I don’t have access to ESPN360 either, but right now they are showing pictures of the monitors on the Expo Cam, so I can now see a mini-screen of the weigh-in with audio. And can kind of see it, if I watch it in full screen.
Also, another Bassmaster Classic content source was found today. Check out Dave Mercer’s Video Blog at his Facts of Fishing site.
I hope a few of you can watch this as well.
Rich
I would have to say it was an eventful and exciting Day # 1 from the Bassmaster Classic. During the day, the online coverage was very good between Bassmaster.com & BassZone.com. Seems to me Bassmaster.com really dropped the ball by not streaming the weigh-in, I wonder how few people have access to ESPN360.com, how am I supposed to switch cable providers in time? It would have been better if it was something I could buy. It was very frustrating to listen to Aaron Martens weigh in a 7lb bush panda and not be able to see it. If someone wants to give me a username and password on their Verizon account, that would be really cool!
The TV coverage was about what I expected, it was positioned for the masses instead of the hard core fans, not sure why they do that. Maybe they can really pull new fans in…. I just hope they do not replay all those Lowen, Bain, & non-fishing pieces all 3 days of TV coverage.
I am a little surprised that Boyd Duckett is leading, but I guess I shouldn’t be, I think we have learned that he shows up for the big events. Maybe during the Day 2 coverage we will see if he is really throwing that Laser Lure crankbait. The biggest surprise of the day has to be KVD’s poor weight, it will be interesting to see if he turns it around. Aaron Martens is in great position to be another bridesmaid, we will see. That is if he does not melt down in the crowds like he did on Falcon & Eerie this past year.
Photo Courtesty of ESPN.com
Looks like a lot of the leaders are catching their fish on soft plastics, see lots of guys fishing Beavers on texas rigs. What beautiful cover they are fishing, makes me want to back the boat & truck and drive to the Red River to do some fishing! Major props to Jami Fralick and Northern Division Federation Angler Terry Fitzpatrick, he is from IA and actually moved on from the same Northern Divisional event that I fished on Winnebago this past summer. This is the 2nd time an angler from Northern Division that I fished with has made noise in the Classic, I also fished against Terry McWilliams the year he qualified for Lay Lake. It makes watching the coverage more interesting and convinces me that I can make the Classic and compete when I get there.
I think we will learn more about the patterns and lures today. I missed the BassCast feature on Basssmaster.com yesterday, not quite sure what to make of it…. BassFan.com has a very complete breakdown of anglers day, must read!
My Fantasy team got off to a dismal start, I am in the 40th percentile with 1099 points, overall rank of 18255 and my group rank is 27 of 34, not very good 
But Jordan seems to be off to a great start today and is going to have a big day, plus Hack should move up today and KVD can’t have that bad a day again. I think at this point, I need to hope 4 of my guys make the cut and continue to move up the board and that KJ wins!
I copied down the day unofficial standing, so that you could compare to the final day 1 standings. You can then see who had big eyes, who was sand bagging, who’s observers made mistakes, etc. I think this shows, that you will have to tune into the final weigh in, not matter what you read online all day.
