MLF/BPT Moving to a 5-Fish Limit???

[Tim Kelly]

I'd prefer 5 fish, with the scoretracker, but most of all, stop zeroing the weights! I hate the lack of credit the anglers get for how they qualified, it's just get to the final, then it's a one day shoot out. Doesn't sit well with me. 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I can see tech in 10 years being borderline uncompetitive, but at the moment Livescope isn't some magic ju ju.    Pros are paying lots of money to folks in order to learn how to best use this tech.   It's anything but an underwater camera as some think it essentially is.   

 

I love the intersection of tech and fishing, and my dream is to make a device like Google Glasses that projects your waypoints and marked structure across the area of lake you are looking at (something I've been dreaming of for years).    Think about if your fishing area had red buoy markers over your marked structure, that only you can see, and never needs to be picked up.   Absolute gamechanger.   

 

I already have that, it’s called the human brain 

[NavyToad]

If I’m fishing with my brother and I catch 17 fish and he catches 7 fish, but his best 5 fish weigh 8oz more than my 5 best, is he the better fisherman? 
I’d rather watch Tim Horton catch 60lbs in the final period to come from 30 lbs behind any day.

[Woody B]

For me fishing isn't a spectator sport.  Regardless of fish count I'd like to see ALL tournaments go to catch and release instead of haul around all day then parade around on stage.  

 

For the 5 bass limit vs total weight.  A coin flip each morning to determine the format would be interesting.   I haven't watched any of these tournaments.  If they're multiple days how about one day of total weight, then one day of 5 bass limit?  

 

 

[Columbia Craw]

Five best?  So you go to a NASCAR race and the drivers run 400 miles and the driver who clocks the five fastest laps in the champion.  That’ll work.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Columbia Craw said:

Five best?  So you go to a NASCAR race and the drivers run 400 miles and the driver who clocks the five fastest laps in the champion.  That’ll work.

It’s 2022, nobody goes to nascar races 

[T-Billy]

On 10/14/2022 at 3:17 PM, gimruis said:

I realize they aren't going to have an event in March up here,

I wish they would. I'd love to see some northern events shortly after ice out, or late in the fall when the water's in the 40's. Most wouldn't be big numbers tournaments, but we'd see some giants caught.

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s 2022, nobody goes to nascar races 

 

11 hours ago, Woody B said:

For the 5 bass limit vs total weight.  A coin flip each morning to determine the format would be interesting

I like that idea. 

[gim]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I'd love to see some northern events shortly after ice out

That may not be possible because they have to plan these events well in advance and no one knows when the ice will be gone up here.  Additionally, Minnesota's bass season doesn't even open until May, and a couple others only have a catch and release season prior to that, so a live weight format wouldn't be legal.

 

They could have events in starting in mid May or June though, that is for sure.  I'm just trying to figure out a way so that they all aren't sitting there fishing vertically with a drop shot and watching livescope, and holding an event outside of the "summer" time up here would be a possible route to doing that.

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I wish they would. I'd love to see some northern events shortly after ice out, or late in the fall when the water's in the 40's. Most wouldn't be big numbers tournaments, but we'd see some giants caught.

My favorite time to fish for plus size brown bass.

But access to the fish is often a little on the sketchy side. 

A-Jay

 

[Deleted account]

On 10/14/2022 at 10:19 AM, volzfan59 said:

Clunn's strategy is still a great tournament strategy. Worry about getting a limit first, then try and upgrade. 

John Nash is rolling in his grave, that's actually the worst way to do it if you are trying to win, if you are trying to make the podium or cash a check, then yes, that is a viable strategy.

[T-Billy]

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

That may not be possible because they have to plan these events well in advance and no one knows when the ice will be gone up here.  Additionally, Minnesota's bass season doesn't even open until May, and a couple others only have a catch and release season prior to that, so a live weight format wouldn't be legal.

 

They could have events in starting in mid May or June though, that is for sure.  I'm just trying to figure out a way so that they all aren't sitting there fishing vertically with a drop shot and watching livescope, and holding an event outside of the "summer" time up here would be a possible route to doing that.

May not be possible in MN, but there's lots of places it is. We're always ice free by late March in my neck of the woods, and the water won't hit 50 until late april. I'd just like to see the pro's fish some tough cold water conditions a tournament or two each year. It'd be interesting to see how they approach it.

