How did you get started?

[RobbyZ5001]

I am sure we all have interesting stories on how we got hooked on tournament fishing. Me personally a family friend of mine was a professional fisherman for multiple years and I have always fished so I went to a local lunker tournament with him. I didn't weigh a fish that tournament but ever since I got that rush of the tournament I have been hooked. Now I am really just trying to learn and expand my knowledge on fishing. This year I plan on fishing over 30 tournaments and gaining experience hoping to be a "threat" in local tournaments in the next couple years.

[CJ]

I started tournament fishing because I just wanted to get some "hands on" experience. It was a quick fix to fish with somebody that would know more than myself. My first tournament I ever fished was as a co-angler in the BFL. It was an amazing day! I broke my old PB by about 3 lbs and won 3rd out of 199 other co-anglers. Got a check for over $900! I was hooked.

[RobbyZ5001]

Wow CJ you made quite an entrance into the world of tournament fishing. That is awesome! Hopefully May 10th I can do the same on the Potomac!

[TruflShufl]

My first tournament is in 3 1/2 weeks and it's a BFL tourney.

After surveying the situation I would have been more fiscally responsible to try some club circuits first, but maybe I'll have a good story like CJ's by the time I'm done  8-) Hopefully.  ;D

[Tin]

Skipped school and went fishing. I met the RI Youth Director, I joined the junior club, was the state champion my first year and qualified for the B.A.S.S. Jr World Championship, the rest is history.

[CJ]

Yeah guys...the good lord shined down upon me that day. If you don't mind I would like to share the story:

I entered up in the BFL tournament as a co-angler for the reason to learn. I was getting tired of beating the banks and casting to visible cover, I wanted to learn some new techniques.

So in March of 2005, I got entered up and was at the pre-meeting. I was sitting there hoping and praying to draw one of the big guns. Finally my name gets called out but I've never heard of this guy. I go over to meet the half drunk, older man, that has a speech impetiment. After I introduce myself and tried to figure out what he said his name was, he asked,"You know wrrr ony fish rrr?" By this time his traveling partner came over to interpit."I been hrrr fo a week and caught on lil' ole fish on a beartrap", he says."A BEARTRAP?!!",I asked him. Then his partner tells me,"He wants to know if you know where any fish are? We've been here a week and he's only caught one little fish on a Rat-L-Trap",his buddy explained. I told him I was just a rookie and didn't know much but I had always had better luck on Barkley this time of year. Barkley is the sister lake to Ky. and is connected by a canal at the north end. "Okay den, we go over dar", he said. At this time I felt like I had thrown my $100 out the window. I might learn something but it probally won't have much to do with fishing.

So the next morning we blast off and head over to Barkley. I started out throwing a jerkbait with no results. Then my boater, at about 10:00am, catches the first fish on a Wee-R. It didn't keep but it was a clue. I tied on a Shad Rap 7 in crawdad and at 12:00 something felt like a log on the end of my line! I remember praying it was a bass. When I got her up and seen the lateral lines, I went nuts! My boater jabbed her a couple times with the net, he was as excited as I was. Thank God she was hooked front and back! I went on to catch only one more fish that day but my 9lbs. 10 oz. was good for 3rd, my big fish was 7 lbs. even. My boater only ended up with 2 smaller fish but it was a great day for both us. He was as proud as I was!

We have since become friends. The last tournament of the BFL season, I was able to repay him by putting him on the fish to give him a 6th place finish at the super tournament. It was the first time he had ever got a check as a boater.

Funny thing is, the next 2 tournaments I drew some "big guns". I zeroed both of them.

Chris

[TruflShufl]

Yeah guys...the good lord shined down upon me that day. If you don't mind I would like to share the story:

I entered up in the BFL tournament as a co-angler for the reason to learn. I was getting tired of beating the banks and casting to visible cover, I wanted to learn some new techniques.