Here is the unofficial standings from the online coverage
| Rank | Angler | Weight | # of fish |
| 1 | Scott Rook | 20-05 | 5 |
| 2 | Boyd Duckett | 17-10 | 5 |
| 2 | Jami Fralick | 17-10 | 5 |
| 4 | Aaron Martens | 16-01 | 5 |
| 5 | Michael Iaconelli | 15-14 | 5 |
| 6 | Randy Howell | 15-12 | 5 |
| 7 | Fred Roumbanis | 15-00 | 5 |
| 8 | Kelly Jordon | 14-13 | 5 |
| 9 | Bobby Lane | 14-05 | 5 |
| 9 | Edwin Evers | 14-05 | 5 |
| 11 | Mike McClelland | 14-01 | 5 |
| 12 | Bill Lowen | 14-00 | 5 |
| 12 | Dave Wolak | 14-00 | 5 |
| 14 | Brian Snowden | 13-10 | 5 |
| 15 | Dean Rojas | 13-08 | 5 |
| 16 | Alton Jones | 13-06 | 5 |
| 17 | Skeet Reese | 12-15 | 5 |
| 18 | Greg Pugh | 12-14 | 5 |
| 19 | Bryan Schmidt | 12-00 | 5 |
| 19 | Mike Burns | 12-00 | 5 |
| 21 | Davy Hite | 11-00 | 4 |
| 21 | Greg Hackney | 11-00 | 5 |
| 21 | Steve Kennedy | 11-00 | 5 |
| 24 | Brent Chapman | 10-14 | 5 |
| 25 | Rick Clunn | 10-06 | 5 |
| 26 | Kevin Wirth | 10-04 | 5 |
| 27 | Jay Evans | 10-02 | 5 |
| 28 | David Williams | 10-00 | 5 |
| 29 | Mark Davis | 9-08 | 5 |
| 29 | Matt Herren | 9-08 | 4 |
| 31 | Todd Faircloth | 9-03 | 4 |
| 32 | Casey Ashley | 8-15 | 5 |
| 32 | Terry Scroggins | 8-15 | 5 |
| 34 | Kenyon Hill | 8-04 | 5 |
| 35 | Waine Pittman | 7-10 | 4 |
| 36 | Ish Monroe | 7-09 | 3 |
| 37 | Shaw Grigsby | 7-08 | 5 |
| 38 | Bernie Schultz | 7-02 | 3 |
| 39 | Timmy Horton | 7-00 | 4 |
| 40 | Ken Baumgardner | 6-09 | 4 |
| 40 | Terry Fitzpatrick | 6-09 | 3 |
| 42 | Peter Thliveros | 6-00 | 3 |
| 43 | Kevin VanDam | 4-00 | 4 |
| 44 | Kim Bain-Moore | 3-13 | 3 |
| 45 | Gary Klein | 3-06 | 2 |
| 46 | Kotaro Kiriyama | 1-05 | 1 |
| 47 | Byron Velvick | 1-00 | 1 |
| – | Bryan Hudgins | 0 | 0 |
| – | Dustin Wilks | 0 | 0 |
| – | Rick Morris | 0 | 0 |
| – | Scott Parker | 0 | 0 |
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
First off and foremost, BassZone.com is doing some unprecedented live coverage right now. The biggest thing they have going is LIve Video updates at the top of every hour and a Feedback area here – http://www.basszone.com/2009webcast/main.htm
I am not kidding this BassZONE.com stuff is awesome, they have really stepped it up for this year’s Classic!!!!
Bassmaster.com has interesting stuff. The best thing they have going is a LIVE Blog update powered by BassTrakk. Keep refreshing the Blog all day – http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/classic/news/story?id=3916699Also they have a webcams here, the RiverCam is up all the time, not much happening and kind of fuzzy this morning – http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/live/index
Also, check the ESPN photo gallery pages, as they will get updated throughout the day. Also jump on Bassmaster.com at 4pm Central every day for Live Leaderboards, Audio & Video of the weigh-ins. Plus the will have live web updates under their Hooked Up series:
Hooked Up
Live updates from the ExpoCam (all times Eastern):
Friday, 2/20: 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m, 3:15 p.m., 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, 2/21: 12:15 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, 2/22: 11:45 p.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m.
Sounds like Kelly Jordan registered the first limit of the tournament at about 9lbs at about 10am EST. Below is an excerpt from the Live Classic Blog:
10:05 a.m. ET
Bryan Schmidt didn’t last long on top of the leaderboard. That’s not to say he won’t jump back in there, but Kelly Jordon is the new official leader.
Jordon has five fish that weigh around 8 pounds, 13 ounces. And he’s currently fishing within sight of the take-off in Port Lake. He’s not alone, either. Bernie Schultz, Waine Pittman and Fred Roumbanis are in sight as well.
I followed Jordon on the official practice day, and he promised me he would be able to catch a limit in the area, possibly some bigger ones before moving on.
