I just have to wonder, how many more nails can be put in the coffin of B.A.S.S. before ESPN is done tearing down the “grass roots” values B.A.S.S. was built upon by Ray Scott so long ago. I would imagine even Ray thinks some of these changes are ridiculous at times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t understand the Elite angler position. Elite Anglers are fishing as a job, they face hurdles everyday out there; they have hopes of cashing a check, earning points and staying in the upper tiers of the bass fishing spot light. Who could blame them, they worked hard to get there and they earned their place as an Elite.

Now I admit, a co-angler can certainly have an impact on an “Elite Anglers” day on the water but, the co-angler is not your competitor. Quite frankly, you’re the “Elite Angler” (in the front of the boat) and if you missed that LM Bass that your co-angler caught, you had your chance, too bad! Things like that happen and that is why it’s called “Fishing”.

In the above ESPN blog, there are quite a few quotes from anglers and manufacturers that I would like to share with my personal opinions below them.

Greg Hackney was quoted as saying, “It’s the greatest thing to ever happen to the sport of bass fishing”

I personally find that really hard to digest when I think about the co-anglers and some of their dreams to maybe rub shoulders with the Elite by fishing as a co-angler some day. Am I to assume he (Greg Hackney) never fished as a co-angler climbing the ranks, I couldn’t really tell you. Does he forget that he was just an angler nobody knew at one time to?

“I certainly understand how the pros feel,” said Eric Naig of Pure Fishing, who has competed as co-angler. “But as a manufacturer it’s a little disappointing, because it’s been a great way for us to grow our pyramid of influence. I do understand, though.”

Not only will co-anglers feel the brunt of this decision but, manufacturers will also suffer from this imo. Most all the tackle companies rely on anglers for promotion, product visibility and education about their products at these tournaments through personal interaction. Let’s face it, without your aspiring bass angler buying their products, where would you and they be. Most of these same co-anglers are the bass fisherman that; cover the cost of your ELITE SPONSORS PAYCHECK, these same anglers are working with children and the public to ensure this great sport for future generations in their hometowns, while you fly or drive around to appear for a commercial or special event that revolves around sales.

“This is our job, though,” said Kevin Short, an Elite Series competitor who has been outspoken in his blogs on ESPNOutdoors.com about the role co-anglers play in the outcome of these events. “None of those guys are showing up trying to make their house payment or take care of their bills. They get to fish, possibly win, and go home. But in the process they can also change the outcome of one of our tournaments and impact a pro’s career.”

This is the one quote that I feel is really insensitive, careless & just plain ridiculous. What color are the clouds where you come from Kevin? Fact is, everyone is fishing in the competition to win, because they are competitive. I would also venture to say that most of the co-anglers face more of a financial burden to fish these tournaments than you and the other Elite Anglers dollar for dollar. Your entry fee might be more but, you have contributing sponsors helping you along. Most of the co-anglers are doing it all out of pocket and I’m sure there has been quite a few that have gone so far as to re-mortgage a house just to fish tournaments at this level and get a chance to fish with you Elite Bass Anglers. Don’t think for a minute that just because your an Elite, that you have it that much worse than the other guy that is supporting your sponsors and paying his own way.

“You’ve got to be careful with what you’re doing here,” said Elite Series angler Peter Thliveros. “Co-anglers are the guys that have perpetuated the myth of a lot of the top guys.

“Their word of mouth is how a lot of this industry was built to this point. Maybe so many of the stories don’t get out the way they used to and it turns into NASCAR where everybody knows you, but they don’t know you.”

Well said Peter! This decision will just add to the list of ways ESPN/Disney is loosing sight of what B.A.S.S. was once made of.

In Closing

As much as I would like to start adding quotes from the responses to this article and comment about them, I will leave that up to you to read and think about.

I would hope that someday soon, the bass fishing public can find out just where each of these ELITE ANGLERS stood concerning this decision. Maybe some of their sponsors should think about what kind of guy they are sponsoring and the possible snow-balling effect may have on them. As for the major B.A.S.S. sponsors, I hope it’s all worth it in the end without a following of anglers. It may be a good time to stock up on FLW Anglers. It is no wonder so many anglers have gone to FLW and I imagine many more will be making the switch soon enough.

