Jordan Lee Returning to BASS

[Troy85]

https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/news/jordan-lee-makes-legendary-return-to-bassmaster-elite-series/

 

 

[TnRiver46]

You beat me to it! Good to see him back 

[gim]

I assume he had to qualify just like anyone else?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I assume he had to qualify just like anyone else?

Yeah I'm wondering how he qualified, because you do in fact have to.

 

He didn't qualify through the Opens, didn't qualify through BASS nation.  

 

ETA:  If I were BASS I think I'd blacklist the big names that jumped ship to the MLF.     Let the little guys go to the opens or whatever, but the big guys who very well could have killed BASS should have an extremely tough time getting back into the elites if at all.   I'd play for keeps if I were BASS now that the MLF ship is sinking.    

[gim]

Does BASS offer an exemption like the golf does in the PGA?  I mean he did win back to back Classics, didn't he?

 

Edit: I see now that he did qualify through a Legends exemption, which opened up because Nixon retired.

 

Lee will return to the Elites via a Legend’s spot in the field, which opened when Larry Nixon announced his retirement.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Unreal, absolute BS.....I'd be livid if I was a loyal BASS member trying to make the elites and this guy just got handed his spot.   

 

Makes me lose some respect for BASS now, seems very unfair. 

 

 

 

Sport needs a heel, all the MLF turncoats will be that for me lol. 

[gim]

You do bring up a good point.  I guess I am not familiar with how this "legends exemption" works so I will refrain on commenting whether it seems like a consistent, fair process or they simply just selected Lee and gave that to him at the expense of someone else who actually qualified.

[TnRiver46]

Legend exemption, took the general’s spot. The general also used a legend exemption but nobody was up in arms because he’s the freaking general 
 

@AlabamaSpothunter, let’s be honest he wouldn’t have any trouble qualifying 

[Troy85]

They don't boot anyone to make a spot for a legend exemption.  Its added on after all the other qualifications are done.  If you win a classic or AOY you get a legend point.  You can use that point to gain access back into the Elite series.  Since he won 2 classics he had 2 legend points, so he beat out anyone with only 1 legend point that applied to rejoin via legend exemption for the 2024 season.

[WRB]

Young talent that should put fear in the elite field and will win several Elite tournaments in the future.

Tom

[AlabamaSpothunter]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Legend exemption, took the general’s spot. The general also used a legend exemption but nobody was up in arms because he’s the freaking general 
 

@AlabamaSpothunter, let’s be honest he wouldn’t have any trouble qualifying 

As for him earning his way legitimately onto the Elites, yeah I can't agree with that.   The hardest thing in Bass fishing in qualifying through the 9 derby Open schedule, and outside of that you got to get even luckier and place in the top 20 in a Nation event, and then win the end of the year Nation derby.  

 

Bobby Lane, and Ish Monroe proved just how hard it is this year, and beyond that the future of the sport is dudes in their 20s and early 30s that will outfish most of the old "Legends" using the scope.   

 

 

 

 

[gim]

17 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

is dudes in their 20s and early 30s that will outfish most of the old "Legends" using the scope.   

Kyoyo Fujita is sitting somewhere just laughing at this in Japanese.

[Tennessee Boy]

Winning two Classics isn’t enough to qualify for the Elites?

[flatcreek]

Good to see Lee back with Bass.

[Troy85]

He qualified once already, but it was under the old opens format.  He won 2 classics back to back then left, and was readmitted using the Legend exemption.  Brandon Palanuik and Gerald Swindle both returned to BASS using the Ledgend exemption a few years back.  I remember, because I remember Ike saying he could have used the legend exemption, but said he wanted to requalify again thru the opens.

[GReb]

Did GMan qualify when he went back because I think he used an exemption as well. I don’t have a problem with it. Winning two Classics should earn a lifetime exemption the same way winning the Masters does. If you don’t like it, win a classic. 

[Pat Brown]

Yeah I think two classics puts you in a special category.  Jordan is a cool guy and a hammer and I'm thinking he's gonna be winning some events next year and seeing him and Milliken duking it out should be satisfying.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

As for him earning his way legitimately onto the Elites, yeah I can't agree with that.   The hardest thing in Bass fishing in qualifying through the 9 derby Open schedule, and outside of that you got to get even luckier and place in the top 20 in a Nation event, and then win the end of the year Nation derby.  

 

Bobby Lane, and Ish Monroe proved just how hard it is this year, and beyond that the future of the sport is dudes in their 20s and early 30s that will outfish most of the old "Legends" using the scope.   

