Let's rewind the clock, let's say it's 2015 again. Was one tour considered better or more prestigious than the other? Why would an angler fish 1 over the other? Didn't you have to qualify for both? Or was FLW more open at that time? Just pay your money and you could fish? (Note: I binged watch some FLW Circuit Breaker this weekend and this is what prompted this question)

I suppose it’s subjective. In my mind BASS has always been THE game. The FLW was also a very good tour but BASS has the Classic

FLW was more prestigious at its start in 1996? and then it flipped to BASS being more prestigious mid 2000's, if your talking 2015 it was definitely BASS

For the most part I think the Anglers tend to go where they think they are going to get the best total ROI. Add in the risk as the entry fees go higher. Some have Sponsors picking up total entry fees. Some do not.

I still prefer BASS. I will occasionally watch MLF stuff but it’s harder to follow with several things going on at the same time.

At 2015 it was pretty even.

No it wasn't things really started to change in 2006 when the Elite series started, it was already in movement in 2002 when the content development crew for FLW left to produce for Bassmaster. Want a history lesson watch some of the FLW/BASS TV shows from 1996 to 2003 on youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/Dollar714/playlists

I’m 2015 the flw was still not a qualify to fish circuit. Which means bass is and was the standard.

I know more now....but as a beginner to bass fishing in 2013ish I only knew about BASS. I played that hank parker video game a ton when I was young, and remember BASS even back then because I couldve sworn he won a lot on the circuit. Never heard of ANYTHING except BASS/Bassmaster until I started digging into tourney fishing.

What?
The FLW walmart deal was huge, I did not realize how big FLW actually was in its heyday until I started fishing some ABA's and drew some anglers that had fished a few tour events here and there. Thats where the money was at for a time. I didn't really start following the National level events until the Elite series started, so I always had just assumed bassmaster had always been the gold standard, them being on ESPN probably played a big part of me even noticing pro fishing.

The fact that if my rich memaw died and left me a pile of money I could be fishing the flw knocked them back as far as an “elite” status. I remember watching flw starting and it was awesome/ exciting all those things. But it wasn’t the cream of the crop and by 2015 Walmart had all but pulled out and that is where all the non industry sponsors came from.


Nothing but love for flw. The cover of wheaties will never be the same.

Thanks guys, ya’ll have brought up stuff I wasn’t aware of. I guess Jason Crispy fishing it is evidence all you had to have was money to fish FLW at some point. Sounds like FLW started as THE circuit and BASS became THE circuit sometime in the earlier 2000’s. Thanks for the info all.

It’s seems like to me, the only time FLW really challenged BASS, was back when they had the chance to win 1 million bucks. Darrell Robertson won a million and I think Dudley won 500k, they paid big for a few years. I always felt as if Ehler could have been one of the big guns on BASS if he would have moved over, not saying he did wrong being at FLW. But he never got the recognition that he could have, we was a hammer for awhile.

Well Bassmaster was "the" Circuit before Redman(Operation Bass) turned into FLW, back in the Bob Cobb days going way back to the start in 1971 And BASS was pay to play also back then. When Fish Fishburne was an angler on the bassmaster tour he literally did have team grandma. Some of those bassmaster tv show post Bob Cobb are really sad and embarrassing, I would guess they would prefer those to be locked away and never seen again.


FLW actually paid 2 million twice, once it went Scott Suggs won the Forrest Wood Cup and once it was split between the FW cup winner and the FLW fantasy fishing winner. I think this was all in the 2000's and sure it was Walmart money.

Flw was the big deal for a while I think. Alot of anglers were not happy how bass operated. Things really changed when the economy went bad and flw did not guarantee sponsor deals until you paid your entry first. several guys quit fishing then. Alot of great anglers came out of flw. ehler hite thrift rose many more. But when the economy went bad that's when it really changed

He is totally the jelly of the month club.😆 Him and that guy that murdered some people- allegedly..😉😉