Anybody else on here do much tournament fishing? I will be in at least 7 tournaments this spring and summer. I'm pretty new to this, so I'm super excited for it. I'm hoping that my partner and I will be able to accumulate enough points that we will be in the division championship at the end of the year. If not, it will still be fun. I love the competitive aspect of it and really look forward to the added pressure with money on the line.
I fished a lot of tournaments when I had my bass boat the last few years. I usually averaged about 15 tournaments a year. I sold my bass boat and bought a boat more suited for the salt and freshwater fishing that I like to do. I still fish tournaments every now and then with my buddy in his boat. I enjoyed the tournaments, but I also enjoy that if the fishing is slow I can just go ride around and not worry about it.
Still waiting to get out with my buddy for our first tournament fish, I would enjoy doing one just for a change in pace. Plus I have a few field staff products I would like to try out. Im hoping to land a few walleye tournaments this year and rank in a Trout tournament for the first time.
I would LOVE to tournament fish but.....up in the lovely UP of Michigan very little of that happens. So now I hunt way more than I fish. I did win a trip from Booyah to go to the Bassmaster Classic this year and try to win a brand new Toyota with 10 other people. Looking forward to that!!!
I am Upper Michigan like the almost Canada part...walleye is the craze up here. We have great smallmouth fishing in the big lakes but it can be really tough to find them. The trip I won was for the classic down in South Carolina this weekend!
Awesome, I was in Ontonagon this past spring for a bear hunt. Walleye are becoming the Michigan craze. I would be on a plane to SC in a heartbeat with this winter we are having.
Coming down to my neck of the woods for this one! Wish I could make it and watch part of it but don't think ill be able to. The weather this week is cold for around here but nothing like youre probably used to!
Man I'd love to go to the Classic. My tourney partner has been before, but I've never been able to go. I'm so ready to get out on the water. I'm hoping we get some time out on the water soon, but the weather sure is crappy right now. We definitely need to get some practice in on one of the lakes we will be fishing. It's a lake that neither of us has been to before, so hopefully we will get there at least once before the first tournament.
I tournament fished for a few years and it is a lot of fun if you are paired with a good boater. Learn to fish whatever your boater is fishing. If he is fishing slow, you fish slow. If he is cranking or throwing a spinnerbait, you do the same. Some of the guys can be difficult for no reason. They will pull in a cove and leave the rear of the boat pointed towards open water with you unable to fish anything. If he makes a habit of this, take a rattle trap and throw towards the front of the boat and tie his line up. Some will fish all the lay downs, stumps and debris and motor by before you get a chance to cast. The best way to get even is to take your time getting to the net when he hooks a fish. When he loses a 8 pounder and asks why, then tell him nicely you are not giving me any water man. Biggest thing is to have fun and REMEMBER these guys take this serious. You will see what I mean when you are a non-boater and you catch more fish than your boater. Good Fishing!
The good thing about the tournament series we will be in is that it's a team tournament trail. This guy is a good friend of mine and we both have boats, so we will get along great. We both try to help the other ad much as we possibly can. More than anything we just try to have fun. I couldn't imagine being paired with a guy that is trying to limit your opportunities.
I ran around with a club for a few years. It was a lot of fun, and for being the youngest team in it, we placed in about 70% of our tourneys. In '13 we were running away with the points lead by far when my tourney partner found out his mom had cancer, and ended up hanging it up for the final 3 tourneys. We thought about jumping back into a different, bigger series last year, but elected to instead fish the lakes we wanted to and when we wanted. Tournaments are a lot of fun, but sitting on the Illinois River or some other poor fishery with a shakeyhead or a dropshot for 8 hours just hoping a 12" bass hooks up, tends to be tedious. When you have them figured out though, and everywhere you go is the right call, man it's a rush. This year with me going back to school, I'm contemplating selling the Ranger to pay some bills, but trying to find every excuse not to lol. Will be the first year since my senior year in '06, I haven't made some kind of fishing trip/vacation somewhere.
I've got 5 tournaments I'm going to be fishing in the walmart BFL series this year. They are a lot of fun. Plus you get to meet some interesting people. I'll also be fishing in the western arkansas Kayak fishing tournaments this year. There are 7 total plus state if you qualify. Less than a month until they all kick of!
