Will A Bee Olive Branch Be Coming?

Re: the unification theme I was riffing on yesterday:

Now that we have new owners of BASS, will they extend an olive branch to former BASS pros (Yelas, Nixon, etc.) or not?

No clue. But I’d love to see them do it.

For one thing, it’d be nice. A nice thing to do, a long time coming, and a recognition that some of these guys helped BASS as much as BASS helped them.

It’d also be nice for fans to see these guys back in the BASS fold. I, for one, miss them being there. Some of that is nostalgia, sure, but the guys who fished BASS for years are darn good fishermen. They’ll make the fishing more competitive.

Another way to say it: They’ll make the KVD Series tougher for KVD…maybe.

You get my drift here.

So let’s assume the olive branch is extended. How many guys would be able to seriously consider the offer?

There’s the whole sponsor thing – as in, “my sponsors don’t align.” Totally get it, but man does it suck if it prevents the best from fishing against the other best.

I guess some pros might have set up their family lives around the FLW schedule, or like the FLW folks or other reasons that make sense for them. Gotta respect that.

In fact, here’s what Larry Nixon said (in a recent interview) to the question, “Why did you leave BASS?”

Nixon: “FLW was more closely aligned with my major sponsors. They [FLW and BASS] set the tours up so you really couldn’t fish both, plus I wasn’t real happy with some things that occurred [with BASS under ESPN].”

Nixon says at this point he probably won’t switch back. “I’m not going to say there is no chance. But FLW has been good for me and I have no interest in fishing more than 10 events a year.”

I hear Larry and obviously it’s his life. But I’d still like to see the best fishing against the best, him included. Somehow, somewhere, sometime.

I mean, KISS just ain’t the same without Ace and Pete in the band, you know?