STREN Co-Angler Paybacks Vs Entry Fee

[JT-Madera]

After looking at the Co-Angler payback for the Shasta tournament, I am wondering if it is all it is supposed to be....There were 155 Co's and the paybacks really weren't very good versus the expenses..

Entry Fee= 325.00
Motel $60 x 4nites =$240.00
Food & gas= $300.00
Tackle=$100.00min

This basically comes out to $1000.00....10th place was $1299.00 To me that is pretty much a break even sum....anything less and you were in a deep hole...very deep...not including lost wages.. I don't want to rock any ones world but that means that basically 145 Co-Anglers were in the hole...Am I missing something...Please don't get me wrong ..I have fished as a Co-angler and a AAA...The experience was fine but this is getting to be a very expensive hobby.....

A couple of years ago I fished a WON BASS Pro-Am as a Pro at Shasta and came in 10th place and my check was $1700.00 and I think the entry fee was $350.00...But I was in control of my own destiny.. I don't think I will ever wonder why FLW is having problems filling Co-Angler slots...When you look at the entry fee of $700.00 for a Co-Angler for the National Guard Series. That is just too much for most working guys to muster...Maybe they have to consider lowering the entry fee's, because these guys aren't looking to make a living fishing....and that $700 will buy a lot of Guide trips....I don't want to hear the garbage about going out and getting sponsors....because no one is going to sponsor a Co-Angler unless he has some rocks loose...or at least very,very few will....

Just sitting here freezing and rambling...Froze my butt off fishing Millerton yesterday and stunk my boat up pretty well...back to the drawing board..you just can't make spotted bass hit a reaction bait in 19 degree temps water temp dropped 4 degree's overnite.... Funny they would hit it Friday

[BASSK9]

Obviously you didnt fish the Stren Shasta. I didn't either. I see no problem with the payback on the pro or am side. They pay the best on the west coast. Maybe you should stick to club tournaments where the payback is better. possibly you could win one of those.
Bassk9

[Ricky-S]

Well JT,
I really do appreciate your write up but there are number of reasons that lead to a person fishing as a non-boater. If you are merely looking at the experience from a strictly financial one, then this is the wrong sport (hobby) to get involved in.

We can all pontificate on why the co-angler numbers are low. I have my ideas and they don’t necessarily match yours.

The FLW is the BEST show in town and nothing comes close. For $700 dollars a non-boater has a chance to fish an event that will be aired on national TV, 1/3 payback and a nearly $20,000 payday.

The decline in non-boater entries has a lot more to do with the location of the event and the actual fishery than it does with the entry fee. The reality is that last years Stren at Havasu affected the way that people view the fishing at Havasu during the Winter.

[Mike Phua]

Is the glass always half empty in Madera?

[leachman90]

I will still probibly fish the FLW when it comes to the Tri-cities.But after looking at the pay-out verus entry fee,you are right the fee do seem high.I tried to get into the BASS(non-boater) on the Delta but by time I had the deposit on friday morning they said it was full.What I noticed was that in that tournament you had half the boats(100)but the pay-out was more than doubled even if you did'nt run a Ranger.1st place for non-boater was $45,000 in cash and boat and 2nd was $25,000 in cash and boat.That to me is a HUGE difference.For the FLW series it is $25,000 cash if you run a Ranger and $20,000 if you don't then drops down from there.
And out of the 100 boats in the BASS top 40(non-boater) cashes a check.Odd's seem to be abit better in this case.
Since the FLW is reaching out to us up here in the REAL NW as where BASS left us high and dry I am sure I will want to give them a fair shot.God Bless...Jim

[Jim Cadell]

I think that glass is always empty in Madera. Why is every post negative? My experience with the Stren has been great. I did not enter to make a living but to learn and compete against good anglers. I have really enjoyed the quality tournaments and learning from some great guys who have put the time and effort in to fish as a pro. In Alabama for the Stren championship I went to the ramp looking for an open seat for some prefishing and Clayton Meyer didn't think twice about letting me join him for the day. Thanks again to Clayton and I owe you a hat. Support the FLW and Stren , it is a great chance to fish professionally run events and learn a lot.

[backdeckpro]

BASS gives a boat away for 1st and 2nd on the non-boater side they do not pay cash. Take at least 10-15 grand off what they say the 1st place boat is worth and 5-10 grand off what the 2nd place boat is worth. Ask anyone who has sold a tournament won boat certificate if they got anywhere close to what the tournament organization said it was worth and you will find out they got a lot less money than the 1099 they got the next tax year by that organization. I've been lucky enough to win and sell two boats. I will take cash over a certificate any day.

Take a good look at BASS's payback on the non-boater side. When I fished the two BASS Tour events in 2003 they were a much better payback. Look at what they pay past the top 5 or 10 this year. I was really surprised when I looked. It's pretty sad for a $750 entry fee. Don't get me wrong. I think the payback is better than most. One of the reasons I'm fishing the Elite on Clear Lake as a non-boater.

I'm also not defending the Stren payback on the non-boater side. Without the contingency prize it is only in the 70% range. Still better than most westcoast pro/ams but I for one would like it to be more. That or not so long. Four days just kills me for time off work and time away from the family. This is why I have only fished two of them.

I don't see how someone can bash the FLW Series though. They payback 104% on the co-angler side without the contingency prize. FLW payback is a check not a boat certificate you have to try and sell. Look how far down the field they pay and how much they pay. It is awesome.

