I loved tournament fishing when I was younger but anymore I don’t even pay attention to it. I just love to get out and go fishing when I’m off work. No competition, no jerks claiming spots on public water, no worrying about limits, just fishing and enjoying nature.
Incredibly well said. Try and find a lake that isn’t being crushed by every guy in town, who think they own the entire lake (and go on a weekday if possible), and do it for the therapy of it, as much as for a “bent pole”. As Randy said, when FLW came in, the whole thing got so convoluted it caused people to lose interest in watching tournament fishing. And, there are so many tournaments now, you can’t hardly go to a ramp without getting caught up in it, and it turns into a huge pain in the @ss….ESPECIALLY in Florida. 👍
I'm 80 now and it's sad to see what competitive fishing has morphed into. Basically an on the water videogame. I've fished competitively since the 1960s when they were called "rodeos". SAD!!!!!!👎
Tournament fishing has went down a one way road with no turning back. Starting to tune out all the videos and tournament news a just enjoy pleasure fishing.
Exactly! Well said. . . Believe wholeheartedly that BFL & Toyota are the bread and butter of MFL. Only an Angler owned circuit would purely define/recognize/govern true professionals. Anyway, don’t see it happening. . . Good thoughts
Randy sorry to change the subject a little bit but I was just reading about 2 high school buddies from South Dakota fishing in a national tournament in South Carolina. It's shows a picture of both of them standing on the front of a bass boat looking down at their FFS screen. This is the way kids are being taught too fish, unbelievable man. It's lick a pandemic!!!
I saw a set of pictures on the BASS website this week with results from a junior circuit and a high school circuit. I'm guessing the junior circuit were 13 and 14 year olds. It's no wonder they are seasoned by the time they start "pro" fishing at 19 or 20. That is different from the olden days when dudes had to find a real job before they started fishing for money.
...in it to win it! That's how they're able to go from South Dakota to South Carolina. your references make it sound so quaint and an OMG! moment. low hanging fruit designed to pull on heart strings!
I don't beilieve they are being taught this. They are using FFS because just as they communicate with text, they've grown up with different technology than us..They are different from us. Just as we were different from our parents.
Honestly everything they have done hasn’t made significant strides in true tournament growth. I’ve thought about this for years and they really just need to find someone who would be able to handicap it for betting purposes, but I would love to see it look like their PGA betting board. Honesty a little surprised that FoxBet didn’t try it out before they went under. Doing it on the DFS side of DraftKings wouldn’t be hard at all and would bring in a new group of fans and interest
I just got to say this. I stopped fishing any of the small tournaments because it is so full of BS. I stopped enjoying fishing. And i am sick of all the bitching about FFS. I enjoy your fishing tips. Thanks for those so much Randy. Once all the BS dies down. Ill watch you more and buy some tackle from you.
I think even the BFLs have gone downhill. Tournament boat numbers are way down. I don’t know if it’s because of FFS or the payouts suck. BPT downsizing just shows they are not doing well and I believe they will go back to what they started as at the very beginning. The invitational tour has no place it’s just there to fund the BPT. NPFL is the new FLW tour.
why has tournaments ruined lakes is my question far as i know it's limits on bass crappie bream so on so say bass 5 fish limit right if DNR thinks that is to high for our lakes then change it to 3 or 2 my buddy is a biologist for sc DNR he says that if a bass spawn and one survived to lay eggs to then in 5 years that one bass has put in that lake 20 times more than it was 5 years ago I do think tournaments in spawn time should not happen
Here's what I think. Your videos are easy to watch. You seem respectable and REASONABLE in spite of your possibly controversial opinions. I personally do not give a tinker's damn about bass fishing or bass tournaments. I was raised in Pine Bluff AR, but moved to Mobile AL when I was 12 (1968). I had fished w my Dad for bass in Arkansas but when we got to Alabama I became obsessive about salt water fishing. Don't get me wrong, there is a huge delta where bass can be caught along with saltwater species, in brackish water. The old black men called bass "green trout", and the best bait is live shrimp. Those bass are listed as contaminated by mercury so Don't Eat any! Of course you guys wouldn't care about that I suppose. Didn't mean to muck up your comments... If you are a person who thinks advancements in technology are ruining the broad sport of fishing, well I agree with you 1000%.
Do the math!!! The Flw tour always had 200 anglers paying 5000 dollars entry fees. In the future mlf will have 50 anglers. That means they need the bpt anglers approximately 100 anglers paying 5000 per tournament to keep the same cash flow in the organization. Econ 101!!!!!!!
I think FFS has caused more confusion what a "pro" angler is. FLW actually helped alot of West Coast anglers break into the sport...initially. I was one of them many years ago. Keep up the fight RB!
As a member of the FLW Family and Organization, I disagree with what you’re saying Randy as far as FLW goes, but once MLF bought them and how they created the BPT was absolutely wrong and they were so arrogant that they did start a “war” 😮 But, the BPT is 💯 loaded with actual Professionals and so is BASS. Your theory would have never allowed Sears to compete with JC Penny’s As a 75 year old angler and FAN of fishing I am amazed at the explosion of the industry in the past 6 years, and as everyone wanted the “industry” to expand in popularity,we/they have discovered that it has become almost too big in every aspect. Too many electronics, too many lures, too many rod and reel companies and too many people pressuring the lakes everywhere across our country and everybody’s an expert on and off the water…..too many rude anglers disrespecting others and people who have property on the lakes and mostly mad at fishermen and boats always lurking around their docks…….this is all happening simultaneously. So, my point is every aspect of fishing has exploded, and even though I agree with you regarding the beginning of MLF/BPT And how they came on attacking their competitors, the anglers are Pros and some extraordinary humans doing the best they can to be their very best. There’s nothing good about monopoly in any industry and I am a fan of fishing and each league that is helping professionals earn a living and when you can “study” or get a “degree” and scholarships to become a professional fisherman, it’s only going to grow and as it does the pieces of the pie will become smaller until you reach the Top. Love you bro 😎
I think MLF should make the tour you referenced as a qualifying tour like the korn ferry tour is to the PGA. Let them slug it out and the top 10 or so money winners get invited to compete next year in a pro league. You are correct that we don't know who a pro is because of all the different leagues.
