Guys that didn't come back, either didn't qualify, retired or for other reasons:

Krieger
Wendlandt
Mike Huff
Soukup
Auten
Webster
Prince
Clunn
Talley
Hudnall
C. Davis

That Clunn guy needs to go!



Really….ill miss him not being there. Hes a cool dude and easy to root for.

Surprised by Auten. Figured his historical average would have kept him in. Maybe he retired. No surprises anywhere else. Didn't Slick Johnson put out a video saying there would be some big names not on the roster for next year?

I was hoping Herren would leave, make room for the new studs. Old guys who do nothing but complain, need to leave.

Alot of those old guy's helped bring the sport to where it is today.

That’s irrelevant. Do you expect the cowboys to keep Emmitt smith on the roster?

Tournament fishing needs an age limit. Anyone 40+ is done. They can't complete, outdated, and just pizz and moan about everything. Let the young scopers put the wood to them!

Dayyum.

lol.... it's just easier to tell people what they want to hear.

Cliff prince gone after what 13-14 years. And he just won this year.

Good analogy

Do you mean in the aspect that they don’t make chit, complain a lot, have horrible ratings on tv and the olds get their brains bashed in my the ‘yutes? If yes, then that’s exactly why he should leave, he’s irrelevant to the “sport”. I use “sport” very loosely.


lol, Emmitt Smith

Just a generational change kinda like nascar, we all liked rusty,dale,Neil,Davey,Gordon,bill, Burton/Labonte boys and many others nascar pretty much died when dale did, I used to have season tickets to texas and Bristol. Don’t even watch it much anymore. But fishing will keep us all watching cause we relate to it and do it. We just have to find a new favorite fishermen.

What did you say?????
Yutes

Bernie and Pipkens didn't get cut?! They are using some fuzzy math.

I like Bernie, but he needs to go as well.

I like Bernie too but I want to see the rules they use to re-qualify, I would think Hartman would have been gone to but did he use ANOTHER medical exemption?

Yeah the “medical exemption” gets used too often. Hasn’t one of the guys used it like 2-3 years in a row.

Pretty sure Pipkens has made the classic 3 out of the past 5 years. The qualification/re-qualification process is below, unless they adjusted it for '25, which I haven't heard. So change the years from '23 and '24 to '24 and '25 and you have your answer....I haven't done the math for the 18 years of AOY standings but they are on BASS' site if you'd like to. I did hear Swindle say something about anglers that left for MLF and have come back don't get their history on the Elites counted....meaning, the year they came back is their "first" in their average. Which he seemed to be complaining about......but I guess, if anglers have a problem with that they shouldn't have left in the first place. And all they have to do coming back is finish in the top 70 so.....



For starters, if the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic champ or any first-year qualifier for the 2023 Elite Series isn’t in the top 70 in AOY, those anglers are guaranteed re-entry into the Elites Series in 2024. This keeps rookies from having one-and-done Elite careers after having often spent years trying to qualify, and obviously protects a Classic champ in the event of some unlikely disastrous combination of circumstances. In addition to the automatic re-entry by finishing in the top 70, the previous year’s Classic champ would almost certainly re-qualify through the following provision.

Again attempting to hit 100 anglers, the remainder of the field will be filled based on a lifetime career average, using regular season AOY points from 2006 to 2023. Anglers are also allowed one drop year for every five years they’ve been on the Elites, prioritizing the careers of anglers who have made professional fishing their livelihood and built lasting careers.

There are a few additional exemptions available. This is how all of these criteria are expressly communicated to the anglers by B.A.S.S. tournament staff.

2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Qualifications and Field Size:

Top 70 in the 2023 Progressive AOY Standings
2023 Classic champion (If not in the Top 70)
First-year qualifiers for the 2023 season automatically get a second year and are not subject to being cut for 2024 season [up to 13]. (If not in the Top 70)
Nine qualify from Overall Points in the Opens
One invitation from Top 3 in B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
Remainder filled through lifetime (2006 to 2023) AOY average (regular season) with one drop for every five years (minimum of six additional qualifiers)
Target field size of 100 plus exemptions
B.A.S.S. reserves the right to determine final field size and exemption (hardship, legends, etc.) criteria at its own discretion. All exemptions will be added to the field size.

Pipkens last 5 years:
2024 - 101
2023 - 85
2022 - 39
2021 - 31
2020 - 36

Gives him an average of 47.75. His last two years put him in the target area for possible cut but his three years before that keeps him in.

Not herren.