Super User Catt Posted September 20, 2021 Super User Posted September 20, 2021 There are literally hundreds of private boat launches on Toledo Bend. Y'all telling me I can't fish those....rotflmao! 1
billmac Posted September 20, 2021 Posted September 20, 2021 Ultimately the answer is "some, but not as many as think so".
Global Moderator Mike L Posted September 20, 2021 Global Moderator Posted September 20, 2021 A 200 boat field at a BFL has a potential of 2,000 fish being released. However by using a release boat the intent is to not release at the ramp or in a basin. Locals would follow it out and pounce! Well we got smart and now we wait them out and float around until they leave. When they’re gone they move 500 yds and then start to let them go. Mike 3
Super User geo g Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 Don't kid yourself, we may be good on bodies of water we are familiar fishing day after day, but these guys are constantly on the move and fishing constantly changing waters of all type, under all conditions. I have fished over 50 years and still fish at least 5 days a week, from both the boat and the bank, and am not foolish enough to think I could hang in with the guys on the circuit, day after day. Wake up and smell the roses. 3
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted September 21, 2021 Global Moderator Posted September 21, 2021 6 hours ago, Catt said: There are literally hundreds of private boat launches on Toledo Bend. Y'all telling me I can't fish those....rotflmao! I wasn't fishing a ramp, but we're going to try to pretend this fish hasn't be caught a time or two? What's the difference between a ramp and a community hole? Everyone knows there's fish there. You still have to catch them. Every fish in our small, heavily pressured lakes is caught and released, probably multiple times a year. I don't understand the idea that what part of the lake it's caught and released at making a difference. What if the ramp isn't a tournament ramp? Some of the bigger reservoirs I fish aren't good bass lakes, very few tournaments on them, but you can run from ramp to ramp and catch a bass or two off each because they're the only real type of structure and cover on the lake. Seems like a recently caught fish would be harder to get to bite than one that hasn't been recently caught? 1 1
Super User jbsoonerfan Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 11 minutes ago, geo g said: Don't kid yourself, we may be good on bodies of water we are familiar fishing day after day, but these guys are constantly on the move and fishing constantly changing waters of all type, under all conditions. I have fished over 50 years and still fish at least 5 days a week, from both the boat and the bank, and am not foolish enough to think I could hang in with the guys on the circuit, day after day. Wake up and smell the roses. Dang, coming with the truth! I love it!!!!! 1
Super User J._Bricker Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 The VERY BEST “Average Joe’s” who make the jump are called average pros. The carrot of turning pro is dangled in front of players by coaches in every sport year after year and very few are drafted or become successful pros. Why would professional bass fishing be any different?
Super User Catt Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 6 hours ago, J._Bricker said: The carrot of turning pro is dangled in front of players by coaches in every sport year after year and very few are drafted or become successful pros. Some of the best players in every sport are walk-ons, 1 star recruits, or not even recruited. 2019 NCAA College Football, nobody heard of let alone recuited Joe Burrow yet he went to to lead the greatest team ever. Sometimes ya just need a opportunity! Y'all ever hear of Bryan Kerchal? The ultimate Average Joe vs the Pros! 3
Super User J Francho Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 15 hours ago, Catt said: There are literally hundreds of private boat launches on Toledo Bend. Y'all telling me I can't fish those....rotflmao! I'm talking about the vultures that sit on the ramps where all the tournaments dump their catches. On Oneida, that would be the Oneida Shores ramp, for instance. There's three dozen other launches on that lake as well. The point is, while a boat launch is indeed a good piece of structure that definitely has it's resident fish, the catching your fish where literally thousands of fish are dumped off isn't really a skill. 42 minutes ago, Catt said: Y'all ever hear of Bryan Kerchal? I was going to bring him up. He was the one exception to the rule, and actually did it. Tragic ending, though. 2
