Tournament Fishing Participation - How do you decide?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Sessler on August 21, 2015 at 2:03pm

The BEST solution for multiple circuits in my opinion would be the following (with no preference for a particular circuit):

Perhaps the BBTT coordinate with ABA (or NWB) and run a dual tournament on the same permit, body of water and date. You can enter both or one tournament therefore consolidating expenses. This tournament would run either the week before or the week after a competing circuit on the same body of water. That would make each tournament a pre-fish for the other circuit.

Good financially, good for time commitments, and pretty good for the anglers. Hell we're there already, why not have a tournament?

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on August 27, 2015 at 5:31am

No you're not!


Jon Sessler said:

The BEST solution for multiple circuits in my opinion would be the following (with no preference for a particular circuit):

Perhaps the BBTT coordinate with ABA (or NWB) and run a dual tournament on the same permit, body of water and date. You can enter both or one tournament therefore consolidating expenses. This tournament would run either the week before or the week after a competing circuit on the same body of water. That would make each tournament a pre-fish for the other circuit.

Good financially, good for time commitments, and pretty good for the anglers. Hell we're there already, why not have a tournament?

Permalink Reply by Ben Hanes on January 14, 2016 at 12:25pm

I was looking through old threads, and this one was really interesting, so I figured I'd take a stab at replying, and I will probably get butchered.  But just realize I love all you guys, I love bass fishing, and I think the big circuits are great!!!   But here's my two-sense, coming from a guy who used to fish everything, and now doesn't....

 

-THE COSTS OF BASS FISHING HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY...I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but new boat costs have gone up about $10,000 every 1-3 years.  You can make the argument that a new boat isn't needed, but I worked my way up starting with an older boat, and when you're competing at a high level, you can’t afford the issues an old boat causes.  THEY BREAK DOWN.  They slow you down, they do not give you an edge.  It’s true, I used to win club tournaments a lot out of a 12' aluminum boat with a cooler for a livewell.  But that was on small bodies of water, not the freakin' Columbia River that is 60 miles long in just one pool, and huge fish are 40 miles away from the launch.  Smaller boats don't even have a gas tank that can handle that run, and when the guys you're competing against CAN make those runs, it kills your competitive edge.......Add on the increased prices of fuel (recently have decreased thank goodness!), skyrocketing prices of lures and gear, camping, hotels, food, and increased prices of entry fees, and fairly stagnant wages, it then becomes apparent that bass fishing can break the bank.  I was spending $14,000+ per year at my peak.

 

-OFTEN, THE SAME TOP 10 WIN, or at least are in the money every tournament.....This one is going to make you guys mad…..BUT….Nearly every major circuit in the U.S. has different competition levels, i.e. pro-am, etc.....Washington does not.  The big circuits, i.e. ABA and NWB, have the same top 10 teams fishing them, and I have analyzed results from every angle and the truth is 90% of the time it's the same guys at the top.  AND THAT'S FINE.  Good for them.  What I realized, is that there is an intangible factor that I cannot explain, that no matter the amount of hard work I put in, I will never be as good as Hobbs or Wolsky...It's for this same reason that there's NFL football players, and there's high school football players; God created people with different abilities.  God made fish love Ron Hobbs and Don Hogue and Taylor Smith, etc etc....You can argue all you want about time on the water or whatever, which will make you better, but the bottom line is I DID PUT THAT TIME ON WATER, I did work that hard.  Those guys were still better.  They are naturally gifted.  I might get really lucky and beat them, but 90% of the time they are going to beat me, and it's tough breaking the bank and consuming your time and life when you know your competition (the top 10) is better, period.  And unfortunately, our payout structures pay about the top 10, or less.

 

-TOO MUCH TIME......My life was devoted to fishing, and I was only making about 50% of my entry fees back, and top 12 in AOY in NWB doesn't get you much....I was selfish with my time and money.

 

-I GOT DIVORCED....I imagine in part because of fishing, maybe, but not directly.  She wasn't the right woman, but most women can't handle a man who has tunnel vision and love for bass.  The divorce also substantially cut my income and increased my time commitment toward things I wasn't doing before.

