Looks like I’ll get my wish to see if Wheeler is only good in the MLF format or if he can hack it in a best 5 fish tour! This is a good change for the BPT IMO.
https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/scoring-changes-announced-for-2023-bass-pro-tour/
I heard a rumor they might be doing this. I like it too.
Are all MLF events top 5? I thought their previous format made them unique, or at least different from Bassmasters Elite. I like both formats.
I will like it better.
Even the best anglers in the world fish differently when it’s a dink-fest – catching as many fish as possible in a 7 hour period. Most fish they catch average about a pound-and-a-half. Yawn –
I don’t know about you guys, but if I’m catching a bunch of 15 inchers, I’m doing something wrong and need to adjust to get better quality.
Yes, even if I only catch 5 good ones versus 20 dinks. Anyone can catch a bunch of small fish, show me how the best fishermen are catching the better quality fish and you have my undivided attention.
I’m all for an improved format, but I think the change is a reflection that they are losing viewers like me.
I didn’t watch many BPT events in the past couple of years, but it seems to me when I did watch live coverage that the guys who were on top weren’t getting there by only racking up small fish. Mille Lacs was won by DC because he caught a giant. Without that fish, Walker wins.
While not a fan of the format, I do think some were, and I do think it’s good for the sport to have two different formats. The MLF reminds me of society today where when something doesn’t immediately yield the desired results, change is made before thinking about the long term ramifications.
I’ve never gotten into MLF at all. Not because of the dink fest, but because their tours and formats are confusing, never knew when/where they were fishing, the boat official with some referee stripes is cheesy, until recently they didn’t have live coverage and now the live coverage isn’t very good. I really like the Bassmaster live coverage because they talk with the anglers more and you can see what they’re doing, whereas the MLF live coverage is a constant jumping around to different anglers and only showing them landing and weighing the fish. You never see the lead up to the bite and hookset, and they don’t talk much in-depth of how they’re fishing.
I apologize, I didn’t read the link posted, too lazy I guess.
My question is, are they still doing catch, weigh, and release? Or are they bringing their top 5 into the weigh in?
Im fine with whatever format they choose I just hope they continue with releasing the fish immediately in the area from which they were caught.
In my opinion that’s what’s best for the fisheries and the sport in the long term.
I’ve never gotten into MLF at all. Not because of the dink fest, but because their tours and formats are confusing, never knew when/where they were fishing, the boat official with some referee stripes is cheesy, until recently they didn’t have live coverage and now the live coverage isn’t very good. I really like the Bassmaster live coverage because they talk with the anglers more and you can see what they’re doing, whereas the MLF live coverage is a constant jumping around to different anglers and only showing them landing and weighing the fish. You never see the lead up to the bite and hookset, and they don’t talk much in-depth of how they’re fishing.
Exactly why I haven’t gotten into it also. Most of my favorite anglers fish MLF too and I still would rather watch BASS.
I apologize, I didn’t read the link posted, too lazy I guess.
My question is, are they still doing catch, weigh, and release? Or are they bringing their top 5 into the weigh in?
Im fine with whatever format they choose I just hope they continue with releasing the fish immediately in the area from which they were caught.
In my opinion that’s what’s best for the fisheries and the sport in the long term.
Yeah that would’ve helped ya! HA. They are changing to heaviest five fish for scoring but it’s still catch, weigh, release. So they are still going to have the dumb no fish weigh ins I’d imagine.
Yeah that would’ve helped ya! HA. They are changing to heaviest five fish for scoring but it’s still catch, weigh, release. So they are still going to have the dumb no fish weigh ins I’d imagine.
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Wish the local 400 tournaments would do this. The one day on south center we counted 13 bigger size bass floating at the launch about a hour after weigh in. Pretty sad if you ask me, and hard to proud being a part of that. Wasn’t the first time or the last time. Seen the same on Chisago at the beach they weighed in at, but it was only 3 fish. Livewells are hard on fish and live bags are even worse. Should be illegal just like it is to a normal angle.
Obviously we’ve had this debate before. Some tournaments are run with absolutely no respect for the fish. But those are less than 5% I would estimate. Bass anglers are not the ones to came after for not respecting resources or fish.