Tournament fishing, IMHO, is a little like gambling. That's why I look very carefully at the payback each organization has. I want to play the game with the best odds. The 2007 FLW Series has the best odds out of any other game on the west coast.

If I was a co-angler out there who was thinking about fishing the FLW Series I would start the "Deal or No Deal" game with the boaters still on the waiting list for Havasu. The possibilities are endless. I know I waited and guaranteed a boater in last week. I got a free place to stay while I am there and the boater is no longer on the wait list. It was a win-win for both of us.

Good luck to all and see you at Havasu.

Pat

[Rich hamilton]

JT,

I really think you have good intentions on your post but either the internet (writing) or something is lost in translation. what you appear to be saying is that STREN is bad and the good old glory days were fantastic. Like other board members are saying try to look at the positive side of the experience. it is very hard for you personally to look at the CURRENT experience as you are fishing millerton and not shasta. having said that, I believe you have a personal agenda against some of these organizations. nobody cares about the past and how much it cost and how much somebody won. gas was cheaper, motels were cheaper, and tackle was cheaper. The key point here is WAS!

I believe that every co-angler walked away from that tournament a better fisherman. I will make you a deal, lose the negativitey and personal attacks and I will read what you have to say and be respectful to you. If not I believe people will just start ignoring your every post. If you do not like this website move on and find another one, life is too short to be so negative. RR

[leachman90]

After reading some of the other posts I want to make sure that you know that I was not tyring to be negitive in any matter about the FLW.I was merely looking at #s.As I said at least the FLW in making a huge effort to bring their show to our town.With that said I will be joining the FLW this week some time.I already recive e-letter and such from them,just never have had a chance to fish with them yet.GB...Jim

[Mike Phua]

Didn't take them as negative Leachman.

[JT-Madera]

It is no longer a question in my mind as to why there are so few posts on this web site...You guys are something else..claiming all my posts are negative and suggesting I should go back to club tournaments.....Hahahahaha What a joke

First off I believe that the FLW is the BEST thing to come out west since BASS left us high and dry...and I want them to become the most successful Tournament Organization here... However they DO NOT WALK ON WATER....I understand they are here to make a profit just like everyone else and they deserve to...

I had five good friends fish the Shasta Stren, two Pros and three Co-Anglers....Both Pro's cashed checks and one Co-angler cashed a good check....and one of the other Co-Anglers would have cashed a check if there had been a full field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They all called or emailed me and they were all very dissatisfied with the tournament in one way or another...but mostly the payback.....I made the suggestion that maybe they should fish another circuit such as WON BASS or AC Pro-Am's.....

I fished the Stren last year as a Co-Angler and had a great time and it has my full support..I plan on fishing it again this year on the Pro side at Clear Lake and the Delta, maybe I will cash a check and maybe I won't...BUT that will not stop me from fishing it..I don't fish tournaments for money and I am to old to dream about having a career as a tournament angler... I probably am in a better financial position than 99% of the guys who do fish tournaments... I fish because I enjoy it...Not for profit....I support all you guys who dream of one day being a touring Pro, I hope you make it..if you work hard and things fall right you will....But these friends of mine were really down and I was just trying to offer them another way to go by suggesting they either move up to the Pro level or try another organization such as WON BASS or AC Pro-Am's... My insert about my Millerton tournament was just to show that everyone can have a bad tournament and you just have to pick yourself up and go on,,,the world will not end because of one bad finish....you have to look at the whole picture and move on....I am sure you all have had the experience of a bad tournament or finish....

Maybe some of you guys who say I am negative about everything just don't read all my posts...or you are just a negative person yourself and put your own interpretation into my post...really I don't care which way it is...because I will continue to post on this website as long as the OWNERS allow me to....so just stop reading my posts...I don't care, because you don't fly my kite......

I wish all of you success in the next tournament at Lake Mead or Havasu, whichever it will be.....hopefully I will be healthier and be back up fishing the pointy end of my own boat and doing better, it sure is getting crappy being sick for so long...the older we get the longer it takes to recover..........

Maybe FLW should consider lowering their entry fee's a little bite so more guys can get in and they won't be leaving guys standing on the dock....that is a shame....

[Ricky-S]

Well JT,
I like you am someone who looks at the numbers. However, I also look at the product that is being offered, which often times goes well beyond any paypack. I also agree that there is nothing perfect about either organizations and they both have small things that could be improved upon. However, FLW is as close to what I want in a tournament organization that we have available. Period.

What other organization offers live weighins online, a truly national championship and a chance to earn six figs in an entry fee championship that is aired on national tv?

I, like many others, fished the WON and the FLW last week and I cut a check in both. A quick look a the payback for each event, as well as looking how the tournaments were run and what is offered at the year end fish off, would be a much better way to constructively compare the options that are available. Fishing as a co-angler in an FLW event can and will do more for a co-angler than any other organization. Just ask Justin Lucus and the other co-anglers who are on one of the FLW teams and have “realâ€

[JT-Madera]

I agree with you 200% Ricky-S

Good luck at Havasu..I hear the bite still really sucks....

[Lance]

I didnt take your post as negitive JT, I think your observent.

L

[MIKE TREMONT]

I didn't see any negativity in your post JT. I saw a comparison.

The FLW may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it's way to rich for some of us. I can fish with most of the same pro's fishing the local circuits Pro/Ams and have a great experience, for a whole lot less.

For me that makes more cents !