 

-I REALIZED THERE’S NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN THE PAYOUTS......In the sense that the big tournaments do not payout enough….Unless the payouts actually pay you enough to make money, the sport is freakin’ crazy expensive....I imagine only the top 1-3% make money, if that.  So what that meant to me was it's about the competition, comradery, fun, learning, etc....And I couldn't justify going bankrupt for payouts that wouldn't even pay for costs, especially when payouts only came 25% of the time because a similar group of guys are in the money every tournament.  And the entry fees alone are close to, or more than, most of the payouts….I would rather fish something with a much, much smaller entry, where my costs might actually get covered, or I don’t feel broke if I don’t make money (versus having to place in top 5 of NWB out of 80 freakin’ teams to get costs covered).

 

-SPONSORSHIPS…..I realized you were better off getting a higher paying job than trying to attain sponsorships to cover costs, because sponsors only pay substantial amounts to the very best of elite fisherman on the national level.  And furthermore, companies can be cut-throats.  I got burned several times.  It left a bad taste in my mouth…..I’m not saying sponsorships are bad, because I have a couple now, but it’s not all glitter and glory.  Generally, it’s discounts and work.

 

-SO WHAT WOULD BRING ME BACK TO THE BIG CIRCUITS?  In every other state in the U.S. where bass fishing is popular, they have different competition levels.   In Washington, our competition levels are basically:  club, federation, ABA, NWB….The bigger circuits don’t offer any difference in competition level.  A lower competition level (i.e. Pro, Semi-Pro, Amateur) for me would mean lower entry fees, too, which would help to not break the bank….Also, OPEN PRE-FISHING would decrease pre-fishing costs and make pre-fishing much more relevant.

 

-THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH….Washington has some of the best anglers in the United States, as is evident by our anglers’ performances in national BASS, FLW, events, etc.  I can guarantee if Hobbs, Wolsky, Hall, Boomer, Bryant, Kromm, Echnernkamp, Taylor, Smith, Hogue and about ten or fifteen other names, if they competed on a national level, they would do reasonably well, or kick butt.  But the sad fact is Washington State is pretty isolated and gets the stiff-arm when it comes to professional circuits, so we have damn near Elite-level anglers who are fishing Northwest Bass, ABA, the BASS Fed, etc.  Probably about 30 of them.  They are good.  Real good….We as bass fisherman can act like we want to deny that because it hurts our confidence and egos, and we can think that our hard work will pay off, and that we will beat them, but the reality is they are better….They will beat us 90%+ of the time.  In other states, they would have moved onward and upward, but they can’t because they’re isolated to Washington, where there aren’t any professional circuits, and the circuits that are available offer no levels between professional, semi-pro, and amateur.

 

In summary, for me, I will just keep fishing locally to save money, make friends, fish competitively but on a smaller, cheaper level, where I can help others learn to improve their fishing skills, help kids to love fishing, etc…All without breaking the bank and being honest with myself as to where my heart and true skills are.  I think it’s great there’s an ABA and NWB, and I do not knock guys for fishing those circuits.  I probably still would too if I had an endless supply of money.

Permalink Reply by Ben Hanes on January 14, 2016 at 1:01pm

I read this today......To support my point that it's becoming a rich man's sport (or a bankrupt man's sport)...I don't necessarily agree with everything he has to say, but I can't deny the costs of trucks, boats, electronics, gear, and entry fees...And then payouts that don't cover the costs.

Randy Blaukat from Randy's Facebook:

> I don't think the current explosion in technology is a good idea for the future of our sport. I say this because technology -- and the need to keep up with it to compete even on a weekend level -- is turning bass fishing, especially tournament fishing, into an "elitist" sport.

> I think it is a huge injustice to our sport for tournament directors to allow a unlimited amount of electronics on a boat.... For some anglers to be able to afford $15,000 in electronics while some anglers can barely afford two very simple basic units creates an uneven playing field.

> Same with rods/reels and tackle. Professional golfers are limited to how many clubs they can carry. The same should apply to tournament fishing -- again in an effort to level the playing field for those less financially fortunate.

> We live in a world of fishing where an $80,000 boat, a $50,000 truck, $70,000 in entry fees and expenses, and another $15,000 in tackle each year is the norm. This is insanity.

Permalink Reply by Dana Steiner on January 15, 2016 at 11:50am

Ben, very honorable and truthful.