Why would bass fisherman running the tour make it better ? The most profitable sports are not run by the athletes but by owners. Earlier this year you were complaining about MLF cutting the number of anglers taking there lively hood of fishing and now you want to get rid of more fishing spots by eliminating a circuit. Just trying to figure out your point.
Quit comparing golf to fishing tournaments.....you pay to fish tournaments. Golfers dont. Golf pros show up, get a free car and tee it up. They do tip the locker room staff.(not a rule) Bass pros PAY TO BE A PRO. PAY AT EVERY TOURNAMENT. FISH FOR YOUR OWN MONEY. WHY DONT YOU FISHERMEN UNITE AND SET THE RULES. AS IT IS NOW.....YOUR NOT PROFESSIONAL FISHERMAN YOU ARE PROFESSIONAL FOOLS. Pretty simple, when I pay for something. I buy what I want.
Golf pro’s do pay for tournaments. They will get fees waived usually only if they’ve won the venue previously or winning majors and getting tournament exemptions.
My opinion is this.. The Bassmaster tour was the greatest, but, when they started the “Elites”, Thats where things started branching off, and getting all these sponsors involved. Wrapped boats and whatnot, got everyone wanting to be a pro. Then, the FLW came along. I liked major league fishing better when it was just the cup series. Just being honest. Now, FFS is ruining all of it.
There's flaws in the BFL's and I've told Boyd about it to his face. Let's start with the linking system. The very first BFL I fished as a co-angler Ilinked but at the meeting my boater didn't show and I was left standing at the meeting without a boater. Had it not been for Alan Grey making a phone call to another boater I'd been stuck at the ramp all day while my link fished. Secondly, when I moved to the boater side my link had to pull out of a tournament which put me at the bottom of the list scrambling to find a co-angler. Thirdly, the boat-on-boat draw due to co-angler shortage is straight up bs. And Boyd using the "keeping anglers honest" is a bs answer. It should be first come first serve basis. Have the draw for co-anglers and do away with the boat-on-boat draw. I'm not leaving my rig in a parking lot that has no security. The entry fees increased and made negligible impact on the bay outs. It's for these reasons I don't fish BFL's any more.
How many high school anglers would have paid to watch you fish that day? Not zero. Whose wife sitting in the parking lot would have taken $100 to observe? Not zero.
@fishinninja18 I've never seen any high schooler pay to observe nor have I seen any volunteer to observe. But I have seen several wives turn down free chances ton observe.
As a fan of competition how about bassmaster and MLF be like the other 3 major sports? NFC/AFC NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE NBA EAST NBA WEST and have a best of 3-5-7 series at the end with the top 5 or 10 from each division battle in the classic. I don’t know what that would entail but seems like fun for fans anyway. Have events at different places on offset weekends
Randy, once again I’m going to say you really need to think outside the box. Let’s take the NFL model…..a pro bass central…PBC and a pro bass east….PBE. Then we have playoffs on lakes neither league has fished that year, and then a real Super Bowl of Fishing, Bass Master Classic World Championship. Then we can see the best go against the best! See Randy then the sport would grow and lots more folks would watch!
I disagree on FLW not being good for the sport Randy, FLW got a lot of 35 year olds like myself into tournament fishing with there co angler program, something the Elites never offered
Saturation dilutes everything I'm a long time member of B. A. S. S. That's what I grew up with now I see a lot of people that if you took all the electronics and technology couldn't make it
Bs. Gerald spoherJames Watson, Matt Lee, Alton jones jr. etc. Then explain to me why a lot of the best anglers who are in mlf’s top 50 leaving and no one is leaving the elites to fish mlf,. Keep changing the goal posts at mlf. The rookies coming in do not stand a chance.
@@brianblume3770and lets look at those who left MLf and returned to the elites. All of whom haven’t done shit. The only two that have was Christie with classic win and Palaniuk with AOY win. Thats it! Ike, hackney, swindle, lane, monroe, haven’t accomplished anything much less been a blip on the radar. Lane had to swallow his pride and return to MlF, monroe fishing minor leagues with BAM tour and the rest….. crickets. Point is, if your gonna have an argument and show your bias.. at least have the facts correct and not a problematic narrative.
I loved to fish tournaments, but i dont fish tournaments anymore, plus the live on the water was exciting at the beginning, but now i would rather watch the hour or two hour tv show of the tournament.
Only watch because you are such a nice person. I fish rivers and lakes for trout. Use only 4lb. test line which I have caught 8lb. fish on. It just doesn't seem like much fun catching 2lb. fish on the 25lb. test line you bass guys use.🙄
Most everything I have read has stated that if FLW and its lower siblings had not been purchased, it would have ceased to exist. The biggest problem with MLF is Boyd Duckett. The only sustainable path forward is whomever is the money behind the scenes needs to replace Boyd with someone that has credibility. His is gone and can't be repaired.
I may not always agree with you, Randy. But I will let you know when I do. With this, I agree 100% with your position on the MLF resolving the Pro Tour. However, you have a better chance of eliminating FFS in Pro tournaments than having MLF take your advice on getting rid of the Pro tournament. By the way, the Bassmaster Elite series is the ONLY league. BASS is a better product, with better programming, and a superior fishing format. It's like comparing the NFL to the UFL. Right? Anyway, thanks Randy.
He talks about the independently wealthy being the only ones in the pro fishing league. What does he think the pga and pro tennis are? Those leagues are filled entirely with rich folks who grew up going to school at tennis and golf academies. The Williams sisters are the exception, not the rule. As long as boats, trucks and electronic equipment are as expensive as they are that is who you're going to have in the bass pro ranks.
Bring back FLW, end of year take top 20 in points from BASS and FLW and have 3 tournament champions series at big event size lakes and have 1 ultimate bass champion for the year. 100% Live online, have paid viewership that can select one angler to watch all day if they want or watch free broadcast with commercials and sponsorship advertisements. People who buy membership to watch, have fantasy fishing tournaments for prizes from sponsors and autographed items from anglers. Give anglers a chance to upload how to videos for members to watch. That would give their sponsors air time. Professional fishing could be so much better with the right structure and direction.
I just wish BASS would start offering a BFL style tournament trail. I really want to fish a BFL style tournament trail but refuse to fish the BFL simply due to MLF being a joke.
