RE: Jocumsen's journey – It's a real shame and an absolute travesty that Carl and Kayla have had to go through all of the BS that they have had to deal with and the money they have had to spend to stay in this country legally, but yet if you're an illegal alien all you have to do is walk across the border and you're given a welcome home party and free gifts and your paperwork is done for you and it's free. What a joke.
RE: Nixon's retirement – To my eye, Larry has always been a class act. All the best to him.
RE: Murphy recognized by FWFHOF – So glad to see this. Bill was there in the beginning in California, and truly iconic (though perhaps a bit "prickly" at times, as one put it). When he passed in 2004, the game was already changing and, unfortunately, some anglers would do almost anything to get the recognition Murphy had attained. His on-the-water career was founded on things he learned from his predecessors, plus an artistic vein and his own hard work. Without sonar at first, he actually found structure changes by pounding his anchor on the bottom and recording contours. Murphy was dogged to a fault, his long hours in the sun spurring the cancer that took his life at 65. This was a good call by FWFHOF.
I grew up idolizing guys like Larry Nixon. I later had the opportunity to meet him several times and he is a really fine person. I still have more respect for the guys who worked their way up in the sport than some of the new guys who jump into the sport with a brand-new $150,000 worth of truck and boat as a graduation present.
Larry Nixon's retirement will probably open the Legends exemption for Jordan Lee.
BassFan says: Indeed it did.
Truth be known, all the guys who are “retiring” are doing so not for family reasons. It’s FFS Disease that’s got 'em. All their lives they honed their skills in reading the water, seasonal patterns and time on the water. With LiveScope, all those things are useless.
RE: Balog on fall smallmouth – Nothing like late, late-season smallmouth on Erie! The only reason I don't leave for Florida sooner. All my very best numbers days and P.B.'s are in November. Go Erie, go Joe Balog!
Several Elites leaving because they say for family reasons. I think we all know the truth is because they cannot feed their family trying to be a pro bass fisherman!
RE: BPT changes – The five-fish-vs.-every-fish isn’t the reason viewership is down. Opinions are split on that and for every one they lose from one camp, they gain from the other. What isn’t split is the opinion on who wants to watch video-game fishing, with the vast majority of fans saying they don’t. Every-fish-counts will only make it more about FFS. Until they figure that out, viewership will continue to subside.
RE: BPT changes – Run the drop in the field for 2024 and let's see who would be out. Very interesting.
RE: Balog on BPT reversal – For the first time, I think Joe missed the point. To me, I don't care if every fish counts or just the biggest five, it is about fish care. No fish in the livewell for bumpy rides and weigh-ins. Spawning fish are released near the bed, not miles away. These tournaments do not have the mortality rates of livewell tournaments. A great example was when they went back to back on the same lake about a month apart several years ago. The fishery held up very well. This is the true value of the BPT format.
YouTube has won the advertising war in pro bass fishing. Forward-facing sonar has leveled the playing field across most tournaments. There’s very little name recognition. Gonna be a tough sled to get the payouts back – B.A.S.S. and MLF had better tread carefully.
RE: BPT changes – Well, seeing as the new rules are kicking out the bottom 35 in the AOY standings, let's see if Boyd Duckett gets kicked off of the BPT in 2025. If Duckett's AOY standings for the last 5 years are actually used then he WILL NOT make the top 35 in points even if he drops his worst points year. All of these guys who drank the Kool-Aid that Duckett was serving probably have buyer's remorse right now. I personally will never buy another Boyd Duckett product in the fishing industry.
So B.A.S.S. forms a committee regarding fishermen who use forward-facing sonar, to give their opinion of FFS. Okay. One thing that neither B.A.S.S. nor their fishermen want to consider is this ... the fans who watch their events. I've been een fishing tournaments on the Louisiana Delta since 1970 – that's 53 years. I've been a life member of B.A.S. since 1972. I am phasing out of competitive fishing, it's just not the same for me. All the guys I started out with and looked forward to seeing each season are all gone, either passed or in homes. The new breed are just different.
If I was young, I would probably fit in. I bought a Garmin LiveScope setup about a year ago. I love to chase big bass and wanted to use it and learn it before forming an opinion on it. It can be deadly, and I predict it will have an adverse effect on some fisheries, especially crappie lakes. I also find it rather boring to watch televised tourneys with the field using FFS. I no longer watch the events.
In talking to other bass fishermen, it looks like there will be a reduction in the number of viewers watching. How many? Who knows, but it will mainly break down by age. The younger guys will like it, many of the guys my age will not. One thing the sponsors and advertisers look at is the breakdown of viewers in groups. Older fishermen have more disposable income, and younger fishermen generally do not. It will, get interesting, committee or no committee.
RE: MLF changes – Boyd’s ship is sinking!
RE: Balog on technology – I agree with Joe. I think B.A.S.S. is misreading the statistics. I have tuned out with FFS. They are trolling around without casting, looking down until they see one to throw at. Definitely not fun to watch. And MLF has lost it's identity. Back to all fish count, but as the first tourney this year showed, and Andy Morgan said on camera, it was more exciting since no one can run away with it. Oh well. Done will MLF too. Just go fishing and stop watching.
RE: MLF changes – Code for “downsizing”?
RE: MLF changes – Five fish killed y'alls views? No. How about all the blatant cheating and rule-changing. What needs to happen is MLF just dissolves and all those guys are left struggling to make it back to B.A.S.S.
RE: MLF changes – This will help the LiveScope fishermen and hurt the bank-beaters. Not sure that is going to help viewership.
RE: MLF changes – Top 35 lifetime is going to make for some interesting math ... where will this leave the guys who qualified out of the Invitationals for the '24 season in '25? Their lifetime BPT numbers will be one season.
BassFan says: The first-year anglers will be under the same qualification criteria as the rest of the field, so yes, their ledger will consist of just one season.
By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor
Mark Tucker, a longtime tour-level pro who was a dominant competitor in Midwest regional events for decades, died
By David A. Brown Special to BassFan
For the angler viewing a field of standing timber, a fine line separates that exhilarating kid-in-a-candy-store
By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor
(Editor's Note: In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, a new First Cast feature story will not appear until
