BPT / MLF Format Rules Needs To Change !!

[J Francho]

5 fish limits stem from regulations.  Most places, an angler can only keep 5 per day.

[12poundbass]

23 minutes ago, Troy85 said:

I think it would be interesting to set a limit on the number of fish they could weigh, but not allow culling.  When the fish is caught, they need to decide at that time if they want to weigh it or not.  If the limit it set to 25 for a particular event, they choose the 25 they want to weigh, after that they are done for the day. 

I think this idea could work and have a little ‘drama’. To add another twist what if they limited the amount of times they got a Scoretracker update? You can only do say three scoretracker updates, that adds a little drama because you may not know what size everyone else is catching, so are they on a 3 lbs average so you don’t weigh the smaller ones? Are you throwing away weight because you aren’t weighing 1.5 pound fish? That’s a gamble you have to take because you can only weigh 25 fish and you can only do 3 score tracker updates so you only get a small glimpse into what everyone else has. 

[Troy85]

1 minute ago, 12poundbass said:

I think this idea could work and have a little ‘drama’. To add another twist what if they limited the amount of times they got a Scoretracker update? You can only do say three scoretracker updates, that adds a little drama because you may not know what size everyone else is catching, so are they on a 3 lbs average so you don’t weigh the smaller ones? Are you throwing away weight because you aren’t weighing 1.5 pound fish? That’s a gamble you have to take because you can only weigh 25 fish and you can only do 3 score tracker updates so you only get a small glimpse into what everyone else has. 

I like that,Limited number of score tracker updates would add a lot of strategy to a limited fish format.  Either that, or the updates only give you limited information, such as anglers positions but not total weights, or maybe other anglers weight, but not number of fish caught.  So many options. 

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, FLAGATOR49 said:

The original B.A.S.S. formats had like 12 fish limits or something around that ballpark. The 5 fish limit was a rule change at some point that im sure didn't sit well with everyone. 

State limits use to be more liberal and Bass tourneys used limits set by the states . When states cut their limits , many to 6 fish a day,  tournaments went to a five fish rule to stay legal . 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, FLAGATOR49 said:

Nobody likes a dink fest, but what other sport limits you to your best 5 touchdowns? Your best five hits? Your best five slam dunks/ three pointers?

 

The NFL is changed their rules for more offense and the MLF is providing more offense with their format. The NHL changed their rules for....more offense!!! The old saying was you may only get five bites a day but they are the right 5 bites. That's less action and entertainment for the casual viewer. More fish = More offense 

 

I believe they should set a high limit that varies from lake to lake accordingly, 10-15 bass in Florida/Texas and 25 bass for fisheries like Table Rock. 

 

And the super bowl score was 13-3.......

[FLAGATOR49]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

And the super bowl score was 13-3.......

And that game was excruciating to watch.... 2018 was much better 41-33!!

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, FLAGATOR49 said:

And that game was excruciating to watch.... 2018 was much better 41-33!!

And the pats lost that one which also made it better

[jbsoonerfan]

Why not go to one fish? Maybe 10? How about 31? Maybe just weigh the ones over 3 lbs? Everyone uses the same lure? No electronics? Must weigh in at least one catfish? 

 

I realize some of you guys don't like it, that's fine, don't watch it. I have never watched a WNBA game because I hate watching women play basketball. Pretty simple concept really.

[FLAGATOR49]

Just now, jbsoonerfan said:

Why not go to one fish? Maybe 10? How about 31? Maybe just weigh the ones over 3 lbs? Everyone uses the same lure? No electronics? Must weigh in at least one catfish? 

 

I realize some of you guys don't like it, that's fine, don't watch it. I have never watched a WNBA game because I hate watching women play basketball. Pretty simple concept really.

31 fish limit must weigh in at least one catfish/bluegill depending on location and successfully complete a slam dunk at the end of each elimination round. 

[J Francho]

12 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I realize some of you guys don't like it, that's fine, don't watch it.

You could say the same for replying to threads that make you feel special.