Bias towards bassmasters there are issues in both ! Randy where would those 80pros go ? Who would be cut the young guns? There are issues to fix yes but there is room for both in my opinion
Back in the day, there were too many circuits. Mid America, Project Sports, Inc, red man, Bassathon, and i am sure lots of others, but they all filled a niche. there are too many competing circuits at the same level. Ray Scott would have never let this FFS crap happen, and i don't think mckinnis would have let it goes this far. At the very least, we need a circuit with no FFS/live imaging!
YALL NEED A FARM SYSTEM!! similar to baseball. A, AA, AAA , PRO BALL! The infrastructure is there. high school and college tournaments happen all over the country, but mostly in the south. build that up to a national level. every high school should have an "fishing club". Then they need to build up a tournament trail for guys fresh out of school, but maybe not ready to compete with the big boys. cheap entry fees, very little prize money. the AOY from the farm system gets a shot in an open style tournament with the big boys. similar to bass master. the farm system is where they could "try" the new rules without muddying the water with the top pros. for instance, if they ever do move toward limiting graphs on a boat, no live scope, ect, they try it on the "farm system" tournaments - if it goes well, then okay maybe we talk about doing this at the highest level. it really seems to me that the people at the top of these organizations are not concerned with "building" ANYTHING, they just want to be handed a product and milk it for everything they can, leave the company - then its someone elses problem. rinse and repeat
@@zillobeast5257 I disagree. However, nothing I said was skill based or related. The farm system wouldn’t be to develop anglers, per say. More so to develop the tournament system as a whole, while allowing younger guys, part time guys and fun fisherman to compete, but still at a lower level, lower risk type deal. It would also help clearly define what a “pro” is and isn’t. Just an opinion and not one I’ve sat and thought about at any real length. I’m not involved in the fishing industry as anything but a consumer.
@@VigAdventures the MLB minor league system is all about if you improve you move up to the next level, it’s entirely skill based. The demographic for fishing is basically anyone with a pulse so their minor league system would be so clogged with anyone from the ages of 20 to 80 since fishing requires no athletic ability whereas the MLB usually has guys from maybe 20-35 years old, i dont think itd ever be a realistic solution for fishing
@@zillobeast5257 lol you’re honestly saying that fishing as a sport is more saturated then baseball? My god man. You’re completely missing what I’m getting at lol think about it like this. MLF AND FLW are the MLB, I am proposing that they get DIRECTLY involved with a “Little League” type organization. The MLB loves to show kids all of the “pros” that played little league. That’s where the LLWS came from…is not my mistake that former pros that have played go back to be broadcasters or the like. MLB promotes those guys to show that “anyone can make it” “if you work for it”
@zillobeast5257 side note, if you honestly think catching fish the way those boys do, week in and week out. Different bodies of water every week…takes “no skill” this conversation isn’t even worth continuing lol
Having multiple leagues im sure makes it harder for pros to get deals and such. But all my fishing friends and all the ppl in our club. No one discusses mlf or opens or anything. I still think majority of non tournament anglers only look at the elite series as the top of the top. As i do. Right or wrong.
I love how Gary and Boyd won't make their own cut. MLF was nice at the beginning but I always thought 80 was too many guys. Every year we have changes - do they even know what they are doing? Who knows where MLF will be in 3 to 5 years...maybe KVD can buy majority ownership
Tournament fishing has become a prime example of how corporate greed can suck the soul and purity, from what was once a great thing! I couldn’t have imagined, years ago, just how much about it I would come to despise! Thankful for the good times I had, because I have no desire to be part of what I see today!
Randy, costs and barrier to entry are way up because bass fishing is a limited resource sport with built in scarcity. We cant build anymore new lakes or anything like that. Supply is limited but we have unlimited growth and angler interest. Supply and demand economics at work.
I read this all wrong at first in my feed. I saw "Why Milfs should shut down the Bass Pro Tour". I would have been disappointed if they were in conflict with each other.
I agree MLF is unwatchable! An I love to watch JW,DC,MDJ an AA! But the only time I'll watch them now if they put out different videos other than tournament video. It Sucks!
I used to watch Bassmaster all the time...But when ALL the major big guns jumped ship, it was no longer fun to watch anymore. Now anglers are watching their electronics looking for fish instead of trying to figure it out on their own. Because of that it's become boring to watch. So sad 😞.....
BASS should catch and release only. I don’t go fishing, put fish in the live well or a bucket and at the end of the day free them after taking pics. I catch and release. But I’m not a pro. I guess only pros can increase the risk of fish dying.
I respectfully disagree. But what do I know I'm just a weekend fisherman. I like small club tourments where we sit talk after. Money takes the fun out of it. Make it a job and it becomes work.
What about football? There were two different organizations, and now they play each other, but there are 2 distinct organizations, and they are doing great.
Disagree. The example set forth by instant catch, weigh and release is Paramount to to the conservation of the species' . The ocean of tournaments numbering in the thousands, requiring the abduction and life risk of the resource is obsurd and unsustainable. BASS should be ashamed for not following suit. imo.
BASS does it for pictures and manufactured drama at the weigh in. I cringe when they hold the largest bass up by the jaw and suffocating spending too much time taking pictures. But professional bass fishing would not have come about without these live weigh ins. And I guess quality hand scales would not have come about except for MLF.
Randy youre the only person ive heard fixate on what a "pro" is. Its obvious youre bitter about it so you think taking away the league above you makes it obvious that youre a pro. Lol
Honestly, 999 out of 1000 men who have tried to make their living fishing professionally lost all their money and their wife and marriage. It’s a very bad career choice and the sooner folks not try fish professionally the better their life and their families will be. Be a productive member of society, more than rip lips and sell plastics that end up in the bottom of the lake.
The going back to every fish counts is not successful… seeing anglers catch over 100lbs in a day is cuhrazy. And the removal of the sudden death round was the kill shot. I enjoyed watching that round, and ONLY that round.
