Big bass moves away from the team mentality! That's my biggest complaint. It can work, but you have to have a pretty good prize to get the draw you're going to want. How about guarantee the boat and truck prize and you will draw the people!

As to the other items, it was made clear the BBQ wasn't "free", they were pounding hard for donations on top of the raffles, entry fees, and other donations, not that I really wanted it; just an observation.

I understand the charity aspects, and 30,000 is a nice piece of a donation, but it just seemed to get out of hand.

As I said earlier Fork does not need another BB Tournament. A 5 fish team tournament is what it has been for years and that is the way it should stay. As you can tell this format must be working because of the turn-out. When the turn-out is this good then flights is the only way to work it out. Like some people said earlier you can't please everyone all the time but in order to prevent a major fish kill if you would send everybody off in flights and bring them in in flights then that problem will be solved. When September rolls around the bite usually is all day long. Now if this tournament was in July or August then I could see why people would complain about the early bite. I have been fishing in September plenty and I can catch fish all day long in September. Some days are better than others but that is why it is called fishing and not catching.
Leave this tournament just like it is. Put everybody in flights. Just like a quote said from a great movie "Build it and they will come." If you do it this way the fisherman will still come. Me included.

Fork doesnt need anather big bass tournement. Should be flighted

I was there. They were doing the best they could but several issues.
Not near enough weigh in tanks with stones. Need atleast 8 tanks double line.
Need a better set of scales. Took forever for the sacales to lock up.
Need to speed up the measuring process

I've fished it before as well and I've enjoyed it but I'm not in favor of a BB format... The overall feel of the event will change and few will be at weight-ins. People have no reason to be hanging around unless they have a check coming... I'm not in favor if it matters at this point.

One thing that really holds up the line in a 5 fish tournament at Fork is weighing peoples Big Bass... I would make sure everyone one in line knows what BB is and if they can't beat an over or a 2.50 please don't slow up the line and make us weigh that 1.78...

I fish a lot of big tournaments with big fields you stager the weigh ins and that is just the luck of the draw! But you go to an hourly event your about to loss a lot of people! Staggering flights is not hard especially if you have a experienced tournament Director, that wasn't the problem at that event weighed to many little fish for a big bass, not enough COLD staging tanks with oxygen in the shad, way to many guys trying to weigh two and three fish stringers for 2 pounds knowing that ain't enough! Just my two cents!

Get rid of sour beer faces and they will come

Hourly tournaments need to be more than one day or if only one day the prizes need to be huge in order to get anglers out there.
IMO, Keep it a team tourney just like always. Hire David Haas and Mark Howard to do the weighin. I bet if you asked them, they would come in early from the tournament to do the weighin. Those guys can make it happen.
Awesome donation to the hospital.
Hope to see you all next year.

Next year, Mad Dog Moore will have its largest turn out ever, believe me!

I can't fish the tournament but do have an opinion to protect the fish. A Big Bass event won't fly as others have attempted this as a small group. Previous posts have mentioned a flighted event and that's the way it should be. Thirty boats per flight with 15 minute staggered starting and weigh in times. Simple to do and you will get finished about the same time as this year.

there is another way to protect the fish without going to a big bass event.

this is done is some tournaments now. Just monitor the number of bags in the weigh in line.

In other words, let the anglers keep the fish safely in their livewells until they obtain a bag from the tournament diretor. Accept no fish in bags other than the official bag and limit the bags.

you could still have a staggered start so that not all 200 boats show up at the same time.

Yeah it's a pain in the butt having the bag line longer than the weighin line, but no fish die and you can keep the team concept

Don't worry about fishermen having to miss the morning bite in a flighted tournament. I draw early flights in the winter time when I would much rather have a late flight number so I could fish later in the day when the water warms a little. That's just the way it goes.

You'll never make everyone happy. BB tournaments seem to have no problem drawing participants for other events

You are right. BB tournaments do draw good numbers but there is a lot of money involved and these tournaments are 2-3 days long. If Mad Dog would do this then it would be worthwhile. A 1 day BB tourn. would be silly. I strongly believe if this turns into a 1 day BB then you will lose at least 40% of your entry field. I love 5 fish tournaments. You have to have everything going your way in a BB tournament in order to get a check. In a 5 fish tournament you just go catch fish and come in at the end of the day and see who's is bigger.

If Mad Dog becomes a 2-3 day BB event and they can spend like the other BB event's then sign me up I am in.
If Mad Dog is just a 1 day BB event then it will not work unless the world is given away at it.

Just out of curiosity, where did all this negative feedback about staggered flights come from? Seems pretty unanimous that going to a BB format would hurt more than help.

Just my 2 cents. I love fishing this tournament but I am out also if it's a big bass. It is a great open team event that will be missed. I like the staged start idea.