  They want local (to Oklahoma) folks, able to travel at the drop of a hat, all with no pay (although travel & lodging is covered).  If they truly want a pro league, wouldn't you have paid officials?  With the added power the refs have, trying to have a crop of unpaid volunteers travel with you is asking for problems (corruption, favoritism, etc).  I believe an organization run by non-anglers would secured paid officials, this group is only looking out for the anglers.

[Arlo Smithereen]

9 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

You mean an organization run by the anglers chose to not have the anglers pay entry fees?  Shocking I tell you, truly shocking... ?

 

Where it will truly get interesting is when some angler gets in a disagreement with an on-board referee and does something dumb like curse at him.  Will the other anglers vote to punish the offender or will they be lenient thinking it could be them next time?  Further, what if a clique of 3 or 4 anglers is on the outs with the rest of the anglers, will you suddenly start seeing rule changes aimed at that group?

 

I'm telling you, with the inmates running the asylum, it is going to get ugly.

 

Also, I saw an ad for on board referees on the MLF site.  They want local (to Oklahoma) folks, able to travel at the drop of a hat, all with no pay (although travel & lodging is covered).  If they truly want a pro league, wouldn't you have paid officials?  With the added power the refs have, trying to have a crop of unpaid volunteers travel with you is asking for problems (corruption, favoritism, etc).  I believe an organization run by non-anglers would secured paid officials, this group is only looking out for the anglers.

do you also believe the earth is flat?

[12poundbass]

10 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

You mean an organization run by the anglers chose to not have the anglers pay entry fees?  Shocking I tell you, truly shocking... ?

 

Where it will truly get interesting is when some angler gets in a disagreement with an on-board referee and does something dumb like curse at him.  Will the other anglers vote to punish the offender or will they be lenient thinking it could be them next time?  Further, what if a clique of 3 or 4 anglers is on the outs with the rest of the anglers, will you suddenly start seeing rule changes aimed at that group?

 

I'm telling you, with the inmates running the asylum, it is going to get ugly.

 

Also, I saw an ad for on board referees on the MLF site.  They want local (to Oklahoma) folks, able to travel at the drop of a hat, all with no pay (although travel & lodging is covered).  If they truly want a pro league, wouldn't you have paid officials?  With the added power the refs have, trying to have a crop of unpaid volunteers travel with you is asking for problems (corruption, favoritism, etc).  I believe an organization run by non-anglers would secured paid officials, this group is only looking out for the anglers.

At BASS the Marshals pay $150 to get up at 3 or 4 am pay for their own hotel, gas to and from event, and miss work to sit on a boat for at least 8 hours a day in any kinds of weather. Most events there's a waiting list! So the $150 is probably closer to $1000 if you figure everything else into it, and all you get is a couple hats, maybe a shirt, some food, exhaustion, and if you're really lucky an angler that's going to make the cut so they're somewhat social. FLW is doing this same thing this year with the added incentive you get your name in a hat for a boat at the end of the year. 

 

So after looking at all that the MLF official gig doesn't sound too bad for someone who's retired. For the record I would do the BASS Elite Marshal experience.

 

These anglers in the BPT aren't idiots or children so I don't see favorites or a "they're being mean to me" scenario happening. Most of these guys are businessmen and quite a few have some sort of marketing or business degree so they know what they're doing and what they're getting themselves into. I hear people say frequently how it won't last three years or once Johnny Morris's money runs out it'll be over and on and on. My take on this whole thing is we don't know squat about the details. There's something there that has made almost every big name in professional bass fishing jump ship and in wasn't all because of BASS some probably. Like I said these guys know what they're doing and if they have enough faith in what they see then BPT has something potentially big here. Then again they may all fall flat on their faces in a few years, I doubt it though. 

[J.Vincent]

All of this is an interesting development....what I'm curious about is....what happens if one or a few anglers get their feelings hurt about their opinions not being heard, and they don't like accepted rule changes.....are they allowed to dissent and go on strike or just up and leave to go back to either BASS or FLW, or does their 3 year contract agreement with BPT keep them locked in to that trail for the duration ?

[12poundbass]

48 minutes ago, J.Vincent said:

All of this is an interesting development....what I'm curious about is....what happens if one or a few anglers get their feelings hurt about their opinions not being heard, and they don't like accepted rule changes.....are they allowed to dissent and go on strike or just up and leave to go back to either BASS or FLW, or does their 3 year contract agreement with BPT keep them locked in to that trail for the duration ?

I would hope they are all mature enough that a situation like that would never happen. In the event that someone throws themselves on the floor and has a tantrum I'd be the first to volunteer to drive their rig back to wherever their perfect world is. 

[Choporoz]

I thought Ish and Ike both went over

[OCdockskipper]

5 hours ago, Arlo Smithereen said:

do you also believe the earth is flat?

No, but I will admit I have no friggin' idea what you are getting at with that comment.

[WRB]

Entry fee's are the pro bass anglers biggest expense so why wouldn't they vote 80 to 0 for eliminating them? It will reduce prize money but it's guaranteed TV and advertisement money that pays them at the end of the day. Bold move that solidifies the BPT and MLF. 3 year contract also makes sense, after that time the anglers can determine if it's working for them.

Sit back and enjoy bass fishing.

Tom

[OCdockskipper]

4 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

At BASS the Marshals pay $150 to get up at 3 or 4 am pay for their own hotel, gas to and from event, and miss work to sit on a boat for at least 8 hours a day in any kinds of weather....

 

...For the record I would do the BASS Elite Marshal experience...

The difference is that (in my opinion), being a marshal is the same as getting a front row seat at any professional sporting event.  You get to carry on a conversation with the pro and you don't have a group of people cutting into your access to him.  While you are observing and sending in BASSTRAK updates, you have no real responsibilities, heck you can take a nap if the action is slow and the pro is tightlipped.