I boycotted BPT from day one. Problem is, it has weakened the field in B.A.S.S. When there is only one true elite professional circuit, it strengthens the sport. It's been in shambles ever since the division
I still dont think Jacob Wheeler is as successful as he is without MLF looking the other way on information sharing. They need a star face for the company and they cant afford not to have a star otherwise theyd be even more irrelevant.
bs...The top anglers are in the BPT ( bassfan) and yopu advice is to shut down? lmao. And let's remember some of the names that left (some back at bass now) KVD, Ott Defoe, Hackney, Ike, alton jones, Ish, takahori, skeet, Ehler, and i could go on and on. SO to act like it was just a few traitor anglers in ridiculous. People just want to hate when real fisherman are just happy with more fishing to watch. And if not simply don't watch. Guy just hates any change. Fishing isn't about complaining and whining all the time and that's all your video's have become. One fan lost-unsubscribed.
It actually saddens me to think that bc I don't make enough money I cant compete with these guys staring at a screen watching bass they normally couldn't see but bc they spend 3k on a stupid little box they have an advantage. PAY TO WIN. recreational fishermen i dont care about thats another topic on its own but for tournament these guys who grew up fishing with no electronics will whoop you just about every time
Can't let a fish touch the side of the boat; but you can live scope em. Oh! My fish barrel is empty; better move around until it fills back up. Better #Learntocode
The MLF is too gimmicky and there are too many anglers spending too much irrelevant time on the water. With that said, some of the best, most marketable anglers in the world fish the circuit.
At this point, Randy….just about everything worth being involved in needs completely gutted and rebuilt from the ground up. However, staying on point…all these tournaments, IMHO, should be stopped, dismembered, and rebuilt. Let a panel, board,membership (call it what you want) of all the pro anglers, especially the veterans, share ownership, and create rules to bring back the integrity of the sport. For that matter, cut down on the number of tournaments which is a problem in itself (as you’ve mentioned in the past). Come up with a self-governing system that not only brings the integrity back to the sport, but keeps the sponsors from acting like all-out dictators. I used to say bring the forefathers back from the 80’s, but some of those guys are up to their necks in FFS (which is beyond heartbreaking, given many of us grew up watching those guys…..literally). But, I digress. Wouldn’t you agree it’s more than just one tournament,and one problem? Like everything else in this country….unfortunately.
What’s ironic is, almost exactly what you describe “veterans” making the rules and developing their own trail and tournaments, is how MLF came into existence sooo…
@@O-C-WT You’re right, for the most part… but, as Todd Castledine corrected me, it’s not all of them. And, he also went out of his way to tell me that not all of the younger pro’s new to the sport are entitled, jack-@sses, obsessed with FFS. I tried to make the same general point with my original comment, talking about the “forefathers” of the sport back when a simple trolling motor was considered “high-tech”. And, guys like Duckett are hardly the only “veterans” who’s causing a lot of problems. But, with all that said, the vast majority of pro’s we seem to hear talking about bringing the integrity of the sport back are the veterans. Unfortunately, they do it behind closed doors. So, is it the only answer…of course not. What’s more important that that specific topic is getting a group of pro’s together who at least respect the sport, and what put it on the map in the first place. As long as that happens, then I don’t think anyone will care of it’s a 25yr-old kid, or a 65yr-old veteran. But, watching guys starring relentlessly at computer screens, getting penalized for removing plugs was never what the sport was about (as just a couple of small examples). But, you’re right…being a vet of the sport, in-and-of itself, doesn’t make you immune to greed, or corruption by ANY stretch.
It continues to show its corrupt, your main owner is fishing and making the rules on the fly who couldn’t see this being a problem from day 1!!! It’s a great concept but totally ruined by the powers that run over the personalities that should be the ones growing the sport. The only way MLF can survive is if it’s sold and a new governing body takes over that’s strong but fair. No room for gray areas and cheating
I guess if MLF had selected you then everything would be ok in your opinion. Money, only the rich can play. They can all go to hell as far as I am concerned.
Like jacob wheeler for me. An ppl i hear an talk to. No one cares how much he wins. Cuz it seems like just us regulars. Means nothing till i see him do it on the elite series. like above. Just doesn't mean nothing cuz we all think the elite series being the standard as pro fishing. Not saying right or wrong. Just saying the perception of the small group im around
I loved tournament fishing when I was younger but anymore I don’t even pay attention to it. I just love to get out and go fishing when I’m off work. No competition, no jerks claiming spots on public water, no worrying about limits, just fishing and enjoying nature.
Agree to many guy's thinking their Gods Gift to Bass fishing.
Amen
Agree!
Incredibly well said. Try and find a lake that isn’t being crushed by every guy in town, who think they own the entire lake (and go on a weekday if possible), and do it for the therapy of it, as much as for a “bent pole”. As Randy said, when FLW came in, the whole thing got so convoluted it caused people to lose interest in watching tournament fishing. And, there are so many tournaments now, you can’t hardly go to a ramp without getting caught up in it, and it turns into a huge pain in the @ss….ESPECIALLY in Florida. 👍
Couldn’t agree more!
Fishing is slowly becoming a rich man’s sport, SAD!
It’s been that pretty much
Been that way for years , without 20 sponsors and a deep pocket your pissin in the wind
I agree 100%!! Just like in the NASCAR
*Tournament Fishing
I'm 80 now and it's sad to see what competitive fishing has morphed into. Basically an on the water videogame.
I've fished competitively since the 1960s when they were called "rodeos".
SAD!!!!!!👎
Pro is a relative term in bass fishing. Any sport where you buy your way into the 2nd highest level is not “professional”.
Same with golf and racing
Get rid of Boyd Duckett
Tournament fishing has went down a one way road with no turning back. Starting to tune out all the videos and tournament news a just enjoy pleasure fishing.
Exactly! Well said. . . Believe wholeheartedly that BFL & Toyota are the bread and butter of MFL. Only an Angler owned circuit would purely define/recognize/govern true professionals. Anyway, don’t see it happening. . . Good thoughts
This is for sure worth talking about. Thank you Randy!!
Randy sorry to change the subject a little bit but I was just reading about 2 high school buddies from South Dakota fishing in a national tournament in South Carolina. It's shows a picture of both of them standing on the front of a bass boat looking down at their FFS screen. This is the way kids are being taught too fish, unbelievable man. It's lick a pandemic!!!
I saw a set of pictures on the BASS website this week with results from a junior circuit and a high school circuit. I'm guessing the junior circuit were 13 and 14 year olds. It's no wonder they are seasoned by the time they start "pro" fishing at 19 or 20. That is different from the olden days when dudes had to find a real job before they started fishing for money.