At the time, he was planning on casting a small crankbait around shallow cover and then every once in a while casting a drop bait way back and over log jams. It’s an exciting way to fish. Right now it looks like it’s working for him.
He has the first limit and he’s not burned a tea cup of gas. Maybe a recession-style pattern could win this thing.
Clunn, who started the morning in Port Lake, has moved down river to the Clark’s Marina area. Across the river there are about 12 anglers stacked up in what is known as Bobo’s Hole. That name comes from Dalton Bobo’s win in the Federation Nation Championship several years ago.
You may recall, Bobo almost won the Classic that year as a Federation Nation angler, losing by a few ounces to Dion Hibdon. Bobo would have won if not for a dead-fish penalty.
Regardless, that Federation Nation championship was one of the first big tourneys in this area. The spot he won has become a community hole and several of these guys are trying to take advantage of it, including Wirth, Aaron Martens and Randy Howell, who are in the top 10 at the moment.
Unofficial standings are:
Kelly Jordon: 8-13
Aaron Martens: 6-5
Bryan Schmidt: 6-0
Kevin Wirth: 4-12
Mike McClelland: 4-5
Skeet Reese: 4-0
Randy Howell: 3-14
Terry Scroggins: 3-8
Edwin Evers: 3-0
Timmy Horton: 3-0
I will stayed tunes in as best i can, if something really exciting happens, I will likely blog about it, bonus blog entries, usually one a day is my limit, but heck it’s Classic week!
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
Here are a few things that have recently been released and others I just found. Take it as fun prep for you to read for the Classic weekend or maybe a couple nuggets to help you finalize or tweak your Fantasy Fishing Roster.
Mark Menendez Classic Picks – The Turtle, KJ & Faircloth
BassFan Scouting Report – Report on Final Practice Days from the Pros
Classic Photo Galleries – See them on the water during practice
Randy Howell’s Classic Secret Weapon – Here the audio!
Finally a cool pics I borrowed from the Classic galleries at Bassmaster.com that I thought were either cool or interesting:
Will Steve Kennedy fish from this boat?
Kelly Jordan fishing some cool looking water
KVD gets Zona as an observer, “Bad Draw”
There is still time to join my Fantasy Fishing Group. Get your rosters locked by Friday at 8am Central.
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
Bassmaster Classic contenders have just finished up their official practice, now some media days and the big show starts on Friday. See some practice reports here. The great thing about the Bassmaster Classic, is the increased media coverage of this event. ESPN2 will show hours and hours of coverage this weekend along with highlights on SportCenter.
Probably some of the best live info and detailed info will be found on sites like Bassmaster.com, BassZone.com & BassFan.com, oh yeah, my blog too! Seriously though, if you have never been to BassZone.com, check them out this week.
THE LEGEND, HAROLD ALLEN AND THE BZ’S MARK JEFFREYS BRING THE BZ VIEWER DAILY WEB VIDEO, STORIES, PHOTOS AND LIVE CHAT FROM THE WATER.
There has been some gripe about the new ESPN360 system for online coverage of the Classic on ESPN.com. I will check that out soon. Something about being compatible with certain internet providers…
It really is great coverage, do check it out!
Check back tomorrow and I will break down some good info for setting your fantasy fishing lineup and reveal my lineup! There is still time to join my Fantasy Fishing Group.
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
BASS announced today the full field for the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series, the most visible and prestigious tournament trail in fishing. The field of 101 of the world’s top anglers will visit 8 fisheries during the Elite Series regular season and will compete to advance to the Bassmaster Elite Series postseason. Down a few anglers from last year which started with 110 anglers.
The star-studded field accounts for 15 Bassmaster Classic titles, 18 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year trophies and more than 200 BASS victories. The Elite circuit will kick off in less than two months with the March 12-15 Battle on the Border on Texas’ Lake Amistad in Del Rio. .
See the complete alphabetically ordered list of qualifying anglers and their hometowns below.
