What was B.A.S.S. thinking???

[Waterfoul]

I'm all for more big tournaments in Michigan.  I love it when BASS or FLW comes here.  But what were they thinking when they scheduled an Elite event on the Bays De Noc in late September?  Everyone who lives here knows you CANNOT count on Lake Michigan in the fall.  It's tough enough in the summer, but fall can be downright nasty.  Maybe they learned their lesson?  2 days in a row cancelled so far.  Can we go for a 3rd day tomorrow?  Bet on it.  I said it to some friends when they announced the schedule.... bet on at least one or two days being cancelled due to waves/wind/weather.  Very dissapointed.  

[Slipkey]

The City of Escanaba loves having tournaments in town (one of the most fishermen-friendly places I've ever stayed) and the Ludington park launch is their flagship park, but it's a terrible launch to get out of in a strong north or south wind.

20MPH north winds, though (which is what the reports are saying), and they could have launched out of the Escanaba River launch and been able to run the shore up in to Little Bay  fairly well protected. Gladstone even more so, but I'm sure Escanaba woudn't go for that.  It would have fished smaller, for sure, but they could have continued.  Either way, I agree, they should have done this one in July or August.

[Dan]

Read this and you will get to know if it was meant to be, fishing all three days at Bays De Noc:  http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/escanaba-wind

[djkimmel]

I'm very glad B.A.S.S. came to Michigan again, and will try to help however I can to get them back some more as many times as I can. We all live here and we take our chances with whatever Mother Nature gives us. They're big boys and girls with Bassmaster. They can handle it and make the best out of whatever they get too.

If I can help get a longer season to give them more shots at more places to increase the odds of visits and success, I'll do that too.

[TimH]

I'm very glad B.A.S.S. came to Michigan again, and will try to help however I can to get them back some more as many times as I can. We all live here and we take our chances with whatever Mother Nature gives us. They're big boys and girls with Bassmaster. They can handle it and make the best out of whatever they get too.

If I can help get a longer season to give them more shots at more places to increase the odds of visits and success, I'll do that too.

Very good point Dan.  While I'm sure the weather has been frustrating at times, these guys are professionals who have a love for the sport.  I'm sure I can speak for all of us that we all have fished in horrible weather for fun or at least for tournaments with a lot less on the line than what they are fishing for in Escanaba.  I am glad to have BASS back in Michigan and wish I could have made the trip up to the UP to see it first hand.  I hope BASS and FLW continue to look to Michigan to host tournaments at any level.  They are fun events to have in town, create a huge financial boost for the local economy, and helps to promote our state not only among the pros, but to everyone who attends or watches the television coverage.
I hope our season gets extended and in turn we see many more tournaments all across the state!

[Dan]

If you read any of the postings on BASS, I think it is safe to say that yes they would have liked 3 days to fish, but shortening the event by a day while giving the whole field time to relax and have fun together will be something they talk about until their olden (no such thing as golden) years. The guys that took it on the chin were the Marshals. I would bet many had to be back by Monday to work, so they got only one day to ride with the pros. But, like you alluded to above, it is what it is. They did weigh some good bags of smallies.

[djkimmel]

Never fun to be inconvenienced but you can make it less of an inconvenience by finding some other fun. So much is all in how you look at things. Talking to Paul Sacks, who was up there helping with the weigh in, he met with the Escanaba / Delta County people and they are ready to have B.A.S.S. back tomorrow! They really want fishing tournaments up there! Good for them.

[motocross269]

If you read any of the postings on BASS, I think it is safe to say that yes they would have liked 3 days to fish, but shortening the event by a day while giving the whole field time to relax and have fun together will be something they talk about until their olden (no such thing as golden) years. The guys that took it on the chin were the Marshals. I would bet many had to be back by Monday to work, so they got only one day to ride with the pros. But, like you alluded to above, it is what it is. They did weigh some good bags of smallies.

It looked to me from the pictures of on Bassmaster that quite a few guys launched without marshals on Monday.....I wish I would have had the time to Marshal up at Escanaba......I did it last year on LSC and had a blast but the guys that I fished with basically fished community holes and techniques that I knew about....I want to go up to Escanaba to fish soon but I wouldn't have a clue where to start so riding around in pros boats for a few days would have helped a ton learning patterns etc...

[thedude]

what were they thinking? looks like a normal day the lower DR.

Great lakes are the great lakes. These guys spend more time driving a boat than a car. If anyone can handle it it should be them. Rough weather is rough weather... its happened at Falcon, champaigne, KY lake, toho, okeechobee, Erie and so on..... BASS schedules events to have the biggest bags they can get - makes perfect sense to have a fall event "up north". Can't control the weather, they just got the luck of the draw (good or bad).  They'd be stupid not to come back.

[Genie]

Thedude for president!

[Waterfoul]

I just think they (BASS and the local venues) would get better fan turnout if they held it earlier in the season.  I would loved to have gone up and watched some weigh ins... just not in the cards this time of year (like many people, I'm about out of vacation time by now).  I guess I was thinking more in terms of fan participation, marshall participation (they were still looking for marshals the day before the event started), and the boost it would bring to the local economy at a time when the weather is "usually" more friendly.  I meant nothing bad towards BASS or the locals.  Sometimes you have to take what your handed, and I get that (I deal with it every day).

[djkimmel]

I think if we finally fix this bass season it will lead to a number of improvements down the road that help us have more of these kinds of events and even develop facilities that allow them to operate more and better. I know it won't hurt to try anyway.