Was Three Rivers a good choice for the Classic?

[Tobe]

I'm sure demographics played the key role in the decision of holding the 2005 Classic in Pittsburg.

How are these places decided, who make the decisions, ESPN?

I guess many finesse fishermen will argue that Three Rivers is a formidable challenge thus what a great place for the biggest tournament in bass fishing.

Maybe it's me, I just can't see the thrill in Mike Iconelli going stupid over catching a 13" bass.

I'll admit that this type of tournament is very tough but it is BORING BORING BORING.

Will the P.G.A. announce their holding the next Masters at Scandia?

[Bill kizer]

I thought one of the highlights yesterday was when an angler reeled in the big one. Turned out to be a plastic fork.
Scandia might be a good idea though for the PGA. That's the only course I've ever shot par on. I could turn pro!
Bill

[Bill K]

I think it will really weed out the boys, just watch the weight
limits, etc. It will prove to be a good test for their ability to find the
pattern and get good fish. Should be interesting, but not as wild as
other places they could have chosen. Bill K

[NaCl]

Yes. I think this was a good location for the Classic. The average "Joe" fisherman can identify with pros fishing this event. The struggle, the disappointments, the elation at catching a 14 inch fish...these are all things the average guy experiences. I know I can more readily identify with the pros in this event than I can when a 30 pound limits fail to make the top 5.

This kind of event illustrates the mental toughness of guys who never give up, even when they blank on day 1. Look at Dave Walker....1 fish on day 1 and one of three guys to catch a limit today. He's going to jump from 35th yesterday to the top 10 or 15 today. I find that exciting. And, of course, Aaron Martens and Skeet Reese will be in the top 5, with Andre Moore in the top 10....a great statement for the skills of western anglers on tough fisheries.

The small fish make the competition more about mental toughness, finesse skills and intelligence than about bubba fishing.

Just my personal $.02

.....NaCl

[Joe Bruce]

If it were the same every year it would be boring. I like the variety. Next year will be a slugfest.

[Joe Bruce]

If it were the same every year it would be boring. I like the variety. Next year will be a slugfest.

[Finneous Fogg]

So where will it be next year?

For the record, I'll say the Classic should never be held on a smallmouth... or largemouth dink factory. Fish quality should always be considered first. IMHO Christ, the average kickboat event is won with more weight than what is being caught.

I'll also say having a weigh-in at ARCO ARENA, SACRAMENTO to fish the DELTA is a perfect Classic location. So what if it takes an hour or two to get deep into the Delta. It takes more than that to go to Venice from New Orleans or where ever it was they launched from.
Correct?

[Paul W]

I think it was a horrible choice. It has pretty scenery and a great venue for a weigh-in, but man that fishing just does nothing for me. I think the Classic should be held on a body of water that is not only challenging, but holds some good fish as well. Its funny watching every angler come inside the packed stadium complete with people screaming and lights flashing, only to hold up a couple of small dinks.


-Paul W

[Topwater Terry]

cut Ike a little slack. You know, why would we ever want anyone to try to break that stereotype of a good ole southern beer drinking bass fisherman by bringing a little life to the party? By acting a little different? I had people come up to me at work when Ike won the classic (people who have never fished a day in their life) and ask me if I saw that guy win that big tournament on TV. That really drew some interest, and until we find out exactly how you are supposed to act when you catch a fish, then lets cut him some slack. Either way, I think Aaron will win it tomorrow. Rat Scott always said that the Bassmasters Classic was a test of the best and this certainly is!
Terry

[CharlieS.]

I frequent the southwest forum normally and personally, I think its a great place . I am entertained from them competing among them selves,as well as the little "dinks" We have all had days like they are having,and have always wondered "what would Kevin do...." Now they go thru what most of us endure alot of the time. Small fish bite,and looking for the big bite. I am sure that the waters they are fishing have the same size fish say Lake Mead does. Just no angler has found em. Ive seen fish-offs where 5 fish weighed less than five pounds. Still I do admit..seeing a bass being held with an index finger and a thumb is not quite as exciting as a 6 being held with a fist,its great fishing and we all would change places with any of em in a heart beat. My .02 worth..Charlie

[RogerB]

The average "Joe" fisherman can identify with pros fishing this event.