Ben Hanes said:

I was looking through old threads, and this one was really interesting, so I figured I'd take a stab at replying, and I will probably get butchered.  But just realize I love all you guys, I love bass fishing, and I think the big circuits are great!!!   But here's my two-sense, coming from a guy who used to fish everything, and now doesn't....

 

-THE COSTS OF BASS FISHING HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY...I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but new boat costs have gone up about $10,000 every 1-3 years.  You can make the argument that a new boat isn't needed, but I worked my way up starting with an older boat, and when you're competing at a high level, you can’t afford the issues an old boat causes.  THEY BREAK DOWN.  They slow you down, they do not give you an edge.  It’s true, I used to win club tournaments a lot out of a 12' aluminum boat with a cooler for a livewell.  But that was on small bodies of water, not the freakin' Columbia River that is 60 miles long in just one pool, and huge fish are 40 miles away from the launch.  Smaller boats don't even have a gas tank that can handle that run, and when the guys you're competing against CAN make those runs, it kills your competitive edge.......Add on the increased prices of fuel (recently have decreased thank goodness!), skyrocketing prices of lures and gear, camping, hotels, food, and increased prices of entry fees, and fairly stagnant wages, it then becomes apparent that bass fishing can break the bank.  I was spending $14,000+ per year at my peak.

 

-OFTEN, THE SAME TOP 10 WIN, or at least are in the money every tournament.....This one is going to make you guys mad…..BUT….Nearly every major circuit in the U.S. has different competition levels, i.e. pro-am, etc.....Washington does not.  The big circuits, i.e. ABA and NWB, have the same top 10 teams fishing them, and I have analyzed results from every angle and the truth is 90% of the time it's the same guys at the top.  AND THAT'S FINE.  Good for them.  What I realized, is that there is an intangible factor that I cannot explain, that no matter the amount of hard work I put in, I will never be as good as Hobbs or Wolsky...It's for this same reason that there's NFL football players, and there's high school football players; God created people with different abilities.  God made fish love Ron Hobbs and Don Hogue and Taylor Smith, etc etc....You can argue all you want about time on the water or whatever, which will make you better, but the bottom line is I DID PUT THAT TIME ON WATER, I did work that hard.  Those guys were still better.  They are naturally gifted.  I might get really lucky and beat them, but 90% of the time they are going to beat me, and it's tough breaking the bank and consuming your time and life when you know your competition (the top 10) is better, period.  And unfortunately, our payout structures pay about the top 10, or less.

 

-TOO MUCH TIME......My life was devoted to fishing, and I was only making about 50% of my entry fees back, and top 12 in AOY in NWB doesn't get you much....I was selfish with my time and money.

 

-I GOT DIVORCED....I imagine in part because of fishing, maybe, but not directly.  She wasn't the right woman, but most women can't handle a man who has tunnel vision and love for bass.  The divorce also substantially cut my income and increased my time commitment toward things I wasn't doing before.

 

-I REALIZED THERE’S NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN THE PAYOUTS......In the sense that the big tournaments do not payout enough….Unless the payouts actually pay you enough to make money, the sport is freakin’ crazy expensive....I imagine only the top 1-3% make money, if that.  So what that meant to me was it's about the competition, comradery, fun, learning, etc....And I couldn't justify going bankrupt for payouts that wouldn't even pay for costs, especially when payouts only came 25% of the time because a similar group of guys are in the money every tournament.  And the entry fees alone are close to, or more than, most of the payouts….I would rather fish something with a much, much smaller entry, where my costs might actually get covered, or I don’t feel broke if I don’t make money (versus having to place in top 5 of NWB out of 80 freakin’ teams to get costs covered).

 

-SPONSORSHIPS…..I realized you were better off getting a higher paying job than trying to attain sponsorships to cover costs, because sponsors only pay substantial amounts to the very best of elite fisherman on the national level.  And furthermore, companies can be cut-throats.  I got burned several times.  It left a bad taste in my mouth…..I’m not saying sponsorships are bad, because I have a couple now, but it’s not all glitter and glory.  Generally, it’s discounts and work.

