Anglers Choice Am openings..... Oroville...

basswest · Post by **basswest** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:28 pm

We still have 10 Am openings for this upcoming fri-sat Pro-Am at Oroville. We are in the 90's on boats and are expecting over 100. Come on out to play and for you Ams - come on out a learn some new stuff from some new partners.

See ya there
Mark

Just call the office to sign up or info.

800 360 7112

MIKE TREMONT · Post by **MIKE TREMONT** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:10 pm

Sorry I'm going to miss you guys this year Mark. Just no way for me to swing the Fridays off without finding new work!
I am available if anyones needs someone! I really don't need a whole lot.
I miss my 4 day work schedule more than you know....Good luck

Hollywood · Post by **Hollywood** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:47 pm

Hey Mark, hope you fill up the full field, 400$ for a chance at a new Legend is one awesome deal. Which legend are you giving away? LE-195?

basswest · Post by **basswest** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:25 pm

Hey Kevin, I agree - its a smoking deal. Hopefully guys will really start to look hard at this and see just a what a great deal it is. It is local and cost effective. On top of that the Legend/Mercury package is awesome. Remember guys we still have Am openings. Just call our office 800 360 7112.

If you are a Pro with a Am just call and let us know.

Thanks
Mark

See ya up there

Hollywood · Post by **Hollywood** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:33 pm

On top of the Legend/Mercuy they get the added exposure of basswest.

If I was half way closer to the states I would be there. I just can't see 400$ and a legend/mercury package at stacks and so few anglers willing to show up. It's not like your going to Havasu!

L.Hackney · Post by **L.Hackney** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:34 pm

Hi Mark,
just wondering does it look like you might meet your quota for this weekend? I mean, are the sign-ups slowin' down or speeding up as it gets closer?
Can't wait

Colebass · Post by **Colebass** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:54 pm

Should be a great event.

Are giving away the actual boat or is it a certificate? Just wondering.

Mike Tuck · Post by **Mike Tuck** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:09 am

Ditto to the above. This is the perfect opportunity for angler's to take the next step in thier fishing careers. Mark has really listned to what the anglers wanted and stepped up and gave it to us. Now we need to support it. The A/C payback has always been at the top and when was the last time we could fish a multiple day Pro-Am with a shot at a boat for $400? I know that if I were starting out fishing Pro-Ams today I wouldn't have been able to fish the $700-$3,500 entry fee tournaments. Fortunatley A/C is giving anglers a place to go, and promoting the growth of the sport along the way. Mark's staff runs an awesome tournament and understands you have many trails to choose from as an angler. If you haven't entered one of these events, you need to try them out, you won't be dissapointed.

Mike Tuck

K9Cop · Post by **K9Cop** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:44 am

I dont understand how they am can step up to being a pro when the boat is for the Pro. Its not like the am payback is going to put much of a dent in the price of a boat.

Not trying to be negetive just saying the pro allready has a boat so stepping up for the pro doesnt sound right. Now if the pro has an older boat then it is a step up but not for the am.

I know this is a great circuit and I am allready in the field as a am but I think the am payback should be a bit larger.

From what I have seen from the paybacks from 2006 and 2005 the am entries are little low compared to the pro.

At 100 teams you have 40000.00 in pro entries and 22500.00 for the ams.

Pro gets a 40000.00 boat the am gets maybe 2500.00

The am entry is 56% of what the pro entry is.

The payback for a am is only 6.25% of what the pro payback is. For 1st place

Everyone pays a membership at 45.00 that is 9000.00 in membership dues.

No disrespect or anything negative just some facts to think about.

Oh one last fact. I hear from a good source that talked to Mark saying that there wont be a TOC. Whats that all about?

basswest · Post by **basswest** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:11 am

Boy K9, Whoever you are. It will never be enough will it ? I will try to be as professional as posssible with such a post. In reviewing all your post available by yourself, I can see that you prefer to just through out numbers and statements to start a thread of negativity to keep yourself amused. I am going to give you some homework, I need you to answer the following questions and then we will have a little test. I am sure you will be able to answer these questions quickly and right off the top of your head.