ESPN obviously wants to increase interest in bass fishing--- read market and its advertising revenue --- and they see the average "Joe" as the main component of that market.
...RogerB

[basstamer]

and yesterdays weigh in is a perfect example....big fish of the whole tournament yesterday was 1 lb 15 oz.-how is THAT gonna bring in more "newbies". The "average joe"can pretty much go anywhere and catch these TINY fish and I personally think this is gonna detere new people not bring em in. We that fish know you have to take the good with the bad big fish/small fish-but do the new folks? I think the decision was typical of the new BASS/ESPN they whored the BASS name and all its traditions out for an extra buck or two. I respect sTony and others for all they do for the federation and all of you that fish it BUT if you think BASS/ESPN cares about the federation nowdays I'd have to disagree-Unfrotunatley the good ole Ray Scott days are gone folks-it strictly a money deal now. It's sad but I honestly believe its true. The classic has always been a status symbol like AOY but now they have made it a money thing so now its no different than everything else in life. I am not trying to piss anyone off or diss anyone else's opinion-just adding mine. It's a shame that so many people worked soooo hard to make BASS what it is...or WAS,then ESPN comes in and stomps it all out. I still think that allowing Busch and Cialis to be sponsors are about as good of a choice as Pittsburgh was to hold the Classic-Toyota,Triton,Merc sure thats great all tourneys need sponsors but those products have something to actually do with the event! I also have to agree with Hippie-I thought being a BASS member "entitled" me to all the stuff the new Bass Insider is advertising as member benifits? What exactly are our benifits now-hell they dont even give you a BASS hat nowdays it's an ESPN hat......point being AGAIN they have stomped on tradition,values and their own people (US) for the allmighty dollar. Just my .02-Tight Lines guys!
Scott

[Finneous Fogg]

What exactly are our benifits now-hell they dont even give you a BASS hat nowdays it's an ESPN hat......

Wow, you got a hat!

All they managed to get me was my Fed card. I didn't even get a magazine delivered!
I probably wouldn't pay for BASS membership unless it wasn't required to fish the tourneys I fish.

PS - If I lived and fished around Pittsburg, PA., I'd be embarrased right about now.

[Steve]

Competition is competion. Its a fair playing field, all anglers face same conditions. Just cause we arent seeing these great big fish to drool over doesnt matter, its still an intense competition. In a way its even more exciting because nobody in the top 25 is out of it. If the guy in 25th somehow manages two 4 lbs and 3 dinks, hes gonna win, and Ill tell ya if that happens thats gonna be exciting. I think it was a great choice, its a great town, great facilities, and it seems the anglers like it. Much better than the last day coming down to three guys who have outdistanced themselves from the rest of the field.

On another note, I think alot of you arent factoring in the size of the event and the facilities needed to host such an event. That, in my opinion, is likely the number one factor for ESPN when they try to decide where to have the Classic. This event is huge now, zillions of people, tons of equipment, etc. etc. It just cant be held on any old lake anymore. Think about it, do we think that Clear Lake has appropriate facilities to hold this event? I dont know, I kinda doubt it. Plus, the host town has to (and many of you know better than me) bid for the event and pay a large sum of money to hold the event. That alone eliminates many, many fisheries. However, I do think Stockton could host this event, and I bet someday we will see that happen.

Just my thoughts. Somebody is gonna stick a few 3's today and win this thing. Guess Ill find out in an hour!

[Calistar]

To me....it was like holding the MLB World Series on a sandlot. The talent was exceptional but the area of competition was sub-par. Very Disappointing.

