Amateur Tournaments???

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BassinZ118
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Amateur Tournaments???

Post by BassinZ118 »

When is a "amateur" tournament really an amateur tournament? When these so called amateur's have rod & lure sponsors how are they still considered amateurs??? If a college football player had sponsors I am sure the NCAA would say they are no longer eligible. Is there really any "rookie" or true "amateur" tournaments out there? WRL...FPT...BBT...it doesn't seem to be the case. :?:
GKramer
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by GKramer »

Not sure of your specific concern. Is it the prizes offered or the individual angler support you're objecting to? How "amateur" of fishermen would you like to see competing? Would a club tournament meet your need? Everybody starts somewhere. :?
Derrek Stewart
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by Derrek Stewart »

Amateur is a French word meaning 'lover of'. Just as that implies it means that you do something for the love of the endeavor as opposed to doing something as a professional for pay. At the same time I haven't seen any derby's that lists non pro anglers as amateur's.

They are Non-Boaters, Co-anglers, AAA's, Rookies, Future Pro's, Joe's... and like pros they compete for money. They are not invited and they too pay to play. They are engaging in 'Semi-Pro' activity. Like many sports that have 'minor leagues' why wouldn't semi pro anglers have some type of 'Semi-Sponsorship'?
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Marty
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by Marty »

The majority of angler are not Pro’s and what better way to market to the majority then by a fishing company using an Amateur to promote their product or service. Sponsorship does not make an Angler and most fishing companies are only giving free product or 10% off of cost. This is very cheap advertising.
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Oldschool
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by Oldschool »

Simple question that few could answer becuase the defination isn't clear regarding bass fishing tournaments.
For example; to fish a major pro/am event like the WON lake Mead US Open, all you need to be a pro or amateur is pay the appropriate entry fee. You must own a bass boat if you are in the pro category and sponsorship is optional.
If your goal is to learn how to tournament bass fish, sign up as an amateur in the open events. If you goal is to learn to bass fish then join a club, hire a guide, study the subject and go fishing.
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ASD
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by ASD »

Bassin518

I am one of the guy's you are talking about. I am fishing BBT, Won Bass as a "AAA" and FLW as a "CO" this year. That being said at the end of last year I cashed my "first check" ever and it was at a FPT event for "big fish". This year I have two to dates. The first one at Lake Shasta Won Bass Pro Am I took 6th place and this last weekend at Barry fishen the BBT event I (we)took 9th place. I have a hand full of GREAT sponsors. What you need to understand is that "PRO STAFF" does not stand for "Professional Staff" it means "Promotional Staff". A Staffer is a Sales Rep. My "job" as a Pro Staffer is to get the word out about the item's I rep. With that being said I have what you might call a "Semi-Sponsorship". I don't have a "FREE RIDE" by any means nor does anybody @ this level. My #1 Sponsor is my wife! An she is not even on my TX shirt LOL. Now what do Pro Staffers get from their sponsors at this level. It all depends on what type of "DEAL" you work out with each one of them. As we all bring diffrent amounts of exposure to them. Most will give some type of discount. Some will give you a small amout of free stuff. Most will help with the cost of your TX shirt and give you stickers for your boat and truck. As you build a better name for yourself you can get more for you advertising space on your TX shirt, boat and truck. Now the other side of the coin is that sponsors will want you to help out at shows, help out with R&D of new products, but the #1 thing they want is for you to help them get exposure and get their NAME out there. Now does being a PS make me a better fishermen then someone that is not? No, only time on the water will do that! Now with that being said being a PS has helped me cut my cost down a little bit and that has let me fish more. With more time on the water I am getting better at putting better fish in the boat.
BassinZ118
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by BassinZ118 »

First and foremost, THANK YOU all for your comments and responses. Since I am new to bass fishing (2 years) and have only fished (1) tournament earlier this month I guess I am naive to what was explained to me about "amateur" fishing tournaments. I was just surprised to see individuals who had been fishing the CBC, Anglers Choice Pro Teams, etc. fishing in what was represented to me as purely an amateur event. Maybe that was the individual trying to sell spots to fill his tournament???? And to make matters worse, on the blind draw I was the 72nd boat out of 76 to launch from the marina...being the novice I am and although this was my first bass tournament I fully understood that finding a spot to fish was just reduced by 71 areas.

I must say I truly enjoyed the tournament experience, the excitement in the early morning hours, all the boats waiting to launch and I did finish in 42nd place; however, I did come away discouraged from wanting to fish another event. I don't mind paying the entry fees, fuel costs and overnight lodging to enter the events but I came away with NO new knowledge that would make me a better angler the next time out. I recognize the competitive nature of these bass tournaments so no one is going to offer the novice or anyone else for that matter any information that led to their success on the water.

