B.A.S.S. and FLW

[Big dreams]

After a couple years of dabbling with tournaments, I am still clueless how the different tournament heirarchies are set up.  I see in the Tournaments section of the website, there are multiple different organizations such as NBAA and ABA for example.  If one was just beginning to get into the more competitive tournaments, where do they begin?  B.A.S.S. and FLW are two different circuits right?  Where does NBAA, ABA, or name some others fit in?  Mainly looking for how they all fit together.

Thanks guys

[dartag]

That question could take a long time to answer.  He is my short version.

NBAA used to be a popular series in Mich with tournys almost every day of the week.  Now they are still popular on the west side of the state but dwindeling on the east side.   It appears Cash for Bass is the new replacement.

ABA was started as a Military series I believe.  I used to fish it a few years ago.  There interesting aspect is they allow non-boaters to fish with boaters.  You actually fish against the guy in the front of the boat for the same purse.  You both pay the same entry fee.  It is a good way to learn with out owning a boat.

FLW has the BFL which is there entry lever series.  You fish as a boater or co-angler.  Boaters fish against boater, co-anglers fish against co-anglers.   As a co-angler you are drawn to fish with a boater.   This is a great way to learn about torunaments.  Only catch is the Michigan events are on St-clair or the Detroit River.  Fish a season with them and you will learn a lot.    No inland events at this time.

FLW has upper series you can fish as a co-angler but the entries are much higher.

Bass has the Opens which you can fish as Pro of Co-angler. 

Think of FLW and BASS as  GM and Ford.    Both produce a product ( tournaments ) for a profit.

A bass club is another way to learn if you like that sort of thing.  I am not a club guy.

My first tournament was as a co angler in a BFL.   Now I am a hopelss poor boat owner.

Good luck

Steve Smith
commerce, mi

[djkimmel]

Join a good learning federation club. Either federation, or both federations - double your odds. You can step up as your confidence, desire, wallet and goals change. You can sort of shortcut a shot at the biggest events - the Bassmaster Classic and FLW Forrest Wood Cup - but the odds are real long because only a few make it each year from the thousands that start out in federation events. Cheaper and less events to make it though, but most anglers fish their state championships, regionals, etc. for years and years without making it to the biggest events.

If you really, really want to be a professional bass angler, start in the BFL. You can work your way up to the ladder to the Rayovac FLW Series (mid-level) and then the top level Walmart FLW Tour. You can also start out as the back seat co-angler for less than half the cost until you feel comfortable running the boat and making all the decisions.

You can always choose to fish the Bassmaster Opens from the BFLs instead, and move to the Bassmaster Elite Series if you can qualify and afford it. Bassmaster Opens have the non-boater fishing options still similar to co-anglers, but the Elite Series only has Marshals who pay to watch but not fish or win any money.

As a pro, top level events cost $65,000 to $80,000 per year to travel, practice and fish them. Mid-level may costs $10,000 to $25,000 to fish per year. BFLs costs maybe $3,000 to $4,000 to fish per year.

All of these levels provide learning opportunities. These are all basically individual accomplishment events, best for anglers who really, really want to try professional bass fishing.

All the other circuits are primarily team circuits and tournaments. You can advance in some, win some big prizes sometimes, learn quite a bit, but you will generally do it with a regular fishing partner(s). There are significant differences between individual tournaments and calling all the shots verses team tournaments where two persons are involved in decisions and catching.

I've seen some great 'team' anglers try to advance to the big leagues with little or no individual experience to disastrous results. Fish team tournaments for fun, if you like fishing with a regular partner, to win gas money, to fill in your schedule, but if you're serious about a professional bass career concentrate on fishing individual / non-team events and practices. There are some NBAA, Top Bass and a few other local circuits where you can fish tournaments by yourself too.

I fished a couple and enjoyed them. I had no one else to answer to (or ask...) but remember at the upper levels you will ALWAYS (99% of the time) have someone in the back of the boat. Regardless of how involved or not the rules require you to be with that person, it still changes things when you have someone else in the back of the boat. Sometimes the persons it would seem who would affect you the least affect you more than you expect. You HAVE to deal with it. So get used to it early.

One other thing - there are two ABA organizations - the American Bass Anglers and the Army Bass Anglers.

[oldjigger]

learn to have fun fishing and competing with a group.  there are many clubs around the state that have regular schedules  to compete for anything from trophies to cash with the chance for advancement.  I've been doing this for 37 yrs and it's fun and unless your a very special talent that vis what you need to find

[Slipkey]

Everything said in this thread is good advice so far.  The only think I would have to add are two things:

1) When starting out in tournament fishing, fish from the back of the boat with as many anglers as you can, as often as you can.  I can say that I, personally, wish I had fished more tournaments from the back of the boat when I was starting out. I was fortunate enough to have a boat to go and explore lots of different types of water, but it also prevented me from many valuable learning experiences that I think co-anglers who start from the back deck have.

2) Plan to go to several clubs to get a feel for if they fit what you're looking for.  Some clubs are just mostly social clubs, some are comprised of a group of competitive anglers who are cordial but don't really give back anything to each other, and some have a culture of teaching and growing the membership group.  Go to a meeting and check out the club to get a feel for things before you join.  The Federation clubs also have youth programs that I think are pretty impressive and which give back to the community.

To respond to your main question, BASS and FLW also have different regional "flavors" at the upper levels.  FLW has a bit more of a South Central US (ie Texas/Arkansas/Missouri) feel to it, where as BASS has a Southeastern US (ie Georgia/Alabama/Tenessee) culture.   Those cultural differences affect how they go about their business, what you see articles about in their magazines, and, in some ways, how they approach their tournament schedules and the people within the communities they visit.