bigbassmo

Here in Missouri it is a little too late to start most buddy circuits. The best one I would recommend is called Anglers in Action, check out midwestfishtournaments.com, they have a really great trail that is really good for people starting out. They usually have most of the tournaments in the spring and a championship in the summer. Check it out for next year. They have an open division that let's you choose 5 tournaments on different lakes or you can choose just one lake to fish the whole season. Good Luck!!

I have had the opportunity to fish with and get to know several of the top pros on both circuits. All of them are capable of competing on either circuit, and several have fished both sides. They have told me the main reason they are fishing BASS or FLW is decided by which one they feel they can build a better portfolio of sponsors. FLW is not as prestigious as BASS Elite Series but you would be surprised how much money they can actually make by fishing the FLW, and what they call a lot less "Hollywood".

When I fish a tournament I have to have two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the boat. Tried a tournament one time without them and stunk it up. Never again!!!

With it being so difficult to win in tournaments, at what point can you say you are competitive at your current level and maybe think about the next step up?

Congratulations on your new unit. I have HDS units as well. If you have the insight usa on your HDS 5 you will not need to buy the hot maps chip. The insight usa has everything you will ever need. It has the river channels and contour lines just like the hot maps. I travel all over the country fishing tournaments and I have not had a problem with mine yet. Have fun and good luck!

Table Rock Lake is a premier fishery. I live between Kimberling City and Springfield, about 45 min away. I know you will be very happy. We have lots of great tournaments that come to Table Rock. The FLW and Bassmaster Weekend Series are at the top of the list, but we also have the Heartland Series, Joe Bass, and Anglers in Action that all have very respectable pay outs. Check out conservationcafe.com and go to the fishing section to look at upcoming tournaments, articles, and fishing reports. As for the theft in the area, it does happen but it is one of those things that we just have to keep fighting. All I can say is if a local fisherman around here ever caught anyone stealing from another fisherman's boat, it would be ugly.