@@jaym8257 right on!
And? What are they suppose to be doing? That's how you win
...in it to win it! That's how they're able to go from South Dakota to South Carolina. your references make it sound so quaint and an OMG! moment. low hanging fruit designed to pull on heart strings!
I don't beilieve they are being taught this. They are using FFS because just as they communicate with text, they've grown up with different technology than us..They are different from us. Just as we were different from our parents.
Yeah, replace it with the DraftKings Tour. Gambling comes in, livescope goes out!
Think of all the prop bets you could have. I am suprised that the fishing organizations have not jumped on the gambing bandwagon.
Honestly everything they have done hasn’t made significant strides in true tournament growth. I’ve thought about this for years and they really just need to find someone who would be able to handicap it for betting purposes, but I would love to see it look like their PGA betting board. Honesty a little surprised that FoxBet didn’t try it out before they went under.
Doing it on the DFS side of DraftKings wouldn’t be hard at all and would bring in a new group of fans and interest
Bring back the 150hp limit rip Ray scott
I just got to say this. I stopped fishing any of the small tournaments because it is so full of BS. I stopped enjoying fishing. And i am sick of all the bitching about FFS. I enjoy your fishing tips. Thanks for those so much Randy. Once all the BS dies down. Ill watch you more and buy some tackle from you.
I think even the BFLs have gone downhill. Tournament boat numbers are way down. I don’t know if it’s because of FFS or the payouts suck. BPT downsizing just shows they are not doing well and I believe they will go back to what they started as at the very beginning. The invitational tour has no place it’s just there to fund the BPT.
NPFL is the new FLW tour.
I’m worried about the lasting affects of tournaments on the resource. It has changed the biology of all our waters . That’s the real tragedy
My local lake has been ruined by Tournament Fishing. And not just Bass either....
why has tournaments ruined lakes is my question
far as i know it's limits on bass crappie bream so on
so say bass 5 fish limit
right if DNR thinks that is to high for our lakes then change it to 3 or 2
my buddy is a biologist for sc DNR
he says that if a bass spawn and one survived to lay eggs to then in 5 years that one bass has put in that lake 20 times more than it was 5 years ago
I do think tournaments in spawn time should not happen
Here's what I think. Your videos are easy to watch. You seem respectable and REASONABLE in spite of your possibly controversial opinions. I personally do not give a tinker's damn about bass fishing or bass tournaments.
I was raised in Pine Bluff AR, but moved to Mobile AL when I was 12 (1968). I had fished w my Dad for bass in Arkansas but when we got to Alabama I became obsessive about salt water fishing. Don't get me wrong, there is a huge delta where bass can be caught along with saltwater species, in brackish water. The old black men called bass "green trout", and the best bait is live shrimp. Those bass are listed as contaminated by mercury so Don't Eat any! Of course you guys wouldn't care about that I suppose.
Didn't mean to muck up your comments... If you are a person who thinks advancements in technology are ruining the broad sport of fishing, well I agree with you 1000%.
only the owners profit. They will never give it up. It will take the pros to just walk.
Bass fishing went out back around 1999.
Agreed
Yep 80s and 90s were the best
Do the math!!! The Flw tour always had 200 anglers paying 5000 dollars entry fees. In the future mlf will have 50 anglers. That means they need the bpt anglers approximately 100 anglers paying 5000 per tournament to keep the same cash flow in the organization. Econ 101!!!!!!!
FLW tour started out in the late 1990's with "only" about $1500 entry fees, but yes, I get what your saying.
I think FFS has caused more confusion what a "pro" angler is. FLW actually helped alot of West Coast anglers break into the sport...initially. I was one of them many years ago. Keep up the fight RB!
How is it confusing because of FFS? I'm confused by you saying that. The best guys in the world at FFS are on the tours.
As a member of the FLW Family and Organization, I disagree with what you’re saying Randy as far as FLW goes, but once MLF bought them and how they created the BPT was absolutely wrong and they were so arrogant that they did start a “war” 😮 But, the BPT is 💯 loaded with actual Professionals and so is BASS. Your theory would have never allowed Sears to compete with JC Penny’s
As a 75 year old angler and FAN of fishing I am amazed at the explosion of the industry in the past 6 years, and as everyone wanted the “industry” to expand in popularity,we/they have discovered that it has become almost too big in every aspect. Too many electronics, too many lures, too many rod and reel companies and too many people pressuring the lakes everywhere across our country and everybody’s an expert on and off the water…..too many rude anglers disrespecting others and people who have property on the lakes and mostly mad at fishermen and boats always lurking around their docks…….this is all happening simultaneously. So, my point is every aspect of fishing has exploded, and even though I agree with you regarding the beginning of MLF/BPT And how they came on attacking their competitors, the anglers are Pros and some extraordinary humans doing the best they can to be their very best. There’s nothing good about monopoly in any industry and I am a fan of fishing and each league that is helping professionals earn a living and when you can “study” or get a “degree” and scholarships to become a professional fisherman, it’s only going to grow and as it does the pieces of the pie will become smaller until you reach the Top. Love you bro 😎
I think MLF should make the tour you referenced as a qualifying tour like the korn ferry tour is to the PGA. Let them slug it out and the top 10 or so money winners get invited to compete next year in a pro league. You are correct that we don't know who a pro is because of all the different leagues.
Why would bass fisherman running the tour make it better ? The most profitable sports are not run by the athletes but by owners. Earlier this year you were complaining about MLF cutting the number of anglers taking there lively hood of fishing and now you want to get rid of more fishing spots by eliminating a circuit. Just trying to figure out your point.
Randy just tries to find anything that will ruffle feathers to get views.
PREACH
Maybe bass master should shut down and get out of mlfs way all the bass guys are a bunch of cry babys
Can’t argue that his point. Uncle Randy is right on this one!
Quit comparing golf to fishing tournaments.....you pay to fish tournaments. Golfers dont. Golf pros show up, get a free car and tee it up. They do tip the locker room staff.(not a rule)
Bass pros PAY TO BE A PRO.
PAY AT EVERY TOURNAMENT.
FISH FOR YOUR OWN MONEY.
WHY DONT YOU FISHERMEN UNITE AND SET THE RULES.