1. How much does a boat cost for the Tournament Trail to award for a Pro-Am event ?
2. How much does it cost for staffing a Pro-Am event?
3. How much does it cost for insurance ?
4. How much does it cost for year round office staff ?
5. How much does it cost to rent the Hall for check in?
6. How much does it cost for Food for the check in ?

7. How much money do you think is made on this format pro-am ?

Heck everyone that knows me, knows I do not make money off of fishing trails. This is a sport I love and have a passion for.
I bring these events to the West for one reason only. Because I like to fish them and it brings new anglers into the sport. In fact this year I am not even running them. I have Paid staff to run them, Just so I can fish and enjoy myself at them. Because that is what is about. Anglers Choice makes nothing of a Pro-Am, Hell If it broke even I would consider it a success. I will make you an agreement K9 - we will split the big profits as long as your willing to split the losses !. So get working on your homework and turn it in promptly and we will have your next assignment to get to the bottom of this great profit machine.

One last Item:

Our Am Payout is very respectable and a great deal for the guys looking to learn and not having to haul a boat around and prefish.

It is a smoking deal to fish as a non boater. Jump to the front or quit complaining about payouts or just don't fish.

Pro Ams are supposed to be fun events with guys meeting new fishermen and being exposed to new techniques and making new freinds. I have personally met a ton of guys fishing that I now call freinds and would happily do all the Pro-Ams I did all over again. If you are fishing for money from the back of the boat you are way off track.

Oh yes, one last item. Anglers Choice memberships are 45.00 for a year - not for a event. It includes a subscription to Bass West Magazine and now for your last pre test question. How much does it cost to print and mail to a subscriber for year ?

There you have it, answer those and I will be back with some new ones.

I think not ! - you can beat it up all you want with B.S. statements and will be fishing for the rest of the week at Oroville.... doing what I should be doing and not on this - thats for sure.......

Mark Mendez
Anglers Choice
800 360 7112

K9Cop · Post by **K9Cop** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:11 am

I see I hit a chord. Sounds like your pissed that someone brought up the fact that your running this Pro Am off the Ams. Your receiving 62500.00 for a two day event if you want to go by a year than three events at 62500.00 totals 187500.00 not to mention the 9000.00 per year for membership. This does not include the other tournaments you run.

Your getting smokin deals on boats and motors. If they cost you over 36K than rethink what boats your purchasing.

Insurance is cheap. All the boaters have it allready.

Paying a prostaff is dirt cheap. Most folks would do it for less than minimum wage.

As i said in my first post no disrespect at all you went off so I hit a bad chord. I was just asking questions but you had to go off.

When it gets right down to the dollars and cents your Pro Am doesnt add up. to supporting the Ams. Looks like you are making plenty of greenbacks to be able to hire a full time staff and be able to fish instead of working the tournaments you have.

Nobody and I mean nobody will do an event of any kind if they dont make a profit and that is a fact. They wont admit it but its a fact.

Now as far as steping up. How do you do that when your on disability?

I make 310.00 per week
I have nerv endings dying in my hands
I have broken my back and from that I have pain in my back 24/7 and pain in both legs.
My feet dont have much feeling in them.

But I can fish with the best of them! Just cant afford to fish with the best! I have fished all over this planet thanks to the military. I am fishing Oroville. Lets hope I dont see that boat owner attitude that I see allot of here on this forum.

Oh I am new here and new to california.

basswest · Post by **basswest** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:36 am

K9, it looks like you need to read the answers again , but nobody is gonna give you the answer you are looking for. You are looking for entertainment and drama. Have at it. You are a much smarter man than me and I can only hope that you will some day educate me on the in's and outs of Pro-Am Administration. Why don't you go back and answer the questions I asked. As expected you brushed right over them. When you can find some quality people to run an event for peanuts you let me know. I will spend several thousand including food ! But hey I'm just a trying to get over. Yeah right......your just hilarious !!!!