 

-SO WHAT WOULD BRING ME BACK TO THE BIG CIRCUITS?  In every other state in the U.S. where bass fishing is popular, they have different competition levels.   In Washington, our competition levels are basically:  club, federation, ABA, NWB….The bigger circuits don’t offer any difference in competition level.  A lower competition level (i.e. Pro, Semi-Pro, Amateur) for me would mean lower entry fees, too, which would help to not break the bank….Also, OPEN PRE-FISHING would decrease pre-fishing costs and make pre-fishing much more relevant.

 

-THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH….Washington has some of the best anglers in the United States, as is evident by our anglers’ performances in national BASS, FLW, events, etc.  I can guarantee if Hobbs, Wolsky, Hall, Boomer, Bryant, Kromm, Echnernkamp, Taylor, Smith, Hogue and about ten or fifteen other names, if they competed on a national level, they would do reasonably well, or kick butt.  But the sad fact is Washington State is pretty isolated and gets the stiff-arm when it comes to professional circuits, so we have damn near Elite-level anglers who are fishing Northwest Bass, ABA, the BASS Fed, etc.  Probably about 30 of them.  They are good.  Real good….We as bass fisherman can act like we want to deny that because it hurts our confidence and egos, and we can think that our hard work will pay off, and that we will beat them, but the reality is they are better….They will beat us 90%+ of the time.  In other states, they would have moved onward and upward, but they can’t because they’re isolated to Washington, where there aren’t any professional circuits, and the circuits that are available offer no levels between professional, semi-pro, and amateur.

 

In summary, for me, I will just keep fishing locally to save money, make friends, fish competitively but on a smaller, cheaper level, where I can help others learn to improve their fishing skills, help kids to love fishing, etc…All without breaking the bank and being honest with myself as to where my heart and true skills are.  I think it’s great there’s an ABA and NWB, and I do not knock guys for fishing those circuits.  I probably still would too if I had an endless supply of money.

Permalink Reply by Nick Berto on January 18, 2016 at 11:27am

Agreed Dana, well said Ben.

Great insight and thanks for writing this. I really like your summary paragraph and couldn't agree more.

At what point does financial burden out weight realistic opportunity and personal satisfaction? I'm finding myself reflecting on this yearly (especially this year after getting married with family on the way and more financial ownerships and responsibilities) and honestly, the pendulum is starting to balance opposite of what it was when I was 20.

Is it all worth it in the end and what makes sense? I guess for everyone it is different but the cost is the biggest factor for many and ever growing...
 
Dana Steiner said:

Ben, very honorable and truthful.

Ben Hanes said:

I was looking through old threads, and this one was really interesting, so I figured I'd take a stab at replying, and I will probably get butchered.  But just realize I love all you guys, I love bass fishing, and I think the big circuits are great!!!   But here's my two-sense, coming from a guy who used to fish everything, and now doesn't....

 

-THE COSTS OF BASS FISHING HAVE INCREASED DRAMATICALLY...I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but new boat costs have gone up about $10,000 every 1-3 years.  You can make the argument that a new boat isn't needed, but I worked my way up starting with an older boat, and when you're competing at a high level, you can’t afford the issues an old boat causes.  THEY BREAK DOWN.  They slow you down, they do not give you an edge.  It’s true, I used to win club tournaments a lot out of a 12' aluminum boat with a cooler for a livewell.  But that was on small bodies of water, not the freakin' Columbia River that is 60 miles long in just one pool, and huge fish are 40 miles away from the launch.  Smaller boats don't even have a gas tank that can handle that run, and when the guys you're competing against CAN make those runs, it kills your competitive edge.......Add on the increased prices of fuel (recently have decreased thank goodness!), skyrocketing prices of lures and gear, camping, hotels, food, and increased prices of entry fees, and fairly stagnant wages, it then becomes apparent that bass fishing can break the bank.  I was spending $14,000+ per year at my peak.

 

-OFTEN, THE SAME TOP 10 WIN, or at least are in the money every tournament.....This one is going to make you guys mad…..BUT….Nearly every major circuit in the U.S. has different competition levels, i.e. pro-am, etc.....Washington does not.  The big circuits, i.e. ABA and NWB, have the same top 10 teams fishing them, and I have analyzed results from every angle and the truth is 90% of the time it's the same guys at the top.  AND THAT'S FINE.  Good for them.  What I realized, is that there is an intangible factor that I cannot explain, that no matter the amount of hard work I put in, I will never be as good as Hobbs or Wolsky...It's for this same reason that there's NFL football players, and there's high school football players; God created people with different abilities.  God made fish love Ron Hobbs and Don Hogue and Taylor Smith, etc etc....You can argue all you want about time on the water or whatever, which will make you better, but the bottom line is I DID PUT THAT TIME ON WATER, I did work that hard.  Those guys were still better.  They are naturally gifted.  I might get really lucky and beat them, but 90% of the time they are going to beat me, and it's tough breaking the bank and consuming your time and life when you know your competition (the top 10) is better, period.  And unfortunately, our payout structures pay about the top 10, or less.