[jbsoonerfan]

Just now, J Francho said:

You could say the same for replying to threads that make you feel special.

I don't need to reply to any threads to feel special.

 

I was just saying that there are a million different ways you could try to change the format and no matter what, someone will complain.

 

Thanks for your 2 cents.

[Tennessee Boy]

Edwin Evers caught 63 fish in the championship round of the Redcrest.  At one point he was catching fish faster than his marshal could enter them into score tracker. I watched it and it was very entertaining.  His average bass was just under 1 lb 6 oz.  It was like watching Tiger Woods play putt-putt,  fun to watch... once or twice.  I'm sure Tiger would be very good at putt-putt, but let the guy show us what being a great golfer is really about.  Same goes for the worlds greatest anglers.  I've caught 60+ bass in a day several times in my life.  Does that make me a world class angler?  If the goal it to watch them catch a lot of fish,  then do away with the one pound minimum,  just count the number of fish, and we can watch them catch 200 six inch long fish a day.  I've never caught a 30 lb limit.  I'm impressed when I see a pro do that.  I want to learn how he did it.  I want to buy the stuff he used to do it.  I think the BPT will eventually realize they have to make some changes. Their fans and their sponsors will demand it.

 

[jbsoonerfan]

I think the TV numbers will dictate what happens going forward. If the numbers we have heard are true, there may not be any changes coming soon. If the numbers go down, they may start to tweak what we see. 

 

That being said, when you know the outcome of a football game, you don't really want to see every snap. That's how I felt watching these episodes. I already knew the outcome so I wasn't really on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen. To the average Joe watching it, he may not even know who won and him watching EE catch one after another might have been impressive to him.

 

It is what it is, like it or hate it.

[Hawkeye21]

Wouldn't increasing the minimum weigh solve a lot of issues.  In southern locations it could be 3lbs and in northern locations it could be 2lbs or something like that.

 

As for learning from them I feel I already do.  I can see what lure they are using, I have seen them describe what they are doing while fishing and when they are sitting during a penalty, I've seen them explain where they plan to fish and how they break down a lake.  I watch/listen to the live stream though, I'm not sure who everyone else watches it.

[12poundbass]

3 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

 

That being said, when you know the outcome of a football game, you don't really want to see every snap. That's how I felt watching these episodes. I already knew the outcome so I wasn't really on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen. To the average Joe watching it, he may not even know who won and him watching EE catch one after another might have been impressive to him

I find myself not as into it as much either since I already know who won. But we aren’t the target audience either. 

[Tennessee Boy]

3 hours ago, Hawkeye21 said:

Wouldn't increasing the minimum weigh solve a lot of issues.  In southern locations it could be 3lbs and in northern locations it could be 2lbs or something like that.

 

As for learning from them I feel I already do.  I can see what lure they are using, I have seen them describe what they are doing while fishing and when they are sitting during a penalty, I've seen them explain where they plan to fish and how they break down a lake.  I watch/listen to the live stream though, I'm not sure who everyone else watches it.

Yes,  I think raising the minimum to 2 pounds would solve the problem as far as I'm concerned but would you still like it?  It would be a completely different game.  Watch this video of EE's killer run in the Redcrest.  It's very entertaining TV for sure.  By my count he caught 17 score-able bass in this video.  1 was over 2 lbs,  8 were over 1.5 lbs,  8 were under 1.5 lbs.  Give the guy credit for finding the spot, but I think it's safe to say anyone could catch fish there.  In a 5 fish limit tournament he probably wouldn't waste much time on this spot but would have around 8.5 lbs off of it.  With a 2 lb minimum he goes away with one small fish.  Under the current rules this spot is legendary.  How you score makes all the difference in the world in how a tournament test the angler's skill, what fish they target, and in the final product the fans watch on TV.

