Why does anybody even fish tournments?

[Turkeyman]

With all the crap posts about who pays what, who charges for this and that, how much money goes to the organization, etc.etc; who on this board really enjoys fishing tournaments? Seriously!!

[t.rath]

I don't even like fishing a whole lot any more, so the main reason I fish is because tournaments exist. I love the competition. All that other stuff you mentioned is just a pesky distraction.

[Levy]

I love tournament fishing!!!

I simply pay attention and do my own research and fish what is best for me.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

It seems to me that a good many of those complaining rarely if ever cut a check..Somehow they want to believe the trail owners are getting rich off their dime..While this might be possible with a national trail, it is highly unlikely to happen with a small local trail, even one with good participating numbers..Running a tournament is not inexpensive, participating as a pro/boater or am/non-boater or a team is not without costs above and beyond the entry fee..We should each look and determine not only why we fish a particular circuit but if we can afford doing so..Anyone thinking they will make lots of money fishing local circuits really need to rethink..Of course everyone of us hopes to win, otherwise why participate at all..I participate for the fun of the competition and the hope of getting a check..Most of the time I have to settle for the fun of the competition..

mac

[Joey]

i love fishing tournaments.

[Rod Martin]

I fish tournments for the fun of helping kids, or raising money for something. Just got thru with Jigs tournment at Don Pedro to raise money to stock flordia strain bass in the lake. nothing better And have a heck of a time while you do it

[Turkeyman]

"I love the competition"
"I fish tournments for the helping kids, raising money for something. Just got thru with Jigs tournment at Don Pedro to raise money to stock flordia strain bass in the lake. nothing better"
"Of course everyone of us hopes to win, otherwise why participate at all..I participate for the fun of the competition and the hope of getting a check..Most of the time I have to settle for the fun of the competition.".
"I simply pay attention and do my own research and fish what is best for me"

EXACTLY: Thank you there are still some around this board that feel like I do. I fish for the competition of it, if I happen to get some money back great. What better feeling if you come in second to last but your buddy is dead last, you get bragging rights until the next one. Last year at the ABA TOC all I wanted to do was beat my cousin, even if it was by 1 oz. We did, it was great, and this year he is really looking for payback. Bring it on John.
I too fished Jigs tournament with my son at Pedro, I knew we wouldn't do well but it was a chance to spend quality time with him and give something back to the sport I love.

[leachman90]

I have traveled thousands of miles to fish tournaments because I love the competition. I love fishing new body's of water. I love seeing new places I have never seen. BUT most of all I love the friends I have made. I have made some friends that I know will be there for as long as I live. I love the way I go to a major tournament and guys come up to me and ask how I have been and how is my family. I love that I can pick up the phone and call some of the biggest names in bass fishing and ask them to help me out and they will. YES I want to win more than anything almost and I think I will some day when I learn to put 3 days together instead of 2. BUT I know that day will come. As a matter of fact I just put in a transfer request for Alabama so I can fish year around. It is more than a passion to me now.

[g-man]

I fish them for the competition, it ain't about the money but more the fun, and bragging rights amongst friends. I don't go on forums to try to bash on orgs, or question where the money is going. But others do, and I don't have a problem with that either. The books are not open, and as a customer I would think they have a right to question where the money is going! I have looked at many orgs, and the payout numbers for a lot of them don't make sense. But as a customer I choose what best suits me. The TDs should get paid, and the staff should be compensated, it would be nice if all books where open, but I don't see that happening. Whats there to hide, whats wrong with open books? can someone explain that to me, am I missing something? I'd bet if they were open for all to see there would be less questioning going on..

Bottom line is spend some time looking into orgs to see what best fits you, and read the info posted on the forums to make your best judgment on what to fish! If you are not having fun doing it, don't do it....

[Gary Dobyns]

[quote="Turkeyman"]With all the crap posts about who pays what, who charges for this and that, how much money goes to the organization, etc.etc; who on this board really enjoys fishing tournaments? Seriously!![/quote]

I do Turkeyman. I have not fished a lot this year, many reasons. Nothing to do with rods or the circuits. I will be back chasing the green fish next year. You're right with your post about negitivity toward tournaments or organizations. Our western sites have FAR MORE negitive crap than others across the country. There is Basseast, Texas Fishing Forum, Bass Boat Central, Ultimate Bass, The Fishin Forum, and many more that are great sites and rarely have the crap our local sites do.

It's almost a breeding ground for negitivity or the cool thing to BASH. These are tough times for our sport. It's easy to be negitive, easy to get caught up in the crap. I am not innocent. I blasted FLW on this site. Tony S called me on it. He was right too. I stopped completely and try and help FLW or any of the circuits now. I ran a camera boat for 2 days at Folsom this past weekend for the College series. It was a blast.

I think we should voice opinions, but this site seems to be FAR more negitive than positive and helpful. We need to change this and no one can but US!!

I just fell off my soap box or maybe I fell through it

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

You may have fallen off, but you made a positive sound..Even when you post something negative, it usually has some positive effects..

mac

[sky88s]

competition and braggin rights..

money = extra ammo when you launch your brag attacks

[Rattletrapp]

It's all about being the best on any given day for me. I have been involved in sports all my life and the competition is what drive me. I am still looking for that win. Second is the best I have ever been so that also keeps me driven and lastly, it is the fact that I LOVE TO FISH>>>

[ash]

I am sure the answer rings different from competitor to competitor. This year was the first year I committed to a tournament series, outside of club tournaments since 10 years ago . Why do I fish tournaments?

