bass stalker Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 Hey have you ever fished a tournament as a non boater and the boater tournament blocked you the whole day? If this has happend to you before what did you do to start catching fish? what can you do to catch fish in this situation? Quote
Super User WRB Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 It's a common situation called being front seated. Communication usually solves the problem, talk to your boater before the tournament. Tom Quote
Super User Fishes in trees Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 Yeah, when I fished BFL as a co-angler it happened from time to time. Sometimes it is unavoidable, sometimes it isn't. You try to be versatile and adapt. Once, on Bull Shoals, enough was enough and at the end of the day, when we got to the dock I packed up my stuff and made sure that it was all out of the boat. He had fish and I didn't. Anyway, when we got to the weigh in area, I just walked away and refused to sign his weigh in ticket and he didn't get credit for any of the fish he caught that day. It was an uncomfortable situation, but I felt that enough was enough and I wasn't going to let him get away with it that day. I'd reiterate that was a one time deal for me and the vast majority of the boaters I drew when I fished BFL were great guys and I still stay in touch with a couple of them. 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 21, 2014 Global Moderator Posted January 21, 2014 I've had it happen twice when it was blatant and no number of friendly request could change it. Once I started dragging a shakyhead up the drop after casting out to deeper water and caught the only keeper that day. The other occasion was at a shallow lake with tons of standing timber. I put on a spinnerbait and did my best to make as many casts as possible. That one was a paper tournament and I beat my boater by 2 inches. In both cases I was doing the opposite of what the jerk in the front of the boat was doing. If it's a bigger tournament I wouldn't be shy about filing a complaint with the tournament director if it was completely intentional. Sometimes, it just can't be prevented. If you're fishing a narrow creek, through very dense timber, or if the fish just want a bait parallel to the shoreline, then you may just have to deal with it. If the guy is keeping the boat positioned in a way that prevents you from really even having a chance to fish and refuses to be civil after you politely request him to set the boat so you have a chance to fish, that's when I'd be talking to the TD about it. My brother in law had it happen as bad as anyone I've ever heard of once. He was doing good and his boater wasn't so they moved spots. Once they got to the next spot the guy parked the boat nearly on the bank and started paralleling the bank with a crankbait. When my BIL asked if he could back the boat off the bank a little the guy said "If you want to fish where you want to fish then you should buy your own boat." He had more restraint than I would have had, pretty sure I'd have been finding out how good that guy could swim Quote
Big Jon Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 I hope to start fishing tournaments this summer after I move. This is good advice. Thanks everyone, and thanks for the posted question Bass Stalker. I wouldn't have thought of this, until it happened to me most likely. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 Fish team format tournaments, and this is never an issue. 1 Quote
Koofy Smacker Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 Fish team format tournaments, and this is never an issue. I love team tournaments. Never any conflict of interest since you are doing everything you can to help eachother. Ive retied many baits for my coangler as hes putting his fish in the livewell. To the OP, it happens, and you can get a pretty good understanding of how the guy will be if you talk to him before the tournament begins. Be as cordial as you can and when it gets back the only thing you can do without making yourself look bad is to have a conversation with the TD Quote
bass stalker Posted January 21, 2014 Author Posted January 21, 2014 You know I like to thank everyone who responded with advice how to handle this situation. That tournament was my first ive ever fished and never thought things would go down like this. This was just a small club tournament thats was'nt for any money or anything. Its a non profit club. I understand being competative and all,but this isnt the Bassmaster Classic. I thought the whole idea of a club like this was to promote fellowship thru friendly compition? Maybe i was wrong Quote
Fish'N Impossible Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Being "Front ended" out "Nosed" as we call it surprisingly happens way more often in small clubs than money tourneys. Sometimes it is just the learning curve of controlling the boat in currents and wind. Alone you only ever have to worry about the nose and never really consider what the back is doing. Usually just saying something politely resolved the issue. Quote
lmoore Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Back boating happens, quite often by accident. Lots of people prefish and just go out fishing by themselves and they get used to only worrying about their position in the water. I always let my coangler know at the beginning of the day that he should say something if I position him in a way he doesn't like. Works out pretty well. I did have it happen really badly in the first BFL I ever fished as a co-angler. The guy was fishing a grass flat and I turned around and made a cast to a small windblown rock island. first cast hooked a 3 lber, so he backs the boat up to where Ican't cast to the windblown side, fills his limit, and we take off. Completely ruined my first bigger tournament. Episodes like that seem pretty uncommon though. Quote
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