So in March of 2005, I got entered up and was at the pre-meeting. I was sitting there hoping and praying to draw one of the big guns. Finally my name gets called out but I've never heard of this guy. I go over to meet the half drunk, older man, that has a speech impetiment. After I introduce myself and tried to figure out what he said his name was, he asked,"You know wrrr ony fish rrr?" By this time his traveling partner came over to interpit."I been hrrr fo a week and caught on lil' ole fish on a beartrap", he says."A BEARTRAP?!!",I asked him. Then his partner tells me,"He wants to know if you know where any fish are? We've been here a week and he's only caught one little fish on a Rat-L-Trap",his buddy explained. I told him I was just a rookie and didn't know much but I had always had better luck on Barkley this time of year. Barkley is the sister lake to Ky. and is connected by a canal at the north end. "Okay den, we go over dar", he said. At this time I felt like I had thrown my $100 out the window. I might learn something but it probally won't have much to do with fishing.

So the next morning we blast off and head over to Barkley. I started out throwing a jerkbait with no results. Then my boater, at about 10:00am, catches the first fish on a Wee-R. I didn't keep but it was a clue. I tied on a Shad Rap 7 in crawdad and at 12:00 something felt like a log on the end of my line! I remember praying it was a bass. When I got her up and seen the lateral lines, I went nuts! My boater jabbed her a couple times with the net, he was as excited as I was. Thank God she was hooked front and back! I went on to catch only one more fish that day but my 9lbs. 10 oz. was good for 3rd, my big fish was 7 lbs. even. My boater only ended up with 2 smaller fish but it was a great day for both us. He was as proud as I was!

We have since become friends. The last tournament of the BFL season, I was able to repay him by putting him on the fish to give him a 6th place finish at the super tournament. It was the first time he had ever got a check as a boater.

Funny thing is, the next 2 tournaments I drew some "big guns". I zeroed both of them.

Chris

;D That just goes to show ya...you never know!

[roadwarrior]

Man, that's a great story!

;D ;D ;D

8-)

[Zel]

I was raising a family, working 50 hours a week on average, and getting my college education at night and weekends. In 1989 I had finished my masters program, and suddenly realized I had some extra time on my hands. My fishing up till then was very sporadic due to limited free time, but I was a pretty good bass angler beating the banks. I went to an outdoor show in early March 1990, and visited the PA Bass Federation Booth. I have always been the competitive type. I noticed a flyer for their District tournaments, which mentioned co-anglers, and inquired about competing in some of their tournaments. They informed me that I needed to belong to a BASS club in order to fish the District tournaments. They told me to come to a district meeting, and talk to the District Tournament Director, so he could direct me to the different clubs and see which one I could join. So several weeks later I went after work, in suit and tie as I was an accountant, and tried to talk to the Tournament Director (who was no where to be found) and then tried to talk with several of the clubs, but no one wanted to speak to me (they all said they were filled up). Finally one club, located 30 miles from my home, gave me a date and time to come to their next meeting. When I went, I found out that the District Tournament Director was in a little domestic trouble with the police, and everyone at the District meeting thought I was an undercover cop, so no one was willing to talk to me. The club that agreed to have me come only did so to get me out of the restaurant (meeting place). Well, I joined the club and fished my first club tournament in late March at Greenwood Lake on the NJ/NY border. It was 30 degrees, freezing rain, with high winds causing negative wind chill factors and dangerous water conditions. The boat owner drove his Tri-Hull like it was a warm calm day, so needless to say I was wet, frozen, and shaking in my boots from pure fear by the time we got to the first spot. I didn't have the necessary clothing for the conditions and spent the entire day in pure misery, including having to remove ice from the eyelets after every cast. We went to the weigh-in 1/2 hour early (8 hour tourney), and found out only the tournament director remained in the marina. Everyone else had come in 4 hours earlier and went home. Also two larger boats received damage from the conditions. After he weighed in his limit of fish (I caught none), I told him if this is what tournament fishing is all about, I want nothing to do with it! He said come to the next meeting, and give it one more shot because it does get better. At the meeting, he told the club that if anyone doesn't vote me in, there would be hell to pay, because this guy fishing his first tournament didn't once complain throughout arguably the worst conditions the club had seen in 10 years. Well, I made state team my first year, and within two years I became the club's Tournament Director. That first year fishing the State Team tournament, I was in 8th place after the first day, but ended up with a 26th place finish, with (if memory serves me right) 422 anglers in the tournament. TOURNAMENT FISHING IS ADDICTING!