For the record, I wouldn’t have a problem with catch weigh release for heaviest five fish. The problem would be that cheating would be rampant without a good way to stop it.
For the record, I wouldn’t have a problem with catch weigh release for heaviest five fish. The problem would be that cheating would be rampant without a good way to stop it.
Ya there’s no way they could put a Marshall in each boat for verification of that in all these smaller tournaments. Not to mention the issue of using a universal, calibrated scale that is exactly the same in each boat too.
What they could do is use length like they did at your first tournament last year though. Kayak tournaments all use it. Muskie tournaments use it. Many walleye formats also now use it. Lay it on a measuring board or a hawg trough, take a photo, and release it.
So what would you suggest for a catch and release format? Put a Marshall in every boat?
You would have to have everyone have the same scale, record everyone zeroing their scale at check in, and then require a picture of the fish being weighed with the whole fish and scale in the pic. It is so much extra I don’t think it will happen more than a couple tourney series here and there on the local levels. Major tours may change and some have. But I think weigh ins will always be king in the bass world good or bad.
For the record, I’ve never lost a bass from my 1999 livewell in the 5 years of tourney fishing I’ve done. In our 7 events this year we only weighed one dead bass and that is a penalty in ours and just about all leagues. It doesn’t take much to keep these fish safe and healthy.
For the record, I’ve never lost a bass from my 1999 livewell in the 5 years of tourney fishing I’ve done. In our 7 events this year we only weighed one dead bass and that is a penalty in ours and just about all leagues. It doesn’t take much to keep these fish safe and healthy.
You put a tracking collar on these fish to make sure they were still alive in the days after then I’m assuming since you said you have never killed a bass. I guarantee that is not the case. I’d say almost 100% of the floaters weren’t released like that. Fish die after weigh in all the time. Bass, walleye, panfish it dossent matter. Riding around in a livewell all day stresses them out. With the fact you are doing it all through the summer I’m giving you a 0% chance that every fish you released lived. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be fishing in them or they should be banned but you seem to be in complete denial of what happens after it’s over.
Read again. Did I say I’ve never killed one? I said I’ve never lost a bass from my livewell. I also never said they might not have died later on. But I doubt it. Released healthy and strong. Could a small percentage of them die after? Sure. But I believe it’s minimal in my case. Thanks for your wonderful post and accusations when you know nothing about me. 
AND for the record, I almost always fish the same lake a day or two later after a tournament I’ve had to see if I can replicate what the winner was doing and I’ve NEVER seen more than one of two floaters on the lake. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but in my experience in the leagues I’ve been in we don’t kill many fish.
You would have to have everyone have the same scale, record everyone zeroing their scale at check in, and then require a picture of the fish being weighed with the whole fish and scale in the pic. It is so much extra I don’t think it will happen more than a couple tourney series here and there on the local levels. Major tours may change and some have.
Ya I don’t really see that working very well. Maybe it would.
I think you and most tournament bass anglers are pretty devoted to what they’re trying to do here, which is preserve the resource. I also believe that mortality is relatively low, even in a weigh in. In warmer months, there is certainly an elevated risk. I just think that an immediate release is better than a weigh in in terms of mortality, that’s all. If we can find a way to reduce mortality, we should.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
You would have to have everyone have the same scale, record everyone zeroing their scale at check in, and then require a picture of the fish being weighed with the whole fish and scale in the pic. It is so much extra I don’t think it will happen more than a couple tourney series here and there on the local levels. Major tours may change and some have.Ya I don’t really see that working very well. Maybe it would.
I think you and most tournament bass anglers are pretty devoted to what they’re trying to do here, which is preserve the resource. I also believe that mortality is relatively low, even in a weigh in. In warmer months, there is certainly an elevated risk. I just think that an immediate release is better than a weigh in in terms of mortality, that’s all. If we can find a way to reduce mortality, we should.
I think every angler would agree that immediate release would be better. But the bass world has conservation at the forefront more than any other anglers and even when we do weigh ins it the fish are only in the bags for less that a minute or two. It’s what has to be done to keep rampant cheating out of the sport.
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