 

The MLF format is similar to the Texas Fest, where BASS doesn't charge anything to be in the boat.  However, there you are an official, you have tools that you are using that will help determine the outcome of the event & you have to be alert the entire time.  You really can't root for the angler you are with, that could be misconstrued as playing favorites. 

 

I have done both events and they are very different.  For me, the marshaling was more fun because I could be a fan.

 

As for the anglers being mature, I was surprised of the pettiness of many of the pros.  It seems like they all have someone with whom there is an outstanding vendetta against.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being in their boats & will marshal again, but there is something about being involved in competition that alters the way many folks look at others.  That could easily carry over into the running of the organization.

[WRB]

B.A.S.S./FLW needs 80 new pro anglers for all you dreamers wanting to be a bass pro, go for  it.

Tom

[OCdockskipper]

1 minute ago, WRB said:

...Sit back and enjoy bass fishing.

Tom

I do enjoy watching MLF and I hope these guys succeed.  I just believe they are ignoring human nature in the way they structured their organization and that will eventually be their downfall.  Then again, I could be completely wrong.

 

Not rooting for them to fail, just looking down the road and based on my life's experiences, expecting it.

 

It will be interesting to revisit this thread in 2024...

[12poundbass]

20 minutes ago, WRB said:

Entry fee's are the pro bass anglers biggest expense so why wouldn't they vote 80 to 0 for eliminating them? It will reduce prize money but it's guaranteed TV and advertisement money that pays them at the end of the day. Bold move that solidifies the BPT and MLF. 3 year contract also makes sense, after that time the anglers can determine if it's working for them.

Sit back and enjoy bass fishing.

Tom

They just basically gave themselves a $48,000 raise which should more than cover their expenses for the year, So they basically put more odds in their favor to make money this year. Add in the money sponsors shell out to them and if I'm looking at this right a lot of these anglers have already made money before they ever wet a line this year, which is more than some have made in a couple years. 

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

I thought Ish and Ike both went over

Yes they both did go to MLF/BPT.

[WRB]

6 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

I do enjoy watching MLF and I hope these guys succeed.  I just believe they are ignoring human nature in the way they structured their organization and that will eventually be their downfall.  Then again, I could be completely wrong.

 

Not rooting for them to fail, just looking down the road and based on my life's experiences, expecting it.

 

It will be interesting to revisit this thread in 2024...

Back in '68 I considered tournament bass fishing when B.A.S.S. sent out invitations to the All American event. Joined the Picese bass club in San Diego to compete with some top bass anglers and held my own. Being an aerospace engineer I had to consider a good salary and career agianst a passion for fishing, my career won because no desire to relocate east and fight the good ole boy politics of bass fishing during the time period.

MLF format supports today's catch and release mind set and the BPT is a timely change that eliminates all the old baggage of B.A.S.S. tournaments and should give young anglers a new choice to decide if the want a different type of pro bass fishing career.

I think it will work.

Tom

[Troy85]

I'm in the same boat as @OCdockskipper.  I like MLF and don't want it to fail, but I could see the direct democracy that they setup within the organization as causing some problems in the future. Mainly because most people will always tend to vote in their best interests, rather than the interests of the organization as a whole.  Maybe they have some rules in place in place that cannot be changed, that we don't know about.  I hope it succeeds though, its pretty much the only reason I pay for my slingtv subscription.

[12poundbass]

1 hour ago, Troy1985s said:

Maybe they have some rules in place in place that cannot be changed, that we don't know about.  

That's it right there. There's been a ton of spectulaion and it's human nature, but that's all it is, is speculation. I'd almost bet a paycheck there is so much that we don't know. Hell this thing just got on it's feet two months ago? There's a ton here that these anglers know that we don't otherwise they wouldn't have left. 

[J Francho]

Sounds like many commented have never been in club before.  Change doesn't happen as quickly as you think, even when motions are voted on.

[Arlo Smithereen]

19 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

No, but I will admit I have no friggin' idea what you are getting at with that comment.

You said it's going to 'get ugly with the inmates running the asylum',  so I was just curious how many other crazy theories you subscribe to.

[SDoolittle]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 7:44 AM, 12poundbass said:

At BASS the Marshals pay $150 to get up at 3 or 4 am pay for their own hotel, gas to and from event, and miss work to sit on a boat for at least 8 hours a day in any kinds of weather. Most events there's a waiting list! So the $150 is probably closer to $1000 if you figure everything else into it, and all you get is a couple hats, maybe a shirt, some food, exhaustion, and if you're really lucky an angler that's going to make the cut so they're somewhat social. FLW is doing this same thing this year with the added incentive you get your name in a hat for a boat at the end of the year. 

 

So after looking at all that the MLF official gig doesn't sound too bad for someone who's retired. For the record I would do the BASS Elite Marshal experience.

I think the main obstacle MLF may face is that they have a much smaller pool of potential officials than B.A.S.S. and FLW. While B.A.S.S. and FLW marshals can come from anywhere in the country and may only attend one event, MLF officials must live in the Tulsa area, and they are expected to attend a minimum of six events.

[Scott F]

1 hour ago, SDoolittle said:

I think the main obstacle MLF may face is that they have a much smaller pool of potential officials than B.A.S.S. and FLW. While B.A.S.S. and FLW marshals can come from anywhere in the country and may only attend one event, MLF officials must live in the Tulsa area, and they are expected to attend a minimum of six events.

I wish I lived near Tulsa. I’m retired and could easily fit being an official into my schedule.

The whole financial model of BASS where the participants foot the bill for half of the prize money insures that too many of the guys who fish make no money or lose money. I’m surprised that it took this long for someone to find a way for professional fishermen to actually get paid for their work like all the other pro sports.