Heard the wired to fish radio show about them trying to get B.A.S.S. to lower the HP limit back to 150 HP. I personally think this would be a good idea and wonder what the rest of you think. It would help lower the cost of fishing and increase safety.

Is this for the Elites, or all BASS sanctioned tournaments?

Who is the "them" you heard on the show? 

Who is the "them" you heard on the show? 

Them are "those in the know" I figured you know that.

Some of the elite pros and Earl Bentz.

All this would do is limit travel range and add parity on smaller lakes. It might be of marginal help to rookie pros moving up the ranks, but not enough to offset all the other costs.  I'm not following the safer aspect, though.  How would the lower HP restriction make things safer.  Would be interesting to see how a tournament on big water like Champlain, Oneida, Thousand Islands would shake out. 18' boats with 150's on them doesn't sound safer to me.  The format works on MLB, though - quite nicely, too.  But that's one lake for a few days.

Them are "those in the know" I figured you know that.

 

I'm like Sgt. Shultz.  I know nuttthhhing.

 

I agree with Francho on the safety issue. 

 

The difference between my Z-7 and Z-8 is like night and day.  I know that on one return to the dock on the Guntersville Road Trip, we were forced to travel into the wind, while trying to keep the bow as high as possible.  It was not fun, and I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the Z-7.  Just as 00mod.  He had the pleasure of fishing with me that day, or maybe the unfortunate happenstance of fishing with me that day.  We only had a couple of miles to travel.

 

Increase safety?  No way!

 

With the pros getting a new motor every year, and maybe even more often than that, it's no skin off their noses.  But for the weekend warriors who have motors bigger than 150 hp on the back of their boats, it constitutes a considerable expense if they need to adhere to the suggested hp reduction.

 

If they think it will somehow level the playing field, they are again mistaken.  The "draft" in professional sports was supposed to level the playing field, yet we often see the same teams at the top of the rankings, year after year, while there are perennial cellar dwellers.

 

In theory, it sounds like it could be a great idea.  Putting it into practice is another matter.

The difference between my Z-7 and Z-8 is like night and day.  I know that on one return to the dock on the Guntersville Road Trip, we were forced to travel into the wind, while trying to keep the bow as high as possible.  It was not fun, and I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the Z-7.  Just ask 00mod.  He had the pleasure of fishing with me that day, or maybe the unfortunate happenstance of fishing with me that day.  We only had a couple of miles to travel.

 

Increase safety?  No way!

 

 

 

Yea that day was wet!  LOL

 

Jeff

It will increase safety no doubt. Instead of running 70-80 across the lakes and up/down the rivers they will be in the 50's range. There is a BIG difference between 50mph and 70mph on the water. 

 

How many boat accidents in the ELITES have we heard of in the last 2-3 years? I can think of one right here on the Miss, Ike lost control coming out of a backwater going 70+ and hit a submerged log. Shot him across the slough, up over a 10' bank, and onto an island. 

 

I don't think all of the accidents can be avoided, as most of them are operator error.. but hopefully it will reduce the damage and make things a little safer for the marshals and co-anglers as well as the pro's. 

 

I am all for the 150hp limit. Don't think it would ever "pass" though. 

 

 

The difference between my Z-7 and Z-8 is like night and day.  I know that on one return to the dock on the Guntersville Road Trip, we were forced to travel into the wind, while trying to keep the bow as high as possible.  It was not fun, and I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the Z-7.  Just as 00mod.  He had the pleasure of fishing with me that day, or maybe the unfortunate happenstance of fishing with me that day.  We only had a couple of miles to travel.

 

Increase safety?  No way!

 

 

 

Well, lets hope the pro's would be smart enough to not go out into the main lake during those conditions.

Dude,  It was a pretty day other than the 25mph winds.  If it were the pros, they would go out in 60mph.  We were fun fishing.  Pros are fishing as a job.  Only thing that stops them is lightning!

 

Jeff 

Well, lets hope the pro's would be smart enough to not go out into the main lake during those conditions.

Biffle was jumping waterfalls... Enough said

Actually, it woud probably create a more dangerous situtation, unless "they" mandated a 20 or 21 foot minimun size boat also.  Part on the name of the game is being the first one to the spot they want to fish.  "If" that were to happen, they would just back to the smaller boats rated at 150 hp like they used back in the early/mid 80's when they had the 150 hp rule.  They had a whole lot more problems back then with boats getting sunk and stuff than they do now.  There would be a huge trickle down affect from such a ruleing that would cost the boating industry billions of dollars.  What the Pro's do, the general public seems to follow.  There would be a huge decrease in large bass boat sales and would jack the price on the big motors up way more than they already are.  The old term supply and demand comes into play big time.  Production cost would go way up on the big mores because sales would drop out the bottom.

 

Just think, what would happen to bait caster reels if they outlawed them on the pro circuit.  The would probably all but disappear in just a few years.

 

 

Ask the golfers how many square grove clubs you can buy now, since they were banded from pro tournaments.

B.A.S.S. lowering the HP limit will never happen...

Dude,  It was a pretty day other than the 25mph winds.  If it were the pros, they would go out in 60mph.  We were fun fishing.  Pros are fishing as a job.  Only thing that stops them is lightning!

 

Jeff 

 

25 mph winds are like mouthy, know it all teens here in Kansas. 

 

Some of the better lakes aren't worth fishing without big winds.

Down scaling the HP limit will not just affect the motor. The boat, the gear the boat will haul, smaller.

 

Hard sell.

I was thinking of the safety concerns when going 60-70 mph on the lake and reaction time to another boat or debris in the lake. 

An 18' boat with a 150 can go 60+, depending on the load and hull design.

Yea that day was wet!  LOL

 

Jeff

Jeff, is SCROUNGA a secret code that you have to join a club and go through Hazing to be in on?