 

-TOO MUCH TIME......My life was devoted to fishing, and I was only making about 50% of my entry fees back, and top 12 in AOY in NWB doesn't get you much....I was selfish with my time and money.

 

-I GOT DIVORCED....I imagine in part because of fishing, maybe, but not directly.  She wasn't the right woman, but most women can't handle a man who has tunnel vision and love for bass.  The divorce also substantially cut my income and increased my time commitment toward things I wasn't doing before.

 

-I REALIZED THERE’S NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN THE PAYOUTS......In the sense that the big tournaments do not payout enough….Unless the payouts actually pay you enough to make money, the sport is freakin’ crazy expensive....I imagine only the top 1-3% make money, if that.  So what that meant to me was it's about the competition, comradery, fun, learning, etc....And I couldn't justify going bankrupt for payouts that wouldn't even pay for costs, especially when payouts only came 25% of the time because a similar group of guys are in the money every tournament.  And the entry fees alone are close to, or more than, most of the payouts….I would rather fish something with a much, much smaller entry, where my costs might actually get covered, or I don’t feel broke if I don’t make money (versus having to place in top 5 of NWB out of 80 freakin’ teams to get costs covered).

 

-SPONSORSHIPS…..I realized you were better off getting a higher paying job than trying to attain sponsorships to cover costs, because sponsors only pay substantial amounts to the very best of elite fisherman on the national level.  And furthermore, companies can be cut-throats.  I got burned several times.  It left a bad taste in my mouth…..I’m not saying sponsorships are bad, because I have a couple now, but it’s not all glitter and glory.  Generally, it’s discounts and work.

 

-SO WHAT WOULD BRING ME BACK TO THE BIG CIRCUITS?  In every other state in the U.S. where bass fishing is popular, they have different competition levels.   In Washington, our competition levels are basically:  club, federation, ABA, NWB….The bigger circuits don’t offer any difference in competition level.  A lower competition level (i.e. Pro, Semi-Pro, Amateur) for me would mean lower entry fees, too, which would help to not break the bank….Also, OPEN PRE-FISHING would decrease pre-fishing costs and make pre-fishing much more relevant.

 

-THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH….Washington has some of the best anglers in the United States, as is evident by our anglers’ performances in national BASS, FLW, events, etc.  I can guarantee if Hobbs, Wolsky, Hall, Boomer, Bryant, Kromm, Echnernkamp, Taylor, Smith, Hogue and about ten or fifteen other names, if they competed on a national level, they would do reasonably well, or kick butt.  But the sad fact is Washington State is pretty isolated and gets the stiff-arm when it comes to professional circuits, so we have damn near Elite-level anglers who are fishing Northwest Bass, ABA, the BASS Fed, etc.  Probably about 30 of them.  They are good.  Real good….We as bass fisherman can act like we want to deny that because it hurts our confidence and egos, and we can think that our hard work will pay off, and that we will beat them, but the reality is they are better….They will beat us 90%+ of the time.  In other states, they would have moved onward and upward, but they can’t because they’re isolated to Washington, where there aren’t any professional circuits, and the circuits that are available offer no levels between professional, semi-pro, and amateur.

 

In summary, for me, I will just keep fishing locally to save money, make friends, fish competitively but on a smaller, cheaper level, where I can help others learn to improve their fishing skills, help kids to love fishing, etc…All without breaking the bank and being honest with myself as to where my heart and true skills are.  I think it’s great there’s an ABA and NWB, and I do not knock guys for fishing those circuits.  I probably still would too if I had an endless supply of money.

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on January 18, 2016 at 11:31am

Ben, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.  Candid, heartfelt and structured exceptionally well for the reader.  Definitely one of the most well-written posts that I have read on the site, and there have been some excellent reads over the years.

