Tournament event fees survey

[calfisher71]

Ok Tournament Anglers. I am conducting a Survey on Tournament Event fee's.

For Pro level open teams 7 events in a year and T.O.C

What do you think entry fees should be and why?

Entry Fee
How many options and how much?

total amount all in?

Example
Entry
$150
Options
10
20
20 big fish

$200 all in

[Brian D.]

K.I.S.S.

entry = $120
BF = $20


no other options

[BS'r]

Things are much different now. It appears the way to go is to not make $5K in a year and stay under the radar. Fish the amatuer events since the number of boats and prizes are what used to be at the Pro level.

Used to be an amatuer couldn't make money or win a boat or truck. The amatuer and rookie league are the events getting the bigger number of boats and have a good group like following. The hook series was the the training ground for all of us.

We used to have to fish the clubs or donate to Sapp, Bobby B. Dee, Cooch etc.. to learn. I paid my share.

I do like what Brain said. $120 and 20.

[Marty]

$90 all in! Even less would be better – learn but don’t donate so much!

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

Tournament fees are based on what the tournament organization needs for the cost that is incurred by them to pay a profit to the organization.. Without the profit motive there is really no point in the organization putting on the tournament in the first place.

The way to decide how much should be charged is to figure out your own budget based on what you can afford to spend, and whether you think you have a chance of getting a check, and if the risk is worth the potential of getting that check. If you dont think you can get a check then the choice regarding the entry is totallly up to you

Big toyrnaments with lots of prize money need to charge big fees to the participants.

Smaller payback tournaments can afford to have have lower entry fees.

jim

[Cooch]

Welcome back Conlow! He asked a simple question here, I guess you fergot about 100% BASS! HAR! HAR! HAR!

$160 base 1:5 Payback
$20 Option Top 3
$10 Option Top 3
$10 Big Fish (Biggest fish ONLY!)

$200 all in, is a fair price that can easily be shared between two anglers. Ya do it right and draw between 75-100 boats, you'll have a very nice payback with $160 base entry @ 80-85% payback. For pro level payback, 1:5 is a must, the 1:3 is too diluted and not appreciated by the pro level anglers.

Option pools have gotten carried away over the years. If there was just one $30 option, most guys would be fine with it, but ya prolly get a good percentage of the field who may not play, so if ya break it out ta 10 & 20, ya end up picking up guys in one or the other who may not play the #30.

Big fish pot is JUST THAT, BIG FISH! Let's git back ta old school, man up, 1 winner takes the entire pot!

[sTony]

Presuppose that it's not the current price tag in Pro Team events that is a problem. If anything, that price may not be high enough. Consider this:

If the pro levels were drawing what the lower divisions are drawing now, they'd be paying back whooping loads of money to the field. That's with most of these orgs paying back better then they ever have before, which is what I think many are currently doing. Some of the orgs have TDs and they, the orgs themselves are taking less money or holding back less money and advancing more money into the payback then ever before, with the exception of 100% Bass and their payback. If they were getting more support the monies would be great at that level where they're set at right now. And it'd be awesome if they drew well enough to advance the entry fee or options a bit more and go deeper on their paybacks. Not necessarily more guys making money, but checks that are better beyond just the first couple few places.

So it'd be my vote to go with exactly what you've got now and not lower the fees as, to my mind, that would only serve to lower the payback and lower the service you get before, during and after events.

What's missing right now in our regional pro level team bass tournaments is... Thomas Edison, to reinvent it in a way that works and... P T Barnum, to show everyone how to put on a show. Too much fixation on payback and nearly none on the quality of the experience and putting on a show.

Then, maybe you can start attracting a loyal following of competitive anglers and a crowd to watch and cheer for them.

Sorry to digress, hahaha,

sTony

[Rbass519]

I really enjoyed the NBW pro-team tournaments. They were well ran, fun, tough competition, and they took care of the anglers (Coffee and doughnuts in the morning and a bbq after the weigh in). The problem, as I see it, is a lack of participation.
If you want to have a successful tournament trail, you're gonna need some people to commit to following a series.
Changing the price might be what it takes, but I know a lot of guys that aren't entering tournaments right now because "the numbers are too low." That has the ol' snowball effect on the sport. To break even you have to be in the top three in team tournaments up here (Redding).

Good luck, I hope someone fixes it soon.

