Tournament Bass fishing, the cheapest guided trip in the state

[Skip Johnson]

Thought Id put this out since I get several inquiries a year of how to get into tournament fishing, I posted this on another site and have recieved some good feed back and PM's from people interested in TX fishing that didnt know how to get started.
I know most of you on this site allready know how to enter but if this helps just one person its a good thing so please bear with me.
In addition if you are interested in TX's or allready participating in TX's and are not a TBF of Mi (Federation) member please consider becoming a member and help strengthen our voice by numbers when it comes to conservation and youth involvement.

http://www.michigantbf.com/

First off their is several great Bass guides on Lk St Clair including Gerry Gostenik, Jose Garza, Capt Doug, Jon Bondy Art Ferguson and Wayne Carpenter just to name a few that I would highley recomend, wether you own a boat and just would like to get some inside local knowledge to use on your next boating trip or you dont own a boat and want to get out for a day of world class fishing on one of if not the best bass lakes in the country a guided trip is a good way to get out and they usualy let you bring a kid or two for a small or sometimes no additional charge.
we are truely blessed to have such an awesome lake right here under our nose, make sure you dont let the hot spots pass you by...most of you have no idea how good the bass fishing realy is here even if you think youve had good bass fishing success.

If your more of the competetive type I recomend you enter some local bass tournaments, they are not hard to enter evan if you do not own a boat, all you need is a couple fishing poles, a decent tackle box rain gear and a life jacket and your set for a 8 hour day of fishing with some of the best anglers in the country and YOU WILL learn alot in a day.

As a non boat owner you would need to enter a pro/am or a draw event and the entry fee ranges from $70 to $300 plus a $25 a year membership fee in either FLW, B.A.S.S. or ABA.

ABA (American Bass Anglers) is $70 per tournament, they are very friendley and would be a great place to start becouse they will help walk you through the whole tournament process and not treat you like a dummy.
There is 6 regulerly scheduled events plus a two day championship, ABA is a national organization with many benifits of membership but I wont get into the extra benifits in this post but it is a small group of both boaters and non boaters that fish Lk St Clair and several inland lakes, all you would have to do is call the TX director and they will help you from there but to sum it up you simply show up to the ramp and draw your boater or co angler and go fishing but I would pre enter just to make sure theres an open spot which their usualy is.

http://www.americanbassanglers.com/distric....php?district=7

FLW's Bass Fishing League (BFL) would be the next step up from ABA and any member of FLW can enter their TX just by sighning up.
In BFL's you must pre register usualy months in advance to make sure you get a spot and their entry is $100 for co anglers and $200 for boaters.
The tournaments are professionaly run by the same people and weigh trailers as the big leagues TX's you see on tv and you will fish with some of the best in the state, as a co you simply pay your $100 and get 8 hours of fishing....pretty cheap guided trip if you ask me and you have a good chance of getting your $ back and then some.
There is a pre meeting/partner pairing the night before the TX and your partner will then arrange a meeting spot for you in the morning.

http://bfl.flwoutdoors.com/schedule.cfm?bT...r=2010&ln=0

The last pro/am is the biggest in town this year called the Bassmaster Open, any B.A.S.S. member can enter, its $300 for co anglers and $1000 for boaters to enter, the co anglers 1st place prize is a new boat and the boaters prize is $45.000 cash.
The opens run similer to the BFL's with a pre meeting/pairing the night before and you will need to enter months before...like now, in all of these tournaments the co's are recomended to give the boater at least $20 for gas and that is usualy acceptable and you do not need to exceed $50.

http://assets.espn.go.com/winnercomm/outdo...itRiver_SOE.pdf

The average guided 8 hour trip is $300 to $350, with a guided trip your tackle may be included and you will get a more hands on experience, in a TX you will be taken to that anglers best spots so either one is great you just need to choose which one suits you best.
Considering the high prices of boats, maintence, insurance and the learning curve Id say entering a few TX's or hiring guides may be a cheaper and more productive fishing year for most anglers and you dont have the financial burdon of owning and maintaining a boat.

By participating in tournaments you are very likeley going to make a bunch of great new friends that share your same passion of fishing and conservation.
if you have any more questions feel free to ask either here or by PM, there is no dumb questions so ask away...thats how most of us got started.

Skip Johnson

[thedude]

sounds like good, concise advice there - and i never really thought about it in terms of cost vs. a guide.

something you should add to your list for beginners are Club tournaments. I know they are all over the state and most can help you get hooked up with a boater or partner for the season. Usually you can find one with a pretty modest price tag.

[Dan]

Some very good information for sure. I would also add that you can Marshal in a B.A.S.S. Elite Series event for $100. If you get your application in early you will be guaranteed three days with three different pros. That's $33 and change a day to see someone's best spots and techniques on some great bass waters. It does require a little time, and if you don't have a brother-in-law that lives inside the bass fishing triangle, then you have to spend some money on lodging. I believe you can "Marshal" in PAA events and they don't charge you a dime. The rookie  participating these events better be prepared for the ride of their lives in some cases. The Elite pros only know one speed and that's wide open. They bounced a few Marshals out last year.

[bassassasin88]

If your a co-angler do you have to back the boaters trailer up for him? I have a boat, so I know how to do it but it makes me a little nervous doing it in front of a crowd. Maybe I should take a xanax and chill out.

[Waterfoul]

If your a co-angler do you have to back the boaters trailer up for him? I have a boat, so I know how to do it but it makes me a little nervous doing it in front of a crowd. Maybe I should take a xanax and chill out.

