This is the time of year when bass pros across the country are looking ahead to next year. As many climb into or out of a deer stand, spend time tinkering with tackle or put in hours at a real job to earn a few bucks, each likely thinks of 2016.
“What are you gonna fish?” is a common question within the circle each autumn.
Next season is sure to bring changes. FLW will wrap things up with their season-ending Rayovac Championship later this month. Prior to that, we’re unlikely to hear any major announcements that may signal revision. I predict we will, though.
B.A.S.S. recently revealed to qualified anglers changes to the Elite Series for 2016, as they have nearly every year since the league’s inception. For the most part, this should be viewed as a positive; change is often good, and B.A.S.S. is reportedly consulting their athletes when making decisions. A few areas, however, still need tweaking, as I’ll demonstrate. Let’s look at the major components that will see modification:
The winner of BASSFest will continue to earn a Classic berth, but the 2016 event will no longer feature anglers from the Bassmaster Opens or a second-chance segment.
Great. Fine. As I’ve stated here several times in the past, the second-chance tournament was a confusing, meaningless event that lacked any logic, placing anglers experiencing sub-par performances among the leaders; practically forcing them to compete with no chance of winning. Also, at no time do the Open anglers belong in Elite events, or, I argue, the Bassmaster Classic. My continuing message to B.A.S.S.: separate your Tours. It further justifies elevation of the highest levels.
The Niagara River in Buffalo, N.Y., will host a new Bassmaster Classic Bracket tournament that will include the Top 8 finishers from the Cayuga Lake Elite Series.
What the heck is this? Anyone agreeing with part one of our chat immediately recognizes this as another potential blunder that likely won’t remain in place very long. Perhaps there’s something here I’m missing, but I can’t understand what role this event plays. I guess the Bracket event is supposed to bring post-season excitement to the world of pro fishing, similar to that of other bracketed-sports, but pro bass is confusing enough already for most fans. Sticking to a set number of events, all equally viable for points accumulation, and culminating in a season-ending championship is still the best model. Enough with the asterisk events.
The number of Classic berths awarded through the B.A.S.S. Nation will be reduced to three (from six) for the 2017 Classic.
This is bigger news than it may seem. While, again, I don’t fully agree with placing amateurs in the Classic, loads of other B.A.S.S. members think it’s incredibly important. In fact, I’ve heard countless stories from long-time supporters that this facet of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society was their primary reason for joining. To them, the thought of a hard-working guy, passionate about bass fishing, making the big show is the true culmination of the American dream. And, looking at this objectively, they are taking a 50 percent cut.
I have personal friends who started their career along this path. And, while it’s certainly less common in today’s system due to the incredible expense of fishing a year on Tour, true amateur qualification is still a part of the original plan. Perhaps it won’t be for very long.
Up to 15 competitors from the 2015 Elite Series could find themselves facing relegation and be forced to re-qualify through the Bassmaster Opens.
We’ve heard this before. Many of you remember this exact scenario from both 2014 and 2015, when B.A.S.S. announced that many long-time veterans may need to re-qualify for the Elite Series through the Opens. In fact, at this time last year, BassFan published several stories on this very subject, complete with quotes from the worrisome pros below the cut mark.
A quick review of last season’s releases stated that up to 14 pros who fished in 2014 may not get a return invite. The field size would need to hold around 108, and the number of potential anglers eyeing the tour was reportedly near 130. The result: no one was cut, and about the same number of anglers fished.
You see, all in all, there’s very few people in the United States capable of fishing the professional bass trails. Most are limited by a number of factors, including money, skill level, ability to obtain sponsorships and family responsibilities. In any case, it appears that the number of anglers progressing to the pro tour is about the same as those getting out of it. I predict we will see stagnant numbers again this year, especially once the time comes for aspiring pros to fork over suitcases full of money for entry deposits.
“Participation fees” have increased from $43,000 to $48,375 due to a ninth full-field tournament being added to the schedule.
This is really a no-brainer. How entry fees ever got so high, when compared to the entry/payout ratio of decades ago, is beyond me. Buy that’s another story for another day. For the time being, entry fees remain similar, based on the number of events.
It will be interesting to see how things all pan out for the upcoming year. I expect we’ll see high desire for participation, as expressed by those on Tour recently. Let’s just hope such enthusiasm carries over into the fan base and marketplace, and continued changes don’t hamper the progress.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
