Fishing 3-in-a-boat in a Club

[Junk Fisherman]

Just looking for opinions on this issue since it has come up in my club.  For our first tournament this season, we have 7 boaters and 13 nonboaters.  4 members who are typically boaters cannot bring their boats for this tournament which is why the numbers are so lopsided.  When the draw was done 6 boaters were assigned 2 nonboaters.  There is no rule for this and I was surprised it wasn't voluntary for the boaters. 

 

I get it from both sides.  The club is trying to keep all the new members it has (most of them are nonboaters) and not allowing 6 people to fish would be a major negative.  On the other hand, should a boater who has spent thousands of dollars on their boat and are the backbone of a club be forced to take on a 3rd angler in his boat if he doesn't want to?  Several guys have an 18' boat and my 19'er is narrower than most.  I'm going to bring this up at a future meeting but I'd like to hear the opinions of others on this.  Thanks in advance.   

[Mike L]

That happened to me one time in a local club I belonged to and it was the last time. 

To give everyone a fighting chance we finally decided the only way it would work was to rotate around the boat every hour.
We had to call our shots when 2 wanted to fish the same side so we wouldn’t get into each others way when wanting to make a long cast and minimize the chance of crossing lines.
Forget about a silent approach and entry when needed.
No one wanted to throw straight out the back especially when covering water. 

The other co angler and I decided to only bring 3 combos each and down size our bags. 
We agreed that the boater should have no restrictions 
 

We told the boater since it was his boat he could just stay on the front deck and me and the other guy would rotate, but he refused. 
 

Keep in mind that we all agreed that we were gonna fish along a line of reeds that opened into deeper water.

Point being no one was gonna be forced to throw into open water or straight back and essentially junk fish with high hopes for 9 hrs

 

If we were in areas surrounded by vegetation where we could flip, pitch, or cast without getting into each others way then we’d probably force someone to fish used water or at the very least take them out of their comfort zone and be forced to fish a way none of use wanted to. 
 

Don’t ask about what happens when some decided to re rig something or pick up another rod!
 

The only saving grace was that we’ve all fished with each other many times before and were friends, so no hard feelings when things went south a few times. 

If I remember right we were in a 21ft Ranger Comanche. 
 

I’ll never do that again in a tournament setting.

I’d just rather get my entry fee and side pot bets back and stay home. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

I was very active in a great club in the 90s.  When I moved away I never found what I thought was a comparable club.  What made the club so good was the friendliness of the club.  We competed hard on the water but helped each other get better off the water.  Many clubs are full of guys that are just there to compete for money which leads to a lot of fighting over the rules and accusations of cheating.  That's not a fun environment to be a part of in my opinion.  For others it's exactly what they are looking for.  It all depends on what type of club you want to be.

 

I think making provisions to allow the nonboaters to fish shows that you are in a friendly club.  I would welcome a third person in my boat even though my boat is not build for 3 people.  

[Junk Fisherman]

3 minutes ago, Mike L said:

 

I’ll never do that again in a tournament setting.

I’d just rather get my entry fee and side pot bets back and stay home. 

Mike
 

 

 

Wow- that sounds bad.  I've fished 3 in my boat a couple times but just for a few hours and I did not like it at all.  Luckily, I was the only boater who was paired with a single nonboater.  I would have withdrawn from the tournament if I was given 2 nonboaters.  

[Mike L]

@Tennessee Boy

 

You're right

If its gonna work it’s much better when everyone gets along and you’re not there solely for the money.
Being strictly a tournament co angler the last 8 yrs, I think it’s critical joining a local club or even entering an open draw where even the boaters at one time were one also.
It just makes it more enjoyable especially fishing with someone you just met and gonna be together with for 9 hrs. 

 

@Junk Fisherman

 

The key is to have a clearly understood plan of what each of you expect and willing to put up with. 
If the 3 of you can’t or won’t work together and be flexible you’re doomed from the start. 
 

You already know it’s gonna be tight and certain sacrifices are going to have to be made. 
Just temper the expectations and emotions 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Team9nine]

I try and avoid 3 in the boat even when fun fishing. Like others mentioned, I’d withdraw from the event if paired that way, especially if this first event will be dealing with life threatening cold water (or bad weather). They should just cancel or reschedule the event for later in the season.

[Logan S]

Our club has boater and coangler divisions.  A boater can fish as a co, but they are at the back of the wait-list for priority and also still compete against the boater division anglers if they do fish as a co.  

 

We won't do 3 in a boat for a lot of reasons, so if there are more coanglers than boaters for a given tournament we use a wait-list based on tournament payment date, except for boaters who want to go as a co which is last in line as noted above.  

 

This is one those things that clubs need a clear rule on so everyone knows the deal ahead of time.  With no rule on the books it's just one guys opinion on what's right vs a other guy's....No matter what decision is made, someone is going to feel like they got screwed.  

 

We average around 70 members a season, close to 50/50 split in terms of boaters and cos...So we have more padding if a boat or two is unavailable, but it does come up from time to time on popular bodies of water where tons of cos sign up.  

