The behind the scenes briefing on the buzz, banter, baits, and business of bass fishing. Hosts Dave (15+ years in the industry) and Jordan (6+ years) bring insider perspective, sharp commentary, and a dose of humor—straight from the team behind the weekly Best on Tour newsletter. Sign up for free at bestontour.net
The Best on Tour Breakdown is your behind the scenes briefing on the buzz, banter, baits, and business of bass fishing. Hosts Jordan and Dave bring insider perspective, sharp commentary, and a dose of humor from behind the scenes of the bass fishing industry. Get the weekly Best on Tour newsletter for free at bestontour.net
How did we get to the point where a coin flip is deciding which Bassmaster Elite Series events will allow forward-facing sonar?
In this conversation, Jordan sits down with John Crews to go behind the scenes of how Bassmaster and the Elite Series anglers arrived at the 50/50 forward-facing sonar format and ultimately, why a coin flip became the solution.
We talk about what the anglers actually wanted, why Bassmaster decided against a full Livescope ban, and the challenges of creating a system that anglers, sponsors, electronics companies and host cities could all live with.
We also get into the politics of building the Elite Series schedule, how host cities influence where the tour goes, why some great fisheries never make the schedule, and what John would change if he were the one calling the shots.
Plus, we break down the results of the coin flip for the 2027 Elite Series schedule, what the scope/no-scope schedule means for some of the biggest fisheries, and where John thinks the 2028 no-scope Bassmaster Classic could be headed.
Chapters:
00:00 How did we get here?
01:15 Why Bassmaster went 50/50 with FFS
02:54 The 2025 angler survey
05:01 Why not just ban forward-facing sonar?
06:06 How the coin flip came about
07:30 Breaking down the 2027 coin flip results
10:51 If John Crews ran the Elite Series
12:36 Lakes John wants the Elites to go to
16:47 Could coin flips still decide the rules in 10 years?
18:45 Are people are starting to understand the coin flip?
John’s 2027 coin flip reaction video referenced 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgCbIaqwOTU
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