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RayburnGuy

B.a.s.s. Lifetime Membership

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BASS has definitely changed. I think the biggest changes started happening when ESPN bought them out.

 

Their goal was "to make bass tournaments as popular as NASCAR".

 

So they made changes to try to promote the sport on the level that NASCAR gets promoted. Thus the nicknames for the anglers, the flashy boats and trucks, the big money sponsorship packages, etc.

 

Some of it is OK, but lots of it is just foolishness when compared to the actual act of learning to catch bass consistently.

 

But it was bound to happen. The sport had become pretty popular, or ESPN would never have even given buying BASS a second thought.

 

As for the Elites, I don't really have a problem with them requiring the Elite anglers to dress a certain way, but I think not allowing them to wear jeans is a bit of a stretch. I mean, who wants to wipe their hands on a nice pair of Khakis, anyway? :teef:

 

As for the money involved, chalk it up to the American dream. Seriously... who wouldn't want to be able to make 6 figures or more by chasing little green fish??

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Not a life member but have subscribed to Bassmaster ant bass times for years now I think the mag has gotten better since Espn sold it but just my opinion have been a subscriber to bass angler for a few years now and it has become my favorite not as many advertisement and more informative tried the in fisherman mag for awhile but the multispecies aspect just doesn't appeal to me and the Bassn mag just seems poorly written even after it sold to the new owner can't remember his name

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I like Bass Times and Bass Master during the non-tournament months when they contain more "how to" articles.  The stuff about tournaments ... I couldn't care less.  The Bass Times is particularly useful - I use them as throw-away pads to catch glue and paint drips on my workbench when I'm working on crankbaits! 

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I think it is rather short sited to bash BASS or anglers for making money.  Without the evolution this site wouldn't exist, quality fishing stuff wouldn't be readily available, etc...  and a lot of the waters we fish wouldn't be available because of the recreational aspect bringing so much to the communities.  

 

I don't think they really have they lost touch with there base... BASS evolved with the same crowd that they drew in then from the get go.  Now guys like to romanticize the notion and BASS has done their fair share of giving it the "good ol' boy" history as that sort of thing sells in bass country.  They didn't become huge off young new to bass fishing crowd.  It was their bread and butter (baby boomers) that demanded and more importantly had the income to drive the industry of high dollar bass boats, high dollar lures, high dollar trucks.   :lolhuh:     They have been the economic driving force for the past 50 years (still).  

 

Times were good (401k, pensions, low cost of living, unionized wages, any thing you touched was sure to make money)  allowed many to be free with the dollar.   I recall my first summer intern at a company and guys would show up to work and it looked like a BASS weigh  in.  Dozens of glittery bass boats pulled by suburbans and full size pick up trucks.  Add favorable lending practices too boot and look out.  Guys bought and swapped out bass boats and trucks more often than many buy new socks.  

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well im not a life member nor a subscriber to bassmaster but my dad is a life member sinc eback in the 70 s so i get all the mags and B.A.S.S. times some are intersting some are not ..i prefer bassin magazine alot more ...but i did find this place in the B.A.S.S. times so oe good thing come out of ol pops liftime membership lol :yay:  :yeah:

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I have subscribed to Bass several times but much prefer Musky Hunter Mag. They start an article and run it all together, they don't continue part of it to the back of the book. Muskies are just a special fish, as are all other fish that happens to be your favorite.

I wish Tackle Underground had a mag!  Musky Glenn

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I'm not a member of B.A.S.S., but I have a lifetime subscription to Bassmaster that I bought for $5 many years ago, when some middleman company had a promotion.

I like the instruction and information driven articles.  I read the rest to fall asleep.

On a side note, I know Troy Lindner, and have met his dad Al quite a few times.  Al even bit one of my first PVC swimbaits to see how hard it really was!  I should have kept that one.

They are both very good people, and nice, to boot.

