# State of Tournament Bass Fishing



## jpbasspro (Apr 28, 2008)

Thought I'd post this link about a recent article Randy Blauket wrote on BassFan regarding the state of tournament bass fishing, the past, present, and future. VERY interesting to see the "inside" drama, roadblocks, etc. Personally, I agree with many of his views. Curious to know how everyone else feels.....

http://bassfan.com/opinion_article.asp?ID=137


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## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

Good read. Kudos to Blaukat for speaking out on issues others refuse to touch.

I've watched many "professional" tournaments over the last several years with the thought I was seeing just a handful of great fishermen with the rest of the field made up of the financially secure and the best salesmen.

I agree with Blaukat on the top heavy payouts too! A sport so unique that the top finishers can be seperated by tenths of ounces yet payout differences from 1-10 can be enormous. 
So your bass didn't spit up that 6 oz. shad in the livewell and mine did, congrats you deserve $50,000 more than me? Just doesn't make sense to me, on the pro or local level.

I wonder if there were a way to model professional angling after the PGA and some of the other pro golf tours? Lots of participation, lots of money and if you can golf you can get there without daddy's money.


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

Great article.


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## Gomez (Apr 13, 2005)

Great article JP!

Sad but true...


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

its true what he is saying. even if you do manage to win a tournament here and there, the payouts are so pitiful that it would be tough to make a good living at it. the pga would be a great model if they could find the money. this is something to consider. if you are good enough to win one major golf tournament, your purse would be life changing money. if you went the rest of your life and never played another round of golf, you could live comfortably. in fishing, if you when a major tournament or even the biggest tournament, the classic, you get 250k. seems like alot until you spend the 100k to fish all the other tournaments, all your gear, boat, truck etc. that 250k might take you through a couple of seasons. i know sponsors and the such pick up the tab for alot of that stuff but you would never be in a position to win the classic without the sponsors. kevin van dam, prob the greatest and most profitable fisherman ever has made 3.6 mil in his entire carreer, tiger woods makes that at one event and i would say they are comparable as far as success goes.

if you break down kvd earnings yearly, its less then 200k. that seems pretty week considering the status he has achieved as a fisherman. and we have to be the ones to risk the 10k per tournament just to have a chance to win 100k. if you were fishing against 10 guys then that would be decent odds, but your not, your fishing against a couple of hundred.


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

Cull'in said:


> Good read. Kudos to Blaukat for speaking out on issues others refuse to touch.
> 
> I've watched many "professional" tournaments over the last several years with the thought I was seeing just a handful of great fishermen with the rest of the field made up of the financially secure and the best salesmen.
> 
> ...


Ditto. well said!


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

Hit the nail on the head with this read! I'm sure these entities would blame the poor economy and recessions we've all had to endure over the last few years, however there was still enough money to go around for everyone in those tournaments and the management could have been better. I also agree that the "financial Elite Series" when it was created really did nothing more than shut out the little guy who's only sponsor was his wallet. Every year on E Bay I see more and more tournament rigged bass boats up for sale by anglers getting out of the sport because of the overall unfairness that has become the trend as the article stated. The avenues to make it to the pro's or at the "professional" level are very few and far between these days without deep pockets, and there's just too many cracks to fall through along those roads. Ray Scott where are ya when we need ya? It was just a few years ago you put a fishing/angling organization together called B.A.S.S. for the "working man". Ok, I work and I can't even afford to fish the Weekend Series.


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## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

400,000 anglers split into two over $5 and the allure of moving beyond what they are...grassrooted anglers...now divided

Blaukat is an "OG" of the Earth Warrior clan, remember those guys JP? - he's on the money about the political arena with support thrown behind those who destroy our Mother Earth, little 'lone the prosperity of the sport.

You mix into the pot anglers already looking for a way out though...it's an easy enemy. The recent dissents of other FLW anglers very well pulled their triggers quickly out of emotion and are limping around until they finally fade.

FLW milked out the working man with his eyes open. No trickery, average effort, had they really been motivated we'd all been better off, oops, throw in some religion and greed- kapow!

BASS is typical corporate media prostitutes with zero interest in the sport of fishing beyond those directly producing/making the shows.

FLW is moving into the poker limelight now with the fantasy fishing, how about some of those payouts for playing cards...

Maybe an Elite NOAA 1 in 10 states - 100 teams- we could do something with $400,000 purses  

I have been following some Southern ideas for not just the weekend angler but any angler- even the first time caster...anyones game, ridiculous payouts- not how we know the sport...we've been trained as hillbilly elitists.

Is this what we want? Maybe Blaukat will showup...


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

I think people should just quit crying, if you wanna fish then fish, if you don't then keep your mouth shut.

Hillbilly elitists... I like it.


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## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

I like the numbers by one of the writers...
http://www.bassfan.com/feedback.asp


Better way to end...
http://www.bassfan.com/Opinion_article.asp?ID=139


nip


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## jpbasspro (Apr 28, 2008)

Nip, 
I read and reread Angler's Quest all the time. I will say they've seen better days though! 
Your last post was very refreshing, it revive's the mind as to why we love this sport so much!


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## fishin4five (Dec 2, 2005)

Great article by Newell.

Whether it's 70mph or 3.2mph across Moggie, the excitement will always be there tournament morning!


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## JF1 (Mar 25, 2008)

fishin4five said:


> Great article by Newell.
> 
> Whether it's 70mph or 3.2mph across Moggie, the excitement will always be there tournament morning!


Very well put!


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