If you don't fish tournaments, why do you fish for bass?

[WaskaCrank12]

I am not young, but I just started fishing a couple of years ago. I grew up in MA and close to the Atlantic Ocean - so being on/in the water (swimming, sailboats, a little bit of shore/pier fishing) was part of my youth and in my blood. I linked into a highly competitive - you either won or you lost - career.  After close to 4 decades I stepped away from that career - and with strong encouragement from loved ones - I bought a boat and embraced being back on the water. I had lived here in MN for close to 2 decades, near beautiful lakes, yet had not taken advantage of them. 

At the start I didn't fish - I just embraced being on the water, in the boat - no pressure to win, no crushing weight of a loss - just go out on the water, take in the sun, wind, waves, nature, sounds, peace. 

Several friends asked me - "What are you catching when you go out on the boat ?" - I said "I am catching serenity" - yet their questions did prompt me to think about fishing. So, I bought some yard sale rods and some yard sale lures and tossed a line in. That first year I didn't catch many, but it was fun to give it a go.

The vast majority of people in this area fish for walleye (the local lakes are stocked with them yearly) and for musky. Crappie/Bluegill seem to be next on the popularity list. So I figured my chances would be best if I fished for bass

I don't fish tournaments because I know myself too well - I would digress back to win/lose, all or nothing, ultra-competitive ways - and I don't want to go backwards. Simply put - I don't fish tournaments to save myself from - myself. 

I love being on the water and I have really grown into enjoying all the challenges that bass fishing provides - yet with that said I am committed to keeping it a fun, enjoyable on the water hobby/escape (not a win/lose/competitive event). That doesn't mean I am not looking to get better at the craft of bass fishing or that I am not seeking to catch the biggest bass in the lake - it just means that if I catch many, one or none I am still going to come off the lake with a smile on my face and peace in my heart/head.

 

[Swamp Girl]

I love @CastingClinic's and @WaskaCrank12's posts. These two guys remind me of samurai, i.e. warriors who also poets. @JHoss invited us to reflect and CC and WC12 did it well. 

 

Gotta love this:

 

10 hours ago, WaskaCrank12 said:

Simply put - I don't fish tournaments to save myself from - myself. 

 

And this:

 

14 hours ago, CastingClinic said:

When I pass a boat trolling, maybe for lake trout, hybrids, walleye, or salmon, or perhaps  I pass a perfectly splayed set of rods in search of crappie, or a guy with a hefty broomstick rigged up for catfish, I ask myself, "why am I doing this instead of that." 

Samurai. And when I say "samurai," I don't mean this guy:

 

 

 

[N Florida Mike]

I fished tournaments for 2 years and got out of it. Life got real busy about that time.

I bass fish because I enjoy it, and I eat a few every now and then.. it’s also kind of an identity thing with me. I identify as a bass fisherman…😂

[Bankbeater]

I fish because it is relaxing and fun.  A 5+ lb hawg will always make things better.

[Mbirdsley]

First things first. I am a conservationists first, Bass fishermen 2nd.  Fishing for bass is fun. We grew up hunting fishing, and being in the out doors . This new age of anglers ( not just picking in the younger anglers) and tournament angler have it flipped with being a bass fishermen 1st and a conservationist 2nd. Respect the resource and the resource will take care of you for the now and future generations. 

 

2-3 years ago I was starting to get into watching tournaments and wanting to participate in them. Now the more I watch the tournaments and just kinda  see the direction  everything is going the more I kinda just get turned off by them. The majority of the major tournaments are a money grab for the tournament owners and the resource be darned.  Tournaments have their place but, they need to do better in the future of protecting the resource.  Even just as businesses decision to ensure more bass. 

 

Probably the biggest reason for my self that I fish for bass. Bass are a hardy fish and take well to being caught and released.  Yeah, if you fish long enough you’re going to accidentally kill one.  My wife isn’t a big fish eater so there is no point in filling my freezer of fish we are not going to eat. 