2009 Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers
|
1. Casey Ashley, Donalds, SC |
51. Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, CA 52. Bill Lowen, Cincinnati, OH 53. Elton Luce Jr., Brookeland, TX 54. Aaron Martens, Leeds, AL 55. Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, AR 56. Mike McClelland, Bella Vista, AR 57. Mark Menendez, Paducah, KY 58. Yusuke Miyazaki, Forney, TX 59. Jimmy Mize, Ben Lomond, AR 60. Ish Monroe, Hughson, CA 61. Rick Morris, Virginia Beach, VA 62. Jim Murray, Arabi, GA 63. John Murray, Phoenix, AZ 64. Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, NC 65. James Niggemeyer, Van, TX 66. Takahiro Omori, Emory, TX 67. Cliff Pace, Petal, MS 68. Pete Ponds, Madison, MS 69. Jason Quinn, York, SC 70. Matt Reed, Madisonville, TX 71. Clark Reehm, Russellville, AR 72. Skeet Reese , Auburn, CA 73. Derek Remitz, Grant, AL 74. Jeff Reynolds, Idabel, OK 75. Marty Robinson, Landrum, SC 76. Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu, AZ 77. Scott Rook, Little Rock, AR 78. Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, OK 79. Zell Rowland, Montgomery, TX 80. Bernie Schultz, Gainesville, FL 81. Terry Scroggins , San Mateo, FL 82. Morizo Shimizu, Suita Osaka, Japan 83. Kevin Short, Mayflower, AR 84. Dave Smith, Del City, OK 85. Brian Snowden, Reeds Spring, MO 86. Matthew Sphar, Pavilion, NY 87. Jeremy Starks, Charleston, WV 88. Marty Stone, Fayetteville, NC 89. Gerald Swindle, Warrior, AL 90. Peter Thliveros, St. Augustine, FL 91. J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, GA 92. Mark Tucker , Saint Louis, MO 93. Mark Tyler, Vian, AZ 94. Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, MI 95. Byron Velvick, Del Rio, TX 96. Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, AL 97. Dustin Wilks, Rocky Mount, NC 98. Jason Williamson, Aiken, SC 99. Kevin Wirth, Crestwood, KY 100. Dave Wolak, Wake Forest, NC 101. Mike Wurm, Hot Springs, AR |
Below are the 2008 pros that are not returning in 2009. Note that Bobby Myers and Greg Gutierrez are not on the list below, as they withdrew from the Elite Series prior to the end of the 2008 season.
2008 Elite Pros Not Returning
Glenn DeLong — Bellville, OH
Kurt Dove — Warrenton, VA
Jay Fuller — Kingston, OK
Paul Hirosky — Guys Mills, PA
Bryan Hudgins — Orange Park, FL
James Kennedy — Lacombe, LA
Ben Matsubu — Hemphill, TX
Ray Sedgwick — Cross, SC
David Sherrer — Shreveport, LA
Corey Waldrop — Fort Worth, TX
BASS yesterday released newly revised payouts and entry fees for its 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series. BASS stated that the newest revision was made “in light of recent feedback.”
Entry fees were increased to $41,600 for the 8-event season (up from the previously announced $32,000). Payouts were adjusted accordingly and can be found below. Note that significant money was moved from the Angler of the Year program into regular-season events, alongside the increase in entry fees, so that anglers who finish 50th or better will now win at least $10,000.
In addition, BASS moved its rescheduled Oneida Elite Series back to its original dates of Aug. 13–16, and hence there is no longer a Forrest Wood Cup conflict. Which is excellant news for Ish Monroe, Takahiro Omori, Greg Hackney & Tommy Biffle who have qualified for this event.
