The Inaugural Bassmaster Elite Series has gone down in the history books. It really happened; we came, we autographed, we caught, and the majority of us survived the season and are working on getting ready for Round Two.
Many have said that the first year of the Elite's was a defining moment in the sport of pro fishing. Was it? It will be interesting to look back on it 5 years down the road to fully appreciate the answer.
Just what did we accomplish during the first Elite season? Was it all sugar and spice, warm fuzzies and cookies and milk after the derby?
Was it everything the anglers were led to believe it would be? Or were we sold a line of fish dung? Was it really all that and a bag of chips? Just like the Eastwood movie, there was the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The Good
The schedule was awesome.
"The best anglers, on the best waters, and at the best times" was what the Elite Series was billed early on in the year. Pretty close to how it all shook out.
With very few exceptions, the fishing was exceptional from the first event to the last. Sure, there were events where it was tough (Legends in Little Rock would be brutal), but hey, that's the real world of fishing!
Not everywhere do you catch a limit that weighs 20 pounds on every day. Santee and Amistad were amazing fisheries to be on the weeks that we were on each.
A season that started in the pre-spawn phase and went through early fall.
The Elite Series anglers fished through most of the annual phases that a bass lives through during a typical year.
From pre-spawn, through the spawn and post-spawn, to early fall patterns, Mike Ike earned every atom in the 2006 AOY trophy.
The 2006 Elite season was the first "season" in years where an angler had to be versatile throughout the schedule to maintain his place in the points.
It was interesting to watch anglers who excel during the spawn drop in the points as the post-spawn, then summer, patterns rolled around.
It was just as interesting to watch those anglers on the opposite end of the spectrum rise as the season progressed and the fish moved from their spawning grounds.
The crowds were scary good.
The crowd that showed up for the very first Angler Alley in March at Del Rio was amazing. Anglers and fans alike had major Buckwheat eyes that evening.
The fans were wide-eyed from all the wraps, glitz, and glam. We were all goggle-eyed from the sheer number of people that came out to stare at us. It was just a goggle-eyed pinnacle of bass fishing.
Fast forward to August in Little Rock. Brutal conditions, fishing tough as nails, and the Arkies still packed the Convention Center to see us haul in a few measly little bass. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned that crowd or the energy that flowed through it.
The kids were more numerous at weigh-ins than previous years. Thanks to several tournaments in the summer months, when kids were out of school - duh - more kids than ever were able to attend every day of the weigh-ins. What a concept.
The payback was the biggest ever for a series of professional fishing tournaments. More than 100 anglers, 106 to be exact, had the opportunity to take home a piece of $11,000,000.
No matter how you slice, dice, or gripe or moan, that 11 followed by six zeroes is incredible.
Those who performed in 2006 were well-rewarded for their efforts. Those that didn't come with game picked up the scraps.
It's just the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, first loser stinks and all that stuff — hey, this is a competition, not a charity event. You catch enough fish - you get a check. Catch more than everyone else, and you get the big bucks and glory.
The competition was the most intense I have ever felt in any bass derby. This was serious business. No room in the books for second place.
These weren't Saturday morning jackpot derbies. The first loser is just that — a loser. Third place stinks. Third-place two times in a row double stinks - been there, done that.
Ooh, so you think that second or third would be pretty cool? It is until you're standing there looking at someone else holding that big blue trophy.
Every Elite angler who crossed the stage during the course of the 2006 season had one goal in mind; hold up that trophy on Sunday afternoon. Some of us had that goal more firmly imprinted in our brains than others, but we all had the same goal on Thursday morning.
The individual was highlighted, thanks to the opportunity to have individual wraps. You could definitely tell who was around you on the water, in the parking lot, and on the highway.
"Create your own brand/identity" was what we were told and we certainly had the opportunity.
Those who chose to be in cookie-cutter outfits may have missed that part of the lecture. How can you stand out if you look just like five other guys?
The Bad
$55,000 in entry fees is big money and big stakes to chase little green fish across the country.
A few of the 106 fell by the wayside due to the major expense involved in trying to turn a dream into reality. Unfortunately, almost half of that $11 million came from angler's pockets.
Is there a way to have big paybacks and low entry fees in pro fishing?
The schedule of several back-to-back events made for some long hours behind the windshield for the Top 12 who fished on Sunday, then had to load up and drive 8 hours to get to the next event. Amistad to Rayburn was the worst; what a way to start the year.
Some big names didn't want to play on the inaugural Elite Series field. It was their choice, they were offered every opportunity, and they chose a different path.
No hard feelings, but it was sad to see so many Classic Champions and anglers whose careers had been started with BASS walk away from the Elite Series opportunities.
The Ugly
The rules got busted a few times.
On the good side, they also got enforced. A few of the sports brightest took a hard right to the chin due to inattention to the rules.
A few of those 'fessed up to their mistakes, and we all went on down the road. Made for some juicy gossip and major floggings in chat rooms.
Made all of us on the water sit down and do a re-read on the book to make sure that we understood everything.
Even though they were ugly, the DQ's helped to elevate the Elite Series for the simple fact that they told the world that we value and abide by the rules. Period.
The strain on long-standing relationships was obvious in several cases.
Due to the intensity of competition, ego, or greed, a few relationships between anglers were pushed beyond the limits of friendship.
Another aspect seen, but seldom mentioned, was the strain on relationships between angler and spouse.
The competition got pretty fierce on the water, especially in those events where quarters were tight due to visible, spawning fish or small amounts of fishable water.
Heated words were exchanged at times, unfortunately in front of fans and recreational anglers. Despite a few minor squabbles, everyone unwadded their panties and acted like professionals at the end of the day.
The naysayers who said the Elite Series would never get off the ground.
Numerous and negative, there were plenty who thought BASS would never find 100 anglers to fish the first Elite event.
When 106 showed up at Amistad, the naysayers said we would never finish the season with anywhere near that number, yet Table Rock had 100 anglers.
They said we would never make it to another season, yet everything appears to be in place for 2007. Is the sky falling yet?
Just like the Eastwood movie, the Good outgunned the Bad and the Ugly in 2006. The Elite went where no other tournament series has gone.
Was everything perfect? Not hardly, but it was the best model for creating stars and individuals in the sport of bass fishing that we have seen yet.
What would NASCAR be if the cars were remotely controlled and had no drivers? NASCAR fans sit there and pull for Junior, or Gordon, or Stewart; they want to see the driver.
Some 37 million people aren't going to sit and watch a car with a 20 on the side of it if some no name is behind the wheel; who cares about that? They want to see Tony bump his way around the track to first place, climb the fence, and grab that flag.
Bass fans want to see KVD, or Ike, or G pull an 8-pounder out of the livewell and smoke everyone else in the field.
Bass fans want to see "their guy" catch 'em and the "other guy" lose 'em.
If it was nothing else, the 2006 Elite Series was many people's introduction to "their guy".
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