 

 

[Hawkeye21]

13 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Yes,  I think raising the minimum to 2 pounds would solve the problem as far as I'm concerned but would you still like it?  It would be a completely different game.  Watch this video of EE's killer run in the Redcrest.  It's very entertaining TV for sure.  By my count he caught 17 score-able bass in this video.  1 was over 2 lbs,  8 were over 1.5 lbs,  8 were under 1.5 lbs.  Give the guy credit for finding the spot, but I think it's safe to say anyone could catch fish there.  In a 5 fish limit tournament he probably wouldn't waste much time on this spot but would have around 8.5 lbs off of it.  With a 2 lb minimum he goes away with one small fish.  Under the current rules this spot is legendary.  How you score makes all the difference in the world in how a tournament test the angler's skill, what fish they target, and in the final product the fans watch on TV.

 

 

That's why I think the minimum should be based on the body of water.  There can be plenty of of 2 pound fish caught on certain bodies of water.  Maybe 1 or 1.5 is more suitable for other bodies of water.

[BassNJake]

On 1/7/2020 at 2:36 PM, jbsoonerfan said:

I think the TV numbers will dictate what happens going forward. If the numbers we have heard are true, there may not be any changes coming soon. If the numbers go down, they may start to tweak what we see. 

 

The information that has been trickling out of the MLF'ers is that not all sponsors are not basing pay on viewership numbers. So the sponsorship money might not be as good for all the anglers but I'd bet the owners will make out well with their contracts with Discovery Channel and others. Corporate sponsorship money >>> individual sponsorship 

 

This is gonna take a few years to sort everything out, both for the anglers and the sponsors.

Hopefully, everything works out for everyone involved.

It would be an absolute disaster for Professional fishing if either one of these failed.

 

[Columbia Craw]

"No sir, no sir. I ain't. Haven't  butted into somebody else's business since I was eighteen year old...at which time it almost got me killed."  John Wayne in Big Jake.

[moguy1973]

On 12/29/2019 at 8:09 AM, detroit1 said:

I like the format as - is, although it might need tweaking a little. There should be some kind of premium for catching bigger bass. Maybe incorporating a big 5 into extra points or something.  I don't care if they change anything or not- i'm still watching. I really don't care if others watch, or if they lose advertising. 2020 schedule (lakes) looks promising for bigger fish..so it might help a little. If it doesn't work, they'll be back to best 5 like the others. It was kinda sad watching E.E. hoist the championship trophy in front of 10's of people....

They are doing just this in 2020.  They are having a Heavy Hitters tournament that tallies each anglers largest fish for the first 5 tournaments and the 30 anglers with the highest total 5 big bass will qualify for the Heavy Hitters tourney on the Kissimmee Chain in May.  Will give them incentive to go after some big fish in order to fish for $100k as well as daily big bass prizes.

 

https://majorleaguefishing.com/featured/major-league-fishing-adds-heavy-hitters-to-the-2020-bass-pro-tour-schedule/

[OCdockskipper]

6 hours ago, BassNJake said:

...It would be an absolute disaster for Professional fishing if either one of these failed.

Why do you believe that?  A decade ago, there was no MLF & no BPT and professional fishing was doing fine.  When MLF came along, it was a bonus for those select few who bet their own money by becoming owners.  I'm assuming it was profitable for them, but it didn't do much for all of the other professional anglers.

 

IF BPT succeeds, it will expand the opportunities as far as the number of people who can make a living by being a professional bass angler.  However, it may over saturate the market if the demand for the end product (tournament fishing shows) doesn't keep up.  That is a wait & see proposition.

 

If BPT fails, then I could see FLW reverting to its previous structure.  There will be a bit of a scramble at the BASS open's level as 50-60 top pros jump back in in an effort to re-qualify for the Elites.  But failure in business is a normal occurrence, it only means you are not meeting a consumer need.  That could mean there isn't a large enough customer base for what they are doing or they are bad at satisfying the customers needs, either way, going belly up actually helps the rest of the market.  Think of it like culling stunted bass in a farm pond.

[Mike L]

5 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

"No sir, no sir. I ain't. Haven't  butted into somebody else's business since I was eighteen year old...at which time it almost got me killed."  John Wayne in Big Jake.

Love that movie!

?

