And for those that don't know I hate bass tournaments anyway.

The Bassmaster wiegh in for Guntersville will be in Birmingham at the BJCC. My son and I were discussing this on our way to work this morning. I think I'd be at least a little agitated if I fished all day (in February), HAD to drive to Birmingham afterward, HAD to drive back to Guntersville after that, stop/get something for supper somewhere in all that, maybe respool some reels, etc before I could even get to bed. Then multiply this by however many times you have to repeat the same scenario. It just seems quite stupid to me to catch fish in Guntersville and weigh 'em in Birmingham.

Money, money, money.

There's not chit in guntersville. So I can see not having anywhere to have a weigh-in. Seems like there would be in Huntsville though

How difficult is it to keep the bass alive on that drive between G'ville/B'ham and during the waiting to weigh in in the civic center?

With the cool temps, keeping them alive probably won't be an issue. the only reason they are doing it tho is the money from b'ham... Wonder if they will take the fish back to guntersville or release them in the b'ham area?

With the schedule of traveling back and forth between the lake do they have enough time at night to recharge their trolling batteries to the max or do you think they have spare sets that are kept charge and they swap them out each night.

Hectic schedule for sure. I do enjoy following the Classic every year though, deer season is out & the weather is usually too nasty for anything else.

That's a good question. You get off the water at 4 four hours worth of driving back and forth from g-vile to bham. Weigh in stuff probably another 2. Your looking at getting back to the motel at midnight if you stop and eat.

The fish are not being carried in the livewells. They are being loaded onto big trucks. Each fisherman will have a tank, and the truck will take the fish to the BJCC, where they will be given to the angler for the weigh-in. After that, they will be loaded back onto the truck and brought back to Guntersville.

This makes sense.. I just wasn't sure how things worked behind the scenes because this schedule seems very grueling.

It has become a major turn off for me, much like QDM.

Also, they first looked at the VBCC, but the arena didn't have enough seats (according to BASS standards). Myself - I think it is plenty big, but they have a minimum seating requirement.

It's definitely gonna be grueling for them. They have to put in at Browns Creek, drive to the City Harbor for the start, fish all day, go back to the harbor and then back to Browns Creek to load their boats. Then drive 1:45 to Bhamm weigh in, and come back.

I'm sure a lot of other anglers would happily trade places with em if they don't want to fish it

I don't see the big deal in it? They've been traveling for weigh ins for years and have a great system in place. The fish are well taken care of, much more so than 99% of the local tournaments.

It could be hard on the fishermen, but it's only a few days to suck it up and deal with it.

None of it makes much sense to me. I would of thought the VBC in Huntsville would be sufficient, but as previously stated- I guess its not. I'd like to see the weigh-ins but I doubt I make the drive back and forth from Scottsboro to Birmingham all weekend. I'm sure the Tournament will make enough money without me in attendance though- Maybe I'll just cruise the lake spying on the pros instead

They are supposed to have shuttles from Guntersville to the weigh-in and back from what I understand as well. Not sure, but I think it is $25.

Seems like a pile of crap to me that these guys will roll into town and expose the lake for what it is (especially pre spawn) with 30-35lb sacks a day. The fishing is good enough but the local venues and economy is not up to par to support. Then after they use up the lake like a bar of soap they will move along and leave the local anglers with a sour taste in there mouths when out of towners bombard the lake.

Don't have any interest in any pro sports. It's all about money.

Just read in BASS Times that the bass are transported to the weigh in in the pros live wells.. They take them back in a truck/tank. According to the article they carried them 90 miles with no losses last year.

The tournament wouldn't agitate me at all. Being on the road for 6-8 months away from my family would though. Some guys will be driving from California, probably have 3-4 weeks invested in just this tournament. Not to mention if they fished it this fall.
I know some guys use a small generator to charge their batteries while they fish if they are standing on trolling motor all day. They will not tolerate mechanical failure of any kind.
The fish will be fine. With $1 mil on the line the anglers will take great care of them. More fish will die every day during the summer months than in this tournament.
Out of state fisherman pump a lot of money into the local economy, so will this tournament. It is what it is, bitter sweet

Thanks for the clarification - I had some bad info.

Just happened to see it in the magazine.

A lot of them die that have been released . I assure you they can't handle the stress

There's likely much more mortality in the summer than in winter, but there is no 100 percent "alive" rate for any tournament. Any tournament organization that says that is spewing bullshit. Even FLW with its water-tank weigh-in system will still have some mortality.

The post-release mortality figures are unknown, and no tournament organization wants to know. All they know is a gill flap moved - it's alive! - at the check station before the bag of fish struggling for air is weighed and then they're put in a tank to be released.

BASS has looked at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Size was reportedly an issue when BASS looked in the mid/late 2000s but I agree with B'hamBuck that the Expo Hall could support it. Roads to Guntersville (and/or Wheeler) would be easier-faster-safer, too.

FLW has looked at the VBC for the Forrest Wood Cup and held a tournament there back in 2008, I believe, or 2009, with a huge final day crowd in the Expo hall. I asked whether they had scouted the Arena and if it could hold the Cup, and was told definitely - even with fewer seats than the BJCC or other larger coliseums, the slam-full smaller venue would be louder-cooler-great for TV.

Just a matter of the Huntsville-MadCo tourism leaders making the push to get it and getting money approved, along with working with others in the county-city in partnership. Both of those are stumbling blocks, for various reasons, one major one being they'd rather have multiple youth sporting events -- soccer, softball, hoops, etc. - here during the summer and "heads in beds" than one big event like a bass tournament. Other cities get it, though, which is why Florence and Guntersville and Decatur host tournaments and welcome them, and build big marinas and work with hotels/city-county officials.

No sour taste for this local! Im excited for it!!!!!

Well it's not like Guntersville is a big secret anybody that follows bass fishing know the kind of fish that live in Guntersville. As far as the weigh-in it probably has more to do with having room for the Outdoor Expo than really number of seats at a venue.

Guntersville already is known throughout the country. These guys aren't going to be "exposing" anything anglers don't already know.

I've traveled and fished from California to New York and Texas to Minnesota. Everywhere I go, I'm asked about one or more of these things when someone learns I'm from Alabama: Guntersville Lake, Robert Trent Jones golf trail, Auburn and Alabama football, and the Space and Rocket Center.

Not food, not racism, not tourism or the beaches or anything else. Usually it's one of those five, without fail, and if I'm on a fishing-related trip I usually am asked about Guntersville.

That lake hasn't been 'secret' for 40-plus years.

I'd trade jobs with them and not complain one bit!

Looks like fun, and it can be, but it's a rough life with no retirement plan and a lot of cutthroat behind-the-scenes stuff people don't know about along with organizational politics. A lot of those guys work at least one job outside of tournament season, if not two, and a wife working.

Only a few are truly making money and banking money. The majority are struggling or in the hole.

Sorry, but I know a few of those guys and never once have I heard them complain about their job. Looks like we are out of luck

Its all about the money thats why its at the bjcc.