Fishing tournaments....why? or why not?

[5bass]

Clarification:

In an actual "points tournament" (club or trail) I weigh everything.

In the pot tournaments (no points, just money) I wont weigh unless I have enough to get in the money.

[Tin]

I'm with Lee, aint nothin' like the smell of 2-stroke in the morning.

It's just an awsome time, I crank up the music in the truck, think about my gameplan. Then when everyone cranks the outboard and buzzes to their honey hole. After that is when the fun and challenge begins, battling the clock, fish, and each other.

My personal favorite thing when I fish from the Tracker, beating guys in z21 Comanche's with 225 E-Tec's.

[warmer]

In the pot tournaments (no points, just money) I wont weigh unless I have enough to get in the money.

im with you on that fivebasslimit...

if i fold my hand in poker, i dont show anybody what i had, then when that fish story rolls out about how i had a "decent limit, but nothing big" hey... who knows

[warmer]

why does everyone hate the guys w/ 225's?

-proud new owner of a used 225, gimme some love.

[michbass]

I too love the competition, being around other fisherman, being on the water, having a chance to learn something. The relieved feeling you get when you get your first keeper, and so on until you have a good bag.

[Tokyo Tony]

I have a question for all of you tournament fishermen:

Do you find that when you're not fishing a tournament, but just out for a day on the water, that you enjoy fishing less because you're not in a tournament?  And when you catch a huge fish recreationally, does the fact that you're not in a tournament at the time detract from the pleasure you get by catching the fattie?

Be honest please, because this is one of the reasons I haven't wanted to tournament fish.  I play a lot of golf tournaments, and when I'm out on the course, it's rarely ever recreationally (unless I'm playing a scramble and boozing), but almost always in preparation for the next tournament.  I enjoy hitting shots, but mostly in order to be prepared for the next tournament.  I'm not sure I want this to happen with fishing, just because I enjoy fishing for what it is so much right now.  

[Garnet]

If I'm just fun fishing I usaully fish for gaints. I can get distracted looking at houses, birds, dock birds just enjoying the day.

If I'm working towards a tourny I am looking for patterns and spots.

When it's game day I'm focus and bring out my "A" game.

I see lots of guys that only have "A" game they can't separate game day and fun day.

Garnet

[RobbyZ5001]

I might be one of those guys. I try to bring my A game period. Especially when you fish with people that know you do tournaments and dont know you very well. You have a bad showing they think you are blowing smoke up there ***. That is a sitiuational thing of course but I really enjoy catching fish period. I can have fun fishing for anything anywhere.

[Tin]

A Game can be a good or bad thing. You can get way to serious and get stressed out a lot easier imo. Have a gameplan and relax. I think when I relax I fish better then when I'm up tight and on a schedule.

[5bass]

Tokyo Tony has made a real good point. I am guilty of not being able to separate the two no matter what I do. When I hit the lake I'm running from one spot to another, checking this, graphing that, etc....even if I only get a few hours out, I'm fishing it like a tournament and I'm trying to catch as many keepers as possible.

"Fun fishing" just doesnt happen for me anymore. I expect myself to catch a few fish every time out, even if its only a 2 hour trip. I am hard on myself when it comes to catching fish. I wish I wasn't.

[Tin]

"Fun fishing" just doesnt happen for me anymore. I expect myself to catch a few fish every time out, even if its only a 2 hour trip. I am hard on myself when it comes to catching fish. I wish I wasn't.

Same here unless I'm out with 5.0 or LBH. I dont look at as work but prefishing can be a pain sometimes. Going out to LOCATE fish and canceling out areas.

I also wish I wasn't so hard on myself. Even if I do great and win or do real well in a tourney I always look back on that one error and it haunts me. I always want to fish flawless, but it hasnt happened yet and I doubt it ever will.

[flippincrazy]

I think that i am pretty good at seperating tourney fishing from just fishing, but I enjoy both. I think that I actually get less time to enjoy fish I catch in a tourney because its to the livewell and thinking about the next one to catch, but I'm happy either way.

[roadwarrior]

This is another aspect seperating recreational fishermen from tournament guys. I never really think about catching "a fish". I (we) have lots of days when that just doesn't happen. I don't consider that a bad day, just not the right day. On average, I think I catch one decent bass every 4-5 hours on the water. Of course, sometimes I get lucky, but that just balances out the skunks. I doesn't bother me, I really don't care as long as I catch a biggin' or a goodin' every now and then!