If you would like to comment on this decision here, feel free. This is one topic that people should talk about.

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One of my favorite fishing lures is the senko or, I should say senko type bait. The baits I buy are not Gary Yamamoto and you won’t find them at Bass Pro Shop either. I fish a selection of Case Plastics Magic Sticks and more recently have been introduced to another company called Alluring Baits while on a guide trip for smallmouth bass. Alluring Baits has a version of the senko called the Salty Trick Stick which also works great, is more durable and much friendlier to your wallet than a package of Yamamoto Senkos.

Surfing the internet for information about bass fishing, bass lures and senkos to be more specific, you will see all kinds of debates about senkos, brands, which is better, fall rate and so on. It’s all a fishing game imo, every angler has their opinion and many of them love to express it. I’m willing to bet that the highest percentage of bass fisherman will say a Yamamoto senko is best, why, because everyone and their brother tells them that and some high paid professional gets paid to say it too. As an everyday angler, I beg to differ, I used Yamamoto at one time and yes they caught fish but, they don’t even begin to hold up, good for one fish if you’re lucky. I got tired of changing my senko after a fish hit my senko, by the time the day was done; I could have easily used 3 or 4 bags of Yamamoto senkos at what, $6.00 per bag. That’s $18.00 – $24.00 bucks for changing baits all day when I could have used half the amount of baits from a competitors brand like Case Plastics or Alluring Baits, caught just as many fish, and they are a whole lot cheaper to begin with. What would you rather have; 40 4″ Yamamoto senkos for $24.00 or 150 4″ Salty Trick Sticks for $24.00? This is a no-brainer folks, we are talking about a huge savings and your fishing can be just as productive, despite what your pro-bass buddy tells you. Fact is, if any of those above anglers spent as much time throwing a competitive brand, they could have confidence in other brands also. Don’t get hung up of what everyone thinks, try things for your self and see. Fishing will be allot more fun when it costs you half as much on tackle for the day on the water. If you really want to add to the savings, use the Parasite Clip while T/rigging a senko and never stop to fix that bait again. That package of Parasite Clips will actually make you money when each bag of senko baits lasts 3 times as long.

When selecting fishing a senko, there are a few things to consider, color, size, and fall rate, this is another part of the fishing games anglers play. Yes, they each matter but, if you concentrate on color first, the rest can easily be handled without having to use a Yamamoto senko. For instance: The hook brand, the hook size, even the wire size and riging methods like wacky rigging can all contribute or be substituted to change the fall rate and action of a senko. For those that have a swimming pool, you have the perfect place to play around and see just exactly what happens with different hooks and rigging methods. Once you know what that bait is going to do in the water, you can better adapt to the conditions and make adjustments while on the water. Fishing a senko can be loads of fun and doesn’t have to cost allot.

Easy Reference Links:

• http://www.alluringbaits.com/index.php
• http://caseplastics.com
• http://www.parasiteweights.com/index.html

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CONTACT:
Anglers Resource.org
http://www.anglersresource.org
Tournament Info: http://www.anglersresource.org/tournament.html
Anglers Resource Announces Online Bass Tournament To Start June 1st.

The Ultimate Fishing Resource Guide is now giving you the opportunity to participate in the Ultimate Bass Fishing Tournament. You will be able to compete against anglers from all over the country from your favorite lake (from shore or by boat). Now YOU will have the home field advantage!

The first 5 Entries will receive a 300yd spool of Spider Wire Ultra Cast!

The Next tournament will start on June 1, 2008 @ 12am and end June 30, 2008 at 11:59pm! Registration is from April 30, 2008 @ 12am – May 25, 2008 @ 11:59pm

There will be 2 divisions competing every month. Anglers may only compete against other anglers from their division. Anglers CAN NOT enter in both divisions. The 2 divisions will be determined by region. All rules above apply for both divisions.
- Division 1: Consist of anglers that live in Texas, California and Florida.
- Division 2: Consist of Anglers that live outside of Texas, California and Florida.

Every month there will be a new tournament, each tournament will run the entire month. You will take your top 5 BASS catches in that month and compete against other’s top 5 BASS in that month. The BASS will be scaled by length, and the most length between 5 BASS wins.

