AaronG

Black in low light and mud. White and/or Chartreuse in clearer water and when the sun is high. (I almost always use white with a silver blade, I only add a trailer hook if I miss one or two hook-ups due to short strikes) I love fishing buzzbaits but fair warning, sometimes they just won't produce. I started with a 3 blade (Strike King makes a version called Tri-Wing) buzzbait and it's still my favorite. It runs slower than normal buzzbaits and I cast it with a long rod then "steer" it along edges of surface weeds and pads. The normal two blade buzz baits and buzz baits with clackers have to be retrieved pretty quickly and I find they only work here in northern PA during the late spring before the water gets really warm and in the early fall when the water starts to cool. One more thng, your buzz bait should squeak and squelch like a bad bearing in an electric fan. As the blade spins, you want that metal-on-metal squeaky sound. I don't know why, but I read it online (maybe here on BassResource?) and I did a little testing. Turns out my smooth, silent buzzbaits are also the ones that never come out of my tackle box cause they are the ones that never catch fish! I never made the connection until I read it online, but squeaking is definetly a good thing on buzz bait blades and a bad thing in almost every other metal-on-metal scenario.

Thanks for the great input everyone! Running an organized event is in everyone's best interest. When you refer to payout do you mean the 1st place check amount or how much of the entry fee is payed back to anglers? Which is preferred: 100% payout event with maybe $1,250 to first place and pays down 5 or 6 spots -OR- An 75% payout event with $2,500 to first and it only pays 3 spots

Thanks Fishing_Cory! So for you it's mostly about the opportunity the tournament provides you to advance to the next level. Makes sense. I also wonder about the guys who really aren't concerned with moving up to the Pro level. Maybe they fish for fun or are past their prime (no offense to old-bassers! I am sure you could teach me more in one weekend than I think I've learned in the past 5 years).

Non-Pro Tournament anglers, How do you decide which tournaments you will attend in any given year? Besides location (obviously a Texas tournament has little appeal to a Florida angler), what are the factors that help you decide whether a series is worth your time and effort? Is it the payout amount, the competition or lack of competition, the format, the schedule, the Tournament director, how well things are organized, the accolades that come with winning? Any input is helpful and greatly appreciated!

The tournament format offers a few different things. This is just my opinion based on tournament fishing in my area for 1 year. I could be WAY off. We run on Sundays. Most Federation tournaments around here happen on Saturdays. I am hoping this allows guys to do both without conflict. All events are team tournaments. You get to fish with your buddy/friend/son/daughter/wife. This what what drew me to participate last year. The Championship is participation based and has a large pot guaranteed. So even if you aren't a very good angler (like myself), you can still be part of a big event. We work with sponsors to giveaway valuable prizes after every weigh-in. You leave with a $10 giftcard to help with gas, or meal on the ride home. Also some good tackle sponsors give us items for anglers too. Either way, I am happy to run this series in my area for a couple years so that my wife lets me keep fishing! Sponsors would help make everything run smoother, so hopefully my efforts to draw the big guys in pays off sooner than later. We should have higher participation (bigger payouts) now that the tournaments have made the local news. GoErie Article YourErie Article

I am a new tournament director for a relatively new series that focuses on anglers around Lake Erie. The founders started the new series with a couple things in mind. 1. Getting anglers to work together on the same boat rather than compete against each other like in Federation tournaments 2. Opening up an untapped market in a fishery that is mostly focused on smallmouth bass. 3. Maintaining a high level of competition while keeping a friendly atmosphere for rookies and people new to the sport. With everything being so new to me, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about where to start? I have a lot of options, but with a full-time job, a wife, and two kids, I would like to hear what has worked for other tournament directors in the past? Sponsors seem hard to come by and I had no idea that so many small tournaments (like ours) are fighting for the bass anglers in my area. I already have my permits and the events are scheduled for this summer/fall (2013). I have some connections in the area that I am using for a new website and the visitors bureau is issuing a press release to the region. Any advice is helpful. Thanks!