Elite Series Co-Anglers

[fishing4kids]

[ I asked all the pros I fished with if they had a bad Co angler experiance and they all said yes!!!
I[/QUOTE]


I say YES tooo------sorry buddy had to----the voices told me tooo. LOL

[offdtop]

Another advantage of having a co-angler on board (reffering to unsportsmanlike conduct) If I am not mistaken wasn't KVD disqualified last year for letting his co-angler drive the boat while he sight fished or was looking for bedding fish from the bow? I think it was a hoot to be a co-angler and many of the "PRO's" of today were once co-anglers who did well and went on to the next level, so the question could be made: Where is the next generation of "Pro's" going to be groomed into being able to compete at the highest level and learn how to treat fans, other competitors etc...? JMO

[trent colvin]

THAT'S the reason I call you STICK... not your prowess with a fishing rod!!!

[raincheck]

I think its insurance reasons,not sure who it was but one co-angler was tosed out of a boat.Just what i heard at a tournament i was fishing so i don't know the facts.Terry Adolph

[Toadman]

Another advantage of having a co-angler on board (reffering to unsportsmanlike conduct) If I am not mistaken wasn't KVD disqualified last year for letting his co-angler drive the boat while he sight fished or was looking for bedding fish from the bow? I think it was a hoot to be a co-angler and many of the "PRO's" of today were once co-anglers who did well and went on to the next level, so the question could be made: Where is the next generation of "Pro's" going to be groomed into being able to compete at the highest level and learn how to treat fans, other competitors etc...? JMO

He was looking for bedding fish while the co-angler was driving and it was during practice not the tournament. I think the co-angler he was practicing with was his nephew. I remember reading about it when it happened. He didn't even get to start the tournament. Someone turned him in and he did not deny it when questioned. He said he did not even realize that the co-angler operation of the boat included the official practice period.
I think taking the co-anglers out of the Elites is a mistake but that is just my opinion.

[DJD]

The more that they regulate this series the closer they will become to being Elite. That in itself will cause many problems and negative attitudes towards these guys/BASS. They want to be untouchable? Well let them be. The fans make this sport always have and always will.
I love to fish for bass and at one time when I was younger I dreamed of doing that for a living but not anymore. Especially now with the cost of gas and equipment. I can see a potential decline in interest with these pro tournaments because of this. JMO

[offdtop]

He was looking for bedding fish while the co-angler was driving and it was during practice not the tournament. I think the co-angler he was practicing with was his nephew. I remember reading about it when it happened. He didn't even get to start the tournament. Someone turned him in and he did not deny it when questioned. He said he did not even realize that the co-angler operation of the boat included the official practice period.
I think taking the co-anglers out of the Elites is a mistake but that is just my opinion.

I agree, I like KVD, I kind of thought it was BS I was only referring to having a "co-angler" on board, if it wasn't for the amount of $$$ it requires I would have entered as many as I could for sheer knowledge alone, I have had the priviledge to fish with a few of the "big boys" and I learned alot merely about bait selection - those little things they DON'T share!!

[Bobby Headrick]

They want to make this a truly pro event, if you are fishing for a living and trying to get a check a co angler could hurt your chance, there is articles on Bassmaster and also Bassfan about. Personally I think this will not hurt Bass as the crowds come to see the elite not the co anglers. Also they will be having non fishing observers so still some lucky person can ride with them during the tourney. If I was at that level I would not like someone catching my fish our throwning at any I miss. Also some co anglers can either be an advantage or disadvanatge. Golf does not have co golfers. Fishing is an individual sport, unless you are on a team trail. I think they did the right thing, but we will see.

[SuperSprint007]

On the one hand I would have liked to fish in a boat with one of the elite series guys, but I also would not want to be the one who screws up the pro. So I guess I like the rule, and will investigate what it costs to do a ride along. I think it would be a great time to see just how hard these guys work out there.
I have been a co-angler in BFL and Bass and have enjoyed it a lot. I also try extra hard not to screw up a spot the boater has found. In smaller club tournaments I have fished with guys who dont know how to flip or pitch and cast in front of me all the time, it drives me a little insane and I am only fishing for $20, could not imagine fishing for 10,000 cut line and have some idiot doing stupid stuff in the boat.

[the_donger]

I don't think the comparison to golf is legitimate. They do golf in pairs or foursomes in the tournaments. Co-anglers can be an advantage in my opinion. If a pro fisherman were to ask his co-angler to start casting a particular lure/size to see if it is catching fish while he casts another, how many co-anglers would say no? Even if just one agrees, there is the advantage gained. And what if the co-angler offers to give the pro a large fish he caught in exchange for cash after the tourney is over? etc...

[RC5]

Trent the way the rules read in your hypothetical Dave Stuart situation, the Day one guy has the spot Dave gave it up so it's Pro #1's spot. I recently had the opportunity to talk extensively on a personal level with Mark Menendez and I asked him just how much info exchange he thought went on and he said 90 % of the guys get info after cut offs. He said a perfect example was the Old Hickory event this past month. He said he thought it should of been on of the most fair events that Bass has had in recent years. Well he said a guy that won a Weekend Series a couple of weeks before got 8 phone calls the week before. Also one of my friends that fishes Kentucky regularly got a call a couple of weeks before Kentucky Barkley. So how Elite is the field really??? Trip Weldon's son was there when I was talking to Mark too, and he brought up a good point. Your trying to grow the sport so how does it look if you ream someone for breaking rules like that it comes back on to them and us as being shady and untrustworthy. So is getting rid of the co-angler gonna make it a true elite field, maybe it's a step. Yet will you ever keep things completely even out on the water... NO, but thats just the nature of our sport.

[Owskiwoski]

I am new to the site and have enjoyed all the topics you guys talk about. As for the Elite series, there is a good chance that the tournament fees are going to go to $10,000 per tournament. Their goal is to market these anglers like the drivers in NASCAR. The rumor is that they want to cut the series to 25 anglers only. They feel it will be better to market 25 rather than 100. I think the elimination of the co-angler is one step closer to these changes. I know many anglers have said they are done if the fees are raised. It will be interesting to see what other changes are made.