No Entry Fees, What does it mean? (Ep. 186 Inside Bassmaster Podcast)

[@pbfishing01]

Check out the payouts proposed for 2025 compared to 2024....embarrassing for a "professional" fishing organization.

[@matthewhairell849]

Bassmaster could make money if they had live stream cameras in every boat and people could subscribe to the few anglers they prefer to follow and watch.

[@tdubbs5935]

Agreed. NPFL kind of does this (minus the subscription) and enjoy that I can watch 1 angle all day if I'd like to. Aka Cox throwing baits in dirt for 3 days straight. Love it

[@jddarby007]

Formula 1 does this with Sky Sports Network.

[@frankandhankoutdoors]

This is huge news for competitive bass fishing! No entry fees for the Elite Series in 2025?! 🤯 It's great to hear the reasoning behind this decision and how it will impact the sport. Thanks for breaking it all down, Kyle, James, and John! This is a game changer! 🎣

[@kawarthabassn9890]

this is a wellfare systen for the anglers who dont do well in tournaments or sponsors. i know allot of the top guys can make more fishing locally now.

[@gitz-zum]

Maybe they should then

[@kawarthabassn9890]

@@gitz-zum you may just see it. where im from sat and sundays are each seoarate tourneys, 110 boats plus is over 12000 in prize money each day plus you add two days of ranger or nitro bonuses .

[@Juststatinfacts]

Ya local tournaments pay 100,000!

[@christinajohnson2062]

This is really good news! This makes it an honest sport again. Now its not just gambling for other anglers money while staring at the cheater box. Thank you! I will start watching again

[@repairking1990]

One positive thing is we will no longer hear an elite angler say “atleast I made the top 50”. Half the anglers could care less whether they finished 23rd vs 50th. Which made the majority of the field after day 2 not care to compete

[@lmramos44]

No entree fees? It’s a con. Look at the payout schedule. It’s a joke….Professional Bass Fishing is a hobby, not a job.

[@cuivre2004]

Once the new guys don't have that entry fee "hurdle" they still have to cross a large desert of very little likelihood of getting a check to sustain them throughout the entire season. Typical "pay me now or pay me later" business model. The guys who bring up the rear in the placings tread water by not going in the hole....AS much. But they can only tread water for so long. The mid tier guys in the tournaments drown even faster despite being better

[@corbanrood2939]

it only works if the payouts increase substantially over the next several years. this is an ok starting point but that's all it can be, or this will be a huge flop

[@cuivre2004]

I'm wondering if BASS will have yet ANOTEHR exodus of anglers out of their tournaments and toward another trail.

[@williamtennill6744]

What anglers back this ? I’m shocked

[@ordinaryangler4153]

Your new payouts leave us scratching our heads!!

[@MrJohnB-qs6dp]

Great Podcast!! Nice to hear both sides and even the angler agrees with the decision along with others. People don't look on what's happing. Anglers are not putting any money in for payouts so the overall payout from last tear to this up coming has been reduced by half. So how could you payout last years earnings with only half the income. Good job on the podcast for explaining what's happening and having seen how each side feels.

[@DannyBFishing]

Love it! 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾

[@user-gj1uh3cm2z]

why would a business cater to the bottom 60 guys instead of the top 40? make the guy happy that will be gone in 2-3 years, thats smart

[@lucasharris1655]

This doesn’t even cater to the top 20. Even the worst teams in other pro leagues have to be paid. You can’t have a 10-team nba or nfl. This is absolutely insane. Make it unaffordable for all but the top few guys and you don’t have a tournament anymore.

[@josemarrero1282]

Omg these people don’t know what to do! No check no sport endorsements! This is the nail in the coffin for the club of bass fishing!

[@z.833]

BASS needs to find a way to make more money so pros also can make more money. I mean, fishing so hard to be qualified to be an elite angler and ended up getting only $500 is a joke.

[@robertschurg6228]

I think if an angler is set financially and has a big following doesn't rely on winning tournaments to make his money which I think that is a select few they will be okay. They will be okay but those that don't it's ridiculous to come in 20th Place and only make $500 and spend $4,000 and lodging and food come on man are you guys not doing the math. How about a $2,000 entry fee and pay $10,000 all the way down to 50. You went to the extreme the other way too far in my opinion

[@mwor9283]

I would pay double for my bassmaster membership if the pay scale wouldn’t change and no entry fees

[@stephenwhitesell3408]

I’m on team “it’s a good thing” now do a podcast with anglers who don’t agree so we can hear different perspectives on your channel.

