What do you Think About the BASS Marshal Program?

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Scott Hammer TOXIC

Scott Hammer TOXIC

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Was reading about the elimination of the co anglers from the Elite series and the formation of the Marshals. Personally, I think it would be worth a hundred bucks to spend 2 possibly 3 days on the water with an Elite Series pro. I think I am in the minority though. The way I look at it is that you get to see how they pick the water apart and don't have to spend the $700 it used to be for the co angler fee. I might just do it up on Smith Mountain. Location is fairly close (sucks that they dropped the Potomac from the schedule this year) and I would like to learn the lake.



TOXIC
 
If all you had to do was sit there, watch the pro, and make sure he doesn't cheat it might be a really good deal. BASS wants you to pay them $100 to work for them. I'd rather spend $100 on some new tackle.
 
Wow... Tox... give me a hundred a day and you can follow me around "at work". I'll even promise to talk to you and answer questions. I'll bet some of the Pros will treat these "Marshalls" real nice and some will be "neutral" and then some of them will get the cold shoulder and "kiss my bass". I would try it once if it was on a lake/river that really was of interest. But, I would not be eager to do it on some water I was familiar with...
 
for a 100 bucks i will fill up my boat and foolow who i want, and if they arent catching fish, i will find someone that is.

mike c
 
Mike C - For 10 bucks you can follow me and I will show you where the fish are on Anna!



LOL
 
bill,

what time do we launch? your boat or mine?

mike c
 
For the price of a Franklin, you'll come away with at least that much or more swag during the event. The quality of your day will be solely at the discretion of your angler paired with. Don't expect a "buddy" trip and be helpful and courteous. Also, don't be surprized if your "Marshal" duties include some scut work that gets rolled downhill at you. It's a small price to pay IF you get a good pairing. If not, the worse you're out is some time and a fistfull of twenties. ;)
 
I guess we'll never know unless sombody puts up the scratch and does it. I contacted Yamamoto and they thought it was great story material. I'm in. #30 for the Blue Ridge Brawl on Smith Mountain. Being #30 it means I will get to participate Saturday as well (50 angler cut). I'll keep you posted. Now I just have to find a cheap place to stay cause I ain't sleepin in the truck:lol::lol:!!



TOXIC
 
Good Luck Tox, I hope you get good pairings. I don't see paying a $100.00 to watch someone fish, when you have to fight the elements also. You will also be given a phone and be expected to call in every fish and it's weight and a camera (I think) to take some pics with. Your main reason for being on the boat is to keep the angler honest. I looked into and decided it was not worth the money including travel, food, motel.



I did fish 4 of the Elite's as a co-angler the first year. I fished with two legeds, some really great guys and one d**khead.



Have Fun.



BF

 
You pay a hundred bucks to be a boat anchor for a day??? :huh:



If this takes off then I believe I should be able to get $50.00 to carry some bozo around the Potomac for a day, and I'll even bring him a sandwich! That will pay for the fuel, give me day of fishing, and he can look at the back of my "Sponsored by my Wallet" shirt all day.:lol::lol::lol:



Sponsored by my wallet. (A member of MY WALLET Pro Staff)

NO, I didn't get a free bag of worms, rod/reel, shirt, hat,

or push my nose up someones "O" ring to say that!

Captain Mike (USCG Master 100 GRT)
 
When Y'all qualify and fish the Elites and have say....... over a million in winnings...., I'll gladly pay a hundy to ride in yer boat.;) Till then, shut yer pie holes:lol::lol: Just because you have some secret holes on the Potomac (or wherever you fish every weekend/weekday all season long) and can regularly harvest a good bag, maybe even get a check in a T or 2, and know the patterns, you aren't knockin heads with these boys all over the country and on different bodies of water in different conditions. Yeah we all think we are good and we all know these guys put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us but these guys, even the "no names" that fish the Elite Series, have taken it to a level that I would venture a guess most of us will ever see. It's a lot more than just being a good stick. If'n you think yer good enough to go side by side with these guys, I say pony up cowboys and show what you've got. What's stopping you? I know I can't and I ain't no fishin groupie but I want to see just how these pro's (and I get to witness 3 different anglers for my hundy), approach the sport. I don't want a buddy trip and I don't expect an on the water seminar...(regardless of what VanDam said in his ESPN article) I don't need it, but I do know enough about the sport to be able to see for myself how these guys seperate themselves from the rest of us. I've got 3 shots at observing some of the best fishermen in the world and it's worth it to me. You can bet I'll call it the way I see it and if it is a waste of time then I'll be the first one to admit it. Co anglers in the Elites paid $700 a T to be boat anchors and not even have the luxury to be able to really watch the pro do his deal. Besides, from everything I read, the "co" was not wanted or liked by the majority of the pro's. That's why we are where we are. Some may say I bought into the "hype" but for a minimial investment, I'll get to go see for myself. I am actually excited about it.



TOXIC
 
For the hundred you will get more than that in prizes including the self inflating PFD that is sullied by Mustang.



Would I do it? I doubt it. I dont think I can be on the water that long without fishing unless I am drinking! lol
 
HAHAH Mini, you could bring a "roadie" with you and that will help pass the day!



 
I guess my training as a guide, I'm used to watching people fish all day long and they ain't Elite Series quality either!! :lol::lol: I realize it isn't for everybody but hey, It'll be one hell of a show for the price of admission!! I hope it's nasty blowin and all out crappy weather. That would make it perfect!!



TOXIC
 
hey mike,

where can i get a sponsered by my wallet shirt.

 
Tox, Like you said I was to busy most of the time to sit back and watch what they were doing or how they picked the water apart most of the time trying to at least earn my money back. I did lay down my rod at one time so I could go to the front of the boat to watch John Murry fish a spoon on KY lake. You could see the fish and the spoon on his electronics and it was cool. Don't get me wrong I did pay attention and I learned a lot about people and fishing in those 4 weeks.



You are also right about the pro not wanting the co-angler not being wanted on the boat, because he or she was eating his lunch as they say for catching fish the pro missed.



I hope you have a Great Trip.



BF



P.S Uncle Billy, I will send you an e-mail with the D**kheads name
 
I agree with Toxic that those anglers are the best of the best. They're professionals and should be. But, personally I really don't believe that their fishing all over the country in different venues and climatic conditions is that big a deal.

I doubt any of these guys are told, with little notice, that the next tourney they will be fishing is on Lake Titicaca day after tomorrow and they have never even heard of the place. They have a schedule that tells them where they will be fishing and they all know a myriad of anglers, including local guides, on these lakes who constantly feed them information and enjoy doing so usually as a matter of hero worship. That and the plethora of electronic information out there gives them a heck of a jump start. Don't get me wrong, what they do with info is what separates the men from the boys. That and the fact that they fish virtually every single day unless they are traveling.

They were very good amateur anglers and knew how to sell themselves to sponsors before they went on any type of Pro tour and that's what probably pushed them on to become the best of the best..

In my opinion, and only my opinion and not trying to start a fight or another thread, I believe that Roland Martin was the best angler out there, period. But he never won a Classic? Anyone ever try to figure out why? A few years ago, back in the rear of a restaurant while on vacation in the Outer Banks, Nancy nor anyone I was staying down there with knew who I was talking about when Ray Scott came in with a others to eat.

As a devout member of B.A.S.S. in those days I knew immediately who he was but didn't know the others with him. Later that evening I heard Ray Scott talking about some of the Pros and who he thought would win the classic. He said he didn't have a clue as he saw most of the anglers packing away all sorts of deep diving plugs when Currituck sound, on average, was 3 to 4 feet deep which brought out a lot of laughs.;) He opined that maybe, because he invariably used rubber worms, etc., that in his top five list was Tom Mann. Just as I got up the nerve to say something to him, one of my friends who had heard me say a bunch of stuff stood up and asked why, while winning everything else, Roland Martin couldn't win the Classic?? Mr. Scott answered that he thought it may be because Roland never knew where the classic was going to be until he was in the air so he couldn't get any information and therefore a jump on where he was going. Roland won everything when he knew just what was going on and where he was going to fish.

I don't think I would pay anything just to ride around with an angler while taking pictures and recording size and weight of the fish caught. I'm with Mini, I don't think I could do that without casting once in a while or the Pro Angler Boater had prepared a nice lunch for me and also had a 1.75 bottle of Tuaca stored away:eek:;) BUT, the above average angler, like Toxic, who may want to improve his own game, I have no trouble with.



Uncle Billy













 
Bill is correct. The networking is the basis for the cross country pre-fishing for these guys. I deal with a few of them for tournaments around here and in SC as far as getting them up to date information on the patterns prior to them coming and a little actual fishing prior to the cut-off. Without this, they would be really handicapped. If your feeding your family with this job, you need every advantage you can get! That includes binoc pre-fishing:lol:



I did the team/draw tournaments Saturday, drive that night and fish another Sunday and then drive home for work on Monday. Using vacation for long distance and multi-day events was a norm. Did that from 1982 to 1994 in SC back when we would have 100+ boats in most events and there were real sponsors like Red Man, Armor Star, Lowrance, Mercury, OMC, and they were at every tournament! The events held now are a far cry from the original ones held back then. Now we see a "Bubba's hitch shop" cetificate for a free bedliner? :lol::lol::lol: During this period of blind luck, I won enough money to pay for the trips, got lots of nice trophies, and burned myself out at the same time. But I got to fish all over the US doing it and learned allot.



Having moved around some and had the privilege of being able to salt/freshwater fish from coast to coast as well as out of the country, I always like getting out with the locals in those areas and learn what they are doing to put fish in the boat. For me, this is a better approach to gaining on-the-water knowledge of information that is readily available and you can build some long term relationships with folks all over. (A guy that I learned to "really" Red fish with from Port Arthur, TX elk hunts with me in Colorado every year.) What you "might" learn from a so-called Pro, came from a local somewhere. :)



As far as fishing the Elites, being away from home 200+ days per year and fishing is NOT my idea of having a good time. Sleeping in your truck event to event is NOT my idea of having a good time. Eating mustard sandwiches in NOT my idea of having a good time. 90% of these "full time pro's" don't even make 50 grand a year and they have nothing that REALLY belongs to them. The few that get the press like Van Damit are just that, a few really good fisherman that have made a real good living doing it. You have a better chance at getting struck by lightning! I couldn't trade my 6 figures & 2012 retirement date for that opportunity......



Mike C, you
 
mike,

of course i would pay for it, if i did not then i wouold be sponsered by you.

mike c

would this be on a tournament shirt or tee shirt?
 
I'm not sponsoring anyone but myself!!:lol:

What's a tournament shirt? :D
 
Good points one and all. It should be common knowledge that the pro's get information and that the "old salt" local anglers that live on or near their home body of water could more than likely wax a pro brought in blind. Remember, these guys do the same thing as any other tournament circut. They just fish nationwide and pay a lot more in entry fees. They also eventually learn the waters they fish every year and then get nudged in the right direction by locals, guides, prefishing, whatever.



Ah, the old sponsor beef.:lol: I'd wager that none, zero, zip, nada, of the Elites would be fishing without sponsors. I have the utmost respect for the pros sponsors. I heard it put this way...For every bag of Yamamoto, for example, plastics I get for free or give away, I have to sell 10 bags to make it worth their while. I never forget that. So "sponsor" is a loose term. Sponsored fishermen work for their sponsorship. There's nothing given for free. It would be a lot simpiler to be sponsored by my wallet.:lol:



What made up my mind was the fact that if I go to a Wizards or a Redskins game, I would spend way, way more than $100 for 2-3 hours of "pro" sports. For that same $100 I can spend 3 days watching my favorite "pro" sport from the best seat in the house, get a few freebies and go to some closed door events with all of the pros. I realize some could never sit and watch but for me, not a problem!!



TOXIC
 
Toxic, though I won't be paying the $100 bucks to sit in the boat for 3 days, I hope you have fun!!



And on the sponsor issued, I agree with you, if they didn't have those sponsors they would be doing it. Even the no name guys couldn't do it, I mean $55k for entry fees is a lot of money!! And I know what you mean about working for what sponsors you have, spend alot of road time working for them, and I do not get reimbursed for that either! If it had not been for the few I have, I would not have been able to fish as much last year as I did, gas was killing me!
 
I don't see it any different than spending $100 on Bassmaster University. This way you're on the water with them and even if the guy doesn't tell you a lot about what he's doing and why you can pick out little nuggets by just watching. If you get lucky and get a good guy so much the better. I'd consider doing it. Good comparison about other pro sports BTW.



Gene
 
Tox, you dont have to get a room to go watch a game (well some might).



Nothing in life is free. Sure I get some product, but I work for it.



Not a single Elite Pro can make it without sponsor help. I knwo plenty that have bet their future on making it and are now out of the game. The costs have gone way up and the competition is getting better and better.



Locals that help come in differnt ways. Some pros dont want information other than basic stuff about the fishery. They DO NOT want the what/where/whens on how you are catching them. I have been called by a bunch of different people and have been asked plenty about St Clair. The best one was KVD a few days after he won his first Classic. I was standing in the airport catching a flight to Houston when he called. I thought it was a joke....but soon realized it was him and he told me he didnt want to know the three w's. Just a general overview on what was happening. I told him, he didnt listen to all of it and it cost him a win. Sherry was a little miffed at him after the tourney...lol



You cannot GIVE Clunn info. Or Kennedy. Some guys like to figure it out by themselves. Now Roland Martin is COMPLETELY different. He would take whatever he could get....and I heard he paid pretty well too...lol



 
Scott - No matter how much hearsay, conjecture, speculation, or armchair perception from TV or any media you hear given as "fact", you will never know what it's like to fish six, travel one, fish six, travel one,......until you immerse yourself into it, if only for a few days.(Not including required weekly meetings, fan appreciation days, and sponsor debts thrown in like open house, meet & greets, tag-alongs...) It's a lot of work and a lot of time away from family just for one event, let alone six or seven years and more as some have done. :rolleyes: Don't let a bunch of nay-saying get your dobber in the dirt. It's like dock talk at a T; avoid it or ignore it. Decide from your own experience. Heck, you might look back five years from now and feel you're glad you did it even if it wasn't what you expected. (After all, we're talking about $100 and a few days close to home!?!?!?) Do it for yourself, not to prove someone else's theory right or wrong. Let them grow a set and prove themselves if they choose. :p Good luck and have fun! :D Chalk up my ramblings no higher than all the rest. What do I know? :lol::huh::wacko:;):cool:
 
I think KVD is a little "optimistic" in his assesment (I'll ask him if I draw him) but I do think that since the pressure will be off the pros from the backseat, they might be a little more agreeable than before. Besides, this is what they wanted so they better not poo-poo it right out of the gate or I'll bet the co's will be right back in there!! I'm not trying to justify my choice. I would have done it one way or the other. Now I get to go "on assignment" for Yamamoto and do a series of articles on the Inside Line so as it turns out, I'll get paid for the experience. I love it when a plan comes together. If you look at the price of attending any pro sports event here in the DC area (even without a room) it averages $3-400 for a single 2-3 hour game be it the Wizards, Caps or Redskins. You can get by a little cheaper with DC United (soccer) because the tickets are cheaper. I've done the Wizards and Skins with my son and let me tell you by the time you get "good" tickets, parking, food, etc., this is a deal...at least for me. Actually you should be comparing 3 games because that's how many days I'll be on the water. AND....after all of the above, how many times do you get to go out to dinner with the "players"? I better shut up, I'm giving away all of my first article!!:lol:



TOXIC
 
Is it really the idea of spending $100 or the idea that someone else is making you pay to do a job for them?



Personally, if there were a tournament close to my proximity in which I could participate as an observer "monitoring" the angler. I would not mind paying the $100, even if I felt like someone else should be paid to do this job. Also, wouldn't the angler be sucking up to you? This way if there were a borderline issue, they would feel you would help them out? I would like to observe a professional for three days fishing. I know I could pick up some things that would benefit me from a standpoint of catching more fish. I fish 2-3 days a week during fishing season here in Indiana, so I really love the sport and $100 would be an inexpensive way to learn more, which I believe I would. One thing I would like to witness is just how accurate they are able to cast. Heck I might even GPS all the spots where they leave baits and go back and get them later :)



I think most of us that fish on our own lakes would be tough to beat in a tournament. If you don't fish a lot of different bodies of water you would not be as versatile as these professionals that fish deep lakes/shallow lakes, lakes in the east, west, south and north. Another advantage that some of the pros have is the lakes are manipulated sometimes to make fishing better. This could be the result of the dates tournaments are scheduled for a particular lake or the lake being drawn down or whatever. I understand that the viewing public wants to see the pros catching a lot of fish. How many boats, rods, reels and fishing equipment are sold as the result of a well televised, hotly contested and big bags of fish type tournament?



Anyway, I would give more than $100 if they would let me pick out who I wanted to observe.



Some of the tournaments we have in these parts are not really fair. Some of the teams that win the tournaments put out their own brush piles, that they can move from one spot to the other. They know which direction they can pull a crankbait through the brush as to getting hung up if not knowing this. They might set up 20 brushpiles and usually will catch enough fish to either win or place very high in the tournament. To me this does not seem really fair. So you choose to either participate or not to participate, I have chosen to date to not participate in these tournaments. To really be in the money you have to decide if you want to play this way or not. This is what happens when money gets involved in sports, people start cheating and figuring out ways to manipulate rules.



Who would really be the most successful fisherman if all things were equal? If the anglers were not allowed any information from anyone, if they were not told of the lakes they would fish. Even in this scenario it would be possible for some anglers to have more time on the lakes chosen, even if they were not scheduled.



I would like to take a pro on my home lake and have them show me how to catch fish when I am having trouble catching 1-2 keepers in a day.



In thinking about what some of you have said regarding information. Can you imagine what you would feel like if Rick Clunn or KVD were fishing a tournament on your home lake and came to ask you for information? I think it would be very hard to not just spill your guts.





Kevin
 
BTW it was 600 bones for 4 tickets to a Redskins gmae, plus parking, plus chow..that one left a mark!
 
C3,...There were 2 Lions tickets for sale for $20.00 each last weekend in our coffee room at work and they DIDN'T sell!! LOL!!! BUT,....when they're 0-15 and facing a new record for the worst team ever,..that game will be a sell-out!! I'll just watch it on TV!! It will be interesting to see how the fans react....i bet they'll just litter the field with all kindsa crap if they go 0-16,..OR...the place will erupt like they won the super bowl!!! It will be hilarious either way!!!:rolleyes:



Now,..back to the Marshall Plan....(sorry for the partial hi-jack!!):huh:
 
No problem Mac, Detroit doesn't qualify as a "pro" team:lol::lol: In my analogy, I also forgot the Nationals as another example of pro sports here in my area, they are just as expensive. Bassinboy104 you hit on some sore topics for Tournament anglers. Planted brushpiles are a constant in most any body of water and the canned response usually is "either plant your own....or go find everybody elses"!! It's a free country!!:lol::p It's alsways going to be hard to beat a local who is a 3rd generation lake dweller or someone who has the ability to spend a lot of time on the water. As a guide, I am banned from some of the tournament trails on Lake Anna for that reason. I personally know a VERY successfull tournament angler who has a "route" delivery job and works nights and early mornings. He gets to spend every day on the water he wants and it pays off. Every guide or pro will tell you there is nothing that compares to time on the water, nothing. You can get all the intel in the world and usually it is marginal help on T day. BTW as a Marshal, I am not allowed to carry a GPS!!:lol: That's another one of the reasons I wanted to do this, I know nothing about SML and it is my type of water. What better way to get a tour.;) I still don't get why everybody refers to the "pay $100 to work"?? Just what do you think there is to do? I won't be cleaning the carpet or waxing the boat. C'mon, there's no "work" involved. Personally I think it is a good thing they make you pony up some cash for the back seat. Shows you have an interest and a committment to the sport. As far as whipping a pro on your home water, I think you would be suprized at how tough that would be. When asked, I always tell my clients that fishing is like a 500 piece jig saw puzzle every day you go out. It's the angler who can put the puzzle together the fastest or the most complete who will take home a check. Season, wind, water color, water temp, structure, cover, tide, depth, natural food source, moon phase, baro pressure, fronts, spawn, and on and on....add to that the zillions of bait choices for every different condition and your confidence lures, that's a big puzzle!! The pro's are experts at putting together the puzzle anywhere, antime and on any body of water. That's why they are pro's.



Like it or not, I'll keep everybody posted on what happens and take my laptop with me.:p



TOXIC
 
i will be interested in who you draw and where they take you, since i spent alot of days on the water there, and am pretty familiar with the lake, it will be interesting to see what pattern wins.

mike c
 
I read the spew on the website about how great of an idea it is for me to pay $100 to baby-sit a pro for 3 days. I actually felt insulted by bass that they would take me to be so naive. I'm pretty sure the pro isn't going to be in the mood to detail his every move while at work.



First, BASS removes Florida from the Elite schedule for the foreseeable future, and then the removal of co-anglers to baby-sitters.



I'm so glad I didn't renew my membership.
 
Just so you bass guys don't feel special... The new AIM (Angler's Insight Marketing) series of tournaments (the circuit is owned by 30 or more big name Walleye Pros) is going to use a similar format for Co-Anglers, but charge $250 and allow the Co to fish but no competitive payoff... just door prizes awarded by a draw...



Like I want to cough up the expenses of travel, food and lodging for how ever many days and get a door prize for my time, effort and money. The arrogance is a bit too much for my sensibilities.



There will be many who will participate and I wish them only the best. I will continue to participate, if at all, in FLW events.
 
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