What draws the pros to a particular tour?

[billmac]

I have in mind the big 3: BASS, FLW, and MLF.  I know some pros fish more than one of these.  But I'm curious as to why your typical pro will choose one over the other.

 

Are there any pros who fish all 3?

[jbsoonerfan]

Well I'm not a professional so I can't answer that.

[Jrob78]

Nobody fishes more than 1 now. You have to qualify to fish the Elites and have to be invited to fish the BPT (MLF). You used to be able to fish FLW by buying a boat and paying money, I'm not sure how it works now. 

[j bab]

On 8/12/2019 at 10:05 PM, Jrob78 said:

Nobody fishes more than 1 now

This is probably the truth assuming OP is referring to the Elite Series when he says BASS. Many pros from MLF and FLW do fish the BASS Opens though.

 

As far as why a pro would pick one over another, it's probably just whichever one they are invited to. If they qualify or are invited to multiple, it comes down to $$$

[OCdockskipper]

This question may be better answered in the next year or two. 

 

If we see some pros who defected from the Elite series to go to BPT decide to try to go back to the Elites, the answer may be the way the organizations and tournaments are run.  Some pros may decide trying to catch 50 fish a day is not their strong suit & may try to get back to the biggest 5.

 

If we see those who are at the top of the Elite series over the next two years accept invites to BPT (when BPT wipes out the bottom tier of their anglers), then the answer may be money.

 

If I was to bet, I would put money on at least 5 ex-Elite anglers attempting to qualify or accepting invites back to the Elite series next year or in 2021 as opposed to the 2019 or 2020 Elite AOY jumping ship to go to BPT.  No inside knowledge, just from a fans perspective.

[Sam]

1.  Politics. Lots of politics behind the scenes and BASS as gotten many of the pros upset on their practices.

2.  Money. Some tours pay more than others.

3.  Geographical locations. Do you want to pull or transport your boat coast to coast or stay in one geographical area for many tournaments.

4.  Other reasons that come and go during the year such as family matters; work issues; boat repairs; entry fees; travel distances; season of the year; and you can add to the list.

[Todd2]

I was on vacation in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. One day I was ocean pier fishing and started talking to a dude that was a FLW guy. Very friendly guy, I won't say his name but I looked him up. It was kind of eye opening. Sure, some do really well, but it's a grind and a lot of guys struggle to stay on the tour. It's not as glamorous as you might think. I'd say most of them choose which one they feel gives them the best chance to stick around and make the most $$$$.