B.A.S.S. reportedly canceling three 2008 Tournaments

[Dan]

Bass Fan is reporting that B.A.S.S. is canceling three of its Elite Series tournaments in 2009. Pickwick and two others due to the ailing economy!

[djkimmel]

Can that be true? I didn't expect to see that many tournaments canceled at the Elite level in one season. I always thought the schedule was a little too brutal as far as the number and packed together more so even than the cost. Though I know from talking to some of the anglers who aren't fortunate enough to have a lot of the entry cost covered, the cost is also brutal for them.

Regardless, if this is true, it is definitely unexpected.

[blakstr1]

BASS is suppose to announce details today....not to speculate but i am nervous for the Escanaba tournament now.

[kgr624]

I read that a spokesperson announced that they are canceling Michigan and New York.

[TCook]

I think this is a sign of some real tough times for competative bass fishing. Numbers will probably be considerably down at all levels due to the struggling economy. I also read that the Elites currently only have 50 anglers registered for the 09 season and might not be able to fill all the spots. Which is why they probably decided to drop 3 events to make it more affordable to anglers. I heard that the 3 events BASS is dropping is Pickwick, Bay de noc, and champlain. Im thinking they chose northern events to cut travel costs down. We will see if this is true today, they are supposed to make an official announcment.

T

[TCook]

Bassfan just reported that Big Bay De Noc and Champlain are canceled in addition to pickwick. 

[motocross269]

How many events does that leave them in the North?? 

Onieda, NY and FT Madison Iowa??? (I guess FT Madison can be considered the North)

[squid]

Here ya go:





Elite Series Revamped
Changes Include 3 Cancellations, Postseason, Lower Fees

Friday, January 09, 2009






BASS announced today it has revamped the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series, decreasing entry fees per angler by $25,200 for the season and introducing a two-event, no-entry-fee postseason. The postseason places an increased focus on the Angler of the Year (AOY) race.

Despite the reduced entry fees, the top finisher in the AOY race will take home $250,000 and the total payout will remain at more than $1 million.

The postseason events will feature only the Top 12 in the AOY standings, determined after the regular season. Each postseason event will receive 1 hour of ESPN2 television coverage and the entire Elite Series will receive 15 hours of original programming on ESPN2 in 2009.

"We have had a number of productive discussions with Elite anglers and various stakeholders and determined that much like everyone else in this challenging economy, our sport and anglers have been impacted," said BASS VP and GM Tom Ricks. "We feel this decision is in the best interest of the industry, our anglers and sponsors."

Kevin VanDam, the 2008 AOY, supports the format change.

"For the long-term health of the sport, this is a reasonable move," he said. "Looking at the entire Elite Series field, this announcement is helpful and appropriate and it serves the industry, anglers and sponsors well in a challenging environment."

The postseason qualifiers will begin with the AOY points that correspond with their standings among the Top 12, based on the regular season. The top qualifier heading into the postseason will begin with 300 points, and the rest of the field will receive points that correspond with the AOY points structure. The postseason will be scored with the traditional AOY points system.

The postseason events will follow the culmination of the regular season, which ends with the Champion's Choice on Lake Oneida out of Syracuse, N.Y. That final regular-season event has been moved to July 30-Aug. 2. Dates and locations for the postseason events will be announced at a later date.

With the announcement of the postseason, BASS has reduced its previously announced Elite Series regular-season schedule to eight events. The three events eliminated are the Alabama Charge (May 14-17; Pickwick Lake; Florence, Ala.), Cold Water Clash (July 23-26; Big Bay de Noc/Little Bay de Noc; Escanaba, Mich.) and the Empire Chase (Aug. 6-9; Lake Champlain; Plattsburgh, N.Y.).

The revised 2009 Elite Series regular-season schedule can be found below. The amended payouts for the Elite Series regular season can be found at www.Bassmaster.com. The 2010 Elite schedule will remain as previously announced.

The entire roster for the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series will be released in the coming weeks.

The Elite Series regular-season tournament format will follow the 2008 model, with the Top 50 anglers qualifying for the third day of competition and the Top 12 competing on the final day.

BASS will operate the Bassmaster Opens, the Women's Bassmaster Tour, the BASS Federation Nation and all other tournament programs in the same manner as previously announced.

BASS also announced that the Elite Series Marshal Program, which has replaced co-anglers on the circuit, is 75% full for the eight Elite events. With limited space available, BASS members are encouraged to call 1-877-BASS-USA to reserve a spot.

