(Editor's note: In the following, Tim Carini, who competes in the Bassmaster Opens and was a Bassmaster Tour rookie in 2003, gives his perspective on a few things going on at BASS, starting with this year's change to the number of Open anglers that can qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.)
Classic Qualification: Opens vs. Federation
Cutting the number of spots available to Open competitors to five raises some concerns with me. For instance, just as many Federation anglers will qualify for the Classic. So why spend the extra money on entry fees and travel when an angler can spend a weekend close to home with small entry fees and expenses, and have just as much a chance of qualifying for the Classic?
Look at it this way. I can compete in four Federation events, qualify for the State Team, compete in the Regionals, then go to compete at Nationals to make the Classic. So that is four tournaments, a championship and another championship where all I have to do is out perform the other 11 anglers on the Regional Team.
Or I can compete in three Opens, qualify for the Championship and compete in that against 79 other anglers to make the Classic.
While there is one more "championship" to compete in for the Federation anglers to make the Classic, compared to the Open anglers, the time and money spent is far less for the Federation anglers.
The other issue is that the Open Championship will always be held in the South due to the time of year. That means that anglers like me, from the northern U.S., are at a disadvantage. It will be on a strange body of water, definitely giving a home-field advantage to anglers who reside in the state of the Open Championship.
Taking that into account, the Federation becomes a much more viable way to qualify for the Classic. For when a northern angler goes to Nationals, he or she is not competing against locals, but against anglers from the same region, leveling the playing field. In my mind, that leveling of the playing field makes up for the extra championship you have to compete in through the Federations.
I do see where the BASS Athletes Advisory Council (BAAC) is coming from: They feel that "giving" Classic spots to Open anglers takes away a spot from a Tour angler. Having competed on the 2003 Tour, I realize the expense and personal sacrifice needed to compete at that level, and I know what a Classic appearance can mean to a career. So I see their concern.
But you have to remember that spots were not initially "taken" from Tour anglers to allow Open anglers entry to the Classic. The Classic field size was expanded a few years ago to allow more Open anglers to compete. Now it seems that since the field size was increased, the BAAC feels that those spots should go to Tour anglers.
The bottom line is that for what it costs to compete in the Opens for 1 year, an angler can compete in the Federation for 5 years and will have just a good a chance, with the same number of spots, to qualify for the Classic.
BAAC: Only Established Pros?
Many changes have happened with BASS over the past few years since its purchase by ESPN. Most of these changes are positive, such as increased tournament purses, but I do see some negatives. One has to do with the BAAC.
While I understand and appreciate the role of the BAAC, in terms of listening to pro requests and suggestions to help elevate the sport, now the council is made up of established pros. Most are household names in bass fishing and have been competing for many years. Whether it is intentional or not, it seems that the council is putting in place ideas and suggestions that are self-serving at times. It is only human nature to want what is best for oneself. But is that really the best thing to do to try and grow a sport?
30-Day Off-Limits
Here's an example. One of the ideas of the council was to have a 30-day off-limits period for the 2003 Tour events. The reason for it was that too many anglers were camping out on lakes for weeks prior to events, and the more well-established anglers were too busy with sponsorship meetings, paid speaking engagements and such to spend that kind of time on the water, thus
not making them as competitive.
But if you read about when the people on the council first started, many of them camped out to gain experience on the bodies of water and gain whatever competitive advantage they could. It seems they have forgotten their roots and how they first started.
This 30-day off-limits has turned many of tomorrow's superstars away from BASS and toward FLW, as FLW Outdoors doesn't have such a harsh off-limits period. I don't have figures to back that up, but just look at the average age of FLW anglers compared to BASS and you will see a difference. The younger anglers are turning towards FLW because they have no choice. How can a rookie be competitive with 3 days of practice on a strange body of water, when the veterans have fished a dozen national events on that body of water over the past 15 years?
In the past, the rookies have stayed competitive by spending a great deal of time on the water before cutoff. Now, with such a tight tournament schedule and a 30-day off-limits, that is no longer possible.
E50s
The BAAC also involved in creating the E50s, "the best of the best," according to BASS. Now if I was a sponsor, why on Earth would I want to sponsor a Tour competitor who is not the "best of the best?"
The E50s are a good idea, but they take credibility and sponsorship dollars away from many anglers and reward a select few. I fail to see how allowing a few anglers to prosper while the rest struggle helps to grow the sport.
I understand that these veteran anglers have paid their dues. They really are pioneers in competitive bass fishing, and they should be rewarded for all the years they struggled. But they need to realize that the E50s are also detrimental to newcomers.
One of the BAAC members was quoted on BassFan a while ago, and said something along the lines of: "The E50s are a great idea because they add credibility to the sport. In no other sport could you reach the pinnacle in just 1 year as you could prior to the E50s." I took that to mean that an angler could compete in the Opens for the first time and a few months later be on the Tour, the top level of the sport.
That is true, but what I find ironic and hypocritical is how the angler who made that statement did just that. I read his book years ago, how he was laid off, decided to compete in the Invitationals, camped out with his family to gain a competitive advantage, made the Top 100s that year, continued to camp out and did quite well, and therefore made a name for himself. That is the way he turned pro and made it, and now the BAAC is trying to prevent that with the E50s and the 30-day off-limits.
Tomorrow's Superstars
The changes BASS has made over the last 3 years have made it very difficult for new blood to make a living at competitive fishing. Every idea intended to "grow the sport" is just a bigger hurdle for the newcomers. It is no secret that today's superstars are fishing BASS, but BASS is missing tomorrow's superstars. The future of the sport lies with the next generation of anglers, as they are the future.
Perhaps the BAAC should also include non-Tour anglers. Include Open anglers who are trying to go pro so they may voice their ideas and suggestions as well. It just seems logical to me. Why have a board that represents 100 anglers when you can have a board that represents 700 anglers? It is apparent to me that many of the veterans pros seem to have forgotten about the hardships they faced when they started, and maybe they need to be reminded.
BASS should also consider it. Why elevate your top level when your foundation is weakening? You can build your house up and up, adding more floors and rooms and weight at the top level, but if you fail to add some support to that first level, the whole house will crumble. I see that
happening to BASS if it isn't careful. Many of my fishing companions who are my age are all going to the FLW side because it is more conducive to them. BASS has the superstars of today, but they are losing the superstars of tomorrow.
Part of my frustration with all of this is the fact that I do support BASS, and am very loyal to BASS. Their trails are the place you want to be to become a household name. With the magazine's large subscription base and a national television show, BASS reaches the masses and is considered the authority. I don't want to see them lose that foothold by losing sight of the future and the stars that will come along with that – because our next generation of superstars are the future of bass fishing.
Tim Carini is a New York tournament angler who competes in the Bassmaster Northern Opens, and competed on the 2003 Bassmaster Tour as well as the old Eastern Invitationals. He works as an advertising manager for Newsday.
