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Flyswatter.
Wouldnt it be nice if both B.A.S.S. and FLW would merge on one Bass Championship Tournament to crown a true World Champion. Take the top four anglers in the AOY of both series, total of eight anglers. Have them meet at a disclosed location with nothing but a carry on bag of clothing for three days, confiscate all electronic devices, then take them to any lake in the country small or large, preferably one not on the tournament trails. Upon arrival take them to a tackle store to gather the tackle of their choice and a lake map, to study that evening, remember they will have no access to any electronic devices. The boats would already be set up like the B.F.L. does. Then put them on the water for a three day tournament. I think this way would put their actual angling expertise to the test against each other and make it very interesting to see. They would be getting the same tackle off of the same shelf that we would. No modifications to any tackle what so ever until they got on the water, then it would be eating their fishing time. BrianBrianHAWG Hunter2013 BassCat Eyra2013 Mercury 250 Pro XS Gen2 L/U
Monitizing viewership isnt as easy as it seems. Making it $50 to buy the tournament from the internet probably still wouldnt be a big enough windfall to split between circuits and anglers either. Folks would have to get teasers like MLF does or just read about it on BassFan.If the show/derby is televised for free then theres not that much money to gain at all.Also- anglers really cant afford more entries only to have the home office do stuff like have second place be 26,000 and first be 100,000 and if youre 12th why even start the boat for day 4 as the last guy aint spending as much money as you are and yalls checks sure do look similar, or take half the winnings from the guy in the last check position because some other dude dropped out mid season. Or do crazy bat#$it stuff like the payout schedule for the wildcard like this year. Not enough money around for the anglers either. Sponsors likely cant float it either as their upside isnt there. We still get info for free so we buy their stuff largely anyway. Or clownshoes shows it to us or something.To me the lynchpin to your desire and the desire to see professional angling to truly support a life comes down to all of us wannabes…we learn all sorts from these guys throughout the year from tackle advances and techniques and such but that info is still quite free. “sponsors” are as numerous as the stars in the sky but very few have enough cash on hand to make the professional anglers life anywhere near a golfer much less a triple A baseball players either. Lots of money around but a lot of folks in line for it.Like RP always says- until membership levels in BASS generate serious $$$ the market is just too small and too tight and focusing on money from derbies only probably cant float it- margins in derbies too high.What say you Tick Tock?C.O.D. Jr. III
I am just going off of a thought that R.P. had struck in me the other day when he was talking about B.A.S.S. and the FLW paying more attention to the tournament pros and not the fan base. I am just putting my perspective on an idea to help grow the fan base. I will make mistakes while doing so as there would be a lot of details beyond my thought process at this moment. I think they need to get something at the fan level. When those eight Pros have to start at the local tackle store to get their supplies for the derby just as we would, it puts a normal everyday Joe angler twist to it. Take away all of their electronic devices before they embark on their mode of transportation. Then take them to an undisclosed location to put them on a lake somewhere in smallville U.S.A.. They wont have access to all of their own specially tuned and painted blah blah blah. This way they could not do any modifications to any tackle outside the watchful eye of the cameraman. After the weigh in the Tournament Director could take all eight anglers back to the tackle store for additional supplies if needed. In my simple mind this is how you get it down to the grass roots level to get more folks interested in what is going on. As it is now most think it is so watered down by the time we see it it isnt worth the ink its printed with. The Pros have access to some things we do not. This type of format would eliminate that all together. I know youve heard the term get on your knees and look the child in the eye. This way you are on the same level as them and it is much easier for them to grasp. Plus it matches those eight Pros, (B.A.S.S. to FLW, like NFL to AFL) Pro to Pro no gimmicks no tricks no specialty equipment. Whos the best in the world.BrianBrianHAWG Hunter2013 BassCat Eyra2013 Mercury 250 Pro XS Gen2 L/U
Oh no doubt wed all love it. Just tough to invest more when average guy gets 40,000 from 40,000 in entries.C.O.D. Jr. III
Wont happen BASS to FLW and most baits pros use are exactly the same baits you buy, unless they are new product.