Zcoker Posted September 21, 2021 Posted September 21, 2021 17 hours ago, Captain Phil said: Some years back I fished a sizable tournament at Toho. It was a team tournament with about 150 plus boats. Two guys in one of the boats broke down at the takeoff. They spent the entire day fishing with only their trolling motor and won the tournament. Fishing at the ramp is prohibited. Fishing in the area is not. Too many tournament competitors spend the whole day running instead of fishing. Another time, I fished a local team Classic out of Loxahatchee. My partner and I never started the big engine. The tournament officials sat in lawn chairs and watched us bale 6 pound bass all morning. ☺️ Wow, says a lot. I guess the average Joe might have a chance at anything, really, giving the circumstances. I recall one morning where I measured and recorded all bass caught from a single spot off the bank, just to see how far I could go with scoring. Fished for about 3 hours: total inches 163, total weight 40.9lbs, biggest fish was 8.21lbs and the smallest was 1.16lbs. This happened 6/2/21. Amazing what a little bank fishing can turn up! 1
Super User J._Bricker Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Catt said: Some of the best players in every sport are walk-ons, 1 star recruits, or not even recruited. 2019 NCAA College Football, nobody heard of let alone recuited Joe Burrow yet he went to to lead the greatest team ever. Sometimes ya just need a opportunity! Y'all ever hear of Bryan Kerchal? The ultimate Average Joe vs the Pros! No, I’m sorry I haven’t @Catt. But I have heard of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf. My point was an “Average Joe” being a successful pro fisherman is more of an exception, not the rule. So I guess you helped prove my point. After all, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. 1
Super User J Francho Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 2 minutes ago, J._Bricker said: No, I’m sorry I haven’t @Catt. My point was an “Average Joe” being a successful pro is more of an exception, not necessarily the rule. So I guess you helped prove my point. After all, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. You should look up his story - plenty has been written. It is fascinating and inspiring. 3
Super User J._Bricker Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 3 minutes ago, J Francho said: You should look up his story - plenty has been written. It is fascinating and inspiring. I appreciate the suggestion, thanks 1
ironbjorn Posted September 21, 2021 Author Posted September 21, 2021 Just read up on Bryan myself. Incredible, and sad. Thanks for mentioning him. 2
BassNJake Posted September 21, 2021 Posted September 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Catt said: Some of the best players in every sport are walk-ons, 1 star recruits, or not even recruited. 2019 NCAA College Football, nobody heard of let alone recuited Joe Burrow yet he went to to lead the greatest team ever. Sometimes ya just need a opportunity! Y'all ever hear of Bryan Kerchal? The ultimate Average Joe vs the Pros! Bryan was an outstanding fisherman, who 2 years in a row qualified to represent Connecticut in the BASS Nation championships and then went on to win his division in those Championships to qualify for back to back classics. I do not consider accomplished major tournament trail anglers as average joe's Even the resident hillbilly on the BASS trail - Matt Robertson who lives in a trailer park is far from an average joe in my book. 2
Super User Catt Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 20 minutes ago, J._Bricker said: JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf. Highly recruited so not really your average Joe. If I were a betting man I would bet more "Average Joes" that got an opportunity had better careers than the highly touted. Tom Brady got his opportunity he was 3rd string sitting in the bleachers in street clothes. At that point in time he was an Average Joe. 1
Super User WRB Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 “a few” was my 1st reply and sticking to it. Dee Thomas to this day remains a average Joe who reluctantly fished a few pro bass events. Dee worked in the grocery business all his working years and fished the local Delta circuit using his 1 presentation Flipping jigs into very heavy cover from a 15’ aluminum boat. Dee had to be talked into fishing a B.A.S.S. event, didn’t own a bass boat and he didn't want to take time off work. Dee only fished a few pro events and won most of them, then went back to his life working in the grocery business and fishing local weekend events. Dee is 1 of the few that dominated the pros. Tom 2
Bass_Fanatic Posted September 21, 2021 Posted September 21, 2021 I know quite a few guys who fish professionally and a lot of guys that fish bigger local tournaments (100-400 boats). Some of the guys fishing local circuits are just as good if not better than the pros. The two differences are time and money. My business partner for our guide service qualified for the Elites in 2015 through the central opens, but he didn’t have the money or the time to invest in fishing professionally. On top of that, he finished 3rd in the AOY standings and barely broke even on the year money wise. Professional fishing is one of the biggest scams out there. 4