 

I grew up fishing salmon and trout on lake michigan.  We fish for those by trolling which, is a total meat game.  Typical both species will fight to the death.  Having a good release after dragging them at 2.5 mph just isn’t going to happen.  Even fishing for brook trout in a small stream it is only 50/50 if the brook trout survive’s the fight. 

 

off my soap box 

 

[Daniel Abram]

I just love catching them. Trying to figure them out. I don’t fish to eat them. I am 100% catch and release. I am allergic to fish. Can’t eat them. 

[the reel ess]

Growing up, my family had a house on Lake Wateree in SC. We fished for everything, usually based on what was easiest to catch in the season. Then I grew up. I'm not the type of person who can be good at a lot of things. So I decided to specialize in my favorite species: bass. Then I got a kayak and started catching bigger and more bass in smaller and private waters. Now I only occasionally target crappie, especially for food. There are bass in almost every body of water. And, as they say, a bass is a bass is a bass. Drop me with a couple of rods and the kayak and I'll find a bass or two.

[Johnbt]

I'm 74 and started fishing when I was 4 or 5. I've never been able to figure out why I would want to ruin a fine day fishing by being restricted to when and where someone else tells me I can fish? And pay money to do it? I've never been tempted.

 

The guy that taught me to bass fish over 40 years ago used to fish a regional circuit and work a booth for Shimano and take some of the big name guys fishing when they'd come to town, but he quit after a few years of running himself ragged running his business, fishing, working shows, and playing tour guide for the big boys.

 

We decided we'd rather fish for big bass.

 

__________

Was it fun to see the big boys weigh fish and get to meet some of them? Sure. For a year or two anyway.

 

"The Bassmaster Classic was held in Richmond, Virginia in 1988, 1989, and 1990, with the following winners: 

1988: Guido Hibdon won the championship on the James River. 

 

1989: Hank Parker won the championship on the James River. Parker narrowly beat Jim Bitter by two ounces, who led the first two days of the tournament. 

 

1990: Rick Clunn won the championship on the James River. Clunn made a comeback that was so big that no camera boats captured it on the water. "

 

[Jar11591]

I find bass to be the perfect amount of challenge and sport. They don’t wreck tackle and make me bleed like esox, I can usually catch them the way I want to catch them, they are willing topwater biters, they can get big, they fight decent, they are in every body of water around. I don’t really know to be honest, bass I have made my quarry and that’s just how it is.

[Crow Horse]

On 12/9/2024 at 9:30 PM, WaskaCrank12 said:

I don't fish tournaments because I know myself too well - I would digress back to win/lose, all or nothing, ultra-competitive ways - and I don't want to go backwards. Simply put - I don't fish tournaments to save myself from - myself. 

I love being on the water and I have really grown into enjoying all the challenges that bass fishing provides - yet with that said I am committed to keeping it a fun, enjoyable on the water hobby/escape (not a win/lose/competitive event).

This and more. Being out on the water fishing for bass allows me to refocus, recalibrate & recharge. It allows me the opportunity to pursue personal excellence: to be better than I was when I launched that day. It also allows for those precious moments to commune with the world that surrounds me and become a part of it and not a part from it. For me, making it a competition would corrupt all of the above and prevent me from finding myself and experiencing what is real.

[Cuivre]

There are too many reasons to list, but a couple are:

1. The tournament is "ME vs the FISH"- which is really what it boils down to, regardless of the context.

2. I like the puzzle of figuring out how to catch the fish-how and where.

3. I like the 'experience" (peace and quiet) and the environment during the fishing trips-nature, boating and kayaking.  I like exploring new lakes I haven't fished before.

4. I like to make use of the gear I spend time and money accumulating!  LOL!  

5. I like the camaraderie that often arises on the water or in the parking lot- comparing notes and talking about a common interest.  No one I work with fishes seriously, so that is lacking at work.

 

I can get most of these even during a tournament, but for me, it is still "me vs the fish".  I have my own definition of success and it doesn't need to be in comparison to other people who may have more experience on that body of water or have better electronics/experience using them.  I find it hard to continue to use a technique that is boring to me, even though that may end up being the way to catch more fish.

[Boomstick]

I fish for bass because I find bass fishing to be fun and exciting way to fish!