All new Rangers???????????

[Hardshell]

is there 200 out there? Looks like our savior FLW Outdoors have thrown us older Ranger owners under the bus! Unless I'm reading this wrong you are fishing for $25,000 if you drive a Ranger older than 2004 or arn't the orginal owner no matter what the age. I'm just wondering what all the Statos, Champion, Triton, Bass Cat and Legend guys are thinking? I just finished putting $5000 into my 1998 488VS(that can still kick the s**t out of some of these newer Rangers) just so I could fish one more year of the Stren series, now this BS! I'm pissed!

Hardshell-Jailer

[gt5bass]

Yep, you read it right.

If you aren't THE ORIGINAL OWNER of a 2004 or newer Ranger Boat you only win the $25,000 cash. The boat now replaces the $10,000 Ranger Bonus, they were offering.

And on the Co-Angler side, you must be the OWNER of a 2000 or newer Ranger Boat to qualify for the Ranger Bonus, a 519VX boat and trailer (no motor).

I know I wasn't happy this year when I found out I don't qualify for the motor bonus, approx. 25% of my possible winnings at this year Stren Championship. This new Ranger Bonus is really going to chap some guys hides for next year!

[JT-Madera]

The changes are not really to my liking either...Since I have a 2004 520VX I guess I barely made it....However, what happens the next year, I will be out or I will have to buy a newer boat..kind of crazy...

I guess we can all go back East and fish the BASS Elite Series, I am sure they will have plenty of openings...so few guys barely broke even in that series, I don't think about 40% will even try it next year....

[Iceman]

YES THAT IS RIGHT, SUCKS !!! FISHED STREN LAST YEAR THINKING MAYBE NOT THIS YEAR.

[Guest]

I'm not trying to say 100% BASS or our Ultimate Western Challenge, is at the level as STREN, on the other hand, we have never discriminated against any BRAND of BOAT...we like all fisherman. The Ultimate Western Challenge offers an alternative to high level pro/am's....this inovative SUPER TEAM format will allow you to travel, fish with a partner, and make a decent pay check along the way. If you or anyone else is interested, Check out the UWC at www.100percentbass.com or call me at 530-274-1397.

korny

[Hardshell]

Hey Bob, if I talk Seaters out of retirement or find me a new partner that can get along with my *** that might be the direction I'm headed! You're still in the runnin' and if this FLW Stren stuff is cut in stone they'll lose me at least!

Hardshell-Jailer

[gt5bass]

Korny,

Are you sticking with the 11/10-11/11/07 date for the last UWC event? as that is on top of the Stren Series Championship.

[Rich hamilton]

yes this is what this is all about, selling boats and motors and then selling used boats and motors to perpetuate the sport. simply business at it's best. In my opinion if you are trying to fish for money or even plan on breaking even you need to do another sport. I keep telling myself I love to donate money!

[Guest]

looks like we will have to move it to the 17-18 of November. I hope everyone realizes that this first year, scheduling is a nightmare and you anglers will understand....let's get this thing rolling and build a great trail....year 2 will have a much better outlook.

korny

[mark poulson]

I don't fish any tournament circuts, so I'm commenting strictly as an outsider.

Since the eastern "major" tours are treating the west so badly, why don't the western tournament circuts, which seem to be, by and large, much more interested in serving the anglers who support them, get together and form an alliance, a coalition, a "federation" of tournament circuts, with a fishoff system and a final, end of the year, western championship? Wow, my finger is tired from typing that.

But it seems to me that there are enough anglers who participate, and enough circuts with manpower and organizational experience, and enough sponsors, given the western bass fishing market, that smarter heads than mine could work something out.

I would think that getting national TV coverage would be a good possiblilty if it involves all the western circuts. Clearly there are a lot of tournament anglers out here.

I realize WON already has the Open. But, without a lot of the top western sticks who commit to other circuts, it doesn't seem to be able to generate the kind of national interest that the eastern guys have.
Not a knock, just an observation. I've seen several WON tournaments first hand, and they are really run well. And so are most of the other trails, like NB, ABA, AC, etc. Putting aside minor squables that come up from time to time, it seems like you have the makings of a great group if it is gathered under some kind of umbrella structure that leads to a major championship.

I know from the club challenges I've been in that all of the clubs, although we are competitive, still get along great. After all, we're all pulling on the same end of the rope.

I don't mean to run on. I know, too late.
But lots of my friends do fish different circuts.
They lay out a lot of their money and, more importantly, their time, trying to be the best, and to earn the recognition and acknowledgement that the eastern circuts can provide.

It just seems to me that there has to be some way that their efforts, and the efforts of all the other anglers who support all of these different trails, can be rewarded without having to bow down to, accomodate, and put up with eastern circuts who treat them like a red head step-child.

My $.50.

[gt5bass]

Yes, most of us understand the nightmare of getting this thing ironed out and we appreciate the work you are doing for us.

[JamesH]

So if the rule says that you have to be the "orignal owner" where does that leave the Pros who are sponsored by Ranger and have "Demo" boats that are not registered in their name? They are not the "registered owner".

