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 (http://bestontour.net)
Ronnie Moore: Why the Elite Series Field is Changing
The Bassmaster Elite Series field is changing. Why does the system work this way, who won’t be back in 2027, and how difficult is it to earn another shot?
Jordan Babcock sits down with Bassmaster commentator Ronnie Moore to break down Elite Series requalification, the anglers who won't return in 2027, and how career Angler of the Year averages determine who stays and who goes.
Plus, could Bassmaster bring back a legend through the Legends Exemption? Do you have to be a “scoper” to survive in today’s Elite Series? Will a woman ever qualify for the Elites? And what options do anglers have when their time on the tour comes to an end?
9 Oct 2026
John Crews: The Truth About Bassmaster's FFS Coin Flip
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 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgCbIaqwOTU)
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10 Sept 2026
Elite Series Highlights, BPT Cuts, Drone Strikes, + 5B's | Best on Tour Breakdown Ep 21
👇 Links & Timestamps👇
0:20 Buzz - 2026 Elite Series Highlights: AOY, ROY, New Records, Century Belts, and more
AOY post 👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/DcrUjeAtBYa/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcrUjeAtBYa/)
ROY post 👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/Dctc2wzRqNx/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/Dctc2wzRqNx/)
Evan Küng post 👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/DcteKGkRFAW/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcteKGkRFAW/)
Century belt post 👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcyi78lxDuA/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcyi78lxDuA/)
Back-to-back BASS AOY blog 👉 https://bestontour.net/blog/complete-list-of-every-bassmaster-aoy/#back-to-back (https://bestontour.net/blog/complete-list-of-every-bassmaster-aoy/#back-to-back)
Bassmaster stats 👉 https://www.bassmaster.com/anglers/ (https://www.bassmaster.com/anglers/)
15:18 Banter - Reviewing Bassmaster pundit picks: Predicting each rookie’s
best Elite finish in 2026
Bassmaster article referenced 👉 https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/news/predicting-each-rookies-best-elite-finish-in-2026/ (https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/news/predicting-each-rookies-best-elite-finish-in-2026/)
29:59 Baits - Hideup Coike Shrimp
Get some 👉 https://realdealtackle.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=coike+shrimp&sca_ref=10514177.lonIbY6kZ5hdLE&sca_source=botbd_ep21 (https://realdealtackle.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=coike+shrimp&sca_ref=10514177.lonIbY6kZ5hdLE&sca_source=botbd_ep21)
Article shown 👉 https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/slideshow/top-lures-of-st-lawrence-elite-2026/ (https://www.bassmaster.com/elite/slideshow/top-lures-of-st-lawrence-elite-2026/)
37:31 Business - How international conflicts affect the fishing tackle industry
Article shown 👉 https://angling-international.com/2026/08/10/ukraine-targets-top-russian-online-tackle-seller/ (https://angling-international.com/2026/08/10/ukraine-targets-top-russian-online-tackle-seller/)
41:55 Bonus - 2027 MLF Bass Pro Tour cuts & additions
Article shown 👉 https://majorleaguefishing.com/press-releases/major-league-fishing-announces-2027-bass-pro-tour-roster/ (https://majorleaguefishing.com/press-releases/major-league-fishing-announces-2027-bass-pro-tour-roster/)
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The Best on Tour Breakdown is the behind the scenes briefing on the buzz, banter, baits, and business of bass fishing.
Who has been a guest on Best on Tour Breakdown
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Hilary Martin
Josh Bertrand
John Crews
Carl Carson
Brian Bird
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