Depends on the situation.  BASS anglers have their boats backed in FOR them.  If you join a local club you might back up a trailer or two.  But NEVER let anyone watching mess with your concentration.  Just keep thinking that it's easy, you've done it before, and as soon as you're parked and locked up... you get to go fishing!!!  No sweat.

[t-bone]

If your a co-angler do you have to back the boaters trailer up for him? I have a boat, so I know how to do it but it makes me a little nervous doing it in front of a crowd. Maybe I should take a xanax and chill out.

My advice would be to tell your boater that your not confident in doing it yet and he'll probably back it in himself or he'll back it in to the point where you just need to back up a few feet and release the boat.

I have a lot of experience backing in trailers and I'll let the boater know that but sometimes they'll want to do it themselves or they let me do it. It's their boat so, they can decide.

It is better you get some experience at ramps that aren't busy or at small tournaments that you don't have 100 boats lined up behind you. That makes everyone nervous. Learning how to back in and park in all that commotion does take some practice. Especially if it is an unfamiliar ramp to you and it is dark or not well lit.

The best advice is to be honest with your boater, he'll appreciate that and can help you get everything lined up and everyone can start the morning off right.

[Skip Johnson]

Great advice T Bone
I usualy back my trailer till the wheels hit the water then my co only has to back it up 10 feet.
If you have real concerns about your backing ability just be honest and tell your boater and he will figure something out no problem...after all he does fish by himself in practice usualy so he will know what to do.

[fasttrack]

Backing the trailer up is sometimes easier than driving the boat onto the RIGHT trailer. right Waterfoul? (Sorry, I COULDN"T resist! LOL!!!)

[Cy]

Backing the trailer up is sometimes easier than driving the boat onto the RIGHT trailer. right Waterfoul? (Sorry, I COULDN"T resist! LOL!!!)

There's a story I would like to hear!!!

Great points C n B, that was a great way to point out more learning possibilities for us all to think out.  When you put it in perspective and think of those entry fees as education costs and not worry about making your money back it makes a lot of sense.  I spend money on education to enhance my everyday career, why not to increase my fishing skills in the same way?

As far as backing up a trailer, don't worry about it.  I fished with a guy last spring that told me straight out he wasn't comfortable backing up my rig or driving my boat off the trailer.  It was an easy fix, I took the boat and another angler that I knew dropped it in for me.  I have never been to a tourney that other guys weren't willing to help out.

Cy

[djkimmel]

I would like to see video of the 'Waterfoul trailer incident' - might be a big hit on Youtube!

[Dan]

Just a clarification on boat backing. The advice above is dead on. At the B.A.S.S. Elite Series events, the Marshals do back their pros boat in. A Marshal, in this case, is a coangler that doesn't fish. I'm sure if you're not confident the pros would roll with that.
I watched several pros just back there boats in and they just let them float off the trailer with no one in it. Very nonchalant.  They go back and park, chit chat, and then have someone take them to their boats.
Most guys would have a hairy watching how the pros bump and push each other out of the way. They don't bat at eye at putting their boats in gear and pushing through a crowd. Nobody else seemed to care when their boats were bumped quite hard. Not the case in local events.
At the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation National Tournament, they did have a crew of people backing in the contestants boats. However, those boats were all provided for the contestants who rode to the event on a bus each morning. None of them had their own boats or tow vehicles.
I had a kind of funny boat loading experience down in Alabama last year at the Elite Series Dixie Duel. I was at the ramp walking back from parking my pros boat, and I saw Zell Rowland  loading his boat on the trailer. It appeared he was loading it by himself. Noone was in the drivers seat.
I noticed, as he put his boat on, that the keel missed the roller, and it was well off to one side. I walked up to the boat and told him that it was off the roller and offered to back him in. He nodded for me to go ahead, so I opened the door on his vehicle and got in. When I did, I was startled to find someone in the passenger seat.
Not only was I taken aback, but WOW. I found myself sitting next to an extremely attractive and very buxom lady. She had a very low cut top on that was quite revealing. I immediately said something like, I'm not trying to run off with you, I'm just backing the boat in for Zell. She said that if I wanted too she wouldn't object to running off because Zell was in a snit because he had hadn't done well in the tournament.
I began to look for the emergency break, and it took a little longer than normal because it's hard to look for something when your eyes are transfixed else where. Mrs. Rowland, I presume, saw me hesitate so he reached all the way across my seat, almost laying on my lap, to show me where the release was. Well.... that made me even more nervous, and instead of pulling the emergency break I popped the hood release. I refoccussed, and quickly found the emergency break and released it.
I then managed to back the rig in the water for Zell. He repositioned his boat, and I pulled him up the ramp. I said my goodbye to the Mrs. and jumped out of the vehicle to see a grumpy Rowland getting out of his boat to get in his rig. He grumbled a thank you, and we parted ways.
As I walked away, I remembered I had forgotten to tell him about the hood. I had visions of him hitting the expressway and then having his hood fly up and really mess his day up. I had to smile even though I knew I had goofed up  . I relayed this story to Ray Scott, whom I've met before and talked to at the tournament weigh in site. Scott had some very humorous things to say about Zell. Ray is a very funny guy.  
The picture below is my buddy Rick pulling out KVD at the Dixie Duel in Decatur.

[Skip Johnson]

who cares about the KVD pic what about the low cut pic 

out west we float our un manned boats all the time and its common for guys to push your boat out or away with their own boat and take you to your boat.
one of my first tournaments here I floated my un manned boat off at erie metro and a couple guys looked at me and said I was crazy so I just settled into the michigan way allthough its a bit slower.