AS IT IS NOW.....YOUR NOT PROFESSIONAL FISHERMAN YOU ARE PROFESSIONAL FOOLS.
Pretty simple, when I pay for something. I buy what I want.
Golf pro’s do pay for tournaments. They will get fees waived usually only if they’ve won the venue previously or winning majors and getting tournament exemptions.
Bass fisherman can't tow with BMW. Too many lures to buy Rolex.
Tell me you know nothing about golf without telling me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't forget how FLW split all the Bass Federation chapters in all states as well. They've be jacking things up for bass fishing since 2006.
My opinion is this.. The Bassmaster tour was the greatest, but, when they started the “Elites”, Thats where things started branching off, and getting all these sponsors involved. Wrapped boats and whatnot, got everyone wanting to be a pro. Then, the FLW came along. I liked major league fishing better when it was just the cup series. Just being honest. Now, FFS is ruining all of it.
There's flaws in the BFL's and I've told Boyd about it to his face. Let's start with the linking system. The very first BFL I fished as a co-angler Ilinked but at the meeting my boater didn't show and I was left standing at the meeting without a boater. Had it not been for Alan Grey making a phone call to another boater I'd been stuck at the ramp all day while my link fished. Secondly, when I moved to the boater side my link had to pull out of a tournament which put me at the bottom of the list scrambling to find a co-angler. Thirdly, the boat-on-boat draw due to co-angler shortage is straight up bs. And Boyd using the "keeping anglers honest" is a bs answer. It should be first come first serve basis. Have the draw for co-anglers and do away with the boat-on-boat draw. I'm not leaving my rig in a parking lot that has no security. The entry fees increased and made negligible impact on the bay outs. It's for these reasons I don't fish BFL's any more.
How many high school anglers would have paid to watch you fish that day? Not zero. Whose wife sitting in the parking lot would have taken $100 to observe? Not zero.
@fishinninja18 I've never seen any high schooler pay to observe nor have I seen any volunteer to observe. But I have seen several wives turn down free chances ton observe.
As a fan of competition how about bassmaster and MLF be like the other 3 major sports? NFC/AFC NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE NBA EAST NBA WEST and have a best of 3-5-7 series at the end with the top 5 or 10 from each division battle in the classic. I don’t know what that would entail but seems like fun for fans anyway. Have events at different places on offset weekends
So what do you do about the legit top pros in the BPT? Tell them to go fish the Opens?
Randy, once again I’m going to say you really need to think outside the box. Let’s take the NFL model…..a pro bass central…PBC and a pro bass east….PBE. Then we have playoffs on lakes neither league has fished that year, and then a real Super Bowl of Fishing, Bass Master Classic World Championship. Then we can see the best go against the best! See Randy then the sport would grow and lots more folks would watch!
Mlf is the best format to watch, B.A.S.S. Is boring. I really like the fish landing penalty and the onboard referee and score tracker. Great job MLF
They do not enforce the rules equally. It depends on who you are!!!!!!!
You are telling it like it is Randy. Thanks !!!!
I disagree on FLW not being good for the sport Randy, FLW got a lot of 35 year olds like myself into tournament fishing with there co angler program, something the Elites never offered
I quit watching it. Like you said it's for the rich kids.
Great video! 👌
Randy, which mega bass rod are you using? I’m talking about that green spinning rod I’ve seen you demo.
Megabass Levante series, or maybe an evergreen combat stick
We need one trail of professionals who fish for 5 big ones a day. Not so much 30 bass days of 2-3lbers. Great video Randy
Randy I don’t think anyone can argue this!!! We’d be so much better off with only Bassmaster!
Saturation dilutes everything I'm a long time member of B. A. S. S. That's what I grew up with now I see a lot of people that if you took all the electronics and technology couldn't make it
MLF is unwatchable!!
So is bass
I enjoy watching those dudes. It's better than 24/7 cable news.
Yea it is also SAD that they let you so called PRO’s drop down and fish all the BFL’s is that what you are talking about
Why? they pay the entry fee just like you do.
They did have qualifications. You had to be angler of year , bass masters classic winner or elite series tournament winner.
Bs. Gerald spoherJames Watson, Matt Lee, Alton jones jr. etc. Then explain to me why a lot of the best anglers who are in mlf’s top 50 leaving and no one is leaving the elites to fish mlf,. Keep changing the goal posts at mlf. The rookies coming in do not stand a chance.
@@brianblume3770and lets look at those who left MLf and returned to the elites. All of whom haven’t done shit. The only two that have was Christie with classic win and Palaniuk with AOY win. Thats it!
Ike, hackney, swindle, lane, monroe, haven’t accomplished anything much less been a blip on the radar.
Lane had to swallow his pride and return to MlF, monroe fishing minor leagues with BAM tour and the rest….. crickets.
Point is, if your gonna have an argument and show your bias.. at least have the facts correct and not a problematic narrative.
I loved to fish tournaments, but i dont fish tournaments anymore, plus the live on the water was exciting at the beginning, but now i would rather watch the hour or two hour tv show of the tournament.
Only watch because you are such a nice person. I fish rivers and lakes for trout. Use only 4lb. test line which I have caught 8lb. fish on.
It just doesn't seem like much fun catching 2lb. fish on the 25lb. test line you bass guys use.🙄
Most everything I have read has stated that if FLW and its lower siblings had not been purchased, it would have ceased to exist. The biggest problem with MLF is Boyd Duckett. The only sustainable path forward is whomever is the money behind the scenes needs to replace Boyd with someone that has credibility. His is gone and can't be repaired.
I may not always agree with you, Randy. But I will let you know when I do. With this, I agree 100% with your position on the MLF resolving the Pro Tour. However, you have a better chance of eliminating FFS in Pro tournaments than having MLF take your advice on getting rid of the Pro tournament. By the way, the Bassmaster Elite series is the ONLY league. BASS is a better product, with better programming, and a superior fishing format. It's like comparing the NFL to the UFL. Right? Anyway, thanks Randy.
Im wondering where would all the guys go that fish the BPT Randy just a thought
In your video, you didn’t mention anything about MLF’s second tier circuit- the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals which is what’s left of the old FLW.