Marshals who were registered for any Elite events that have been changed will be contacted by BASS. Any BASS member registered as a marshal in the impacted areas will have the option of receiving a full refund or transferring the deposit to another Elite event that has available slots on a first-come, first-served basis.

Revised 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule

> March 12-15 – Battle on the Border (Lake Amistad; Del Rio, Texas)
> March 26-29 – Diamond Drive (Lake Dardanelle; Russellville, Ark.)
> April 2-5 – Dixie Duel (Wheeler Lake; Decatur, Ala.)
> April 23-26 – Blue Ridge Brawl (Smith Mountain Lake; Moneta, Va.)
> May 7-10 – Southern Challenge (Lake Guntersville; Guntersville, Ala.)
> June 3-6* – Tennessee Triumph (Kentucky Lake; Paris, Tenn.)
> June 11-14 – River Rumble (Mississippi River; Fort Madison, Iowa)
> July 30-Aug. 2 – Champion's Choice (Oneida Lake; Syracuse, N.Y.)

* Event held Wednesday through Saturday

[Skulley]

In B.A.S.S. it is all about the sponsors.  The sponsors put a lot of $$$$$$$$$ into the sport every year.  Toyota reported a 30% loss in market share.  I am sure they are not giving B.A.S.S. the money they need to keep 3 tournaments in the Elite Series.  Let's face it, is there anyone out there who is going to buy a new Skeeter this year.  I wonder how much money Skeeter pulled back.  Also keep in mind that Walt Disney Corporation owns B.A.S.S.  How much money do they have into this every year?  Remember they also own ESPN and ABC Television as well as MGM Studios as well as Buena Vista Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, etc., etc., etc.  Aside from  the fact that B.A.S.S. is run by the ESPN Division of Walt Disney Corporation could be another factor.  Are sponsors on all these media outlets pulling their ads?  They can't afford to buy commercial space on these networks.  How about the upcoming Super Bowl???  It is on Fox Sports Net.  We haven't heard if FLW is starting to "reel" a little from this bad economy.  Could they be in better shape than B.A.S.S.?  Is FLW cutting into B.A.S.S.?  After all they are competing with each other in the same market.  There is a lot of things going on here, and we should not jump to any conclusions and note that the economy is bad...........real bad...........bad, bad.  Tom Ricks is wrong when he says it is bad for the industry.  It looks like FLW is doing something right for the moment and because money is tight, ESPN's greed is getting a little in the way.  I remember it wasn't that long ago when TBF as we know it today was competing for what we now call the Federation Nation here in Michigan.  Federation Nation Clubs may suffer because of some of the ridiculous rules B.A.S.S. had for the grass roots fishing industry here in Michigan when the FLW went nationwide.  And more and more of our more prominent anglers that have run these organizations here in Michigan are jumping to FLW and the TBF or I should say have jumped.  I remember an awful lot of debate and discussion about the two organizations on this board as well as much discussion in my bass club as to which way to go.  That was only a short few years back.  My club stayed Federation Nation but as things progress and money gets tighter, may jump to the TBF because it is more economical for the club itself to survive.  

Van Dam is the B.A.S.S. Elite Division's major marquee player.  I bet B.A.S.S. gives him a steady paycheck somewhere for some kind of service.  That could be why he is a hold out for the FLW.  B.A.S.S. could be paying him not to jump because he is the draw.  Remember that Iaconnelli was a major B.A.S.S. guy.  Well if you didn't know, he is in the Forrest Wood Cup Championship next year through the Northern Division Stren Series.  How many other pros jumped to FLW a few short years ago???  Cochran, Shuffield, to name two and my mind is blank for a moment because there were a lot and too many to remember............  

These fishing organizations are going to be after the major league guys and paying them to do it.  Iaconnelli has also qualified for the Classic.  He stands to have a heckuva year if he is in the top 10 for both of those major championships.  And keep in mind who went to FLW and who stayed with B.A.S.S.  This cancellation of tournaments could be because they did not get the entries for the series, because these anglers are going to fish the Stren, BFL, FLW Tour, so they could qualify for the FLW Series and the Cup.  There are more ways for pros to get to the big dance in the FLW Organization than there is in the B.A.S.S. Organization and there is more ways for amateurs to get to the big dance in the FLW Organization than the B.A.S.S. Organization.  In other words, B.A.S.S. could be the victim of themselves and the greed we saw a very short few years back.  Isn't that why the TBF of Michigan was formed or should I say one of the reasons it was formed??  