BCB, damn it man, you and I know this, but convincing the public that thinks otherwise is the goal. There isnt a magic bait, they dont get special stuff that we cant get, they are just that damn good at their trade. We can and we will continue to do the same thing, we are a creature of habit and hate change. I understand the sponsors would not allow it and shame on them. We as competitors could care less what we have to work with as long as it is fair across the board. My competitive mind set is, I will kick your butt no matter what when or where, if its not, I better stay at home and grill hot dogs. We, as a sport do a horrible job of getting people involved and excited about what we do. B.A.S.S. has done a better job than the FLW, for to me, very obvious reasons. If the FLW doesnt change their ways of doing some things they will always be a second rate. If you read Mike Iaconellis book you can see where he found the idea to bring fishing to the public in a very different way. He talks about when he was in high school and didnt want people to know he was a fisherman because he didnt want them to think he was weird. He later understood he could help change peoples thought process. His classic win put him in a position to do so, and on the drive home Mike started laying out some of his plans. With the help of some of his closest friends he has created a way to bring his knowledge and passion to the average Joe. Way to go Mike, you get it. We now have competitive fishing in the college ranks and are getting our sport imbedded in some high schools across the country I could only wish we had this when I was in school. The opportunity is out there for us to build this sport we call fishing. We just have to get some great minds together and find the avenues then build the vehicle. How many said the NFL/ AFL merge would never work??? How many said it would “ONE”BrianBrianHAWG Hunter2013 BassCat Eyra2013 Mercury 250 Pro XS Gen2 L/U
pops77s wrote:BCB, damn it man, you and I know this, but convincing the public that thinks otherwise is the goal. There isnt a magic bait, they dont get special stuff that we cant get, they are just that damn good at their trade. We can and we will continue to do the same thing, we are a creature of habit and hate change. I understand the sponsors would not allow it and shame on them. We as competitors could care less what we have to work with as long as it is fair across the board. My competitive mind set is, I will kick your butt no matter what when or where, if its not, I better stay at home and grill hot dogs. We, as a sport do a horrible job of getting people involved and excited about what we do. B.A.S.S. has done a better job than the FLW, for to me, very obvious reasons. If the FLW doesnt change their ways of doing some things they will always be a second rate. If you read Mike Iaconellis book you can see where he found the idea to bring fishing to the public in a very different way. He talks about when he was in high school and didnt want people to know he was a fisherman because he didnt want them to think he was weird. He later understood he could help change peoples thought process. His classic win put him in a position to do so, and on the drive home Mike started laying out some of his plans. With the help of some of his closest friends he has created a way to bring his knowledge and passion to the average Joe. Way to go Mike, you get it. We now have competitive fishing in the college ranks and are getting our sport imbedded in some high schools across the country I could only wish we had this when I was in school. The opportunity is out there for us to build this sport we call fishing. We just have to get some great minds together and find the avenues then build the vehicle. How many said the NFL/ AFL merge would never work??? How many said it would “ONE”BrianBrian, if it were to happen Id lay out my coin for pay per view if that is what it would take to get it started. I did the same for MLF. I like the essence of the format. However, I dont see enough mula to trump competing organizations for FLW and B.A.S.S anglers to gravitate away from their comfort zone with current sponsors. The money is so sparse thats why you see very few anglers fishing both trails. I think Ish and Brandon Paulinak are a few to do that and Ive read Ish has family coin to support him. I hope MLF continues to grow. Its the closest thing Ive seen. Im more a FLW fan and wished there were more to participate on the MLF. Those guys are second to none or at a minimum equal to the Elites. Brent Ehler proved that on MLF as the only FLW representative in the format and win….. Sponsor are not going carry this through early on IMO on TV. We as fans need to support this too with our pocket books with pay per view. Put up or shut up guys. This is what its going to take. MLF is being marketed in the right direction with pay per view to help offset cost. Pay per view if done right as internet tease has potential. Doing the things to get anglers interested by sharing winning patterns is a great start. Additionally theres more that can happen with fishing and boating tips from sponsors like BassCat, Yamaha, Merc, BRP, Power Pole, Minn Kota HB, Lowrance to help anglers actualize their investments with their boating passions. There is potential there. Offer more into Pay Per View with sponsored pros is the worm on the hook…… However, the info has to be short, easy to understand and beneficial. Now that is challenging but what its going to take. Can you imagine if every bass fisherman ponied up $20 for Pay Per View? I think a few have…. IMO Thats how your going to grow toward a WCBT format and that will not happen overnight. Yea, college fishing, high school are great legacies for future anglers but to appreciate the cream at the top requires $$$$$$$$.
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