I am always very impressed by the anglers who can make the time commitment to (and investment in) competitive tournament angling and still maintain the work, life and family balance.  My hats off to them!  I would personally love to have the time and disposable income available to happily donate some entry fees to the aforementioned teams, as I know it would be a lot of fun competition and a tremendous learning experience.  However, I have done the math on the time commitment and return on investment as well, and I can fully understand and appreciate your decision.

Great discussion and perspective.   

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on January 18, 2016 at 9:57pm

Is Ben's post a valid cautionary tale of the dangers of addiction to things that seem constructive?  Sure.  Does it remind us that everything should be in moderation?  Sure.  Is he correct that tournament fishing is not an investment strategy?  You bet.

Yet, with all due respect Ben, I find many of your stances a bit extreme and one sided. 

What the post doesn't talk about is the rare opportunity we have to pay minimally to fish with and against professional level talent.  Nobody in the country has this.  A curse to some...a challenge and a blessing to others.

While Ben's post discusses the HUGE costs that a wreckless spender can incur....it doesn't talk about the fact that baits, rods, reels and line have never been cheaper within the quality segment.  This is caused by competition within the industry.  I can buy decent jigs for $2-$4.  Good crankbaits for $5.  Plastics for next to nothing.  Braid lasts years with some fluro leaders tied on.  ABA is something like $200 all in.  No off limits this year as I understand it.  A well cared for hull can be re-powered for the utmost reliability.  Travel costs can be mitigated with tents, bbq's and split costs between partners.  2 good 7-9" graphs and batteries to power them can be had for under 2.5k installed...nowhere near 15k.

If a guy wants to fish a circuit...it can be done afford-ably and the results can be very much worth the costs depending on one's own measure.  Ben's story paints a "fish it all" or "Fish none" philosophy, and I'm not sure if there isn't some good value in the moderation arena that is omitted from the story.

Oh and I fixed some typos that Tag had somehow missed within his post.

Tag Watson said:

I would personally love to have the time and disposable income available to happily have  entry fees donated to me, as I know it would be a lot of fun competition and a tremendous teaching experience.

Permalink Reply by Ben Hanes on January 19, 2016 at 9:22am

Jake,

LOL!  I like that "Tag line" at the end...No pun intended!!!  HA HA.....I agree, a guy can go in minimalist-style and keep costs down quite a bit.  I believe there's the story of that one guy in FLW, who didn't even have a depth finder, and came in 2nd in AOY.  That's pretty insane....Of course that individual is probably the exception to the rule, and has tremendous shallow water prowess and talent.

I hadn't realized ABA had gotten rid of the pre-fishing cut-off period.  I had heard they were thinking about it, but I didn't know it had come to fruition.

Jake you make some good points.  I can't even really argue with you...If you go in it minimalist style, and are in it to learn and test your skills against the best, why not try?  Some guys will have the right combination of gifts, talents, and skill to compete well with the top 10-15 teams without sacrificing their lives and well-being.  For me, I think in order to have been competitive with the top guys, I had to be "all in."  It had to be my life and addiction, because anything less and I would have gotten badly trounced on. 

In the end, I'm glad I fished NWB and ABA and FLW a bit.  It made me a really good fisherman.  Now, there's a lot of kids benefiting from my knowledge and learned skill.......I think, or hope maybe, one day I'll be back.  But it's a very expensive and time-consuming sport in order to be competitive, for me, and I have to choose and play my cards wisely.  I have an "all in" weird type of personality when I go for something, so moderation is something I'm still working on!  :-)

Permalink Reply by Angie Dover on January 19, 2016 at 10:01am

Just a side note to this discussion;
Off limits period for ABA is Monday-Thursday the week of the tournament.
:)

Permalink Reply by Don Hogue on January 19, 2016 at 2:12pm

Personally, I see the off limits rules as one of the big reasons why participation is down.  I know there are several events coming up this year that I won't fish because of the off limits restrictions.  For example, in any given month you may have 2-4 tournaments that are available.  If each of them has off limits period for the week prior then you just aren't able to put any time on the water preparing for upcoming tournaments, or you are looking at doing so 3-4 weeks prior and most of the time that is useless practice.  Having to dedicate 2 weekends for one tournament is difficult on anyone.  If you have to travel, then that's probably 3 days for travel/prefish and another 3 days for the travel/tournament.  This is what makes it hard on finances and relationships.  

