Prohibitive favorites hurting participation?

[Olebiker]

Do you find that participation in local open bass tournaments is hurt because there are a few guys that ALWAYS win?  

Here on Lake Talquin there are a few guys who live on the lake and can fish several times a week or they guide on the lake.  They enter every open tournament on the lake and usually take home the top checks.

I don't begrudge them their success.  They have earned it, but it seems that folks are reluctant to pay $100 or more per boat to fish for, at best, third place money.  

[nitro929]

interesting question but do you think that all the pros say opps cant fish kvd is going to be there , fishing is and will be a sport where time on the water will always be your friend  but on the other hand anyone can win its not you agaist people its you against the green fish that swims in the lake so forget about people and fish the fish and fish to win you have defeeted yourself already by saying your number 3

[Olebiker]

It's a little hard to follow your post without capitalization and punctuation, but here goes:

I'm not talking about the BASS Elite tournaments.  As good as KVD is, he is not the prohibitive favorite at any tournament.

Lake Talquin is a lake that requires a detailed knowledge of the lake that only the few who can fish it several times a week have.  

[farmpond1]

interesting question but do you think that all the pros say opps cant fish kvd is going to be there , fishing is and will be a sport where time on the water will always be your friend but on the other hand anyone can win its not you agaist people its you against the green fish that swims in the lake so forget about people and fish the fish and fish to win you have defeeted yourself already by saying your number 3

Fishing a lake regularly will give a local fisherman a distinct advantage the lions share of the time.  Of course there is no substituting skill but everything else being equal, a fisherman really knowledgeable with a lake or river and it's whims will usually win out.  It isn't just between you and the fish.

[nitro929]

we have lots of little tounaments all the time alot of time tim klinger dean r,  aaron m ,  brent e . john m. and byron v fish but its not people fishing people its the green fish sorry if my lack of spelling or marks ofends anyone i fish not study grammer

[BadKarma42]

Huh? :-?

[ABLE2DISABLE1]

It makes me wounder that just one person can receive more than one events Worth's at a TIME.But me and my old partner took first and third on several events, been acquiesced of staging, tying off fish you name it.We,ve even had the director fish within a 75ft. perimeter.While killing them on a crank-bait.Couldn't believe it, others fished the marker, it was funny, because we were fishing the outer edge by the drop off.Ooo, I understand that fish are not educated, but why are they in School. ;

[Olebiker]

One of the guys I am talking about, Rob Lawhon, is constantly being falsely accused of cheating.  He is just an extremely good fisherman on Lake Talquin.

[Willzx225]

I have seen where someone will get on a roll and win a few in a row and then be accused of cheating.  I've been on the bad side of it myself and it does end up hurting the turn out at times.  I used to work for a guy who won 11 tournaments in a row and said he had to lose just to get his friends back!  

I agree that having a very good knowledge base of a body of water helps push you over the top.  The thing that people don't realize is that there were plenty of times where I, or I'm sure anyone who is in that situation, was at the bottom of the standings, wishing that I/they could catch fish like the guys who won.  It was because I got my butt kicked that I wanted to work harder to succeed.  

[Catt]

The tournament trails here in East Texas have many Elite Pros who fish them to stay in practice plus numerous Semi Pros who enter every tournament. Do they win them all, no but they are consistently in the money.

Do I find that participation in local open bass tournaments is hurt because they are entered, must not because there is always 200-350 entries every tournament?

[cart7t]

we have lots of little tounaments all the time alot of time tim klinger dean r, aaron m , brent e . john m. and byron v fish but its not people fishing people its the green fish sorry if my lack of spelling or marks ofends anyone i fish not study grammer

Not offended at all.

I'll just ignore you since your posts are illegible.

Unless you have intimate knowledge of a lake, despite the fact you don't live there, or are just really, really lucky, entering in a typical buddy type tournament that has no provisions for excluding guides or locals is a waste of money IMO. You really stand no chance.

[tnhiker44]

Without a doubt it hurts participation. For this reason a marina on Lake Weiss has started a series of open "pot" tournaments with a no guide/no pro rule. It is their decision as to who is a guide and who is a pro. Participation went up from around 15 boats to well over 70. Because of the larger turn out they have went from a two place payout to a seven place payout... and your average weekend angler now actually has a chance to get a check. The cream of the crop will still always rise to the top, but this rule has gotten the local "weekend" fishermen in the area more active.

200 to 350 boat 'open' tournaments are not for me. Parking, flights, traffic, weigh-ins... yuk. I would rather have a root canal without Novocaine....

[drmnbig]

The lake I fish all my tourneys on is Lake Anna.  There are about 4 guys that are locals and are always in the money.  It sucks sometimes when they are all in the money and everyone else is outside.  It makes up for all these bad feelings when I finish above them and in the money though.  It really makes me feel like I accomplished something!

[cart7t]

If you're interested in scoring against the locals these are the best solutions. They're still not a guarantee for success though.