The Bottom Line:    Sponsors are pulling back, so the organizations that are sponsor supported will pull back too.  

Boy, it sure is getting interesting around here.............


BD                

[TritonTR20]

It's amasing the attitude they have that no one fishes in the North. First they eliminated the weekend series in most of the northern states. Now it has spread even farther.

[josh617]

Anyone see the new payout? 25th-50th places get $5,000; dont quit your day job. guess they shouldnt have gotten rid of the co-anglers.

[motocross269]

Tournament Bass Fishing is reminds me alot of Motorcycle racing..There are probably only about 20-30 guys making big bucks doing it...I guess that is why Hank Parker and alot of guys do television..Less pressure and alot less traveling..

[dartag]

Anyone see the new payout? 25th-50th places get $5,000; dont quit your day job. guess they shouldnt have gotten rid of the co-anglers.

sure makes the FLW top 50  10,000.00 look good.   guess they guys with big sponsors will still be there.  almost like what BASS had a few years ago when they only had 50 anglers fishing.  guess as long as they stay on TV so i can watch them i will be happy.  beats watching ice fishing out my window.  talk about boring..

[skeeterman190]

 I think that BASS is self destructing themselves. If they want to make it some big dollar deal that none of us will ever get into thats fine. Dont complain to me when you go bankrupt. whats next ray scott going to ask the government for an emergency bailout?? Cutting out the co-anglers is just plain dumb. I see where we are wanted and not wanted. I have pulled my membership from them because i feel that they are a ridiculous organization thats there to cater to themselves and nothing else! Now they cut 3 events all from the north come on. guess us yankees cant compete with you ole rednecks. oh wait your cash cow is a yankee hmmif it wasnt for him that whole deal would be broke in a week. im sure as stated before hes got to be getting something not to bail out.-skeeterman-

[skeeterman190]

 PS on the redneck thing i am one too so i cant offend anyone. my nicknames philbilly cmon-skeeterman-

[djkimmel]

Disappointing that they canceled the Bay De Noc event (and the ever popular Champlain). I have no desire to see less opportunity for northern anglers to fish large tournaments.

[Skulley]

As I said in my earlier post on this topic............"this is a sponsor driven industry and when the sponsors are low on money, the tournament trail is low on money."  They all think we fish for walleye up here and not bass.  Remember the In-Fisherman Walleye Trail is done.  Their last year was 2008.  There will be no In-Fisherman Walleye Trail any more.  The PWT still lives.  This is happening right before our eyes to B.A.S.S. and it's too bad.  As someone said in this post, "B.A.S.S. is self-destructing.  I can only surmize that this is what started to happen when ESPN took over and changed the way they did business from top to bottom.............And yes that $10 grand guarantee sure does look good in the top 50 of the FLW Series.  I will be lobbying my club to the TBF in the next year or two.  FLW has got to be doing something right to be able to survive this economic downturn and increasing this thing to 10 million.


BD           

[Dan]

I got my call from B.A.S.S. Friday while I was at Cabela's in Indiana or is it Illinois. It's the one near Portage, IN. Any way, a representative from B.A.S.S. called to offer me my money back. I was offered the option of applying it to another tournament. I decided to shift my entry to the Wheeler event in Alabama the first of April. The bad part is that sign ups are supposedly first come first serve. I was in the top fifty for Bay De Noc and now I may be too late to get in to a tournament. According to the guy that called me, some time in January they should start calling to let people know if they are in or out.

[djkimmel]

Well, I hope you get in. Wonder if they will help a brother out at all since they created the inconvenience? Seems like they should at least prioritize you in line based on the same position you previously had. That would improve the unfortunate situation a little maybe?

As far as 'northern bass getting less interest' when has just giving up accomplished anything? I'll answer for anyone who wonders - never. You give up, you get nothing. You keep plugging away and sometimes you get what you work hard for. Simple concept that has been shown to work by a few persons many times.

[1javelin]

Not to be greedy, but maybe less recognition up here is good?  I prefer fishing on our waters with few other boats to compete against against when fun fishing, and I enjoy limiting out and culling during a tournament.  Fishing can be seen a little like deer hunting; the more men in the woods, the lower your odds go.  I like living in an area where the fishing is good, just wish all the hunters would get the hejj out of my woods so I can enjoy that as much too!!!!! (deer-less this year)

1Jav