[@steveskinner8195]

Based on response videos, BASS will need to do a follow-up video showing the math that considers sponsor dollars, payouts, and no entry fees. I was hoping Ben Milliken would get it right, but he screwed up the 2025 math and forgot to reflect the 45k "SAVINGS " in entry fees.

[@averyallen4798]

What is this going to do as far as sponsorship dollars towards anglers that get their entry fees paid. Will there be allowed to allocate that money to something else like travel expenses

[@CBGRTR]

Anglers will loose money now even more before entry fees was 45k right but you could make top 50 cut every event and make 90k minus 45k entry so thats a 45k profit .. so make it make since to me now how this is better ?

[@matthewhairell849]

If you get lucky on one day of the tourney and catch an outlier big bass you can win Big Bag (2000) Daily Big Bass (4000) and Overall Big Bass (2000) for a total of $8000 versus a guy who fished consistent for 4 days having to make a top 10. 11th = $7,000

[@David-gld]

Professional fishing has become an exercise in futility. And fishing fans don't care anymore.

[@haroldsfishingadventures754]

Was saying it 2 years ago

[@johnmango6056]

Since they can all of a sudden pay out 100 grand for first place without entry fees, why not keep entry fees the same and have a $200,000 first prize and great payouts all the way down the line??? makes absolutely zero sense

[@patricklambert5622]

About time !

[@curvinh6289]

They dropped the payouts way down asweel , it's not as good as it sounds

[@curvinh6289]

Not a good thing

[@williamtennill6744]

Come fish for 50th and 0 ..40th and 500. Or pay 5k each year and get a top half of the tourney your granted 10k ..they’re will be mark my word alot of guys getting 25th/50th and getting a top 35-40 finish in angler of the year and not even break even after gas and travel..sad. I don’t get it if they’re helping you all . Now they’re losing money on travel expenses for a top 30😢

[@randyblaukatintuitive]

The elite series is now a video game fishing bass club level payout circuit . Ray Scott would be proud 🙄

[@coryweaveroutdoors4998]

At this point I almost feel sorry for you that the only way you could find to continue making a living is to spend everyday of your life whining, crying and complaining.

[@Juststatinfacts]

Dude you’ve made about 20 grand a year bass fishing your entire career , stay in your own lane!

[@traetonholt9836]

You’re literally irrelevant Randy

[@brent3323]

Guys that had sponsors that covered their anglers entry fees......just got a 45k raise.

[@phildegraves9024]

lol you think them sponsors are just gonna be like, "ok yea, just put that 45k in your pocket then" haha aint no company CEO gonna aloow that to happen, you nuts?

[@repairking1990]

@@phildegraves9024will be interesting to see what those sponsors do for sure!

[@brent3323]

@phildegraves9024 Yes, that's typically how sponsors did it in my experience. They gave them the money before the season starts so that deposits or entire entry fees can be paid before the season starts. And if contracts were already written and agreed to for the 2025 season....without a clause that could foresee the future, and this rules change. Then yes, absolutely those guys got a 45k raise.

[@steveskinner8195]

An angler with 45k in sponsor dollars also gets an increased payout even if they finish 40th. The sponsor(s) are paying you 5k per tournament regardless of finish. If you finish 40th you make $5500 (in 2025) vs $5000 (in 2024). For finishing 41-100 you make $5000.

[@AlanBuckner]

There is no way in hell that most sponsors are going to pay the same money if the anglers do not have to pay entry fees. The sponsor most likely will say well that's good for us, because we don't have to pay $45,000 in entry fees so we're deducting that from what we give you

[@samsportsman929]

Sure this is great for a guy who owns Missle baits and isn’t hard up for cash

[@williammaphis4027]

Looking like they are channeling their inner Boyd Duckett

[@desertdog1125]

Pitiful Payout

[@williamtennill6744]

I Do not think this is a good thing in anyway. The no entry fees yes. But look at the pay outs !!! 50th place got 10k minus a 5k entry fee that sponsers a lot of times helped ..now nothing . 40th gets 500 bucks ..unless your top 10 your not making any living on the “tourney” seen . It’s a bad move on the payoitsn

[@timschiefelbein5585]

Pay outs are a joke, they will loose half there field but that's probably what there after.