Registration will take place the month prior to the start on the first day of the previous month prior to the start of the tournament, and will end one week prior to the start of the tournament.

After registration each participant will receive a certified measuring tool (which is the only acceptable measuring tool that will be used). One week prior to the start of the tournament each participant will receive their tournament registration number, that is to be used in the photos, via E-MAIL.

All tournaments pay out 80% of the $30.00 entriy fees back as cash prizes! Part of the proceeds from the tournaments will be donated to charity! All results will be posted within one week after the end of the tournament. All results, and photos, will be posted online for everyone to view. All registered Professionals are NOT eligible to enter.

Verification is simple: the participant will need to take 2 photos of each fish they wish to submit.

Photo 1: A Picture where the BASS, the participant, and the registration number are all visible.
Photo 2: A CLEAR picture of the BASS length on the provided measuring tool, with the registration number.
All Photos will need to be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the last day of the tournament.
Visit AnglersResource.org Tournament Information Page For Sample Pictures.

Are you ready to compete against anglers from all over the country?
It’s time for you to show the world what you can catch!
ENTER HERE: http://www.anglersresource.org/registration.html

- END -

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For those that like to compete against others for bragging rights and some prizes. The Angling Centers online bass tournament has much more to offer the winners. Some of the great prizes being given away are; A couple of custom bass rods by JB Custom Bass Rods (valued at $250.00 each), products From Parasite Weights & Clips, Case Plastics, The Scroungers , JDC Baits, Mojo Lure Company, KVD Line & Lure Conditioner, CB’s Hawg Sauce and The Flip Clip. Each of these products is as unique and is sure to be an asset to the anglers competing in this online bass tournament.

Registration for this bass tournament is open till May 31st and the tournament will run for 2 months (June & July) with prizes being handed out for all kinds of things. You can see the guideline for this tournament and register to participate in the Angling Center Forums.

Don’t miss your chance at winning a custom rod and some other great prizes like the Scrounger. Online Bass Tournament Guidelines

If you think this is cool, tell your friends and pass on this information.

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KVD Line & Lure Conditioner is a non-toxic water based lubricant to condition your fishing line. When using this product; you can cast 25% – 30% further, virtually eliminate fishing line memory, twists and tangles, and you can rest assured you are using something environmentally safe. Unlike many other products for line treatment, KVD Line & Lure Conditioner has no petroleum distillates which feel slippery, pollute the environment and break down the internal lubricants of your high priced reel.

I’m not trying to knock down any other products that have been available for some time, just educate everyone to the facts that this product is different, with better qualities and is “ok” for the environment we work to keep clean for future generations.

If you haven’t tried KVD Line & Lure Conditioner on your line before and fish a lot, think about giving it a try. You can save money changing line less often, and with gas prices hovering around $3.50 per gallon, we can all use a savings some place.

You can visit there website for more information here: http://www.lineandlure.com

You can also find more good information and ask questions in the KVD Line & Lure forum here: http://theanglingcenter.com/index.php?topic=1089.0

We also have a lens on Squidoo which can be found here: http://www.squidoo.com/lineandlure

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A forum-based angling website dedicated to providing basic information for new anglers and specialized areas for the competetive anglers. The Angling Center (T.A.C.) covers all types of freshwater angling like LM Bass, Smallmouth Bass and Panfish, plus, any other fish you can think of. TAC provides the competetive angler a place to work for their sponsors and learn at the same time. We have a press-release section, fishing reports and a whole lot more. If your an angler and enjoy making friends online while learning, The angling Center may be right for you.

The Angling Center

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Parasite Weights has a very unique line of products that can save bass anglers loads of money on wasted soft-plastics. The Parasite Clips can keep senkos, toads, flukes or any other soft plastic bait, in place on the hook. Your soft-plastic offering can’t slide down and ball up on the hook. This saves anglers hassle and more importantly, MONEY!

The Parasite Weight does the exact same thing with the exception of adding weight to your bait. The Auto-Pegging Parasite Weight saves anglers time searching for tooth picks or other weight pegging assesories. If you are fishing an application that requires a pegged weight, Parasite Weights has your answer.

If you want to save time, hassle and money while fishing, check out the Parasite Weights line of incredible products.

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