On the Tennessee River we're always going to catch some "fish", but if we don't boat a 5+ smally, it doesn't count. In 2005 my partner and I put 50+ in the boat. That was a good year! I'll need about 45 to get even this Saturday.

[Cajun1977]

i to always move around from spot to spot trying for keepers ,but fact is that is whats relaxing to me. i cant just sit there and fun fish anymore ,i hardly ever eat anything when im on the water cause im trying to get as many cast in as i can. when i go out in someone elses boat i tend to relax quit a bit morebut when im in my boat its game on

[cart7t]

Tokyo Tony has made a real good point. I am guilty of not being able to separate the two no matter what I do. When I hit the lake I'm running from one spot to another, checking this, graphing that, etc....even if I only get a few hours out, I'm fishing it like a tournament and I'm trying to catch as many keepers as possible.

"Fun fishing" just doesnt happen for me anymore. I expect myself to catch a few fish every time out, even if its only a 2 hour trip. I am hard on myself when it comes to catching fish. I wish I wasn't.

20 years or so ago, when I was fishing T's, I never noticed that that is exactly what I was doing when I wasn't fishing in a tourney.

It just so happened that my young bride at the time brought it to my attention when she and I would go out for fun fishing trips.  Unfortunately, it wasn't much fun for her.  I was in that mode and was fishing more like a machine vs. just out on the lake for a day of enjoyment.

It was her observations that made me realize that I wasn't really deriving that much enjoyment from tournament fishing and that being in that tournament mode was spilling over into my other time on the water.

I basically quit fishing T's all together.  I found my time on the water is more enjoyable and I'm more likely to take each day, regardless of what I catch, as it comes and not turn it into some sort of athletic pre-event.  

I enjoy the BFR get together type T's now where there is little on the line (money wise).  Folks actually get out there and relax and have some fun.  I fished a couple of dinks tourney's he had at a local lake and had fun.  Again, small entrance fee and not much money on the line but who cares, it was the fellowship and good natured ribbing that made those little T's fun.

I also love the fact that while you tournament guys are bobbing around waiting for your number to come up for the take-off, I'm already on the water fishing, hopefully with at least one good fish caught already.  That's what I was missing most,  fishing those quiet pre-sun up waters and as the sun was setting and into the early evening.

[ga_hawghauler]

I love fishing tourneys because of the competition not only against the the other anglers but tagainst myself to drive myself to do better. Another reason for fishing tourneys is I have a great partner who I enjoy fishing with and just hanging out with. My son.

[Tokyo Tony]

I guess for now I'll hold off on tournaments then - it does seem like it detracts from your recreational fishing, if "recreational" fishing is even possible at that point.  HOWEVER, in the overall scheme of things, I'm sure tournament fishing may enhance the whole fishing experience for a lot of people: competition, enjoyment, etc, but I'm talking specifically about the impact tournament fishing has on the days when you're not fishing or prefishing a tournament, but just out to fish.

I know myself pretty well, and I really believe that the whole nature of fishing would change for me if I started doing tournaments, which is why I'm hesitant.  I still really really really enjoy competition when I'm fishing, whether it's against my brother, myself, or those little green scoundrels, and I can be pretty intense on the water (especially when competing with my brother), but that's kind of a friendly competition that doesn't mean all that much.  If I'm looking for serious competition, I can always head to the golf course or the poker tables.  At this point, I can still go out and hang out at a pond or lake or river for a couple hours and lazily cast, or take a 20 minute break to eat lunch out there or have a couple brews and think nothing of it.  I don't want that to change, although some day I'll probably end up fishing tournaments anyway.  I'm in no rush though.

So if I'm not fishing tournaments, how do I measure myself against other anglers?

By height, of course  ;D

[5bass]

TT, you have made the right choice if you feel you cant seperate fun fishing and tournament fishing. My whole mindset changed after I fished my first tournament a lot of years ago. There is always pressure to get that first fish in the boat, then the pressure of getting #2, then #3 and so on.

Even when I go by myself and nobody knows or cares whether I catch some fish or not.....I know what went on and the mind starts racing if I have a bad outing. And if I do have a bad outing, I tell myself "everyone has days like that sometimes" but that really doesn't help at all.....I push myself way too hard mentally when things dont go right on the water.....and when I'm not in a tournament, I'm competing with nobody but myself. It's tough.

Then tournament day rolls around and it's all good......just gotta get a limit.

[CJ]

Good question 5Bass!

I love tournament fishing and everything about it!