Update on the Elite 50 Series

   The inaugural BASS Elite 50 event is rapidly approaching, and the pros that will be fishing the Series are noticeably excited about the opportunity given them. "The Elite 50s are definitely the direction the sport needs to move," Texas pro Alton Jones said. "Limited fields. Everybody gets paid guaranteed money. Difficult to qualify for. It gives everybody in the industry a bar to shoot for. It's what everybody will want to be in."

   Denny Brauer has a similar view: "This is like bonus time," said the BASS all-time money winner. "Everyone is guaranteed a paycheck and it's like the sport's moving forward into the big leagues.  We now have got something that you can't buy your way into, you've got to earn your way there and I think that adds so much more credibility and prestige to it."

   "Without a doubt, it is the professionalism that we've been looking for," said newly crowned BASS Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle.
 

   The Showdown events are back - in the form of E50 events. As Trip Weldon says, "the E50s are Showdown." The pros will be cut to the top six during the final round, and those pros will fish a certain area for a set amount of time. With rotation, every pro has a chance to fish every area.

   Brian Snowden just barely missed qualifying for the Classic via the Tour, but made the E50 Series. As is to be expected, he is excited about the chance to qualify by placing in the E50 top 10. "I've wanted to fish in the Classic since I was a little boy," he commented. "It would really be a lifelong dream accomplished."

   "I would much rather see myself get in the Classic with a top 10 finish in the Elite 50," Snowden said.  "I missed it (the Classic) by one position the first year I fished BASS and it is something I would really like to do."

   Even the weigh in schedule for the E50s is different: pros will begin fishing around the middle of the morning. Weigh in is at 6:00 PM, designed, according to BASS, 'to allow families and working folks to enjoy the festivities.' This should change the pro's patterns and make them fish in ways they usually don't employ.

   Davy Hite believes that the new schedule will help the deep water fishermen and possibly hurt those that prefer to fish shallow.  "Probably the deep-water fishermen might have an advantage. Maybe not so much on rivers, but if we get on manmade reservoirs those deep-water fishermen will probably have it play into their hands."

   However, Hite is willing to make the adjustment to help the sport of bass fishing. "Anything to help the sport, I'll try," he said. "It's going to be more challenging to catch fish because we're going to miss the early bite."

   The E50 Series is a stroke of genius by BASS. It brings exactly what the pros want into a tournament, and showcases the skill of BASS' top bass fishing experts.

   Alton Jones accurately sums up the pros' feelings on the E50 Series: "I'm really excited about it. I just applaud ESPN for taking it to this level, and I would love to see it grow."

By Brandon Shook