Mark Mendez

Now I am really leaving for Oroville

Robchik · Post by **Robchik** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:29 am

What a shame. I guess someone had to say something counter productive. I mean come on the guy admits to fishing Oroville, I'm assuming he meant the Pro-Am and before it starts he's on a public forum with negativity. Uhhh.. hmmm Make sense to me.

Have fun at Oroville Mark. Ignore the pointless negativity. Should be an awesome tournament. Good luck to everyone fishing. For guys on the fence as AM's check it out. It's really fun. Mark, Danny, and company run a good tournament.

I'll be there for the Delta, I hope.

SABP · Post by **SABP** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 10:00 am

The am value/proam question has been asked and beat up a hundred times on this forum. Can't we just archive this topic and refer this discussion to the library.

The facts:

Fishing proams as an am is the best way to learn to tournament fish period. It is a two day learning guide trip on two different pros best water. It is a learning experience for the am whether they catch the big ones to win the tournament or crash on a fading pattern.

Half of the friends that I have made are either pros I fished with as an am when I first moved out here or ams that I have drawn fishing as a pro the last 5 years.

The value as an am is not the payback, its all the other benefits. But if you have a couple of good days in one pro-am you can pay for the whole fishing season and then all thoses benefits are free all year.

To graduate to being a pro, enter pro teams or fish as a pro in the pro-ams. Team fishing is more fun and less stressful, pro-ams are about competition and more work. Fishing as an am is a learning experience and that what it should be viewed as.

All the 2 day pro-ams are not real big money makers for the organizations. They probably do not make much money most of the time. It is just a part of their overall business structure. And if they do make money good from them, good for them. We choose to fish the circuits we like. If we don't like it we don't fish. And we are a picky bunch!

If someone goes as an am, embrace the experience for what it is. It's the opportunity to make new friends, learn from pros, be a part of a fun aspect of tournament fishing, maybe make a little money if your lucky. To many it's a stepping stone to make it to the next level of competition.

The payback is not the value proposition of being an am. Its all the other benefits. If those benefits are not important, then it's hard to see the value.

cleb19 · Post by **cleb19** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 10:54 am

This K9 cop just steps into WESTERNBASS with all sorts of crazy stuff doesnt he, he has like 10 posts meaning he has no idea about the people on this site, he's new to california and he already loves to stir the pot, Mark doesnt need me to say this but What Mark is doing might be the best thing on the west coast for Pro/Ams money for your buck, Mark your doing a great job and I didnt want it to go unnoticed by me K9 man the negativity can stop anytime..

its your choice to fish the events or not

cleb

Jerkbait0071 · Post by **Jerkbait0071** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:03 pm

These questions are all too familiar in the bass fishing tournament world. The FACT is no matter how you do the math the tournament director's do not make out like a bandit like some of you think. When you take into consideration what it costs to put on a show like Anglers Choice does â€œwhich is 2nd to noneâ€

sTony · Post by **sTony** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:17 pm

Hey K9,

Looks like you stepped in it pretty good between this post and the last one you made about fishing with Pro anglers. I'm not sure what you're intention is but rest assured we all did the math and that's why guys are signing up to fish the event.

There are a lot of costs to running any tournament that most anglers don't consider and that you certainly didn't consider in your remarks here. Mark isn't making much if anything running these events but I for one am sure glad he is putting them on.

If you don't like the numbers then you really owe it to yourself, your potential draws and the folks running the tournaments to either keep it to yourself or not even bother fishing the event. With as many concerns as you've expressed I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering why you're fishing this weekend.

sTony

PS - Hey be sure to introduce yourself to everyone up there at the draw so we'll have a chance to maybe ask for a redraw as well, hahahaha. That works both ways ifn' ya know what I mean.

leachman90 · Post by **leachman90** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:32 pm

I wish I had the opportunitys to fish so many circuits as you guys have down there.Then to see someone do notthing but complain about the same trail that he is going to fish is alittle upsetting.From what I have read on this form over the last couple years there are alot of people that try real hard to get EVERYBODY involved in this sport that we all love so much.I hope someday I will be able to move to such an area to have so many choices to do what I love so much.GB...Jim