On a new lake with no prefishing, I believe a lot of it is luck. Picking one creek over the next creek. Stumbling across an active school of fish feeding on the surface. Not in anyway taking anything away from their skills, but luck does play a big factor.

Agree, but the same guys seem to keep getting lucky.

Also, there is a ton of luck in a best 5 format as well.

Agreed. A big kicker can push someone beyond another angler that is on a better average. I think the angler with the better pattern typically pulls it out on a multiple day tourney though.

I didn’t mean to say those that catch the fish are lucky, more like those that don’t catch are a bit unlucky. We know they can all catch fish. Maybe on a new lake they choose the dead end of the lake. We all know just because an area looks fishy doesn’t guarantee feeding fish.

I’ve fished several new to me lakes the last several years in Texas. Catching quality has always been more of a challenge than catching numbers. Figuring out a pattern to catch quality fish is always my goal, whether fun fishing or not.

You can win a 1 day event on luck, 4 days is a pattern

Probably why their motto is "Extending the life of the sport"

Agree with that, too. And I think that’s true for either format.

I don't consider a multi day tournament as a new game every day. You don't see the PGA Tour zeroing the golfer's scores after every round do you? Same exact principle. A multi day tournament should be won by the guy who was the most consistent over the course of the whole tournament. If you zero weights you allow someone who squeeked into the final round a chance to beat the guy who might have had several pounds on him during the earlier days of the tournament by having a lucky day. Zeroing weights will never make sense to me no matter what format they use. I will always feel tournaments should be where everyone meets on the same days, same conditions, and gets it on. Whoever has the best five at the end of the day or best 20 if it's a 4 day is the winner. MLF takes a lot of the interesting parts of the sport out. No more big gambles to make long runs, cutting it close to make the run back to weigh in, throwing big baits for five bites, etc.

I have a hard time believing the whole "we are holier than thou because believe in fish care" nonsense when I see an MLF pro boat flip a 5 pounder, knock him off the window and tell his official "yea I don't even care about getting a 2 minute penalty for this one". I guess we can "care" about the fish when it is a 1 pounder, but when a 5 pounder bites knocking it off the carpet is okay. I am all for boat flipping if that is what you want to do, let's just not act like we are better than everyone who uses a livewell when in fact all you care about is making sure you land the fish any way you can.

I always like when the fish gets off on the front deck and they step on it or kick it to the bottom of the boat.

Lol, when it's ready and solid I'll be ready.

Paypal sent!

Awesome, Lets grow the sport and get more boats on the water! I am sure that is what all of us want.

Eh depends on the format, in match play events I think they do. Theres also the Stableford scoring system in golf they've used for some events which is different.