1. Choose a lake and become familiar with it. Really familiar and I don't just mean having some spots. You've got to learn how the fish react to changes in weather/water conditions, the forage base and what the fish are feeding on from season to season, typical fish locations in the lake and how the fish utilize that structure from season to season, etc. etc. That's the biggest advantage the locals have over the weekend warriors.

2. If your on the water time between tournaments is limited, pick tournaments where you can spend time pre-fishing the lake. I'd also suggest choosing those tournaments during seasons that play to your strengths. If you don't like fishing the post-spawn period, don't pick tournaments that fall into that time frame. Try and fit the tournaments into your strengths.

3. Fish, fish, fish. Spend as much time as possible on the water. Some lakes have lure/color preferences, learn what those are. Figure out where the fish are in relation to structure and refine your methods to catch them.

[Matt Fly]

We have so many anglers north of I 35 in TX that can fish with the best on any level who haven't even considered ever being pro.  lol

  In the past few years, some of the Elite anglers have came from my trails that I had to fish against if I wanted to play.

We have trails that are for the working guys, 40hrs a week, they have the guide rule in place, may have the rule that said if you fish 3 tournaments with entry fee of more than 320.00, you are ineligible to enter, plus adding the offlimits rule in there evens it out some.

   In our neck of the woods, theres more guys who could be fishing another level and don't for what ever reasons.         I don't care what kinda of tournament it is in TX, I like knowing it takes fishing clean, an  "A" game on any day in my neck of the woods to cash.    

     

   Theres not one lake that we don't have 150 or more homies (locals) that live on the lake or just know it.

   What we see in partner tournaments is guys who had dads or family that grew up fishing all these local lakes that have 20-50 years experience on tournament lake between partners.    

    Very tough, but I'd rather fish against the best on any given day, in the end result, its figuring what the fish are doing, not the other competitors.

   But yes, in some cases, it does tend to scare some guys off.

   

   

   

     

   

 

   

[Pantera61]

If you're interested in scoring against the locals these are the best solutions. They're still not a guarantee for success though.

1. Choose a lake and become familiar with it. Really familiar and I don't just mean having some spots. You've got to learn how the fish react to changes in weather/water conditions, the forage base and what the fish are feeding on from season to season, typical fish locations in the lake and how the fish utilize that structure from season to season, etc. etc. That's the biggest advantage the locals have over the weekend warriors.

2. If your on the water time between tournaments is limited, pick tournaments where you can spend time pre-fishing the lake. I'd also suggest choosing those tournaments during seasons that play to your strengths. If you don't like fishing the post-spawn period, don't pick tournaments that fall into that time frame. Try and fit the tournaments into your strengths.

3. Fish, fish, fish. Spend as much time as possible on the water. Some lakes have lure/color preferences, learn what those are. Figure out where the fish are in relation to structure and refine your methods to catch them.

Read it.  Learn it.  Live it.

[dave]

I'll just ignore you since your posts are illegible.

X2

i fish not study grammer

Isn't it great when they don't care?

[done]

...and to your earlier points about being accused of cheating. Nobody likes a winner. I do not care what sport it is.

  On the occasion I have been on top notch teams in some sport, being accused of cheating comes with the win.

   Fishing though, IMO, like any other sport has definite home field advantage. You can fish the Wylie and do good when you are visiting. There are a lot of good spots. I know of a few holes I have found over the last year or 2, that I have never seen anyone on and when the fishing is bad, it is at least decent in those spots.

  Even with that good knowledge of the local lake, if you got a good fisherman, he will adapt, he will find the bait/color/retrieve that works and pull them in.

  Personally, i would go to the Non-pro/guide/etc tourney to start out with, so I could get the feel of tourney fishing, and maybe stand a shot at placing. It's like bowling, you got serious money leagues where guys go to win cash and you see the best of the best there. You got other leagues that run the gamut. Good question though.

   As for grammar, I am no English major, and I make plenty of mistakes but man, you got to at least attempt to use it. Communication is a crucial skill in life, best to work on it someplace like BR when the worst you get is razzed a bit by other posters then when you go into a situation when it determines a job, or something like that. Just my .02...tight lines fellas

[bass wrangler569]

I think it does sometimes. One of the guys in my club used to practically live on one of our local lakes. He would get there friday and leave sunday evening, sleeping on his boat at night. As a result, he got to know the lake better than anyone else, and it got to the point that people would just turn around an leave when they saw him pull up to the ramp because they new they had no shot at winning.

[Quinte bass]

Tournaments are what they are...you pays your money and you takes your chances. Tournaments are appealing to me however the reality is that if I can muster enough $$$$ to gas my boat up for my seasons fishing, anything else is a bonus. Entry fees, accommodation, gas to the tournament, pre-fishing trips etc....too rich for my blood...and competing with the bass is good enough for me! Don't understands how those without some kind of sponsorship can afford to do it, unless regularly in the top three or so. For those that can afford to indulge....and possibly  reward the few...enjoy!