 

 

 

 

Yeah and powroznik and hackney requalified thru the opens easily. And Larry Nixon used the same legend exemption that J Lee is using, did that make you lose any respect for BASS? I would personally only lose respect if the didn’t allow Nixon and Lee the exemption, they are indeed legends 

 

it’s a moot point tho, J Lee would dominate the opens circuit . 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Yeah and swindle powroznik and hackney requalified thru the opens easily. And Larry Nixon used the same legend exemption that J Lee is using, did that make you lose any respect for BASS? I would personally only lose respect if the didn’t allow Nixon and Lee the exemption, they are indeed legends 

Hackney was just on record as saying he wouldn't and likely couldn't requalify in the 9 derby Open format on the Bilge podcast.  

 

Was Nixon a turncoat who left BASS high and dry with Boyd's shiny used car sales pitch?  I know he fished some FLW stuff back in the day.   

 

It's irrelevant now anyways, just like all the other "legends" or hammers that won before scoping......he'll be lapped by younger wizards on the scope going forward. 

 

 

  

[TnRiver46]

12 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Hackney was just on record as saying he wouldn't and likely couldn't requalify in the 9 derby Open format on the Bilge podcast.  

 

Was Nixon a turncoat who left BASS high and dry with Boyd's shiny used car sales pitch?  I know he fished some FLW stuff back in the day.   

 

It's irrelevant now anyways, just like all the other "legends" or hammers that won before scoping......he'll be lapped by younger wizards on the scope going forward. 

 

 

  

Lee?? He won a classic without an outboard and may have won AOY or came really close against wheeler etc scoping. He can more than hang, scope or not . He also went to auburn. I would imagine he is in the top three anglers in the world, definitely top five.

 

PS Nixon is a class act, not a turn coat. His peers are KVD and Roland Martin, there’s a legitimate argument for Nixon as the GOAT 

[ak6388]

46 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

It's irrelevant now anyways, just like all the other "legends" or hammers that won before scoping......he'll be lapped by younger wizards on the scope going forward. 

 

 

  

You do know JLee is only 32 and smoked everyone at St. Clair this year scoping the whole time right?…. He’s not just some old guy riding off his laurels from 20 years ago and would certainly not have much trouble through the opens just because it’s a scope fest. Guy is a hammer. 

[gim]

I like the term “scope” in this thread. I think I’ll use that moving forward. “Scope wizard” ain’t bad either. Lol

 

Quit scoping smallmouth offshore with a drop shot.

Fujita is nothing but a scoper.

Do you want to fish or scope?
 

When I come up with more, I’ll post them.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

No argument from me about Nixon, I was just trying to differentiate him from Lee. 

 

I'm not a fan of KVD at all, I couldn't imagine turning my back on the company that made me right when they needed me the most.   Greatest angler of all time pre scope, absolutely.    

 

I'm an Auburn alum myself, and Lee grew up about 20mins north of where I'm typing.    

 

I'm obviously in the minority here, heck the only dissenting opinion on the topic, but I'll never view the anglers that took Boyd's offer the same as loyal BASS guys.   

 

Chris Zaldain on a recent podcast had some great insight into that period and what it took to stay loyal and keep the ship afloat in the immediate aftermath.  Boyd and the MLF literally said their goal was to put BASS out of business.   Boyd fractured the professional fishing world purposefully, the anglers who followed him did so knowing that fact. 

 

 

[gim]

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Boyd and the MLF literally said their goal was to put BASS out of business.   Boyd fractured the professional fishing world purposefully, the anglers who followed him did so knowing that fact. 

Valid point. Boyd and his cronies can go kick rocks for that if you ask me. 
 

Ironic now that you have anglers who left BASS (like the previously mentioned Lee) jumping ship and now returning to BASS.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

19 minutes ago, ak6388 said:

You do know JLee is only 32 and smoked everyone at St. Clair this year scoping the whole time right?…. He’s not just some old guy riding off his laurels from 20 years ago and would certainly not have much trouble through the opens just because it’s a scope fest. Guy is a hammer. 

Well the great thing is we get to see next year I guess.

 

Fujita, Cowboy, Walters, Welcher and half of the upcoming rookie class I suspect will dominate next season....not just Lee, but the entire field      

 

4 anglers have won back to back Classics in only 51 years of running it.    Hank Cherry is a back to back Classic winner, competed in the Elites last year, and finished 39th in AOY barely making the Classic this year.    

 

Hard to compare pro fishing stats pre/post scope.    Sure these guys are learning it and even have success with it at the top level, but others are true savants with it.   Their technique is the scope, they didn't have to waste a decade or two reading tea leaves and mastering various other disciplines within the sport.