 

 

 

Mike

[J Francho]

9 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

If BPT fails, then I could see FLW reverting to its previous structure.

What knowledge do you have of MLF's recovery plan, should one arm of it's organization fail to meet expectations?  Or are you just speculating? 

 

This whole thread is starting to sound like cable new pundits reporting opinion as fact, lol.

 

9 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

That is a wait & see proposition.

That's really all we can do, and enjoy the coverage we like to watch.  Or not.

[BassNJake]

8 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

Why do you believe that?  A decade ago, there was no MLF & no BPT and professional fishing was doing fine.  When MLF came along, it was a bonus for those select few who bet their own money by becoming owners.  I'm assuming it was profitable for them, but it didn't do much for all of the other professional anglers.

 

IF BPT succeeds, it will expand the opportunities as far as the number of people who can make a living by being a professional bass angler.  However, it may over saturate the market if the demand for the end product (tournament fishing shows) doesn't keep up.  That is a wait & see proposition.

 

If BPT fails, then I could see FLW reverting to its previous structure.  There will be a bit of a scramble at the BASS open's level as 50-60 top pros jump back in in an effort to re-qualify for the Elites.  But failure in business is a normal occurrence, it only means you are not meeting a consumer need.  That could mean there isn't a large enough customer base for what they are doing or they are bad at satisfying the customers needs, either way, going belly up actually helps the rest of the market.  Think of it like culling stunted bass in a farm pond.

MLF now owns FLW. 

FLW isn't going back to what it was, it's now directly related to MLF's success IMO.

They have stated multiple times that they are going after non endemic sponsors

If you remember this was the FLW 90's strategy, it worked for a little bit too.

Then Chevy left and more non endemic sponsors left too

Finally, Walmart left as the Tour Title sponsor

 

If something happens to the market - war, recession .... whatever

The first thing that companies will cut is sponsorship money.(see FLW example)

If your sponsors are all fishing related, you've got a chance.

You have a bunch of non fishing sponsors, you might be in trouble

 

When the market got tight last time, I sold the glass boat with a 225hp and kept the tin one with a 25hp

As much as I love fishing- compared to other household needs it's still a hobby

 

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

What knowledge do you have of MLF's recovery plan, should one arm of it's organization fail to meet expectations?  Or are you just speculating? 

Complete speculation, which is why I phrased it as "I could see". 

 

In a bankruptcy, often companies do what they can to salvage assets and FLW was operable in its past form.  Returning it to that state could in theory keep it alive if the BPT boat sinks.

 

Note that BPT could fail and you could still have FLW & MLF, just in their pre 2019 forms.

1 hour ago, BassNJake said:

MLF now owns FLW. 

FLW isn't going back to what it was, it's now directly related to MLF's success IMO.

They have stated multiple times that they are going after non endemic sponsors

If you remember this was the FLW 90's strategy, it worked for a little bit too.

Then Chevy left and more non endemic sponsors left too

Finally, Walmart left as the Tour Title sponsor

 

If something happens to the market - war, recession .... whatever

The first thing that companies will cut is sponsorship money.(see FLW example)

If your sponsors are all fishing related, you've got a chance.

You have a bunch of non fishing sponsors, you might be in trouble

 

When the market got tight last time, I sold the glass boat with a 225hp and kept the tin one with a 25hp

As much as I love fishing- compared to other household needs it's still a hobby

 

I understand what you are saying above, but how does that translate to your previous statement that if BPT failed, it would be an absolute disaster for professional fishing?

 

I have criticized Boyd Duckett for the way he went about recruiting for BPT, however he did organize every thing in a way to allow him flexibility should it not work out.  MLF, BPT & FLW are all separate entities and in theory, could fail or survive without the other two.  Obviously he is trying to use FLW as a feeder to BPT, which in turn feeds MLF, but that chain is not a requirement for any of those 3 to survive.

 

If BPT were to fail, I doubt they would allow it to drag FLW & MLF down with it.  The obvious scenario would be to cut the losses with BPT and revert FLW & MLF back to their previous versions.