[RobbyZ5001]

Wow Zel... now that's dedication. CJ and Zel you both have interesting stories. I am sure I will have a couple after this year. Hopefully not to the extent of either of yours. They were truly hilarious!

[ktm851]

i went and filled out an application for a tournament yesterday and i think me and my friend are gonna fish a tournament on april 20th i think...its gonna be my first one and im so excited. me and my friend talked his dad into letting us use his boat cause neither one of us have john boats over 12 ft..lol we should do pretty well because were its a local tournament on the waters we fish frequently. i cant wait

[preach4bass]

i went and filled out an application for a tournament yesterday and i think me and my friend are gonna fish a tournament on april 20th i think...its gonna be my first one and im so excited. me and my friend talked his dad into letting us use his boat cause neither one of us have john boats over 12 ft..lol we should do pretty well because were its a local tournament on the waters we fish frequently. i cant wait

Good luck! Be sure to let us know how you do in the "My Tournament/Outing" thread.

[RobbyZ5001]

Be sure to read the rules and regulations of the tournament. I know most of the smaller tournaments I was in each boater needed like a 100,000 insurance policy. Just read up on the rules and regs before going to the tournament. Also that I am in you need your life jacket on when the boat is running. Those are just two general common guidelines. If it is a trolling motor lake you wont have a problem. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[The Bass Guy]

Well... I was fortunate, my Dad introduced me to fishing young.. Of course, being related to the folks that started St. Croix Rods helped out..  I fell in love with fishing....  My only problem is that my dad was a bobber and worm kinda guy...  I read everything possible about fishing and learned the hard way, by doing it...  LOL...  When I was twelve, I talked my dad into entering a local fishing tournament, I had to figure out how to rig our boat to be tournament legal...  (a 1960 something 14' Alumacraft with a 45 hp merc... with a steering wheel in the middle...)  You had to have a kill switch..  I finagled it and we entered... I had to pay the whole entry fee for both of us with money I earned because my dad wasn't into tournaments...  But hey, we went, had fun...  did pretty well...  That was 25+ years ago...

I was hooked.. I read everything... I fished every second I could...  LOL.. In fact I worked on that boat for a good many years and made it out to be pretty neat...  Put floors in, put a livewell in.. A Better kill switch...  Did alot of tourneys with that boat, did well, it was ugly and not as fast as the "fancy" boats were, but it did the job just grand...   Tell you the truth I would love to have that boat now... Even with that big ugly, heavy and I mean heavy monster of a red topped, silver sided mercury...  Since I lost my beautiful Bass boat and everything else in my divorce a year or two ago...  

Over the years, I moved up, bought an old Ranger that was trashed and fixed it up...  bought a bass tracker.. hmm d**n those were fine boats at that time...  and stayed hooked on Fishing and tourney fishing...  To this day, I may not be on the lake much, but that will change sometime soon, I still read everything possible and still practice Flipping and casting in the yard into a bucket and around the trees to the bucket, etc....  

Sorry to get off the track, but do me a favor all.. Introduce your children to the sport fishing and teach them good and ethical practices...  No matter if you can only take them "banking" or out on a little ole' alumacraft, you will find that those will be the best of times...  and you never know who might be a future KVD or Clunn or Brauer or Roland Martin (yes I remember him)...