Major League Fishing – Webisode 1 Observations

No spoiler alert!  I’m not going to give it away like Basspastor does.  If you want results go check out his blog.  No, I’m not going to give it away but I am going to tell you, that was pretty cool.   Not necessarily the broadcast but the format.  I learned even more about the unique format by watching webisode 1 than I previously knew and will be watching the rest.  Definitely worth the 3 bucks, especially with such a cool finish.  And yes, the ‘Bama Rig makes an appearance.

A few observations:

First, three periods separated by a couple 30 minute breaks where all the boats have to meet at a neutral location.  I’m still not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand, an angler that is on the bite is not going to want to leave it for a “timeout”.  On the other hand, it was nice to see a couple of the guys down the leaderboard able to regroup and come back from a break to pull in several fish in a row and move up.  It was fun to watch a guy sit near the bottom for the first two periods and move into Xxx place in the third.  (Come on, I said I wouldn’t give it away…again, there was a really cool finish.)

Second, the No-Limit format really changes strategies I think.  It was really a matter of quantity vs quality.  Do the anglers want to take the time to look for the big ones?  Or, do they want to get as many in the boat as possible?  Is one angler going to be able to hook enough 4 and 5 pounders to keep up with the guys that pulls in 20…25 2 pounders?  Also, they’re weighing the fish in quarter-pound increments.  The official has to see the next quarter-pound line in order to count it.  One angler probably had at least 5 fish that were just under that next ¼ lb mark (i.e. 2 lbs, 3 oz will count as a 2 lb fish…he just lost 3 ounces; multiplied by 5 is an additional pound).  Trust me, it may have made a big difference for two anglers.  Also, I’d like to see what each angler’s 5-fish bag would have looked like if they were culling.  I think the leaderboard would have changed.  First would probably still be first, but I think you would have seen two different guys in the top four.

Lastly, a few more observations that I won’t spend much time on right now: 

We saw a couple anglers assessed a one-minute penalty for breaking a line.  During their penalty they can do nothing, not even retie the line.  They also didn’t go into what else they can be penalized for. 

The eight anglers were all confined to a specific “zone” of the lake.  I think that’s where the “unknown body of water” comes in to play.

Each angler is in an 18’ boat with an official and a cameraman…a little tight if you ask me.

There’s no weigh-in suspense.  When it’s over, it’s over.  Each tournament official announced any leaderboard activity to his angler.  That really has to chew at the guys in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th.

Marty Stone went out in a boat and interview anglers while they were fishing…no opinion.

My big question: When is the first official going to drop that leaderboard tablet in the water?  I’m sure they have back-ups, but come on…that will be funny.

Yes, I will definitely be watching the rest of them on AdvanceCast.  Next up: Biffle, Brauer, Evers, Faircloth, Grigsby, Iaconelli, Jones and Omori.  There really wasn’t a real temper-tantrum in webisode 1, but I bet there will be at least one this time.  Let me know if you watched, if you plan to watch, if you even care.  See?  I told you I wouldn’t give it away.

 

 

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Major League Fishing PPV

Okay, it's finally been set.  Major League Fishing announced it's Pay-Per-View setup on the Challenge Cup held in November on Amistad.  It has been broken up into a seven episode series with the first to be available on February 13th.  ($2.99 for each episode or $17.94 for all 7)  And yes...I've already paid.  Apparently, through the PPV, they will air about double the content that will be on the Outdoor Channel. 

According to the MLF site one angler weighed 58 lbs...in one day!  And oh yeah,

'Bama Rig Voted Down

It was sure to come. The Elite Series Rules Committee ruled to allow competitors only one line, one lure during practice and competition. This doesn't, however, apply to Bassmaster Open, B.A.S.S Federation, etc. Again, it's surely only a matter of time, but why not just do it? Anglers trying to make the Elite Series by throwing a rig disallowed in that series is just doing themselves a disservice. On the other hand, if that's how the other anglers are winning...you see my point? These rigs aren't even allowed in many states...

Major League Fishing – Changing the Way We View Professional Bass Fishing

You’ve no doubt heard about the new Major League Fishing that is coming up.  Well, they’ve already fished one tournament, The Challenge Cup on Lake Amistad in November, but it has yet to be aired.  It will be aired on the Outdoor Channel featuring two dozen of the biggest names in professional bass fishing with a new format that should be exciting.  The main sponsors include Jack Link’s (still loving their Messing with Sasquatch commercials), Bass Pro Shops, Nitro and Busch Beer.  The new format will include things like surprise venues with no practice (i.e. the first Bassmaster Classics), no limits on the number of fish weighed and the implementation of catch and immediate release (maybe PETA will appreciate this…No?  You’re probably right).  You can read more about the format on their website.

First of all, surprise venues with no practice time.  Nitro Boats provided...