[Johnny C]

That was exciting..It was close and a true test of the best..Van Dam, Aaron, Ike, and G-man right to the wire..Do you thinks ESPN fixed that..No these guys are money..Hackneys' lack of expierence here showed. ..Bravo Kevin and the city of Pittsburgh hats off..

[Calistar]

I thought the weigh-in part was exciting, I was pulling for Mr. Swindle myself. But the three rivers were a disappointment. When the best fishermen in the world hit those waters for three days and can't come up with a single 3-lber...that says a lot. There are many many MUCH better choices out there...thats all I'm saying.

[Johnny C]

But the effort out weighed that..Being a guide and tournament fisherman I always need to make maxium effort..Basically if there is a will there is a way..Florida can be a blow out with one lucky patch of grass...As Ike said there was no honey holes..It came down to effort,ability and the ever present luck factor..On day one I knew that 2-14 of Kevins would come into play..

[mark poulson]

*NM*

[TomAtkeson]

it was a close race I had fun watching it, so what if there werent any gurthers taken, those guys fished about as hard as they everhave for those fish it was the true test. So all in all I have to argue it was a good tournament. How about Berryessa (I dont know of some where indoor that could hold the people so out side who cares!) Got all 3 species of bass and plenty of big fish I think any one could argue just about any fair sized lake and make a good point. 3 rivers It wouldnt be my first choice but I think it was an awesome test of the pros.

[Tailswish]

*NM*

[Rob T]

Don't get me wrong, as a bass fisherman, I was glued to the TV set and loved it - I could relate to the competitors struggles out there. But a couple of key issues make me think this was a poor selection: 1. I have to wonder if this fishery really showed the true abilities of the competitors - could a competent basser (not a tourney rat, but a weekend warrior) have gone out and caught a number of undersized dinks as did some of the best in the world under those conditions? I think that is a probable outcome, and therefore not an effective measure of the true skill of the group on TV - I feel that the best anglers demonstrate their skill not only by locating fish and getting bites, but also by getting the bigger bites - to me that is one of the key difference between "us" and "them"- even on bad days I generally manage to get a few dinks on most waters holding fish that I go to. I don't think this water really afforded them the chance to demonstrate this, and so it kinda felt like a group of competent but average Joes out there struggling to get a couple of bites. NO one found bigger fish. 2: Let's keep the bigger picture in mind - the intent for ESPN was to introduce the sport of competitive bass fishing to a larger audience in order to garner more interest and $$ for the sport overall, and that boils down to watching folks catch decent numbers and size of fish. This venue clearly did not deliver on that point, and any neophytes or others that were curious about the sport and tuned in may not have been "hooked" by the lack of fishing "eye candy". Let's face it, in some venues sexy sells, in others action sells, and for me there is very little more exciting than watching someone pitch a jig to cover and then set the hook on a hog!

Just my humble opion.

Good luck, and God Bless,

Rob T

[MN]

If it was the right place.Like some response's if this was espn's debut to get more people interested i think it was a poor choice.Also i did not really care for the coverage i thought nascar was bad when it come's to commercial's.Yes i understand the money thing but come on.I finally gave up becouse i thought i was wasting my time.I did find it interesting some of the old vidio's like clunn bringing his fish to the scale's on a stringer and the old 70's ranger's now that was a classic.also i am assuming van dam won right????Like i said sunday i gave up and went fishing.And one more thing i just cant get into this ike show a little overboard for me.imho

[Gunny]

Let me preface my comments with this: I am not as many of you are a Pro Fisherman or a guide nor do I make any money fishing. I spend money fishing.

Three Rivers was just about the worst place in the world for BASS to hold there "Super Bowl" . This event is not held "FOR" any fisherman. It is held so that the sanctioning body can make as much money as they can. ESPN and the new owners of BASS are in the money business. Money and Intertainment, and watching 25 guys in the finale catch 12 1/8th inch fish is not very intertaining to most folks. Any of us weekend fishermen can watch that happen all of the time in our own boats. What they needed was a home run, what they got was a strike out.

