MLF Buys FLW!

[813basstard]

1 hour ago, redux said:

I think no entry fees mean that there are qualifying standards instead so you actually weed out the poor performers. FLW was going that route already so it isn't a change to their direction.I believe in 2018 they said 2020 was going to start rigid qualifying standards via points.

 

Pay to play setups are more likely to give you a sub par field anyway when kooks have the cash.

There is still an entry fee. BFL co angler went from $175 to $100. The angler side was reduced as well. 
I’m just hoping it doesn’t dilute it. The BFL’s I’ve fished have been 1st class.

[BassNJake]

The 6 day tourneys are a little much for me as a fan.

Now throw in the confusion that the first 3 days will be the 5 biggest fish and the last 3 days will be the most weight 

FLW guys have to have 2 different patterns going > big fish as well as numbers of fish

 

FLW will actually be the biggest test for anglers because of how hard the changing formats will be.

 

BPT - fishes for most overall weight

BASS- fishes for 5 biggest

FLW- will fish both ways in the same event

 

 

[12poundbass]

4 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Which one? Ive read 3 or 4 

I haven’t read that many, but the first four days (I believe it was four days) would be biggest 5 format so it wont be a 1lb show. 

[RichF]

Refreshing to see a drop in entry fees. Very surprised.

[zell_pop1]

7 minutes ago, RichF said:

Refreshing to see a drop in entry fees. Very 

 It also means less payout.  

The FLW pros are now essentially Triple A to MLFs pros, and making 6 day tournaments with a mix of old and new style tourneys seems lame to me, I like the traditional way.

[RichF]

44 minutes ago, zell_pop1 said:

 It also means less payout.  

The FLW pros are now essentially Triple A to MLFs pros, and making 6 day tournaments with a mix of old and new style tourneys seems lame to me, I like the traditional way.

Eh, but I'm not fishing the tour level. $200 for a BFL ain't bad.

[billmac]

6 day tournaments may be a bit hard on the body of water.

[redux]

6 hours ago, 813basstard said:

There is still an entry fee. BFL co angler went from $175 to $100. The angler side was reduced as well. 
I’m just hoping it doesn’t dilute it. The BFL’s I’ve fished have been 1st class.

Right. I was talking about the FLW Pro tour. I can definitely see your point regarding the BFL and Costa trails though. Although, I am more likely to commit to the Gator division now ? Hopefully I'm not one of the one's who make things worse on the water.

[Justbass11]

I must say I have always loved B.A.S.S. I enjoy their magazine and always will. I really don’t care about MLF or FLW in the way of competition with B.A.S.S. If Bass fishing is on, I’ll watch them all. 

[OCdockskipper]

13 hours ago, Glenn said:

B.A.S.S. is on its heels right now...

 

That is quite an accusation.  Do you have any facts comparing 2019 to previous years (crowd sizes, advertising dollars, etc.) to back it up or are you just repeating "trade show whispering"?

 

One thing I think alot of people overlook when comparing B.A.S.S. to M.L.F. is exactly what each organization is.  MLF is basically a labor union, where those who perform also run the organization.  Their number one concern is the well being of the anglers, followed by pleasing the advertisers and with the fans the lowest priority.

 

BASS is the nations largest fishing club.  Members do not own the organization, but can participate in tournaments that the organization puts on.  If it held no tournaments, BASS would still exist.  Their number one concern is the well being of their members, followed by pleasing the advertisers and then the tournament anglers being the lowest priority.

 

MLF's format is more attractive to the beginning angler or non anglers.  More enthusiastic anglers, ones who would pay to be a member of BASS, find the largest five format to be more interesting.  With the sudden departure of well known anglers, there currently is more name recognition at MLF, but how long will that last?  Us old folks remember when Larry Nixon & others left BASS to go to FLW, but those under 35 years old would ask "Larry Who?".  The organization makes the names and in a few years, anglers like Brandon Cobb and Patrick Walters will be just as well known as Jacob Wheeler and Brandon Palaniuk were when they had their early success.

 

The one question that I haven't heard asked is what happens when 2 or 3 or 10 anglers leave the BPT in order to re-qualify for the Elites?  It is going to happen, not everyone was happy with the inaugural BPT season.

[Glenn]

Whelp, you don't have to like it, or even agree.  But that's what a lot of people in the industry are saying.  Take it or leave it. No sweat off my back.