[gim]

4 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

We're always ice free by late March in my neck of the woods, and the water won't hit 50 until late april. I'd just like to see the pro's fish some tough cold water conditions a tournament or two each year

I agree.  I think you'd see a variety of presentations other than the traditional summer time vertical drop shot thing.

[volzfan59]

Things must be getting pretty interesting at mlf/bpt. Just heard on Luke Dunkin's podcast that redcrest winner Bobby Lane may be joining other bpt angler's in abandoning the ship.

[Scott804]

14 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I wish they would. I'd love to see some northern events shortly after ice out, or late in the fall when the water's in the 40's. Most wouldn't be big numbers tournaments, but we'd see some giants caught.

I'd like to see this too - but the original reason they go in July/the summer up north (atleast in the case of BASS) is for fish mortality, because most of the southern end of the country is unviable for tournaments that time of year. To put an event up north in the spring or fall would probably seen as a wasted opportunity to have an event in a southern fishery in it's prime time. 

[12poundbass]

Well it’s official. 
 

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/scoring-changes-announced-for-2023-bass-pro-tour/

[A-Jay]

The Meat & Potatoes ~ 

 

"The scoring change will slightly alter how anglers advance in each Bass Pro Tour event. The 40 anglers in Group A will compete on Days 1 and 3 and the 40 anglers in Group B will compete on Days 2 and 4. The Top 20 from each group, based on the two-day, heaviest cumulative weight of five bass per day will advance to the Knockout Round (Day 5). Anglers who win the Qualifying Round will no longer receive an automatic Championship Round berth. Weights are zeroed for the Knockout Round, and 10 anglers will advance to the Championship Round (Day 6). Weights from the Knockout Round will carry over into the Championship Round, and the winner of the event will be decided by the heaviest Knockout and Championship Round two-day cumulative weight."

 

One interesting aspect of this scoring change might be as viewers,

we are probably going to hear just about every way there is to say

"this bass won't help me".

A-Jay

[SC53]

I like it..

[GReb]

Heavy hitters will remain every scoreable fish counts. 

[TnRiver46]

?‍♂️ 

[uglyasheck]

What they should do is have Super Bowl type tournament of Champions between BASS Classic and MLF Redcrest winner now that would be interesting.

[BassNJake]

Blame it on FFS,

this will push more guys to the banks

[Stratocat_Joe]

Interesting discussion on the subject matter...

 

I think I agree with Watson on it.  It would've made more sense to test this scoring change first.  I think it would've been perfect to test it in their Heavy Hitters event.  But, like Watson says in the video, I think the casual viewers that MLF was originally seeking to draw will not be interested in the new format.  If they're watching a 5-fish format, they're going to watch a BASS event.

 

 

[ghost123123]

Personally I don’t like it. I think the viewing will stink and we get to watch these pros watch tv looking for bigger fish to target. Don’t care for the weight carry over from the knockout round to the championship. I guess I’ll get more chores done around the house. I just don’t like the change of format at all. Just my two cents worth and I’m sure it’s not worth that.

[Ski]

6 hours ago, ghost123123 said:

Personally I don’t like it. I think the viewing will stink and we get to watch these pros watch tv looking for bigger fish to target.

Not sure I understand, They are still going to catch, weigh and release ever fish they catch but only the five largest after the day will be totaled for the win. 

[Stratocat_Joe]

1 hour ago, Ski said:

Not sure I understand, They are still going to catch, weigh and release ever fish they catch but only the five largest after the day will be totaled for the win. 

Like Watson, Coulter, and Wheeler discussed, it's going to diminish the viewing product, especially with the move to the live broadcasts by both leagues.  It will be hard to fill an 8-hour TV/streaming broadcast with anglers who are only seeking 5 big bites.  Even in the "every fish counts" format, there were lulls in the action.  The casual viewer won't want to watch people fish...they want to watch people catch.  I've mentioned this elsewhere on a MLF/BASS thread, as a fan of the sport of bass fishing, I watch both formats.  But my wife (aka a casual viewer) can't stand watching a traditional 5-fish limit because she finds it boring watching people fish for 5 bites.  However, she would sit down and watch a MLF event because the format usually created more action and viewing drama.  As the Watson, Coulter, and Wheeler mentioned, that action and drama will likely be diminished with the new scoring change.