This is one way to stick to to BASS for the NO Co's decision

[Guest]

From Bassfan...

Trouble brewing at Smith? 2/5/2009
Local tournaments overlap with tour-level events all the time and encroachment issues invariably crop up, but there's a 4-day derby in the works for Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake to precisely coincide with the Bassmaster Elite Series event in April that could really create some controversy. According to a Roanoke Times column by Mark Taylor, the organizers admit that the idea stemmed from BASS' decision to eliminate Elite Series co-anglers this year.

Its official name is Beat the Elites, and it's billed on the FAQ section of the tournament website as an opportunity for amateur anglers to "expose their talent." The top prize is a hefty $12,000, and a $1,000 bonus will be awarded to an angler with a 4-day weight that's higher than the Elite winner's total. The cuts (Top 50 after 2 days, Top 12 after 3 days) will mirror those of the Elite Series.

The launch site is being kept secret for now.

Could you imagine having one of these out here on the Delta or Clear Lake when BASS returns next year?

[tunaman]

Not real sure how I feel about the decision, kind of on the fence, but that is certainly an innovative way to get their attention and the point across at the same time!

Roger

[Steve Reed]

Sounds like fun.

Sure will be unfortunate for the elite guys as they will be fighting for fishing spots and I could see it getting real ugly... some guys fishing for their lives out there on the elite series may get pretty upset.

[MARK D. INMAN]

Well i can see after this tournament BASS wont be coming back to that area if there another tournament on top of there at the same time That town better wake up to the fact that these BASS bring dollars into the business and when you mess with the big boys then they wont come back. Very stupid move on the other org part.

[Robert F]

some guys fishing for their lives out there on the elite series may get pretty upset.

Waaaaaaahhhh. I don't care about their "lives" but it is pretty crappy deal to put up an in your face tournament.

[N.A.R]

freaking ridiculous!

[mark poulson]

Like Mark I. said, stupid.

[Obi-Hub]

I agree, childishly stupid

At the top tier of our sport, I believe there should be no Co's (Perhaps that is why...Nah, couldn't be...)

Let the Pros duke it out Pro a Pro

Obi

[492slayer]

Kind of a Catch-22... While it might seem childish, ignorant or the like, sounds as if it might cause B.A.S.S. to be humbled a bit if the "Amatuers" show up the Pro's. In my opinion (For all it's worth ) the difference in an amatuer and a pro at a certain level (Not the newbie that hasn't been on the water for years) is usually based on one's ability to fish and not hold down another job. Most guys would love to fish professionally, but reality dictates otherwise. As a guy that puts in 50-60hrs/wk, can I go out and beat the pro's who are on the water daily? Yes, but if I'm lucky, probably 2 or 3 times out of 100. I think B.A.S.S. is trying to be like NASCAR, Golf and other sports by only showcasing certain people.

[tunaman]

They discussed it at the SAC Roundtable, and I liked the input they gave. I can see this for the most elite level, and as they mentioned as long as there is a series of steps leading to the elite level, it should still foster the future elites.

I'm not familiar with the way the Lewis chain works regarding permits, but it seems (if they are at all like they work out here) unlikely that the other event would be permitted? Seems to me to be more of a demonstration than a true challenge, but perhaps not? Civil disobedience has always been a pretty effective way to demonstrate dissatisfaction.

Roger

[texas john]

How do you think Mike Ike or KVD will react on day two when they show up at there spot and a local is on it. $12000 is alot of money for an AM tournament and those guys wont give up there spots no more than the guys shooting it out for the $100,000. There will be fighting there that weekend if they do not get this resolved, and it will make the sport look bad....Cant be good for any of us.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

It would be almost impossible to do something like that here in California with the restrictions on tournament permits..I don't really think it would be all that wise of a thing to do anyway..

mac

[Vince Borges]

I agree with it on an Elite level. Afterall, you would not have passengers in Nascar along for the ride , Nor can you putt along with Tiger Woods.

Vince

[Oldschool]

What makes anyone think BASS will not cancel the west coast tournaments. The economy is down, support for BASS has never been good out west and BASS hasn't supported the west on a regular basis.
The tournament folks should do whatever they can to make the BASS tournaments successful, not make it more difficult. Without BASS the sponsors may pull out and all you will have is club tournaments and back to the 70's.
Tom

[Smitty]

Most guys are not willing to make the sacrifice to fish full time. If you think you are that good, the rewards are huge. So why not do it?
Smitty

[TomAtkeson]

Now I never liked the fact that BASS pulled out of the West, but I do understand and respect the Elite format. If you want to fish at the Elite level take the path to get there. I'm fishing the opens to gain experience and depending on how well I do I may invest in a boat and fish as a pro next year or I may stick to the back of the boat for another season or two.

Really what other sport lets people off the street with a wad of money to blow participate at the pinnacle of that sport? Baseball ... you walk in and ask for a tryout off the street they will probably laugh at you, same with football. You walk into a PGA tour stop and they wont let you in because you got a set of clubs and some money. Tennis same thing. Name one other sport that you can just walk into their professional top end event and they will let you pay to play.

I'm not knocking those guys because that's their local politics and the way they feel about BASS's actions. Someone somewhere could have been saying the same thing about us when the California federation pulled out of BASS.

I'm mostly playing devils advocate here.

[Moose]

Preston Clark comes onto another board I belong to and he was pretty pissed about this. He was mainly upset about the fact that they were using the Elites to advertize their tournaments. He says they fish so often with other high boat tournaments going on that the extra boats are not that much of a concern.