[Pantera61]

5 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

That is quite an accusation.  Do you have any facts comparing 2019 to previous years (crowd sizes, advertising dollars, etc.) to back it up or are you just repeating "trade show whispering"?

 

One thing I think alot of people overlook when comparing B.A.S.S. to M.L.F. is exactly what each organization is.  MLF is basically a labor union, where those who perform also run the organization.  Their number one concern is the well being of the anglers, followed by pleasing the advertisers and with the fans the lowest priority.

 

BASS is the nations largest fishing club.  Members do not own the organization, but can participate in tournaments that the organization puts on.  If it held no tournaments, BASS would still exist.  Their number one concern is the well being of their members, followed by pleasing the advertisers and then the tournament anglers being the lowest priority.

 

MLF's format is more attractive to the beginning angler or non anglers.  More enthusiastic anglers, ones who would pay to be a member of BASS, find the largest five format to be more interesting.  With the sudden departure of well known anglers, there currently is more name recognition at MLF, but how long will that last?  Us old folks remember when Larry Nixon & others left BASS to go to FLW, but those under 35 years old would ask "Larry Who?".  The organization makes the names and in a few years, anglers like Brandon Cobb and Patrick Walters will be just as well known as Jacob Wheeler and Brandon Palaniuk were when they had their early success.

 

The one question that I haven't heard asked is what happens when 2 or 3 or 10 anglers leave the BPT in order to re-qualify for the Elites?  It is going to happen, not everyone was happy with the inaugural BPT season.

I've been a fan of pro bass fishing since I was a teen in the early 70s.  I think MLF is just what the doctor ordered.  The pros are the guys making the money off their sweat.  It's a wonderful thing when people decide to shape their own destiny.  You think B.A.S.S. cares about the anglers?  B.A.S.S. cares about two things:  Bottom.  Line.

 

[billmac]

The thing is, MLF could switch to, or incorporate a "best 5" model with no trouble whatsoever.

 

Also, in the list of priorities for the different tours, we are forgetting the fish themselves.  I don't think there's much question that MLF treats the fish with more care and respect.   I still like BASS.  They started it all, and bass fishers owe them a lot.  FLW and MLF were built on the foundation they laid.  But this is natural selection, if you can't adapt, you can't survive.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, billmac said:

The thing is, MLF could switch to, or incorporate a "best 5" model with no trouble whatsoever.

 

 

That would be nice 

[Logan S]

It's interesting to me that after all the "livewells are bad..." and "extending the life of the sport..."  type preaching we got from them early on...MLF will now be part of a normal livewell tour - Via the first part of new FLW events.

 

Personal feelings aside, I hope it works out for the anglers involved.  I'm also excited to see how BASS counters this, because they did an outstanding job this year with the Elite Series tournament coverage.  

[billmac]

1 hour ago, Logan S said:

MLF will now be part of a normal livewell tour 

Do we know that for sure?  Catch and immediate release could easily accommodate a best 5 model.

 

If you are right, I will be disappointed.  I've never liked the weigh-in circus sideshow of tournaments.

[OCdockskipper]

10 hours ago, Glenn said:

Whelp, you don't have to like it, or even agree.  But that's what a lot of people in the industry are saying.  Take it or leave it. No sweat off my back.

Ok, so your accusation was an opinion, not a fact.  Just trying to separate the chaff from the wheat.

 

And I really have no interest in your sweaty back...?

[OCdockskipper]

4 hours ago, Pantera61 said:

  You think B.A.S.S. cares about the anglers?  B.A.S.S. cares about two things:  Bottom.  Line.

You are correct, the number one priority for any for-profit organization is making money.  That goes for BASS, MLF & FLW.

 

What I was listing is how those organizations, in their pursuit of making money, prioritize the 3 groups - Fans, tournament anglers and advertisers.  BASS uses the model of catering to the fans in order to attract & keep advertisers, with the tournament anglers being the lower priority.  MLF has a different model, they operate in a manner where they cater to the tournament anglers, hoping that will attract and keep advertisers, and that that combination means the fans will come without being catered to.

 

BASS is the guy who courts a girl by bringing her flowers, opening doors for her and treating her as if she was the only woman on the planet.  MLF is the guy who ignores the girl he is interested in, instead focusing on his motorcycle and bad boy image in hopes that that motivates the girl to come to him.  Both styles work, they just attract different girls. 