James Huffmon

[Kelly Jeffers]

IT leave's them being able to win the boat and every thing else

[Dewayne]

Most Ranger Pro staffers are the regestered owners of their boats. They are not shop demo boats, but boats that the staffers have to purchase at a discount.

[Rob D]

So if you buy a pros boat you would not be the original owner. Doesn't that make it harder for the pros to sell their boats?

[Kelly Jeffers]

1st not to come off wrong since I'm new here, but last year I went to look at a used ranger cause I new sooner or later FLW would come out west look at all the Wallymarts, the boat was junk so I meet A reel cool guy named mike and he turned me on to a new z-20 for payments less then I spent on fast food in a month, so If you reelly got a shot at winning a boat I'd talk to him, and if you winn, sale it and your boat is paid for.

[Fast 492]

I to fished the Stren last year and loved the fact that I had a chance at winning a new boat ( registered 1995 Ranger). The fact that they changed the AM's ability to try to win a new boat definately affects wether or not I will fish (STREN) next year. My 1995 is in as good if not better condition than some of the Pro Staff boats that are only 1-2 years old. I don't know many AM's or PRO's for that matter that can afford to upgrade boats every 4-5 years to stay in compliance with the new rules for the bonuses. Along with the bonus restructuring, they raised the fees for next year also. $25 per angler/per tourney x 200 AM's is $5000. The top prize is still $5000 for first place, and not being Ranger qualified anymore, makes the decision even easier. Good luck to all next year, I will be cheering from the sidelines...

[JT-Madera]

I really don't blame you Fast 492, I always wonder who decides about raising entry fees....inflation is only 2.4% this year...When BASS was here I would save my money each year so I could pay the next years entries and damn if they didn't keep raising them..never could catch up...It isn't that my budget is that tight but I personally don't "want" my hobby to cost that much..By the time I pay for golf and weekend trips with my wife, to keep her happy these entry fees are just too draining.. Instead of fishing all their tournaments I only fished the ones "I" thought I had a chance in... Most anglers are just living on dreams and when FLW gets to expensive they too will suffer a decrease in attendance...Why oh why can't someone run a good Pro-Am for the middle income anglers.......................Like WON BASS when they had a two day tournament for a 350.00 Pro and 150.00 Am entry fee...I don't care about winning a boat because I own a 2004 520VX but a good cash payback would be great..Now they charge 500.00 and only payback 55%....

[SABP]

I am with you. Did you notice the attendence for the two day Pro-ams went way down after they started charging $ 500-600 instead of $350. They should have kept the low price for entry. They would still be drawing over 100 boats instead of 60 - 70 every time.

Might as well fish the Stren. Ooops..that was what everyone did last year.

Gonna be an interesting year in 07

[Guest]

Most anglers want to win boats at their pro/am.....notice I said most....for those of you who dont,,,stop reading.....
for 10 years entry fees were $300-$350 and everyone was happy, except those putting on tournaments.....Boats are no longer cheap to get and while there are a few free ones out there, it's not like the old days. With everyones overhead going up over the past 10 years,,,,It finally became imposible to run Pro/Am at $350. after you get the boat and cover your overhead, there is little left for paybacks. So everyone raised the entry fees to compensate for cost of doing business increases over the 10 year period. Rumor has it that one circuit will be going back to $350 or $400 next year. While their draw will be up, the profits will be minimal at best and when they start taking more from the payback than you like,,,,,you will start to complain again, just like 3 year ago before stren was THE MAN. the simple thruth is this.....this market place will not support two flw tours, a zillion team tournaments and 2 PRO/AM trails....the anglers need to decide which trail to support and which one needs to go away....until this happens you will be stuck with the status quo of what you now have...if you really think that 110 boats at $350 is different than 70 boats at $600 you are very bad at math and just dont understand business. the last thing I would say is please dont shoot the messenger. I'm not picking on any trail regardless of my business or any anglers, just pointing out the facts about Pro/Am style events and the difficulties faced in trying to put them together.

korny

[rickyshabazz]

Great post.

The only way the an org can run a circuit on $350 is to hae full fields at every event. Too many other options and zip code fishermen for that.

[sTony]

This doesn't taken into account that the single largest growth area in boat owners are the guys that DON'T fish competitive tournaments and I'd have to think that many of them are balking at the price of new boats and going into the resale market for their first boat buys.

The growth in the sport isn't moving up towards the higher end of the food chain here but the bottome end and those folks aren't as likely to care what the ProAm guys are doing or the costs cause their non-particpants, at best they're on the AM side. Which we see born out here all the time with frequent posts for boaters to help get all the non boaters into the field.

All the options, all the regions and all the one lake anglers are really taking a lot of the zip out of the market. As a result I expect we'll se even more catering to the zip code guys which will only server to further erode the entire market place. Heck we might even see that on the top end with FLW competing with itself by introducing what is now the top end of the market in the FLW Series events as well as hosting the Stren Series.

What'll happen in '07 I don't think anyone is in position to predict right now.

sTony