The competition, "as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another” having the opportunity to pit myself against the fish and a field of anglers. This gives me drive and motivation to become more creative, and in tune with what is going on with these darn green fishes. This is a game of being in the moment - moment to moment if you lose that with your thinking or mental clutter you lose. I am EXHAUSTED after a tournament -

The Camaraderie - It is funny how we can be fierce competitors on the water when it comes to catching these fish, but make some great friends and fishing buddies along the way. Even when we tank, we will stay around to support other friends that have had a great day, knowing that when my day comes they will be there for me.

Stopping your tournament day short to help a competitor that is broken down make it safely back to weigh in.

Watching Kody Cramer bring a 10lber to the scales and bragging about catching it on an eagle claw ultra light, as well as countless other father son, mother son teams at each event rain or shine, knowing that the future of this sport is in good hands.

Having the Opportunity to put up or shut up - and the chance of offsetting my costs.

Being able to give back to my fellow anglers, this could look like donation - or information - heck maybe it’s just being courteous and genuinely happy for their success.

Lastly EGO - heck I wont lie - I get puffed up watching my partner bring up a 15.77, I feel good about meself.

[Greg_Cornish]

I fish tournments for the fun of helping kids, or raising money for something. Just got thru with Jigs tournment at Don Pedro to raise money to stock flordia strain bass in the lake. nothing better And have a heck of a time while you do it

Bravo! The best reason so far. Add "for the camaraderie" and you have good description of the Clearlake Bassmasters.

[Oldschool]

If you like competetion and don't care about winning; you can always golf. The primary reason to fish a bass tournament should be to win. The secondary reasons to fish bass tournaments are keeping your name out front, important if your are in the fishing business or just enjoy the sport of tournament fishing.
I only fish a few charity events. When you get older your priorties change. I love to bass fish and do it when and where I feel like like fishing.
There is no reason to compete in any event you feel is run poorly, it's your time and money...
Tom

[markguyver]

like ash said it can vary from fisherman to fisherman for me its about the learnin, sometimes its a split second decision or all night thinking about everything from line size to hook to knots. every time i go out weather it a tourny or fun fishin im always learning something. everything in life from work to family is a learning experience.i started fishing for bass to be able to take my kid out and not get skunked, to make it a fun day catching fish, if i ever lose that passion i will be through. tournaments are about everything thats been mentioned including trying to learn about that dadblamed evil green fish. mark ( oh and a 15.7 never sucks)

[gofish42189]

Because the chicks dig it.
On a serious note, I fish tournaments for many reasons. The biggest reason being the competition. I live for it and it has honestly changed my life.

[josh logerot]

First post in 5 years but here it goes. The tourneys are to keep a man sane from his every day grind. Most of us if not all grind a hell of a work week. We need something to get us free from work and chores. The chance to meet new people and make great friends is unmatched. So try and enjoy the life we have and every day of FISHING better then the day at WORK!!!!! If no one can tell I am stuck at work all day on a SAT. while castaic is going off. oops! should not have said that!

[Andy Giannini]

I really like fishing tournaments.

I like the puzzle, dealing with the fish, partner, and myself.

Just feeling more broke lately, not just the actual numbers, but the feeling in general.

When things pick up, I am looking forward to more fishing and minor events.

A.G.

[Rich hamilton]

I guess after spending many years fishing from the bank and then owning my first boat then trying to learn how to hunt bass and then sharing the passion with others it just seems natural to compete against others and nature itself.When the pressure during the tournament hits it is similar to the adrenalin rush of going on emergency calls. You really have to be a master of recovery when it goes bad quickly and those are the same conditions you face while fishing tournaments.

The whole gig about actually finding the Bass during practice and then putting it together on game day.The wood on the walls and the friendly faces bring back memories of great times. I met some fine folks doing this sport and almost everyone of them lights up once you start talking about catchin bass... This is why I fish tournaments.

[YZKEN250]

I do it for all the Hookers!!!

[Phil]

I fished for Steelhead for years, and hunted deer for years, along with ducks and geese. I heard about and watched bass fishing on TV and always wondered what it was all about. I fished my first tournament in 1987 in an old Monarch bass boat with a 80 H.P. engine with my youngest son at Clearlake. We met a lot of new guys and new friends. It somehow just got into my blood, just being there, win or loose, somehow being with nature has always turned me on.
Now later in my years, I still dabble in a small tournament here and there, just to be there and meet new people, but the just being there, the A.M. blast off seems to just do it for me, the sun coming up, all the boats, the sound of the engines taking off, the Geese flying above your head. For me it has nothing to do with winning or who charges what or who wins. I just do it because I am an outdoors type of guy and love being there. By the way, thanks guys for the kind words on the Jigs Fall Classic. We love doing this once a year, its fun to watch you guys munch down all the food and win all the free prizes we give away. It takes us a year to gather all this stuff to put on this tournament for you. Peggy and I put almost $1000 out of our own pocket into it every year, again, it's what we love to do, see old friends we may not have seen in along time, and just being able to be there and stay in touch with it all. Releasing those Florida fingerlings up to 10", every spring also just seems to do it for us.
Jigs