After a slow start, the Team Series cranked up the heat as we watched two of the best competitors in the sport combine for the win. Jeff Sprague – possibly the most consistent professional angler this decade – teamed up with superstar Bryan Thrift to tackle Texas and bring home the goods.
The Championship Round included a stacked field. Ott DeFoe teamed with Alton Jones Jr. – two other anglers competing to be the best out there. Jacob Wheeler joined buddy Dustin Connell – ditto. And Justin Lucas and Brent Ehrler represented with West Coast roots that brought a unique perspective to technique.
I’ve mentioned in previous pieces how much I’m enjoying the Team Series and, before you think I’m here just to push some narrative, let me reiterate by stating that this is best thing to happen to competitive bass fishing since …
You can fill in the blank on your own.
For me, it’s pre-2000, for sure.
And for my money, the Team Series is the future of competition.
Sure, I’m biased. No longer a competitor myself, I don’t care to learn anything. I’m not here to experience the struggle of qualifying for the Elite Series, or bite my fingernails as the REDCREST field is decided. I don’t care about life on the road, up-and-comers that were college standouts, or trendy lures.
I want to watch my bass fishing icons deliver a beatdown.
And while the recent Texas event was no slugfest, the finale was one to remember.
You see, it doesn’t take a slugfest to make a good bass tournament. We’ve all fished on days when the bite was tough. Many of us went home with our hat in our hands, wondering what the best in the world would have done different. This week, we found out.
DeFoe and Jones used buzzbaits in breaking waves. That was weird. Ehrler and Lucas had to throw big swimbaits, while Wheeler and Connell stayed partially glued to the screen. We got to see all of it.
We heard even more. Herein lies the single-greatest aspect of the Team Series – a variable the designers of the concept likely never even realized, yet will continue to propel this format past all others in viewership.
Dialogue.
No more are competitors forced to recap their strategy when the cameras go live. Answers aren’t painstakingly pulled by studio commentators. The awkward performances are gone.
Now it’s just two buddies, thinking out loud. Dissecting a lake. Gears spinning, smoke pouring from their ears; the whole thing delivered unscripted for the viewers to watch, and listen, as the plan comes together.
They swing and miss, as we all do. But corrections must come immediately, as the ScoreTracker updates and the clock ticks down.
What would the best in the business do, and why? We finally find out in real time.
As giddy as I am about this new league, nothing comes without a bit of critique. First off, I must be critical of MLF’s insistence on making things more complicated than they need to be, and here we have another example.
How are the teams decided, and why do the players change?
My gosh. If I’m a Braves fan, I expect to see Spencer Strider playing for the Braves, not suddenly playing for a different team. And his first baseman should be the same guy, every game.
This is a fairly easy concept to follow in team sports. And this is the Team Series, so let’s get some consistency included.
The reason behind this variability, really, is that the teams are decided by frequent drafts, allowing competitors to mix up. The current system allows for more anglers to compete, thus showcasing their skills and sponsors. But, as Andy Montgomery recently stated: “This ain’t grade school. Not everyone gets to play.”
And he’s right.
The team Series needs to have set teams for an entire season, allowing us to follow along. With it should come a Team-of-the-Year award.
Currently, the team Series features no entry fee. Everybody likes that. But it also features AAA-level paychecks.
Can a major tournament operate with no entry fees and significant prizes? Lately it seems like the answer is no. Will the Team Series will need to increase the pot a bit to get more press? Hard to say, but maybe not. The anglers are receiving valuable exposure, and all that I have interviewed love the events.
For now, the model is strong. Mystery lakes with no practice increase the puzzle-solving concept of the pros at work. It also eliminates most of the brutality of watching forward-facing sonar events, something other tournaments refuse to acknowledge.
It’s top anglers, heads up, looking, learning and fishing. The way we all once did it, and still enjoy today.
Tournament bass fishing at its best.
(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.)
