Story by Pete Robbins - Photos by Mark Jeffreys

Las Vegas, NV – Day Two of ICAST. 

BASS dropped their bombshells Wednesday – well, at least to the extent that you can call anticipated messages and preferred outcomes a bombshell. They announced not only the 2009 Elite Series Schedule, but also the 2010 docket. On top of that, they gave the pros what they wanted by eliminating co-anglers, a poorly-kept secret that surprised no one.

The BASS ZONE caught up with a number of Elite Series anglers this week at ICAST to get their opinions on the announcements. The following are opinions provided by Dean Rojas, Clark Reehm, John Crews, Fred Roumbanis, Mike McClelland and Kelly Jordon, in their own words:

What do you think about the 2009 Elite Series Schedule?

Rojas -- I like the schedule. I think it’s going to be real conducive to my style of fishing. I think it’s going to be even better than this year’s schedule and this year we had an exceptional schedule. It’s going to be a slugfest, the same deal, you just have to catch them. You can’t slack them off at all.

Reehm – (who will fish the 2nd tournament on his home lake, Dardanelle) Unfortunately, that time of year there’s no competitive advantage for me to go there. That tournament is going to be awesome. It’s going to take 80 pounds to win for four days. They’re going to be shallow. That time of year if you’re fishing deeper than eight feet you’re probably too deep. There’ll be prespawn fish. One of the wildcards will be how much rain we get flowing down from Oklahoma. If it muddies the lake up it’ll make the lake fish real small because everybody is going to be down in that clearer water pockets and backwater holes. 

It’s nice to be able to sleep in your own bed and save a little on gas. Everybody is going to have a good time. Nobody says anything derogatory about fishing Dardanelle. It’s a fun lake. Everybody is going to catch 30+ bass a day.

The rest of the season looks good for guys that like TVA lakes – we’re going to four of them. We’re going to Amistad, nobody ever complains about going there. Everybody has a great time, the community is great and the fishing is awesome. The other events, the TVA schedule will benefit some more than others. I actually have never been to Guntersville, so that’ll be fun. Wheeler was a great tournament this year. Nobody is going to underestimate and think nine pounds will be enough weight there. Pickwick I hear is coming back – are they going to let us lock? Since Tennessee made they’re limit on smallmouths 18” are they going to make Tennessee off limits? One of the waters I’m nervous about but still excited about is MS River in Iowa. Totally new, no local advantage. That one’s going to be a wildcard. The one in Michigan, I can’t even pronounce the name of it, everybody I’ve talked to says the fish there are stupid. Potentially 25 pounds of smallmouths to win. People will forget Erie after that is what I’ve heard. Oneida must treat the anglers well, they keep having us back there. Champlain, I’ve been there once, didn’t do so well. I thought it was overrated. It might be great in May and June when they’re up on beds. In August and September we had to work for them. Smith Mountain in Virginia, that’ll be the sight fishing tournament for the year, but a guy won’t be able to go out and catch a nine pounder to jack up his sack.

Crews – I’m excited. It looks like we’re going to a lot of traditional reservoirs, nothing exotic. From top to bottom of the country, I like fishing different waters.

I don’t get too excited or too discouraged on any tournament. I just want to know when I’m going. I’ve had good tournaments on TVA lakes, Florida lakes, northern lakes. I jut try to focus on each tournament one at a time.

Roumbanis – I looked at it briefly today and went through my histories on the lakes. There’s only a couple where I haven’t done well and the rest of them I’ve had awesome finishes, most of them Top 10 finishes. I’m really happy with the schedule.

McClelland – My initial thought is we’ve got a good mixture of waters. I haven’t looked to see how it suits my style of schedule, I’ve just kind of browsed through it. There’s a few that really stand out in my mind: Smith Mountain Lake next year, that’s going to be one of those tournaments, it’s not going to be one of those catch a lot of fish tournaments. I’m tickled to see we’re still going to make a northern swing, plus a new venue up there, Lake Michigan. 