Rob Bass

[B.Cline]

In my opinion the days of big numbers in "Pro team tournaments"is over.... there is no solution. The "Rookie team tournaments" have ruined the pro team numbers. Back when there were big numbers in team tournaments that was all that there was "Team tournaments" not pro teams or rookie teams or whatever....everybody had to fish the same tournament there were no other choices. Why would somebody that fishes against 60-100 boats and makes some good money placing in the top 15 or so, ever want to step up and fish a "Pro team circuit" where you will have to place in the top three to make more than your money back and fish against the lakes toughest fisherman to do so?? I just do not see it changing whether you have lower entry's or higher entry's. The rookie tournaments are just taking to many of the teams away.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

Hey Cooch

I am no longer on top of what the tournaments are charging or what the percentage of pay back is.

I simply know that if tournaments become a break even situation for the tournament organizations there will be no incentive for the orgs to hold tournaments. They need to make a profit from somewhere or else just go fishing themselves

Tournament bass fishing is much like the Gold rush days in calif. I few guys struck it rich by digging up the gold, but the most money was made by the guys selling picks and shovels.

Jim

[Marty]

Was reading on other Bass Fishing Web Site and the idea was proposed to have Pro Team (or Open Team) entry fee at $100 and options at $300. This I believe is a good idea. Look at it - $100 bucks for all can play and for the guys that want bigger pots - $300 in options.

This way you be getting some of the anglers from the and Rooky leagues to come on up.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

No Cooch

I have not forgotton 100% bass or was it 100% BS I forget which name is the most appropriate.

I always heard that it was his sponsors who paid him to run the tournaments so that he could make 100% pay backs, and then there was that other guy who was giving away baits that no one would ever buy in a hubdred years and then claiming the giveaway baits on his income tax and sending the info to the IRS so that guys who received the would have to pay taxes on the junk baits

Do you remember that guy??????

Jim

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

Hey again Cooch

Has any one heard anything from Dean Sault, Or from Jerry Waltman???

[Rich reeser]

the problem with the pro teams is the majority of them fish just one body of water. there is no delta am circuit or clearlake am circuit, most of the am's fish the full circuit, noted their are a few cherry pickers, but most fish the entire circuit. i like many others aren't willing to throw all my chips in one pond with a doz. or so other guys that only fish that one. i can hardly cash on the am side, going to the pro side for a couple of years they'd own my boat
like cooch put it at $200 a tourney where as the am's are $180 all in the pro's would draw a lot more am's that might be willinh to give the pro side a shot, but still i believe they need to fish more the one body of water in each circuit

[B.Cline]

Very good point. That is the other problem. All of the "Pro" team tournaments are one lake, or two at most. So now just the local sticks are the only ones fishing them most of the time. When others try them out it is always a hand full of locals dominating the top few places that pay out decent money. So guys get frustrated and either turn to the rookie leagues or choose not to fish. The traveling pro team circuit has been tried quite a few times in recent years and none have really drawn the numbers to make them successful. It seems that most of the local pro teams don't see the reason to travel, when most events are small anymore and there is one in your backyard most weekends.

[calfisher71]

All great topics! From about tournaments,to the past,the current and Pro or Rookie topics.

The idea here in the SURVEY is just to get a feel for "Open Team Tournaments" Non rookie level

A level where all can play!

what entries should be
what options should be

"what is a good all in number"

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

Hi Marty

I think you are right, Also it could be done simply by having entry fees at seperate levels with a first place thru 20th place payback at each level. That way the guys fishing at the lower entry fee could decide whether they were ready to compete at the higher compitition level.

And at least in there minds they would be competing on the same day on the same day and under all of the same condition. At blast of they could have odd and even numbers for the two levels to alternate at starting time.

Just some random thoughts

Jim

[Cooch]

the problem with the pro teams is the majority of them fish just one body of water. there is no delta am circuit or clearlake am circuit, most of the am's fish the full circuit, noted their are a few cherry pickers, but most fish the entire circuit. i like many others aren't willing to throw all my chips in one pond with a doz. or so other guys that only fish that one. i can hardly cash on the am side, going to the pro side for a couple of years they'd own my boat
like cooch put it at $200 a tourney where as the am's are $180 all in the pro's would draw a lot more am's that might be willinh to give the pro side a shot, but still i believe they need to fish more the one body of water in each circuit

Damn, how'd I leave that out? Excellent point Rich! That has been my biggest point and reason why the two rookie leagues are so successful and was the start of the numbers decline way back when when one & two lake regions started up.

Ya can't take away though, what Kory started with 100% Bass. His numbers at the Motherload and Delta were way up there with his paybacks, imagine what it might of been had he just done a 7 lake 100% circuit?

[HawgCatcher]

amen Cooch