(Editor's note: This is the final part of a 2-part column.)
Some of the recent changes, such as the arrival of BassFan.com and the new no- info rule at BASS, have been applauded by both fans and anglers alike. Other changes, however, have been as popular as a Carolina-rigged buzzbait. Some include:
Displaying Logos
The most controversial changes have been regarding sponsorship insignia. It used to be an option for FLW Tour anglers to pay to wear an FLW sponsor jersey on the final "TV days" of the tournaments, but now it's mandatory (though the anglers get paid). Also, FLW was the first to introduce the bewildering concept of forcing anglers to fish out of boats which aren't their own during the TV days.
ESPN/BASS picked up the sponsor boats practice, though they have so far allowed anglers to display non-tour-sponsor logos on their jerseys and hats.
The biggest recent hoopla regarding patches occurred when ESPN/BASS required all 2003 Tour anglers to wear a Busch beer patch and decal on their boats or get no points (and thus no Angler of the Year, no Classic, no requalifying for the Tour). Several pros elected not to participate based on personal beliefs and/or conflicts with other sponsorship contracts regarding alcoholic beverages, thus foregoing possible prize money and Classic eligibility.
One Tennessee BassFan who wrote in to BassFan.com had this reaction: "When a sponsor is forced upon you and your ability or opportunity to compete (can be) denied based on that, then there's a problem. What BASS has done is to force anglers to choose between fishing and their conscience." (Note: As part of the next round of changes for 2004, Citgo -- not Busch -- will sponsor the AOY, though anglers will still be required to wear the Citgo patch.)
While the sponsorship flap hits the anglers in their wallets, it gives the fans more fuel for discussion. "BASS has always been more open to let the pros show who is sponsoring them, even if they are not a Tour sponsor," noted Harrison. "I think FLW is shooting themselves in the foot by not letting guys wear their colors in the final rounds. And showing guys who won with duct tape over a non-FLW sponsor patch is as tacky as it can get," he added. (That practice was only used at EverStart events, and has since been abandoned, FLW said.)
Cuts
The cut format instituted by FLW and picked up by BASS is another change that has been met with mixed reactions. Anglers who make the cuts love it, especially those near the bottom of the cuts at FLW and EverStart events since they get to start over (all weights zeroed) on the next day. But anglers who miss the cuts sometimes feel cheated. (Cuts after the second day right now are: Top 50 in the Bassmaster Opens, Top 20 in the EverStarts, Top 12 in Bassmaster Tour events and Top 10 in FLW Tour events.) It also robs the anglers and fans of some great comeback stories.
> Athens, Ala. BassFan Ron Glover said he won't fish the co-angler side of events anymore since he doesn't think it's worth the money when he's not guaranteed 3 days of fishing.
> Harrison didn't like the cut format at first, but now says he doesn't care. "You just have to catch all your bites," he said. "Just hope you draw two guys who are on fish that they can't box you out of."
Both fans said they wouldn't fish as co-anglers below the Tour level, regardless of the cuts, even though they acknowledged there is a lot to learn from the "wannabes," and more Tour pros are fishing the Opens and EverStarts. "I just feel that if I spend $1000 and a week of vacation, I want to at least fish every day with a full-time pro, who spends 200-plus days per year on the water," said Harrison. "That level of experience makes a big difference in getting on fish every day, and even boat handling. There's that much more to learn from the professionals."
Off-Limits
FLW has no off-limits and no rules against getting help (other than help you pay for), and has been that way from the start. BASS has tinkered with its off- limits rules from time to time, and now has a 30-day off-limits for the Tour events (and a 2004 rule change of no help of any kind for 30 days), but has conversely eliminated the off-limits for the Open events.
Many fans see the BASS no-info rule as a step toward more professionalism in the sport. "It's what I like most about BASS and least about FLW," said one Madison, Ala. fan who did not want his name used. Harrison added, "Anybody can catch the fish once they know where they are, most of the time. The real skill is finding them. Guys who get help aren't pros. They just think they are."
Schedules
Colvin and others have complained about the spring-loaded tournament schedules of both major tours. "I would like to see BASS return to the old way, with some fall and spring tournaments, and then the Classic in the summer," he said. That "old way" went by the wayside after ESPN bought BASS and appeared to fill the spring outdoors programming gap with fishing, while leaving the fall season to hunting and other sports. Fans like Colvin, who follow the winning patterns more than the anglers themselves, are disappointed when they are deprived of the summer and fall pattern examples in tour-level events.
Yet More Changes for 2004
The trend of changes continues next year:
> FLW Tour events will go from 175 to 200 boats, while Bassmaster Tour events will go from 175 to 150.
> BASS is adding an Elite 50 series of four events, each featuring 50 anglers according to a qualifying formula that pulls from two places: BASS all-time money winnings and semi-current BASS points.
> FLW is moving its championship, until 2004 held in the fall, to a midsummer date to tap into vacationing family time, as BASS has done for years.
> Qualifying procedures for the Bassmaster Classic have changed yet again, drawing, among 52 others, potentially one qualifier from the new Open Championship to be held in the fall-winter of this year.
> BassFan's new Top Gun Championship, the location and date of which are not yet announced, will likely also be in the summer to be as "fan-friendly" as possible.
Will these changes and others be encouraging to fans or will it confuse them further? As with most experiments, the outcome isn't entirely predictable. Growth and change are exciting -- but on the other hand, change often produces stress, and stress creates fatigue.
Doubtless the originators of change in pro bass fishing are trying to improve something about the sport, whether it's for the anglers, the fans or just their bottom line. However, as Harrison said: "They need to settle down and let things gel for a couple of years or they risk losing some casual fans," or making the sport too inscrutable for prospective new fans.
On the other hand, some fans like Colvin would like to see, if not more, at least different, changes. "I would like (both major tournament organizations) to air their TV shows within a week of the tournament. Real time will be cool when it gets here. And I can't understand why ESPN, which now owns BASS, doesn't show a few clips on SportsCenter the day of the tournament. To me, when ESPN does that, bass fishing will have arrived."
On a larger scale, if tournament bass fishing is ever to become a true sport, then the rules, formats and qualifying structure will have to be essentially the same everywhere and at every level. Not likely to ever become even a "demonstration sport" at the Olympics, tournament bass fishing nonetheless has a worldwide participation potential and fanbase. Despite other variables, that's one constant that will probably never change.
Notable: Most Frequent Changes
Some things have changed only once, but others don't seem to have settled down yet, especially at BASS. Some of the most frequently changed items are:
> Number of events in a season
> Number of anglers in a field
> Cut formats
> Off-limits periods
> Qualifying format for championships
> Qualifying format for tours
> Sponsorship restrictions
Notable
> It will be interesting to see who, besides BassFan.com, reports on the Top Gun Championship, as the field will contain two-tour pros and single-tour pros of both stripes.
> The differences in the rules between Bassmaster Tour and Open events (notably off-limits and net rules) are more marked than those between EverStarts and the FLW Tour. Each Tour uses the former events to qualify for the latter trail. Harrison said: "If the Opens are to be the proving ground for Tour qualification, they need to make them fish by the same rules. The inconsistency is not a good way to do it. That just makes the gap wider" between the pros and the wannabes. As two-tour pro Rick Clunn recently put it, "All the rules should be consistent or we're teaching young guys to do it the wrong way and then the big leagues are a reality check."
- End of part 2 (of 2) -