Super User J._Bricker Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 1 minute ago, Catt said: Highly recruited so not really your average Joe. If I were a betting man I would bet more "Average Joes" that got an opportunity had better careers than the highly touted. Tom Brady got his opportunity he was 3rd string sitting in the bleachers in street clothes. At that point in time he was an Average Joe. Highly recruited “amateur athletes” and very unsuccessful pros. Brady was a back-up when he was drafted as the 199th pick. I’m pretty sure Michigan’s starting quarterback ahead of Brady didn’t have much success as a pro. So again, that kid from Serra High, to his credit, is another exception to the rule. We can go back and forth citing various examples. The fact of the matter is it’s tough enough to become a pro at any sport, let alone sustain continued success at the highest levels. And those who do should be celebrated 2
GReb Posted September 21, 2021 Posted September 21, 2021 When I read the title “dominate the pros” I take that as a Joe who could join the Elites or BPT and win AOY year 1. That’s a tall task. And Joe Burrow was a 4 star recruit and the #8 QB in the country coming out of high school. He just got buried on the depth chart at Ohio state. Love that guy
Super User J._Bricker Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 8:20 AM, WRB said: “a few” was my 1st reply and sticking to it. Dee Thomas to this day remains a average Joe who reluctantly fished a few pro bass events. Dee worked in the grocery business all his working years and fished the local Delta circuit using his 1 presentation Flipping jigs into very heavy cover from a 15’ aluminum boat. Dee had to be talked into fishing a B.A.S.S. event, didn’t own a bass boat and he didn't want to take time off work. Dee only fished a few pro events and won most of them, then went back to his life working in the grocery business and fishing local weekend events. Dee is 1 of the few that dominated the pros. Tom Very true Tom and Dee continues to fish well as a pro. By the way, didn’t BASS institute an 8 ft maximum rod length rule because of Dee’s success “tule dipping”?
Super User Mobasser Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 I fished quite a few club tournaments years ago. These were small events, on local lakes near home. I placed in the top three a few times, and thought I was getting pretty good. Our club got invited to a bigger event with 61 boats on Missouri's Table rock lake. Ten guys from our club went down there, and payed our own entry fees and everything else. We were fired up and ready. We studied maps, and, thought we could do well. It was a humbling experience. We came in second to last place. The guy that won the event was from Nebraska, and had never fished Table Rock before. This proved to me that the local angler advantage we all hear about, doesn't always hold true. It was a learning experience, and made me realize how many good sticks are out there. I think what makes a top pro stay on top is being able to adapt and change up if need be. A pattern can fall apart pretty quickly, and you'd have to be ready for this. Be the best in town until the best comes to town. As far as average Joe's dominating the sport? I think it's possible. Every dog has his day. But, are they cut out for it? I think it can be a stressful lifestyle. 2
Captain Phil Posted September 21, 2021 Posted September 21, 2021 5 hours ago, Zcoker said: Wow, says a lot. I guess the average Joe might have a chance at anything, really, giving the circumstances. I recall one morning where I measured and recorded all bass caught from a single spot off the bank, just to see how far I could go with scoring. Fished for about 3 hours: total inches 163, total weight 40.9lbs, biggest fish was 8.21lbs and the smallest was 1.16lbs. This happened 6/2/21. Amazing what a little bank fishing can turn up! It helps if the bank you are fishing from has current running nearby.
Super User WRB Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 California puts the marina the event is out of is off limits for daytime events. Night tournaments marinas are open to fishing. A decade ago 100 to 150 boats in a local tournament was common with derbies held every weekend on our 2 to 3 mile reservoirs with 1 marina in SoCal. Today 50 boats are the norm. Larger lakes up north and the Colorado River often have over 300 boats and several marinas, only the launch site marina being off limits. I always check out the marina to determine what’s going out in the lake because bass and bait are there. I can tell from decades of experience Joe always launches his boat and leaves the marina as fast as possible to where he caught bass the last trip. Tom
Super User Catt Posted September 21, 2021 Super User Posted September 21, 2021 3 hours ago, Bass_Fanatic said: Some of the guys fishing local circuits are just as good if not better than the pros. Since the days of the Hemphill Gang back in the early 70s Texas tournament circuits have been highly competitive. If you think you're good go to Rayburn any weekend, they'll accommodate you! 2
Recommended Posts