So why the off limits?  Here's what I typically hear and why I don't think it's a good argument.  

It levels the playing field

Not at all.  It insulates the top, most experienced fishermen who can tap into prior experiences and make adjustments more quickly.  Sometimes they get caught up in fishing memories, but most of the better ones are able to apply past experiences to the current situation.  Imagine any other situation in life, sports or otherwise in which you are relatively new and inexperienced.  Then imagine being told you are limited in the time you are allowed to get better.  Off limits is an advantage to those who have experience on a body of water at a certain time of year and disadvantage to those who don't.  This keeps participation down.  Trying to learn about bass fishing while competing in tournaments and limiting your ability to get on the water and learn is a recipe for donating money.  If you've ever found it difficult to try and compete in an event based on a day or two or knowledge that was a week ago and felt like you got burned by trying to fish what you found during practice, well this is my point.  Newer anglers put a lot of stock into what happens in prefish because that's all they have to go on. 

It discourages cheating

Similar to the whole gun control debate, making rules that restrict the law-abiding does not discourage those who don't care about the rules from suddenly following them.  Hard to imagine someone who is made up their mind they are going to cheat and then deciding not to because the lake is off limits.  Never understood that logic.  A cheater would take advantage of not seeing any other tournament anglers during the off limits to set up their cage or whatever.  Off limits only encourages people to find others who will fish for them during the off limits time or lean on a buddy/relative that is in the know for a given body of water. 

It takes some pressure off the fish

There is some truth to this and each angler has to decide how not to educate their fish.  At the same time, I find it ironic how circuits can have an off limits in place and then suddenly not in place for the championships - either they have no off limits at all or not the day before the championship.  Doesn't that throw out any arguments for having the off limits in the other events?

In fact here is what having off limits does accomplish:

• causes anglers to travel more and spend more time away from home
• makes the learning curve steeper for those new to the sport, without a good mentor, most of these fisherman won't continue competing and a good number never get started.  
• makes "community" spots more crowded.  Many guys have to rely on what worked last year, where they saw boats last year, etc.  
• keeps the overall knowledge of our sport in check. What other sport limits your ability to practice/get better?  
• gives beginning anglers the idea that some guys have a mystical ability to catch bass cause _____ or ______ "always catches them"
• forces anglers to choose between circuit "A" and circuit "B" or "C".  

Off limits rules were born from a time when local clubs were worried about the "old retired guy" or "guide" having an unfair advantage.  It's time to get over that and take a hard look at the consequences the off limits rules are having.

Permalink Reply by Ben Hanes on January 19, 2016 at 3:44pm

Don,

Thank you!!!!

I have often thought, when I fished NWB and ABA "How the H*#$% did Lippincott, Kromm, etc, etc, etc know where the heck to go when the bite was off, when the fish had moved...How did they just "KNOW" where to go all the time?  How the freakin' heck did they adjust so dang fast?  Because, that's the reality oftentimes of what separates the top-level guys from everyone else; they adjust extremely fast, and they just magically know where to go.  It's weird......and I have often thought myself, "they must just know where to go from having fished tournaments for 10-30 years," or however long.  It creates a severe disadvantage for someone who doesn't have a "pro level network" of information, or who is just getting into bass fishing, and is relying on last week's information....

I went fishing with a well-known guide in the Florida Everglades a while back....I asked him, "How do you know where to find fish in such a huge area?"  His response: "The best way to know where fish are today is by knowing where they were yesterday, and using your network of other guides to help you determine that."......

Nearly every tournament I have fished that did not have off-limits, I cashed a check.  Most tournaments I have fished that did have off-limits, I struggled to adjust and find where the fish had gone.  Most of the time it took me until freakin' noon o'thirty in the afternoon to find where Molly and Margie had ventured to....The top guys, somehow, very quickly determine where Molly and Margie have gone.  I definitely think a good portion of it can be chalked up to past experience on that body of water.

I do still believe the top guys are gifted, but they also have a lot of experience, and work extremely hard.  Having off limits rules creates a mentality of, "Let the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer."  And this doesn't even take into account the added cost of having a week-long off-limits period, and the added time spent away from home.

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