Newest Revision: 2009 Elite Series Event Payout
1. $100,000
2. $25,000
3. $20,000
4. $15,000
5. $14,000
6. $13,500
7. $13,000
8. $12,500
9. $12,000
10. $11,500
11. $11,000
12. $10,500
13-50: $10,000
> Total = $638,000 (an increase of $178,000 per event)
Newest Revision: 2009 BASS Angler of the Year Payout
1. $200,000
2. $75,000
3. $40,000
4. $35,000
5. $25,000
6. $22,500
7. $20,000
8. $19,000
9. $18,000
10. $16,000
11. $15,000
12. $14,000
13. $13,000
14. $12,000
15. $11,500
16. $11,000
17. $10,500
18. $10,200
19. $10,000
20. $9,700
21. $9,300
22. $8,900
23. $8,520
24. $8,100
25. $7,750
26. $7,700
27. $7,500
28. $7,300
29. $7,200
30. $7,050
31. $6,850
32. $6,680
33. $6,545
34. $6,352
35. $6,255
36. $6,160
37. $6,060
38. $6,020
39. $5,964
40. $5,868
41. $5,770
42. $5,722
43. $5,674
44. $5,626
45. $5,577
46. $5,529
47. $5,480
48. $5,430
49. $5,384
50. $5,334
> Total = 785,000 (a decrease of $225,000)
Overall, most elite series anglers reactions have been more positive about the recent changes!
Also, on another note. BASS has now moved the BASS Federation Nation Northern Divisional Tournament to Escanaba, MI, so Big Bay De Noc will be hosting a large BASS event, with 104 anglers in that tournament. I will be one of them and I am excited to fish these waters!!!
Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
This is a pretty big announcement from BASS. While it is a bit of a shocker, I think this demonstrates that BASS is committed to helping the pro anglers and making it easier for them to compete in these times where sponsor money can be very hard to get. I also am sure, it will only be a few moments before Sport stops by to comment and complain about Bay De Noc getting bumped, but its an expensive place to travel to for both anglers and tournament staff, it would have likely been a great event, but I am sure BASS will get another event their soon in the next year or two!
BASS Announces 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series
Postseason, Reduced Entry Fees
BASS announced today it has revamped the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series, decreasing entry fees per angler by $25,200 for the season and introducing a two-event, no-entry-fee postseason. The postseason places an increased focus on one of the most prestigious awards in the sport, the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Despite the reduced entry fees, the top finisher in the AOY race will take home $250,000 and the total payout will remain at more than $1 million.
The postseason events will feature only the Top 12 anglers in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, determined after the regular season. Each postseason event will receive one hour of ESPN2 television coverage and the entire Elite Series will receive 15 hours of original programming on ESPN2 in 2009. Anglers who reach the postseason will be provided with unmatched brand-building opportunities.
The qualifiers will start the postseason with the AOY points that correspond with their standings among the Top 12, based on the regular season. The top qualifier heading into the postseason will begin with 300 points, and the rest of the field will receive points that correspond with the AOY points structure. The postseason will be scored with the traditional AOY points system.
The postseason events will follow the culmination of the regular season, which ends with the Champion’s Choice on Lake Oneida out of Syracuse, NY. That final regular-season event has been moved to July 30-Aug 2. Dates and locations for the postseason events will be announced at a later date.
With the announcement of the postseason, BASS has reduced its previously announced Elite Series regular-season schedule to eight events. The three events eliminated are the Alabama Charge (May 14-17; Pickwick Lake; Florence, AL), Cold Water Clash (July 23-26; Big Bay de Noc/Little Bay de Noc; Escanaba, MI) and the Empire Chase (Aug. 6-9; Lake Champlain; Plattsburgh, NY). Click here to view the revised 2009 Elite Series regular-season schedule. The amended payouts for the Elite Series regular season can be found at Bassmaster.com or by clicking here. The 2010 Elite schedule will remain as previously announced.
“We have had a number of productive discussions with Elite anglers and various stakeholders and determined that much like everyone else in this challenging economy, our sport and anglers have been impacted,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS and ESPN Outdoors. “We feel this decision is in the best interest of the industry, our anglers and sponsors.”
The entire roster for the 2009 Bassmaster Elite Series will be released in the coming weeks and Kevin VanDam, 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, was in support of the format change.
“For the long-term health of the sport, this is a reasonable move,” said VanDam. “Looking at the entire Elite Series field, this announcement is helpful and appropriate and it serves the industry, anglers and sponsors well in a challenging environment.”