He talks about the independently wealthy being the only ones in the pro fishing league. What does he think the pga and pro tennis are? Those leagues are filled entirely with rich folks who grew up going to school at tennis and golf academies. The Williams sisters are the exception, not the rule. As long as boats, trucks and electronic equipment are as expensive as they are that is who you're going to have in the bass pro ranks.
Bring back FLW, end of year take top 20 in points from BASS and FLW and have 3 tournament champions series at big event size lakes and have 1 ultimate bass champion for the year. 100% Live online, have paid viewership that can select one angler to watch all day if they want or watch free broadcast with commercials and sponsorship advertisements. People who buy membership to watch, have fantasy fishing tournaments for prizes from sponsors and autographed items from anglers. Give anglers a chance to upload how to videos for members to watch. That would give their sponsors air time. Professional fishing could be so much better with the right structure and direction.
Super Bowl top 10 of each group hash it out for the best of the best
I just wish BASS would start offering a BFL style tournament trail. I really want to fish a BFL style tournament trail but refuse to fish the BFL simply due to MLF being a joke.
I definitely agree with you. When FLW came out it really screwed up Bass Masters.
Bias towards bassmasters there are issues in both ! Randy where would those 80pros go ? Who would be cut the young guns? There are issues to fix yes but there is room for both in my opinion
A job
I personally find the MLF Bass Pro Tour way more entertaining than the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Back in the day, there were too many circuits. Mid America, Project Sports, Inc, red man, Bassathon, and i am sure lots of others, but they all filled a niche. there are too many competing circuits at the same level. Ray Scott would have never let this FFS crap happen, and i don't think mckinnis would have let it goes this far. At the very least, we need a circuit with no FFS/live imaging!
YALL NEED A FARM SYSTEM!! similar to baseball. A, AA, AAA , PRO BALL! The infrastructure is there. high school and college tournaments happen all over the country, but mostly in the south. build that up to a national level. every high school should have an "fishing club". Then they need to build up a tournament trail for guys fresh out of school, but maybe not ready to compete with the big boys. cheap entry fees, very little prize money. the AOY from the farm system gets a shot in an open style tournament with the big boys. similar to bass master. the farm system is where they could "try" the new rules without muddying the water with the top pros. for instance, if they ever do move toward limiting graphs on a boat, no live scope, ect, they try it on the "farm system" tournaments - if it goes well, then okay maybe we talk about doing this at the highest level. it really seems to me that the people at the top of these organizations are not concerned with "building" ANYTHING, they just want to be handed a product and milk it for everything they can, leave the company - then its someone elses problem. rinse and repeat
Theres not nearly enough skill involved in fishing to have a minor league system like baseball especially with livescope being a thing
@@zillobeast5257 I disagree. However, nothing I said was skill based or related. The farm system wouldn’t be to develop anglers, per say. More so to develop the tournament system as a whole, while allowing younger guys, part time guys and fun fisherman to compete, but still at a lower level, lower risk type deal. It would also help clearly define what a “pro” is and isn’t. Just an opinion and not one I’ve sat and thought about at any real length. I’m not involved in the fishing industry as anything but a consumer.
@@VigAdventures the MLB minor league system is all about if you improve you move up to the next level, it’s entirely skill based. The demographic for fishing is basically anyone with a pulse so their minor league system would be so clogged with anyone from the ages of 20 to 80 since fishing requires no athletic ability whereas the MLB usually has guys from maybe 20-35 years old, i dont think itd ever be a realistic solution for fishing
@@zillobeast5257 lol you’re honestly saying that fishing as a sport is more saturated then baseball? My god man. You’re completely missing what I’m getting at lol think about it like this. MLF AND FLW are the MLB, I am proposing that they get DIRECTLY involved with a “Little League” type organization. The MLB loves to show kids all of the “pros” that played little league. That’s where the LLWS came from…is not my mistake that former pros that have played go back to be broadcasters or the like. MLB promotes those guys to show that “anyone can make it” “if you work for it”
@zillobeast5257 side note, if you honestly think catching fish the way those boys do, week in and week out. Different bodies of water every week…takes “no skill” this conversation isn’t even worth continuing lol
I do like the catch and release factor of MLF. I wish BASS would move to that, then they just merge.
Those Cups events were great. They should have just kept doing those. They were truly different.
Having multiple leagues im sure makes it harder for pros to get deals and such. But all my fishing friends and all the ppl in our club. No one discusses mlf or opens or anything. I still think majority of non tournament anglers only look at the elite series as the top of the top. As i do. Right or wrong.
Keep up the good fight brother 👍🏻
finally something we agree on
Money and Pride always leads to this. Now we are left with Fishing Boat Docks (FBD).
I love how Gary and Boyd won't make their own cut. MLF was nice at the beginning but I always thought 80 was too many guys. Every year we have changes - do they even know what they are doing? Who knows where MLF will be in 3 to 5 years...maybe KVD can buy majority ownership
Love MLF!!! Love the format, so many different techinques to catch fish.. The old dogs will always get pushed out.. Sports are a young Lion's game!!!
Competition is a good thing.
I agree 100%
Just wait ! Boyd Ducket is going to finish
screwing it up.
Tournament fishing has become a prime example of how corporate greed can suck the soul and purity, from what was once a great thing! I couldn’t have imagined, years ago, just how much about it I would come to despise! Thankful for the good times I had, because I have no desire to be part of what I see today!
Randy, costs and barrier to entry are way up because bass fishing is a limited resource sport with built in scarcity. We cant build anymore new lakes or anything like that. Supply is limited but we have unlimited growth and angler interest. Supply and demand economics at work.
Totally agreee
I read this all wrong at first in my feed. I saw "Why Milfs should shut down the Bass Pro Tour". I would have been disappointed if they were in conflict with each other.
I agree MLF is unwatchable! An I love to watch JW,DC,MDJ an AA! But the only time I'll watch them now if they put out different videos other than tournament video. It Sucks!
Who is the main driving force behind major-league fishing and the bass pro tour? Is it Bass Pro shops?
I used to watch Bassmaster all the time...But when ALL the major big guns jumped ship, it was no longer fun to watch anymore. Now anglers are watching their electronics looking for fish instead of trying to figure it out on their own.
Because of that it's become boring to watch. So sad 😞.....