There’s a lot of things that tweak my interest. Kentucky Lake, we’re there about the same time of year but we’re going out of a different landing. Maybe it’ll be won in a different area than in the past few years. Guntersville we’ve missed it for a year or two now, it’s always a tremendous fishery. Wheeler we’re going to be there a little bit earlier this year, which could play into my hands a little bit. Opening up on Amistad, I think that’s going to be awesome, it’s going to be a prespawn deal. Lake Dardanelle, that’s sort of my old home stomping grounds. Prespawn, postspawn, that’s sort of my strong suit. As long as we can avoid hitting them when they’re right on the beds I’m going to do a lot better.

Jordon -- Well, it’s different. We’ve got a couple of new lakes, or kind of new lakes. We’ve got that Little Bay de Noc, Big Bay de Noc, wherever that is, Michigan somewhere. I know where Michigan is, that’s about it. Dardanelle, I’ve been there before. Smith Mountain, I’ve been there once before, and the Mississippi River we were supposed to go there this year and didn’t make it. Amistad, we’ve got Pickwick the next two years, and I like Guntersville a lot. Kentucky Lake next year and the year after, which will be a great ledge bite. 

Does the early availability of the 2010 schedule benefit you in any manner?

Rojas -- That enables us to sell sponsorship a lot better now that we can say we have a two year span. After every year there was always controversy what was going to happen next year, or whether there would even be a circuit for next year. It’s definitely helpful for us to get more prepared.

Crews -- It’s to an angler’s advantage, but it might drive you crazy a bit, you have to prepare for 22 tournaments instead of 11. It’s good for the sport because it shows we’re going to be around. If companies want to sign a two year deal with BASS they know where their guys are going to be going, so it’s really good from a sales perspective.

Roumbanis – I’m already looking at a tournament that’s only about an hour and a half from me. I’ve never fished it before, but knowing about it ahead of time it’s going to be a local body of water for me by 2010. I’m really excited to go back to California. 

McClelland – Especially for someone like me with the deal I’ve done with Tahoe Smokeless Tobacco over the last two tournaments, this really gives me an opportunity to work something out with Tahoe. They are not a nationwide company but they have a lot of interest in the fishing industry. I can go to them now with a two year plan and tell them we’re going to be in your area for 12 tournaments in the next two years and we can set up a really strong campaign to give them a return on their investment. It should open up more opportunities for deals like mine.

Jordon -- The amazing thing is that they have 2010 out already which is pretty cool. You already know where you’ll be in two years. We’ll go out to California. That’s pretty exciting. I like to fish out there. It’s not too much further for me, being from Texas as it is going to Florida. Arkansas River in Muskogee, Oklahoma, that’s going to be crazy. I didn’t know there were bass there. I guess we can lock down to Little Rock.

What do you think about the elimination of co-anglers?

Rojas -- It doesn’t matter. I think it’s going to be a little bit easier. For the most part, it’s a good thing.

Crews --I’m really excited about not having any co-anglers for the simple fact that it’s going to advance the sport, legitimize it in the eyes of a lot of sports fans. 

Roumbanis -- I’m kind of ecstatic about that. I feel that a co-angler can alter a tournament for the good or for the bad, but sometimes it prevents us from showing the true talent of the angler. The co-angler could show you something that you hadn’t picked up on or the co-angler could catch a bass that you might need, which can alter a tournament. One person on the boat fishing, offer the observer a prize so they root you on. I still think they’d have no problems drawing observers. You have to make a rule with no practicing with anybody. That’ll make it a fair deal, make us figure it out on our own. That’s a way to show our true talents. The couple of tournaments where I’ve had an observer I’ve won and I’ve led.

McClelland -- I think as far as the progression of the sport, it had to happen. I have mixed feelings about it. I’ve fished with some guys that have been awesome to fish with. I’ve learned some things from co-anglers, I’m not going to ever deny that. It’ll help even the playing field more. Now we’re fishing on our own, the decisions we make will be solely our decisions. It had to happen for the progression of the sport. I look back at events over the past couple of years where myself and my co-anglers have taken big bags on the first couple of days and it has taken its toll over the course of the week, so it does have an effect on the direction the tournaments go, toward the end of the event especially.

Jordon -- That’s awesome. It’s going to be great. One less variable, it takes that away. Sometimes it’s harder to deal with but the other 90% are always fun. It takes away an “X” factor. It’s all you, babe. I like it. That’s the way a professional sport should be.