BASS Versus FLW

[Montanaro]

1 minute ago, Way north bass guy said:

Seems like some guys just can’t be happy for others, maybe it’s jealousy, but either way why even bother to get riled up about something as ridiculous as what tournament series a guy started in. Seems like extra stress that nobody needs to have, just chill out and enjoy watching guys catch some decent bass in their shorts! ( won’t be doing that here for months yet.

 

I actually enjoy FLW a lot and was more into their fantasy fishing than BASS.

 

If none of you can articulate why FLW has merit or that my 'perception' is flawed other than by saying "I am jelous or I dont make a living fishing" then maybe those who actually hold such 'perceptions' are correct? 

 

 

[Logan S]

10 minutes ago, Montanaro said:

 

Just playing devils advocate is all.  If you want to be salty and delve into ad hominem rather than fully express the ideas you are hinting at then go right ahead.

 

Clearly their is a perception and I have seen it expressed on many platforms that FLW is subpar.  This BPT is as close to a natural experiment as we have got despite its flaws.

 

Is FLW a stepping stone?  Will BASS be?  Does lack of marketing potential in FLW kill its chances of being better?

You're not playing devil's advocate when you start the thread yourself...And no one has really disagreed that FLW was a step below BASS prior to the BPT-exodus.   

 

Also, I expressed my thoughts clearly in my first post in the thread.  BASS and FLW will continue to be what they always were.  New guys will come in, some will leave - same as it's always been.  Back in the early 2000's all the top talent went to FLW when they were throwing crazy sponsor money around (not too different than the BPT thing now) and many said BASS was done...They weren't.  They aren't done now either and neither is FLW.  

[Montanaro]

BASS are airing a week of special shows in advance of their tournament this week.  I certainly think there has been a lot of damage control done.

 

What anglers left bass for FLW in the early 2000's?

 

Does FLW's typical schedule limit the versatility of their anglers?  I know they fish the big O a good bit but BASS spends more time in vegetative waters...can this account for the disparity in this tournament?

[Team9nine]

I don't think it's quite as easily distinguishable as FLW guys vs BASS guys. With just a couple exceptions, nearly everyone in the 40 man knockout round fishing today has an extensive FLW resume. Combined, the 40 guys fishing have over 2500+ FLW events under their belts and over $10 million in FLW winnings. Which side they came from when the BPT roster was announced isn't a fair way to judge IMO due to the politics involved in the selection process. You could also argue the same in regards to past history within the sport going back to the Erwin Jacobs days. That said, I don't disagree with the general opinion that seems to prevail considering FLW as a less stout field in general and a feeder for BASS, but it's hard to compare 'apples to apples' IMO.

 

 

[Montanaro]

What politics were involved in BPT selection?  Mostly BASS memebrs on their B.O.D. wanting guys they are familiar with?

 

I would like to see a breakdown of BPT anglers with FLW experience versus no experience

[Team9nine]

12 minutes ago, Montanaro said:

What politics were involved in BPT selection?  Mostly BASS memebrs on their B.O.D. wanting guys they are familiar with?

 

I would like to see a breakdown of BPT anglers with FLW experience versus no experience

It was a deliberate attempt to take down BASS, not an effort to get the best anglers in the world all on one playing field. Only after they had some turn downs from the original invites did a few more FLW anglers get brought on.

 

There was a time when FLW "owned" BASS, and they were just a single acquisition and decision away from being "THE" professional bass fishing circuit. There was also a period of time when most pros fished both circuits, and the world was a much happier (or at least less divided) place. 

 

EDIT: what do you mean by experience vs no experience? There are only a handful of guys fishing today from that 40 that have not fished an FLW event. Most have 5 years or more of FLW events under their belt.

[Way north bass guy]

1 hour ago, Montanaro said:

 

 

If none of you can articulate why FLW has merit or that my 'perception' is flawed other than by saying "I am jelous or I dont make a living fishing" then maybe those who actually hold such 'perceptions' are correct? 

 

 

Nobody’s saying anything about “merit”, only you. Who cares, it’s just guys fishing bass tournaments! Why do some people just have to be “right”, if you need that to be happy, then here, YOU WIN!, you clearly want this thread to go only your way, so it’s all yours. Just give it up man, there’s lots of people that are gonna have a different opinion than you, I’m not sure why this thread was even started other than to argue with others. 

[Montanaro]

50 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

Nobody’s saying anything about “merit”, only you. Who cares, it’s just guys fishing bass tournaments! Why do some people just have to be “right”, if you need that to be happy, then here, YOU WIN!, you clearly want this thread to go only your way, so it’s all yours. Just give it up man, there’s lots of people that are gonna have a different opinion than you, I’m not sure why this thread was even started other than to argue with others. 

 

1.  Regarding merit:  look closer

2.  It has nothing to do with "me being right" merely a common perception (not THE common perception) that FLW anglers are typically subpar as far as professional status is concerned and whether or not the average poster can counter argue effectively.

3.  Our first exchange about Canadian anglers was more in line with the theme of this thread but somewhere along the line you decided to become offended.

4.  Some people got the point of the thread immediately.  But if youd like to read more threads about what the best color senko is there are sections in this forum full of them ?.

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

It was a deliberate attempt to take down BASS, not an effort to get the best anglers in the world all on one playing field. Only after they had some turn downs from the original invites did a few more FLW anglers get brought on.

 

There was a time when FLW "owned" BASS, and they were just a single acquisition and decision away from being "THE" professional bass fishing circuit. There was also a period of time when most pros fished both circuits, and the world was a much happier (or at least less divided) place. 

 

EDIT: what do you mean by experience vs no experience? There are only a handful of guys fishing today from that 40 that have not fished an FLW event. Most have 5 years or more of FLW events under their belt.

Thanks for sharing, I didnt hear anything about deliberate attempts to destroy BASS...it may well end up.that way in the end.  I know FLW doesnt even do Fantasy fishing anymore so they must be feeling an impact.

 

As for experience:  I assume many of the young guns do not have FLW resumes.  I would like to see a number on how many guys have 5+ years fishing FLW tour (I know of a handful) but I hesitate to say over 50% of BPT field. 

 

 

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, Montanaro said:

 

As for experience:  I assume many of the young guns do not have FLW resumes.  I would like to see a number on how many guys have 5+ years fishing FLW tour (I know of a handful) but I hesitate to say over 50% of BPT field. 

 

For simplicity sake, if we just figure that there are 8-10 tourneys a year depending on qualifying for championships, etc., anyone with around 50 or so FLW events would likely have at least 5 years of FLW tour events under their belts. Using that as the guideline, and just looking at the 40 guys fishing today in the knockout round, you end up with the following:

 

Name (# FLW events fished)

 

Sprague (84)

Hite (95)

Gagliardi (203)

Robinson (67)

Omori (97)

Iaconelli (65)

MDJ (46)

Montgomery (104)

Hackney (102)

Aveena (50)

Defoe (95)

Ish (102)

Ehrler (104)

Tharp (130)

Wheeler (49)

Lefebre (195)

Swindle (53)

Neal (94)

Jones (45)

B. Lane (94)

Poroznik (168)

Christie (143)

Coulter (71)

Martens (48)

C. Lane (54)

Jordon (61)

 

That's 26 of the 40 or 65% of the field. Not sure how that would change when you add the other 40 into the mix, but I bet it would still be close to half.

[Montanaro]

A lot of these dudes have been fishing together for a looong time.