With 60-70 Top-tier guys gone and more sponsor $$$ with BASS,also qualification criteria has to change.

Wouldn't you want to go over to BASS now and Cherry pick the Elite Series? Consider there you probably won't be competing against 175 of the top sticks in the country only a little more than a diluted field of open anglers.

Huh?

its the same way as its always been as long as somebody else is footing the bill to be a pro angler they do it when it comes to plunking down 5 k that you have earned off a real job it changes. sponsor money is harder an harder to come by look how many guys in tx fished the elites an opens now they fish champs an other local tournaments .following a dream is great but used to when the guys would finally win a big tournament they would ask them what they were going to do with the winnings some would say pay off large credit card debt.

That's looking like the scene after the formation of the Bass Pro Tour.Or am I wrong here? Let's get some feedback from the FLW Pros.

I just don�t think I understand your original message.

You�re saying with the new tour a lot of anglers are going to be leaving BASS elites and FLW tour, which could happen. Which will leave openings available on these circuits for other anglers, who will qualify through the BASS opens and/or FLW costas, correct?

I guess I don�t see the problem, there are plenty of great anglers out there and plenty of opportunity to compete. Obviously that aside, anglers need to be very creative or fortunate to prevail financially.

In a perfect world, at least i think, we would have ONE series that pitted the very BEST anglers in the world. BASS pulled several (Brent Ehrler, Jason Christie, Jacob Wheeler among others) but obviously there are still great sticks within the FLW including Scott Martin, Andy Montgomery, and Bryan Thrift to name a few.

Anglers will get to make a decision on where they compete, which I think is great, but in the end one of them will fail and disappear, i think.

No BASS has been castrated, it appears most of the FLW talent is staying, FLW is the stronger league now.

I think this is just realigning the top talent to better meet the needs of the best anglers

If I read this correctly...
Your saying that the top talent has now left the elite series and now the time is right to run in and compete/win some tourneys?
To this, I lol.
The bottom of the elite tour could put a whipping on 99% of those of us on this site. (No disrespect intended to anyone)

Are y�all so they are leaving BASS and FLW I haven�t seen where they are leaving I�m sure they can fish more than one circuit.

I'll try to explain my point a little better.

If let's say 65 top guys are out of the Elite Series and invitations go to the Open guys. With some being top sticks on the FLW Tour but most are good fisherman working class. That makes those expensive entries hard to fill unless you are a FLW Pro for the most part.

If you were an established Pro with a solid performance resume and assuming the Elite field will be watered down. Wouldn't you be Apt to move to BASS as given your proven track record you would most likely be very successful there.

At least until the league recovered by putting together some solid guys, the opportunities seem good for a lot of FLW guys to also add sponsors to their portfolio.

Alright. I understand what you are saying now. IF half of 2017�s elite series field leaves for this new tour/series, it will definetly be interesting to see who remains and how it settles out. My GUESS is there are at least 50 quality anglers our there that are chomping to get into a big time tour/series, and these guys are likely good enough, that �cherry picking� wouldn�t likely be as easily done as it would seem. That would be my guess. Now, it might make it easier for a guy like KVD...We�ll see it�s definitely going to be interesting to see who ends up where, and if 3 full time pro tours is sustainable, and which one rises as the premier circuit.

I agree with that statement!

Just like when you flip a big jig in the buckbrush and the bush just shakes! You know there's something big coming....

The bush just got shaken in the tournament bass fishing world and I'm gleaming with anticipation.

It's a bunch of "carp"!