“Bass fishing is not immune to this economic climate,” said Tim Horton, Elite Series pro. “I’ve spoken with a lot of anglers and feel that this is the right move for the industry.”
The Elite Series regular-season tournament format will follow the 2008 model, with the top 50 anglers qualifying for the third day of competition and the top 12 competing on the final day.
BASS will operate the Bassmaster Opens, the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors, the BASS Federation Nation presented by Yamaha Outboards and Skeeter Boats and all other tournament programs in the same manner as previously announced.
In other news, the Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal Program has resonated tremendously with BASS members. To date, the available slots for Marshals are more than 75% filled for the eight Elite events. With limited space available, BASS members are encouraged to call 1-877-BASS-USA to reserve a spot.
Marshals who were registered for any Elite events that have been changed will be contacted by BASS. Any BASS member registered as a Marshal in the impacted areas will have the option of receiving a full refund or transferring his or her deposit to another Elite event that has available slots on a first-come, first-served basis.
Roughly three months away from the, The Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, the full field of 51 anglers was finalized Saturday. The 39th edition of the Classic will be held February 20-22 on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, LA. Here are your angling contenders, in alphabetical order:
1. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC
2. Kim Bain-Moore Alabaster, AL
3. Ken Baumgardner Monongahela, PA
4. Michael Burns Plano, TX
5. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS
6. Rick Clunn Ava, MO
7. Mark Davis Mt. Ida, AR
8. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, AL
9. Jay Evans Corvallis, MT
10. Edwin Evers Talala, OK
11. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX
12. Terry Fitzpatrick Waukon, IA
13. Jami Fralick Martin, SD
14. Shaw Grigsby Gainesville, FL
15. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA
16. Matt Herren Trussville, AL
17. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK
18. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC
19. Randy Howell Springville, AL
20. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, AL
21. Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, FL
22. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, NJ
23. Alton Jones Waco, TX
24. Kelly Jordon Mineola, TX
25. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL
26. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL
27. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX
28. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL
29. Bill Lowen North Bend, OH
30. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL
31. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR
32. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA
33. Rick Morris Virginia Beach, VA
34. Scott Parker Londonberry, NH
35. Waine Pittman Villa Rica, GA
36. Greg Pugh Cullman, AL
37. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA
38. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu, AZ
39. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR
40. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK
41. Bryan Schmidt Olney, TX
42. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL
43. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL
44. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO
45. Peter Thliveros St. Augustine, FL
46. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI
47. Byron Velvick Del Rio, TX
48. Dustin Wilks Rocky Mount, NC
49. David Williams Maiden, NC
50. Kevin Wirth Crestwood, KY
51. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC
Things to watch…..
Kim Bain is first female angler
I look for Greg Hackney to have his best Classic to date and watch for Bill Lowen as he is a true river rat and this should fish to his strengths
Also, I think watch the guys that fish their way in from the Central Opens as they often fish this system, so that could benefit these anglers. More to come on the Classic as we get closer! If you can’t wait, go to the Bassmaster Classic Website!
Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog
Bassmaster finally unveiled the details of their new program that replaces the co-anglers at the Elite Series level of competition. You can read the details here.
Here is my summary:
$100 gets you a minimum of two days as an observer with Elite anglers, 3 days if you are one of the first 50 to sign up. So its like a 2-3 day guide trip that you don’t actually fish for $100 or like living a “Day on the lake” episode for 2-3 days
You will also get a gift pack (Jersey, hat, sponsor gifts) that are valued at more then $100
Sounds like observers will be outfitted with special cameras and cell phones to provide real time updates and coverage that will be used for online coverage during the tournament.
So this is kind of similar to the observers they had for the old Elite 50 events, except those were $300 to participate, but I think you had a chance to win a boat. But the cool thing is the added technology which makes the Marshall an integral part of the online coverage at Bassmaster.com. This should keep things more interesting for the observer as well as really step up coverage for Bass Rubes like myself watching on our computers during the day.
Seems like a nice compromise to the co-angler program, I would consider doing it on a lake close to me.
Rich
RichLindgren.com
Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog