B.A.S.S. 2018 Opens: End of the average Joe?
B.A.S.S. has released the 2018 Opens Schedule. Is this a smart new way for the organization to weed out the cities and states that have not been a huge success for the organization in past tournaments? Or is it a way to have anglers think twice before fully committing to the season? For me, it looks like only the angler with a significant amount of money will be able to compete in the Opens tournament and the regular average Joe is being pushed to the side.
“We are excited about the new Opens format,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “It’s designed to provide opportunities for the best bass fishermen to prove their fishing skills on a variety of waters as they earn their way into the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series.”
Instead of three divisions of three tournaments each, in 2018 B.A.S.S. has decided to only have two divisions, Central and East. Each division will host four tournaments. A combined a season finale Opens Championship will be held in October.
New rules state that only the winners of each event and the top 10 in points qualify for the Opens Championship. This means that there will only be 28 Pros and 28 Cos that qualify.
“The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Championship will be a no-entry-fee tournament pitting some of the nation’s best bass anglers against one another,” Akin said. “The smaller, more elite field of championship qualifiers can be expected to create more excitement, attract a bigger fan base and generate more media coverage than ever before in Opens competition.”
No entry fee might sound great for a lot of anglers but when you look at the cost of getting to the championship, it just won’t add up for many, especially the Co-Anglers. For someone like me who has a family, fishing the Opens as a Co-Angler is no longer a weekend trip. With the distance and the cost, I will have to take off approximately 4 weeks of work just to have a shot at the points.
Here is what my estimated costs will look like if I decided to fish all 4 tournament in the East Division:
• Registration fees: $1700
• Lodging: $1400
• Gas/Travel: $1400
• Food: $500
• Gas for the boater: $600
• Bait, Line, Gear, etc.: $800
Grand Total: $6400
Wow! That’s a lot of money for the average Joe. Unless you are an angler with a paid sponsorship, you’ve won the lotto or are fairly rich, I don’t know who can pull that off while working and supporting a family. This number while it is a guestimate doesn’t take into consideration the amount of time off you have to take from work either.
Bassmaster Southern Opens #1 2017
PC: Racket Media
Will this be the demise of a lot of tournament co-anglers like myself? I loved fishing the B.A.S.S. Opens Tournaments but for this angler I can say it might be. I will always have the greatest memories with meeting new anglers and fishing new locations but I can guarantee you that unless I find a great company to fully pay my expenses and tournament registrations, I will not be fishing in the 2018 B.A.S.S. Opens.
I have looked into other tournaments like the Ram Opens by American Bass Anglers, the FLW Costa and BFL. I have not decided on my tournament trails for the 2018 season but I know that thus far the research I have done has led me to think that travel expenses and tournament registrations for these other trails will be more cost efficient for me as of now.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this new structure from B.A.S.S. If your a Pro or a Co comment below and let us know.
Till Next time, Fish On! Be safe on and off the waters my friends.
