January 30, 2025
The professional tournament trails kick off this week, with the Bass Pro Tour hitting Lake Conroe for the season opener. This venue has some great bass fishing history; it was there that that legendary Rick Clunn began his career. Today, Conroe still cranks out solid weights.
We’ll see a few changes to the BPT this season, highlighting the focus of our discussion.
Most notably are the on again, off again rules surrounding sonar. More about that in a minute.
Other major adjustments include a smaller field – trimmed down from 80 to 66 anglers – and a 50-percent larger first-place prize. There will be more cuts next year, as the field is whittled to 50. Requalifying will depend on placing in the Top 35 on the BPTs career AOY standings.
I’m not sure how the math works there, specifically. Obviously, an angler with relatively few seasons may have a higher average AOY standing than a veteran with the highs and lows of a long career. Perhaps there are some algebraic equations guaranteed to keep things fair.
The concept behind smaller fields can be attributed to name recognition and the cost of doing business. Fewer competitors means fewer paychecks and less expenses to operate tournaments. It also has the potential to draw more attention to the players that remain, increasing their worth and notoriety. The easiest platform to follow is key to fan engagement, and vast fields of little-known anglers takes away from the superstars.
Easy to follow is a great concept, but one that the BPT has struggled to put into action. Without question, the biggest hurdle holding this league back has been confusion from the fan base. Formats changed, minimum size requirements sometimes didn’t fit the bill, and the concept of catch, release and catch again reared its ugly head.
Entry fees changed most of all, from none to some to tons … but that’s not my problem as a fan.
What is a problem, still, is forward-facing sonar. While B.A.S.S. essentially took a non-action on the conundrum, MLF decided on a “flex policy.” What it boils down to is the use of FFS will be decided by the competitor, but limited by the league. One period of FFS use per day is all that’s allowed during regular-season events.
Confused? Me too.
Simply stated, this ruling is an attempt to have it both ways. Yet, try as I might, I can’t think of a sporting example where that works. Golfers can’t carry an extra club on the 10th hole. Pro baseball players can’t use aluminum bats during the 7th inning. There’s no acceptance of pass interference in the third quarter, high sticking in the second period or a modified carburetor with 10 laps to go.
Why not? Integrity of the game, for one. And the ability to actually follow along.
The Bass Pro Tour is attempting to put the monkey back in the barrel. While it sure took a while, the league has learned that very few people like the monkey, or the way he changed the sport. But there’s no way to get the monkey back in. He would have to be removed.
So the concept of limited FFS will do two things: it will showcase the effectiveness of FFS (seems great for those who still insist on the monkey), and it will confuse fans and viewers. Again.
To be fair, it’s important to point out a concept that I’ve stated since the beginning: while the reoccurring modifications of BPT rules can be frustrating, it shows that the organization is dynamic and evolving, and not afraid to admit when they’re wrong. These are positive traits for our ever-changing pastime. Insistence of a “my way or the highway” gameplan never works in the long run, and the BPT has always attempted to include anglers and fans in their plans.
Those plans, however, change too rapidly, causing confusion. Once a fan has lost interest, it’s hard to get them back.
The answer, of course, is to completely eliminate FFS. Draw a line in the sand.
I’ve never understood what the leagues are so afraid of. Such a move certainly won’t jeopardize the game; the pros will still catch a ton of fish, tourism bureaus will be happy, boats and rods and reels will continue to sell and, if anything, a much higher percentage of fishing lures will again be part of the industry. I’d sure hate to be selling crankbaits these days.
Regardless, the plan now is to allow the monkey out, but only for limited times. Occasional viewers who stumble across the broadcast will wonder aloud, “Why does this guy have a fishing monkey on his boat, but not the other guy? How do I know who’s got a monkey? And why doesn’t my favorite pro have a monkey on board at all?”
I mean, come on.
Who doesn’t like a monkey?
We’ll have to wait and see. Follow along while recognizing disaster looms on the horizon. Wait as the decision makers, who should be better at predicting these kinds of things, finally catch up with the reality that this concept is unsustainable. It’s much like the no-entry-fee Elite Series. A “what were they thinking” moment.
Until then, we’ll sit through the commentators going over, and back over, the rules.
I wonder if the monkey will be wearing a jersey.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times. )