[J Francho]

11 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

Ok, so your accusation was an opinion, not a fact.

No, it's a fact that many in the industry are saying what Glenn said.  Not sure why you can't accept that. 

[OCdockskipper]

Just now, J Francho said:

No, it's a fact that many in the industry are saying what Glenn said.  Not sure why you can't accept that. 

It is indeed a fact that Glenn was repeating an opinion.  However, I asked if he had facts about the accusation, which he doesn't.  I accept that 100%.

 

If people at BassResource tell me that J Francho uses live bait in tournaments and I repeat it to other people, that does not make it a fact.  Heresay is not a fact.

[ReedFish]

Been a part of BASS since the 90's and fished in BASS NATION events since then too.  At the club level BASS is simply status thing.  I don't know about a lot of other states, but here in Iowa most tournaments are open events, or series events that a person/company runs.  Bass Nation events are way down in participation and clubs are drying up, some don't even have club events, they just fish the state events.  Don't get me wrong there are a handful of big BASS Clubs in Iowa and they have a great following, however in the minds of BASS NATION you pay a lot to play only to advance to the next level.  In the state of Iowa, if you don't have 2 weeks of vacation to burn up on the 1 Bass Nation State tournament and the Regional tournament then why fish them, no money for winning, only the opportunity to advance.  I'm not saying this is bad or wrong, but to most people it isn't possible with work and family schedules.  

 

In my mind the Elite series "was" the best show on earth, fish for 3/4 days and bring your best 5 to the scales.  They had so many great names/people fishing the events it was quite a spectacle.  This year...barely watched any of it, same for many of my friends.  Are the anglers fishing this year on the Elites as good as the big name that left...I can't say, however I do know that BASS did lose a lot of fans to MLF just because of the names. 

 

With FLW and MLF merging they will be the complete show/league.  From what I understand in the last week it will set up much like Professional baseball(I remember early in the MLF days Boyd comparing the two).  The MLF will be the "pro" level, and the FLW Tour will be "AAA".  Costa Series will be for the "AA" guys and the "BFL" will be the weekend anglers or the "A" guys.  At the AAA, AA, A level angler will pay to play, once you hit the majors you won't.  "A", "AA" and some "AAA" baseball players have real jobs to support their habit and dream of making it in the Big Leagues one day, Boyd has created that same scenario with professional bass fishing, one of his major goals when he started MLF many years ago.  Kudos for this opportunity, and if anglers don't like the setup, I'm sure BASS will keep things exactly the same for anglers wanting 5 fish weigh-ins for the BASS Opens and the Elites...which have become much better payouts/cost than before MLF.  

[J Francho]

4 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

It is indeed a fact that Glenn was repeating an opinion.  However, I asked if he had facts about the accusation, which he doesn't.  I accept that 100%.

 

If people at BassResource tell me that J Francho uses live bait in tournaments and I repeat it to other people, that does not make it a fact.  Heresay is not a fact.

Dude, cut the crap.  We're just passing along info.

[OCdockskipper]

Just now, J Francho said:

Dude, cut the crap.  We're just passing along info.

Not sure why you are choosing to attack me, my interest was the source of the information.  Glenn cleared it up and admitted it was insider talk.

 

If you are having a tough morning, my condolences, but no need to take it out on the forum members.

[Logan S]

1 hour ago, billmac said:

Do we know that for sure?  Catch and immediate release could easily accommodate a best 5 model.

 

If you are right, I will be disappointed.  I've never liked the weigh-in circus sideshow of tournaments.

 They didn't explicitly say it, but they said, "The Pro Circuit will operate on a six-day competition schedule that features FLW’s traditional five-fish-limit format on days one through three, transitioning to the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release/every-scoreable-bass-counts format on days four through six..." They called out the CWR aspect of the MLF portion and not the FLW, so it seems likely that days 1-3 will have weigh ins.  

 

Logistically speaking, it's probably impossible to expect they will get 150 boat officials at every day of every event so it almost has to be a weigh in for the full-field days.  When they move to MLF format the field is cut down and seems to be split into separate days, so more manageable for putting officials in boats.   

 

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong...Someone will have to tell me though cuz I can just about guarantee I won't be watching.  

[YoTone]

Will top FLW pros like Thrift and Martin be able to compete with the MLF pros this year?