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I'm not a lifetime member of B.A.S.S. but I am a lifetime member of two fishing organizations one for for about 40 years and the other for 30 years. Big misteaks! One has slowly moved left and the other one has joined the Sierra Club and 4-5 similar clubs as active lawsuit partners. They send me weekly duns for money for their causes. They won't refund my lifetime membership, I've asked.

 

Does B.A.S.S. get involved in political activities you don't agree with? Over the years are they starting to move in that direction?

 

I'm not a big fan of lifetime memberships.

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I was a member BASS since 1992 until last month.  I got mad because all the articles in the mag, I read on their website but that didn't stop me from unsubscribing it was the fact that they doubled the price but didn't give anything extra for doing it.  I love my Basstimes though.  I just got my first issue of FLW Bass magazine 2 weeks ago and am very impressed.  I was not impressed with the multi species magazine and didn't know they had a bass only magazine until recently.

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If somebody pays for lifetime membership in any fishing organization when they are young, my guess is that by latter years of life, the fishing organization could change itself little, moderately or a lot. My guess is that the lifetime membership holder will be concerned little, moderately or a lot depending on changes made, if any, that he/she disagrees with.

 

My point is that if a person supports an organization on a year to year basis instead of paying for a lifetime membership, they can make stay/go decisions annually and not get locked into an organization that could move in directions which become repugnant to a persons logical, political or spiritual beliefs. One of my lifetime membership organizations is changing so much, it wouldn't surprize me who they partnered with.

 

I can't think of any advantages of lifetime memberships for me.

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If somebody pays for lifetime membership in any fishing organization when they are young, my guess is that by latter years of life, the fishing organization could change itself little, moderately or a lot. My guess is that the lifetime membership holder will be concerned little, moderately or a lot depending on changes made, if any, that he/she disagrees with.

 

My point is that if a person supports an organization on a year to year basis instead of paying for a lifetime membership, they can make stay/go decisions annually and not get locked into an organization that could move in directions which become repugnant to a persons logical, political or spiritual beliefs. One of my lifetime membership organizations is changing so much, it wouldn't surprize me who they partnered with.

 

I can't think of any advantages of lifetime memberships for me.

 

To each his own. What some see as an advantage others will not and vice versa.

 

Ben

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Very true Mark. Lately B.A.S.S. has taken up discarding used plastic in the lake rather than disposing of it in a more suitable manner. It's my belief that B.A.S.S. has realized we need to do a better job of "policing" ourselves rather than wait for those groups who don't care about our rights to enjoy the outdoors and who only want to stop fishing, hunting, etc all together.

 

Ben

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During the off-tournament-season, BassMaster usually has some good articles on technique, gear, etc.  But I get grumpy during the T season when all they have is articles about T's.  Bass Times is the same thing, with the added benefit that I use old issues as a disposable work pad on my bench.  Stopped my subscription when I had enough pads for a lifetime!  I guess even the tournament info is useful if it gives you ideas about the details of what presentations placed well in a tournament.  To me, the rah rah BassMaster promotion stuff is just too much.

 

I just got another subscription to In-Fisherman.  If they can drop endless articles about using swimbaits on jig heads to catch smallies, I may renew next year.  We'll see!

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I have no interest in B.A.S.S., but I have a deep and unrelenting obsession with bass. Clearly, they are doing something wrong. 

 

I do understand that competitive angling is a main driver of the evolution of techniques, but I have no interest in tournaments. None. I used to enjoy reading Bass West, before the focus shifted towards tournaments. B.A.M. is about the best bass centered magazine, but I don't really care to spend my money on it. 

In-Fisherman is the best thing left. True, you have to deal with ice-fishing articles, or how to catch trout on jerkbaits or whatever, but I have always felt there was benefit to learning any and all methods. Additionally, the amount of aquatic science they include is a breath of fresh air. You just have to go in understanding that they are, –ahem– well funded by Pure Fishing and Normark. 

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I've been a B.A.S.S. member since 1967.The magazine has most certainly shift it's content to advertising and Pro highlights.

 

I've noticed that as well. I was hoping the new owners would bring the magazine back to what it once was, but it seems that $$$ has won out again.

 

Ben

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