Gunny

[CharlieS.]

Although I really had no problems with the anglers getting there collective heads smacked around by 12 inch fish,its only because Ive had mine beat the crap out of on more than one occasion. It was competitive and there for intertaining thinking some one was gonna pop up with a five,or atleast a 3 1/2...alas...not the case. I do as most I guess question the financial motives of television . Maybe as a non-angler it wasnt very much in the way of good TV. I kept up with it on the website,and kept looking thru the espn channels on tv looking for anything that was as current as the web. Found "championship food eating!!" Not joking!! Watched people gag down pasta like,well you can imagine.....Then the Classic started so life got back to normal. But I was kinda hoping that KVD 's dead fish and Aarons unbuttoned fish at the boat didnt happen....A tie and a fish off today! Another .02 worth...Charlie

[Wolfeman]

On Friday for the weigh-in, I also toured the Convention Center, were I got to talk to several great fisherman who didn't qualify, (Ken Cook, Jason Quinn, Denny Brauer). I went to the Saturday blastoff and spoke with Greg G., Aaron, Greg Hackney.
It was such a thrill to be there, it was such a class event, very well run. Pittsburg was a great choice (I'm alittle prejudice because I grew up back there). The local folks turned out in a big way and many, many of the pros commented on how great the locals were to them.
It was a huge thrill for me and not something I will ever forget. You can bash all you want, but I was there and know what a great time it was.
Catch me at the Rally next weekend and I'll show you the pictures and tell you my stories.
- Wolfeman (then only thing good about the good old days is they're gone)

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

And the bad thing is the only way to go back is in your memories..The good parts anyway..I watched it in my livingroom and can honestly say I wish I had been there in person..The fish may have been small, but the competition was fantastic..

mac

[troutnut]

watch Sieg boat a whole CR@PLO@D of 10 POUNDERS than the minnows those guys were fishin' for.

All that proved was I will NEVER bring fishing equipment to Pittsburgh--- for any reason.

[RougeBass]

I do think it was a good choice for "one" year. Like Ike said "Florida can be a blow out with one lucky patch of grass...As Ike said there was no honey holes..It came down to effort,ability and the ever present luck factor". It acutally came down to finess and ablity to fish. Again I though it was ok for one year, wouldn't want it there every year. Being versital and lack of techinque really shined through on this event.

[basstamer]

*NM*

[Rick G]

4 years in advance. Fishing at the 3 rivers area 4 years ago was much better than today thanks to Hurricane Ivan. The pro's in this years event were extremely thankfull to the people of Pittsburg, and the event was world class. They are talking about a California "classic' before 2008. My guess is the Delta/Sacramento. You have to attend an event of this caliber to appreciate the effort that it takes to pull it off. The river system is loaded with small bass and will be a great venue again in a few years. I agree that it would have been cool to see some big frog fish blasted though. Keep your fingers crossed we can get a " Classic" experience in California. Rick G.

[Hub Spinner]

on the CA Delta would be interesting

[Johnny C]

Doubt you see frog fish in February..That is the new classic time..Infact if a storm hits it could be brutal...

[Tobe]

While good points have been made for the change of pace and the anglers fierce competition, I think a location with a bit bigger bags would have done a lot more for our sport in the eyes of the average viewer.

Ever watched a one or two hit baseball game, well if you're a baseball purist you will appreciate it, if you're an average baseball fan it's one hell of a boring ball game!

Targeting big bass and putting them in the boat on tournament day is a skill in it's self, on the other hand I agree that to have a slugfest every year would take the thrill and reality away too.

This was to much of to little!

[Hub Spinner]

Doubt you see frog fish in February..That is the new classic time..Infact if a storm hits it could be brutal...

That is why I said "It would be interesting"