I just read that. Wonder how that's going to fare with people. No longer win and your in classic.

Well I am out, don't have the time too take off. Was considering fishing them next year, but now I am out. Looks like they are taking the FLW Costa angle and having a championship.

I like that they added a championship.

More driving and more diverse fisheries...people were saying BASS would not be back to the Red River. Guess not..

Guess you definitely need to be a professional with sponsors to try now. This will take the dream away from everyday anglers who are good sticks but have responsibilities that prohibit the all in approach this now requires. It's now 5 weeks vacation required(or 3 and unpaid leave), $6000 in entry fees, and increased travel costs from Distance and extra events.

Does anyone know why they felt a change was needed? It seems the entries have been high and the results put great anglers on the Elite's.

Blows my mind.

Why?

Stupid.

Yeah, I would have to agree with most of the responses on here. I am a little perplexed by the change.
I think they could've left it at 3 tournaments for 3 divisions with a championship. This is going to make it really difficult to swing for a lot of folks. Someone still has to do it and catch them though!

I know a lot won't agree with me, but I think it's step in the right direction. There are literally thousands of tourneys and trails that cater to the "weekend" fisherman. I think the Opens should exist mainly as the pool for Elite series talent. If you want to fish them for fun, the experience, or just to see how well you fare against other great anglers from around the country, and you have the resources, more power to you.

For those wanting to "live the dream", that dream takes an "all in approach". If you don't have the resources (time, money, sponsorship) to fish the Opens, it would be near impossible to accept an Elite series invite/qualification. They could take it a step further, IMO, and implement OFF LIMITS periods.

I will probably still fish them, but just for the experience. My touring pro aspirations died when I got married and signed for a mortgage, lol.

I'm sure I will be in the minority too, but I don't think winning an open should let a person into the classic. Those spots should go to guys who are only in the elites.

They are getting roasted on their web site by 95% of the people commenting

And they deserve to be... they had a winning business model and just flushed it down the toilet and eliminated 80% of their target demographic.

Meh, tons of folks complained about the previous format for various reasons, too. BASS will go on, life will go on. As with anything, people have a tendency to speak up more when they're unhappy vs happy so the majority of responses you'll see will be negative.

I'm happy for a fourth and potential fifth event.

Change is a tough sell in the fishing markets. I think its fine and I also agree a step in the right direction. Don't think they will have shortage of people who want to fish.