Since hooking my 8 lb 2 oz bass out of Folsom Lake two years ago that fish actually turned out to be 160 lbs (me) because I have been hooked on bass fishing ever since. I now own two bass boats, don't ask me why...and I fish at least once if not twice a week and I have put 110% effort into learning, reading, watching and following everything bass fishing. My biggest flaw and I am sure a lot of people fall into the same trap is that I fail to force myself to fish areas I haven't fished before; if I have caught fish in a certain area I tend to always fish those areas and they always produce fish. I found out just what a detriment that was in the bass tournament when my spots were covered by the boats the launched before "boat #72"....hmmm, maybe I did learn something from tournament and just didn't realize it????

Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to read my post and respond.
kitjack
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by kitjack »

You beat almost 1/2 the guys entered in your first ever tournament, so in my opinion you did good in your first tournament. Anyone who is just starting to compete in any sport is at a disadvantage to guys who have been doing it for years, and bass fishing is no exception. So you're off to a decent start and the goal should be to improve on that as you go forward.

You said that you enjoyed it, and if you want to get better you have to put in some time fishing tournaments. If you are upset about not getting a check at your first tournament you probably shouldn't be fishing them. For many of us who can no longer compete at sports like we did as kids the anticipation of fishing and the competition at a tournament is what gets us through the week. So getting a tough draw once in a while is just part of the deal, much like getting some bad hands at cards. The odds tend to even out the more you fish and it's still more fun than staying home.
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Revoke36
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by Revoke36 »

This is a great thread for me. I'm also about to start tournament fishing and I'm reading some great input. I have been a tournament competitor in a variety of sports throughout my life which includes national competitions at professional levels so I know not to set my standards too high at the start. My goal is to first get a limit. I'll be all smiles with that. As I compete in fishing more tournaments, I will raise my bar each time. Most important thing is to have fun. After all, fishing is fun as hell :wink:
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BassinZ118
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by BassinZ118 »

To kitjack, thanks for your input...I wasn't upset about not being in the money and I never entered the tournament with the expectations earning a check. What I was really hoping for was to learn something from the other anglers fishing the event. Beleive it or not, I'm not interested in wining any money from the tournaments, I fish for reasons far greater. After my son passed away a few years ago I found fishing and the tranquility of spending time on the water with my thoughts and no amount of money can buy that piece of mind.

Now that I have a better understanding of what takes place in the tournament and who all fishes them I feel I might have placed higher with a better draw. So what do most anglers do when they get a bad draw and are basically the last ones out on the water to fish and see other boats sitting on spots they normally or planned to fish?
jc351
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by jc351 »

Just like with any sport there is and will always be sandbaggers and guys holding themselves back to get the easy win. Although these sandbaggers (not speaking of anyone in particular) most of the time dont win there still trying to get one over. When i started tournament fishing i used to think the same thing , these guys have sponsors so im done! Its not the case they are just better at marketing themselves then i am. I am not at that level but when i am there you better bet your *** i want to fish on the pro side with fellow pro's for the bigger purse and to challenge myself against the best at that event!!
topdawg2700
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by topdawg2700 »

You should join a club too and fish the club tournaments. A lot of clubs share information after the tournament to help others grow and learn to fish better.
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JKumarbass
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by JKumarbass »

Always thought of it as pro = "profession" = making a living at it. Then you have professional tournament anglers, professional guides, professional TV fishing guys, etc. But there's no clear line. Also could be the guys on the front of the boat, as in Pro-Am.
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Terry Smith
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by Terry Smith »

BassinZ118,

Don't get frustrated with the whole concept of "PRO". It's still you against the little fishes! :lol: If your just getting into tournament fishing it's going to take A while to get to know guys that will share information with you. HANG IN THERE you will find your guys soon enough. When I first started we place way down in our events then as I got to know people and listen to what they have to say and put it to use on the water I have won 1 team tournament Berryessa FPT and place in top 10 in other of the FPT events. Last year we took 3rd at the Ranger Owners tournament at the Delta. Took me A few years to find the GREAT GUYS that help and share info between us but WELL WORTH THE TIME!!!!! As for someone on your spot what I do is just wait A little bit and they will move off of it and then go fish your spot the way you prefished it. Don't think that the guys before you cought YOUR FISH they might not even fish the way you do.

GOOD LUCK, TERRY
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jg
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by jg »

All you can do about the spot is try to find something that is familiar to what you found in practice. As for learning during a tournament no one pro or amatuer is there to teach, so I don't know what you were looking for learning wise. I can tell you if you want to learn, is take your tourney entry and hire a guide, they will teach you more than you will ever pick up from fishing tournaments. While fishing the tourney you are getting time on the water a guide will put you on fish or at least be showing you what works at that paticular time of year. Then you can build on what you have learned. The club advice is also good if it's a draw format so you can fish with a variety of differnt guy's and styles.
BassinZ118
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Re: Amateur Tournaments???

Post by BassinZ118 »

Terry and JG thank you both for your input...very much appreciated and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and respond.
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