Bassmaster Elites, coming to Michigan in '09

[blakstr1]

NEXT JULY THEY WILL BE IN ESCANABA, FOR THE "COLDWATER CLASH"!!


http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/news/story?id=3488258

[Team houston]

Does anybody know why both Kentucky lakes and the 2010 Champlain are Wed thru Sat, instead of Thurs rhru Sunday?

[blakstr1]

not sure, but pretty wild no Florida tournaments either year

[5alive]

NEXT JULY THEY WILL BE IN ESCANABA, FOR THE "COLDWATER CLASH"!!

With no co-anglers, gas prices and the distance from any major population there ought to be real crowd up there! I remember an event up there awhile ago and fishing wasn't that great either.

Removal of the co-anglers, in my opinion will be the real downfall of BASS.

[bassmandan]

i would like to go see the event but its too far away

[blakstr1]

hadn't heard about the elimination of the co-anglers, that is going to hurt them bad IMO. 

[McCarter]

Not to mention they just cut the field in half, thus cutting the income to a lot of local business that will benefit from having an event in the area.  Gas stations, restraunts, hotels, tackle stores, massage parlors, etc.  I havent had a chance to read the article yet and dont know when or if i will have time, so i will ask you guys.  Are they cutting co-anglers for all events or just this one?  I have heard before that cities or countys or whatever actually pay the organizations to bring the tournaments to their areas???  To stimulate the local economy... Will they still pay if they cut the fields in half?  I dont know the whole story like i said, but i dont see any sense in this.

McCarter himself

[blakstr1]

looks like a clean sweep of the co's, they still need observers though   

[1javelin]

I'm still up in the air about the co's thing.  It will definitely help the pros, not having competition, but it will set everyday anglers apart from the pros in a way that was never achieved before.  The community income will suffer horribly, and I believe there will be fewer spectators because it will no longer be a thing where you know someone there, or you have a real reason to be there.  Gas is too expensive to drive a couple hours to watch a weigh-in.  Just my .02

1Jav

[dashaver63]

They said in the article that you can still "ride with the pro's". I'll bet there will still be a $300 or so "entry fee" to have that privilege. The series before the Elites came along, it was the same deal, you could pay your $500 fee to ride along to be an observer, but then they had a Triton boat raffle for all the observers after the tournament.

[bassmandan]

read kevin shorts blog about the co anglers, he makes some real nice points

[bassmandan]

mccarter its all events

[Team houston]

All the Elite events. Not the Opens or Bassmaster series.