Elite format at Sam Rayburn

I read a dock talk article on Bassfan about the positives and negatives of the way they weighed the fish in the boat on Sam Rayburn. While watching some of the live footage during the tournament they acted like this is likely the way of the future. I saw one major problem with it. They try their best to get these tournaments to follow the spawn from the south to the north. If an angler found a big bass on a bed he could possibly catch it 5 times in one day and then maybe even come back the next day and weight it again. I know its not likely to get a big one to bite that many times, but it can be done. I have caught the same female off of a bed three times in one day. So my question is, do ya'll think that this format is a good format for the future?

It is not gonna take the place of conventional tournaments. They will continue to tweak the format for that event but it's not gonna take over.


I have read for 4-5 years the MLF format was gonna take over. It still has not made a dent in local/regional tournaments at all. Very little presence at all.

Who would ever think about catching the same bass over and over day after day? Bahahahahahaha

They can't sight fish for the same fish twice in a day. Judges are told that. It's catch it and move on. They can catch it the next day.

You would think that after the turnout they had at the last tournament they would scrap that idea. If it's such a great format then lets do it at the classic and see what happens the next classic. Probably zero turnout.Unless they are having huge fish kills that are not mentioned, then stick with what works.

They will worry less and less about the physical turnout and more and more about the online turnout.

The weigh and release format will eventually replace the traditional format. This will happen at the highest level of bass fishing first and gradually trickle down as technology allows. Bet your [censored] on it.

Also, it's unlikely we will ever see the traditional format completely go away. Smaller tournaments and even trails like basschamps will likely not change. But the "pro" stuff will change. The future is online viewing, period.

Last thing, can someone explain how 100-200 people showing up to watch a live weigh in creates any significant amount of revenue? BASS is not a non profit.

FLW might have to be the venue to go to unless they follow suit. Whole lot more fun in person than sitting on the computer. Wonder how the sponsors will react. Do they bail or will more get onboard.

They won't create any revenue if the don't charge. Have you paid to go to a BASS weigh in.

During the Classic, the broadcasters said that they had tens of thousands of live viewers during the event. Also, much of the content has now been shared and viewed thousands more times and will exist forever online. To a sponsor, this relevancy and viewership is much more valuable than a few hundred people showing up to watch a weigh in. Watching a live weigh in does not interest me at all, watching them fish (live or replay) is very interesting.

A perfect measurement is the buzz on this forum since live broadcasting started getting more common. Prior to that, entire BASS Elite tournaments went undiscussed on here.

Also, on this forum, we are sharing content (someone posted Crochet frog fishing the other day) more than ever. I certainly noticed the sponsors on his boat and jersey and did not see that content anywhere else. I would have never watched him weigh in his fish and if I had, his jersey would've been seen for about 2 minutes and his boat (and gear) would not have been shown.

And if I did pay to go to a weigh in...what would it cost, $20? So 500 people would make $10,000 in revenue? That pays one top 50 finisher and covers no other expenses. No profit.

something that would appeal to me would be the ability to split my screen and watch 4-6 different pros of my choice fish at same time along with a map showing where each is located on the lake....also like to keep the basstrakk estimates of each catch so that there is some suspense to the weigh-in....

I believe this format likely is the way of the future for the elites and possibly the FLW tour. It's not a viable format for any other level. It also would not work for circuits with a co-angler. However, I think there are quite a few problems that could incur with it like the one I stated originally even if someone else thinks I am crazy that an angler could catch the same bed fish multiple times. Another problem is that rough water will make it hard to get accurate weights if the boat is bouncing up and down.

I do believe that by allowing much more video coverage to be aired and shared, this new format allows for greater publicity for the anglers and the sponsors. The greater the exposure the more revenue it creates.

What other problems do could they run into with this new format?

Mr. Lizard presents some valid, logical arguments.... Well done....be great day for bass fishing when it's universal

BASS has already said they are not gonna change to the weigh and release format exclusively. this was the first such event in 46 years of hosting events so I doubt they are scrapping their business model overnight to change. To date FLW still has not had a similar event so I don't see a mad rush for the 2 major trails to change to it.
Also do not see them charging for BASS Live content. Again 46 years of events and they have NEVER charged admission to any of it. If they did charge you would see viewership take a significant hit. Bass fishing fans are too fickle to pay anyway. I have no doubts they will keep tweaking Live to make it a revenue maker but that cost will be passed on to BASS sponsors. Much like commercials keep regular TV free I think paying sponsors will keep Live free.

I agree that they won't charge to view the content and didn't imply that they would. Sponsors, advertisers, and maybe exclusive content fees will generate most revenue.

A history of doing something one way means very little when it comes to finding a business model that generates the most success and profit. Countless examples in every industry in the world. It will change.

I agree on some points but BASS has already said they ain't changing over from the traditional format. At the end of the day sponsors still want to see their anglers on stage holding bass at weigh ins. If the argument that a weigh in generates little profit then not having one is not gonna increase profit either if its about the Live format being the revenue maker. You could argue that a regular format is a little more exciting as it keeps the audience in suspense etc moreso than the weigh and release. People will tune into a televised weigh in when the outcome is in suspense. That was one of the recurring dislikes about Rayburn event that I kept reading is how everyone knew the result.

One event with mixed reviews is not changing this whole sport. If that was the way of the future you would have seen MLF type events on larger scale already.

Eliminating the live weigh in totally would eliminate a lot of labor and expense. Just that right there is helping the bottom line.

I've never once wanted to attend a live weigh in. It appeals zero to me, but I'll watch the live broadcast for hours. Who wants to watch the end zone dances, the guy trot around the bases after he's hit a home run or see players spray champagne all over each other? I want to see the action of the game, not the after effects. Live is where it's at.