[gim]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

I try and avoid 3 in the boat even when fun fishing. Like others mentioned, I’d withdraw from the event if paired that way, especially if this first event will be dealing with life threatening cold water (or bad weather). They should just cancel or reschedule the event for later in the season.

 

I don't fish tournaments so I can't comment on the competition aspect of this.

 

But I generally agree, 3 people in an 18 foot bass boat can be problematic, even just recreationally fishing.  My boat has a front and a back deck, and that's what we use.  About twice a year, there are 3 people in my boat.  Usually one time crappie fishing in the spring, and a second time bass fishing at some point during the season.  I make myself very clear ahead of time that someone is going to be "stuck" in the middle and their casting will be limited, which means their success will likely also be limited.  I also communicate the importance of being cognitive of your rods/lures since the physical distance in between us is far less.

 

I've taken a crank bait to the back of the head before.  One of the trebles lodged past the barb and I had to go to urgent care to have it removed.  I almost passed out shortly after the lure snagged me because it felt like a rock hitting my head.  It was directly related to having people too close in proximity while casting.  That's partially why I'm more cautious of this sort of thing now.  Sometimes a traumatic event like this stays with people.  This has stayed with me for years.
 

As far as the OP goes in competition, people who own the boats should be given some preference over non-boaters.  I realize not everyone may agree with this opinion, but without a boat, events like this cease to exist.

[J._Bricker]

5 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Just looking for opinions on this issue since it has come up in my club.  For our first tournament this season, we have 7 boaters and 13 nonboaters.  4 members who are typically boaters cannot bring their boats for this tournament which is why the numbers are so lopsided.  When the draw was done 6 boaters were assigned 2 nonboaters.  There is no rule for this and I was surprised it wasn't voluntary for the boaters. 

 

I get it from both sides.  The club is trying to keep all the new members it has (most of them are nonboaters) and not allowing 6 people to fish would be a major negative.  On the other hand, should a boater who has spent thousands of dollars on their boat and are the backbone of a club be forced to take on a 3rd angler in his boat if he doesn't want to?  Several guys have an 18' boat and my 19'er is narrower than most.  I'm going to bring this up at a future meeting but I'd like to hear the opinions of others on this.  Thanks in advance.   

Sorry your club is dealing with this @Junk Fisherman, and as you pointed out a club’s backbone is the number of boaters, not non-boaters. It was unfortunate that four boats weren’t available for whatever reason for the tournament. If the boaters of the unavailable boats want to fish, they should be placed in the non-boater pool and drawn like any other non-boater and paired up accordingly. Any non-boater who wasn’t drawn should be placed on a waiting list for the next available boat. 
 

I’m kinda of surprised the Tournament Director didn’t do this and it wasn’t made clear to the non-boaters that they’re subject to the “luck of the draw” as opposed to guaranteed a place to fish. In doing so the TD is penalizing the boaters who showed up with their boats by adding another angler/competitor to their boat to fish against. 

 

Boat ownership and all it entails isn’t cheap and I’d like to believe this is understood by the clubs non-boaters. 

Just my .02 

 

[Junk Fisherman]

1 hour ago, J._Bricker said:

I’m kinda of surprised the Tournament Director didn’t do this and it wasn’t made clear to the non-boaters that they’re subject to the “luck of the draw” as opposed to guaranteed a place to fish. In doing so the TD is penalizing the boaters who showed up with their boats by adding another angler/competitor to their boat to fish against. 

 

Boat ownership and all it entails isn’t cheap and I’d like to believe this is understood by the clubs non-boaters. 

Just my .02 

 

 

Thanks for the reply and I agree with you.  I exchanged messages with the club president and I completely understand his mindset.  He didn't want anyone not to fish.  He's a boater and while he's not happy about it, he's going to just deal with it. 

[WRB]

Blind Draw partners for non-boater is the only fair method.  It’s an odd man out situation. 3 fishing in a bass boat isn’t safe unless the front deck accommodates 2 anglers safely or the event allows trolling. 
Tom

 

[JHoss]

Sounds like a nightmare. I'm with many here and would withdraw from the event. I did it once as a Co with a buddy and his young son. We were only allowed two rods in the water at a time which further complicated things. I ended up just sitting back and watching for much of it so the kid could have some fun. When I was invited back, I politely declined. 

 

It sounds like there's an abundance of co-anglers and I doubt it would be hard to find more folks without boats who wanted to fish, so why pander to them? Like @J._Bricker pointed out, you won't have a club without boaters.

 

 

[TOXIC]

When I was guiding I many times took 3 out plus me.  You better be skilled at boat control and situational awareness when doing that.  But that’s not what you asked about.  Friend fishing aside, in a tournament situation 3 to a boat is unsafe, un manageable and un smart.  As the boater I wouldn’t complain since your section of the boat is reserved for you.  The other 2 are where the complaints should come from.  The middle man is the most disadvantaged.  You have to divide the casting lanes into thirds.  Front, middle and rear.  My advice is to draw co’s and when the boats fill up, pairing is over.  Otherwise the boater is going to be more of a referee than a fisherman.