[@gitz-zum]

I think its a great change....its fishing if u want to be paid millions than do something worth millions

[@samuelschult985]

Once again, congratulations to Bass 👍👍👍

[@curvinh6289]

They dropped the payouts way down , this is not a good thing

[@cuivre2004]

@@curvinh6289 Bernie Madoff would be proud! What a ponzi scheme! LOL!

[@pignjig17]

Let’s see. A bass master podcast on a bassmaster decision. So expect complete lies and BS. Not the truth just smoke and mirrors

[@jeremypope9929]

At first looked great. Not so much. Should have been thought out alittle better. Bottom pay outs suck and the classic

[@Juststatinfacts]

Wow, bass fisherman really like to complain about everything! If you’re in it for the money then leave, many guys will be in line to take your spot!

[@bennydw3]

John wouldn’t be a good union guy.

[@donaldmartin4980]

Bass fishing as a pro sport is dying in its current form . Nobody will be investing 250k for a return of maybe 30-40 k and probably no return at all for the majority of anglers .

[@cuivre2004]

You know how to become a millionaire bass fisherman? First- start out with TWO million.

[@markedwards6106]

😳🤯

[@larryadams1929]

All in how you look at it. It's not a payout cut if you add in the 5,000 to each payout. Now if you finish last you still get a 5,000 dollar payout.

[@casey10614]

Minus your boat Payment, electronics, gas, hotel, truck payment, food. Fishing license. Reel rod line for that month. What is your take home pay for that event. You ain’t “looking at” 5k anymore 😅 But hey I would like to give kudos to BASS for trying to make it better than it was! Keep taking a positive step forward.

[@tgraham2287]

​@casey10614 you people are missing the point... you got the same money for last place before but now you're not down the $5000 going into it.. still had to pay the bills you mentioned before but now that $5000 can go towards that... only "loss" is if you finish top 50 and your payout is less... but again you'd have to take your initial $5000 investment of those winnings to see the true difference... which they said most guys benefit from this model as opposed to the previous one

[@matthewcoker9448]

It means you guys screwed the bass fishermen again

[@johnm2617]

😮 YEP ! ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT THINK ITS GREAT ! AND ITS NOT EVEN BASSES $ ! NO VOTE NOTHING ! SAD ! PEACE MAN !

[@cuivre2004]

I would like to see what models they ran- with what anglers.

[@tigervo1956]

Sad... I no longer am a supporter of B.A.S.S. Like any other big corporation in it for themselves to keep money in their pocket. Payouts are laughable. I hope all the Elite anglers go on strike and refuse to fish and send a message. I hope all anglers cancel their Bassmaster membership. Embarrassed for the sport I love.

[@johnm2617]

😮 Screw job ! Its not even BASSES $ ! Its the anglers! Dont even vote or ask opinions? Blind side em ! The payouts are embarrassing! 500 $ for 40th !

[@BassmasterOfficial]

@@johnm2617 it is B.A.S.S. money. It’s not the anglers, the payout is from us and the anglers no longer contribute entry money to impact payout.

[@johnm2617]

@BassmasterOfficial It was their $ until you blind sided them! Then screwed them on the payouts ! Smoke and mirrors! The fans see what's up ! And it's not good !

[@martys4814]

KYLE YOU SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED……..THIS IS A JOKE

[@kerrypickett3770]

Take your elite series, opens, kayak, college, high school tournaments and get off the lakes. Yall ruin crap for everyone! And sale a bs dream along the way !

[@cuivre2004]

"Sale a bs dream"? What the hell does that mean? You don't know how to use "sell" vs "sale"? Seriously?

[@cuivre2004]

@@haroldsfishingadventures754 I just don't appreciate idiots making the rest of the bass fishing public look like illiterate goofs. What does he have against KAYAK fishermen? They catch, photo and release!

[@AaronS-ml1bh]

Bass is sinking this is their last effort to draw guys in at the lower level. What a disgrace