Chatt Im with you I have talked with Todd about this several times, a few years ago they said Capps and Coleman couldn't compete unless they were sider-rigging and they proved them wrong. The other thing is that Walleye and Bass get huge, up to 20 lbs. Crappie are a panfish, much smaller! If you make the rules then fish by them, Todd, Barry, and I all catch fish differently. Techniques are the great thing about fishing! But the reason that crappiemasters and CrappieUSA still allow the partner and the trolling is they want to keep it family structured! There are tournament trails for several species of fish across the world and they all have different rules! Some live bait, some trolling, some artifial only, and some casting! The entry fees are the big thing with interest though. Not the techniques! I have been guiding for years now and the first question I ask my clients is "What do you want to do today? Meaning are you fish hungry, do you want to learn techniques, spots, behavior etc. Crappiemasters had kicked the idea around last year to have less tournaments with higher entry fees, and bigger payouts! The guys that are serious about competing will fish the others will not! Just my 2 cents! EB