BASS should catch and release only. I don’t go fishing, put fish in the live well or a bucket and at the end of the day free them after taking pics. I catch and release. But I’m not a pro. I guess only pros can increase the risk of fish dying.
I respectfully disagree. But what do I know I'm just a weekend fisherman. I like small club tourments where we sit talk after. Money takes the fun out of it. Make it a job and it becomes work.
What about football? There were two different organizations, and now they play each other, but there are 2 distinct organizations, and they are doing great.
Disagree. The example set forth by instant catch, weigh and release is Paramount to to the conservation of the species' . The ocean of tournaments numbering in the thousands, requiring the abduction and life risk of the resource is obsurd and unsustainable. BASS should be ashamed for not following suit. imo.
BASS does it for pictures and manufactured drama at the weigh in. I cringe when they hold the largest bass up by the jaw and suffocating spending too much time taking pictures. But professional bass fishing would not have come about without these live weigh ins. And I guess quality hand scales would not have come about except for MLF.
So true and so sad
Randy youre the only person ive heard fixate on what a "pro" is. Its obvious youre bitter about it so you think taking away the league above you makes it obvious that youre a pro. Lol
Honestly, 999 out of 1000 men who have tried to make their living fishing professionally lost all their money and their wife and marriage. It’s a very bad career choice and the sooner folks not try fish professionally the better their life and their families will be. Be a productive member of society, more than rip lips and sell plastics that end up in the bottom of the lake.
The going back to every fish counts is not successful… seeing anglers catch over 100lbs in a day is cuhrazy. And the removal of the sudden death round was the kill shot. I enjoyed watching that round, and ONLY that round.
I boycotted BPT from day one. Problem is, it has weakened the field in B.A.S.S.
When there is only one true elite professional circuit, it strengthens the sport. It's been in shambles ever since the division
I still dont think Jacob Wheeler is as successful as he is without MLF looking the other way on information sharing. They need a star face for the company and they cant afford not to have a star otherwise theyd be even more irrelevant.
I cancelled my BASS stuff
bs...The top anglers are in the BPT ( bassfan) and yopu advice is to shut down? lmao. And let's remember some of the names that left (some back at bass now) KVD, Ott Defoe, Hackney, Ike, alton jones, Ish, takahori, skeet, Ehler, and i could go on and on. SO to act like it was just a few traitor anglers in ridiculous. People just want to hate when real fisherman are just happy with more fishing to watch. And if not simply don't watch. Guy just hates any change. Fishing isn't about complaining and whining all the time and that's all your video's have become. One fan lost-unsubscribed.
It actually saddens me to think that bc I don't make enough money I cant compete with these guys staring at a screen watching bass they normally couldn't see but bc they spend 3k on a stupid little box they have an advantage. PAY TO WIN. recreational fishermen i dont care about thats another topic on its own but for tournament these guys who grew up fishing with no electronics will whoop you just about every time
Can't let a fish touch the side of the boat; but you can live scope em. Oh! My fish barrel is empty; better move around until it fills back up. Better #Learntocode
Shutdown an entire pro bass fishing tour? Hell yes! Where do I sign the petition to send to Congress and/or the EPA?
yep
The MLF is too gimmicky and there are too many anglers spending too much irrelevant time on the water. With that said, some of the best, most marketable anglers in the world fish the circuit.
And now the BASS elites are the anglers left over from BASS and FLW that couldn't make a living before everyone left to go to the BPT.
At this point, Randy….just about everything worth being involved in needs completely gutted and rebuilt from the ground up. However, staying on point…all these tournaments, IMHO, should be stopped, dismembered, and rebuilt. Let a panel, board,membership (call it what you want) of all the pro anglers, especially the veterans, share ownership, and create rules to bring back the integrity of the sport. For that matter, cut down on the number of tournaments which is a problem in itself (as you’ve mentioned in the past). Come up with a self-governing system that not only brings the integrity back to the sport, but keeps the sponsors from acting like all-out dictators. I used to say bring the forefathers back from the 80’s, but some of those guys are up to their necks in FFS (which is beyond heartbreaking, given many of us grew up watching those guys…..literally). But, I digress. Wouldn’t you agree it’s more than just one tournament,and one problem? Like everything else in this country….unfortunately.
What’s ironic is, almost exactly what you describe “veterans” making the rules and developing their own trail and tournaments, is how MLF came into existence sooo…
@@O-C-WT You’re right, for the most part… but, as Todd Castledine corrected me, it’s not all of them. And, he also went out of his way to tell me that not all of the younger pro’s new to the sport are entitled, jack-@sses, obsessed with FFS. I tried to make the same general point with my original comment, talking about the “forefathers” of the sport back when a simple trolling motor was considered “high-tech”. And, guys like Duckett are hardly the only “veterans” who’s causing a lot of problems. But, with all that said, the vast majority of pro’s we seem to hear talking about bringing the integrity of the sport back are the veterans. Unfortunately, they do it behind closed doors. So, is it the only answer…of course not. What’s more important that that specific topic is getting a group of pro’s together who at least respect the sport, and what put it on the map in the first place. As long as that happens, then I don’t think anyone will care of it’s a 25yr-old kid, or a 65yr-old veteran. But, watching guys starring relentlessly at computer screens, getting penalized for removing plugs was never what the sport was about (as just a couple of small examples). But, you’re right…being a vet of the sport, in-and-of itself, doesn’t make you immune to greed, or corruption by ANY stretch.
The MLF is some anglers job…
It continues to show its corrupt, your main owner is fishing and making the rules on the fly who couldn’t see this being a problem from day 1!!! It’s a great concept but totally ruined by the powers that run over the personalities that should be the ones growing the sport. The only way MLF can survive is if it’s sold and a new governing body takes over that’s strong but fair. No room for gray areas and cheating
I guess if MLF had selected you then everything would be ok in your opinion. Money, only the rich can play. They can all go to hell as far as I am concerned.
Well said.
It's all gone down the tubes. . . . 'Limits of Lame'.
Like jacob wheeler for me. An ppl i hear an talk to. No one cares how much he wins. Cuz it seems like just us regulars. Means nothing till i see him do it on the elite series. like above. Just doesn't mean nothing cuz we all think the elite series being the standard as pro fishing. Not saying right or wrong. Just saying the perception of the small group im around
Best way to do it...