Freeze your bASS aftermath

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Permalink Reply by Chad Simon on February 24, 2009 at 6:40am

I'll never forget when you and Mike weighed in a 20lb sack on Sammamish in July of 2006. Between that, Ryan Browns 7.88 smallie in the championship, and the woopin put on by Wolsky and Hendrickson on Moses last year with all those huge largies; those are my 3 most impressive memories from past tournaments.

Marc Marcantonio said:

Hey, since you all asked a few questions here I will go ahead and respond with my thoughts on the tournament and of the 3 fish limit. I really enjoyed the tournament, and everyone who helped put this together and administer the tournament are to be really congratulated on a professional and well-run event. By "professional" I mean the tournament was a class act put on by unselfish and disciplined club members who advertised a product and produced as advertised.

To my friend Jordan, there is a lot of truth in what you said, but since you asked I will offer my point of view in hopes it will provide a perspective with some value. Because this is a local tournament whose goals were geared more towards fellowship than proving who is the best stick, I think the 3 fish limit does a better job at accomplishing that goal. I also think the 3-fish limit helps with the perception of mortality concerns whether or not scientifically they can be proven. Yes, luck can play a bigger factor in the overall results with a 3 bass limit, but I would contend that the better sticks and the guys who practiced hard and often still had an advantage that likely showed in the final results. Mike and I did weigh a limit, and we culled, but we didn't deserve to win because we weighed one fish that needed to be culled by a bigger bass.

In years past during the winter, Jr. and I would catch 5 bass limits that weighed between 18 and 20 pounds, close to a four pound average. I remember one of those events in which we caught only 5 bass (no culls) and weighed 19 pounds. In that same tournament there were other guys targeting shallower bass that culled more than 3 limits of bass, yet only weighed 12 pounds. If in those events we had a 3 fish limit, we would have weighed more than 13 pounds for our 3 heaviest fish. I don't remember the winning weight this Saturday, but I believe it was much less than that. So my point is, in those events we still would have won regardless if it was a 3 fish or 5 fish limit. We practiced and learned where to fish for bigger fish; instead of focusing numbers we focused on quality.

Over the years I have adapted my strategy to the particular lake and the bass that are present. I try to determine from my tournament records and fishing logs what the winning weight on a particular lake and time of year should be to win. Sammamish is quite capable of requiring a 4 pound fish average to win, any month of the year. Some events there I have won with over 22 pounds for 5 bass. None of us caught a 4 pound average on Saturday, so I consider the fish to have beaten me more than the winning team beating me. I didn't get the job done.

I didn't get to practice this year for this event, but I certainly have probably logged more fishing days in the winter on Sammamish than 99% of the other competitors, so I could say I have paid my dues and worked hard and deserved to finish higher. At least one team weighed more than me and they only had two fish. There was a time when I would have chalked up their higher finish to "luck" instead of skill, but I have since learned that I can't make that assumption. They may have found a big fish spot and technique, and stuck with it in hopes of getting 3 quality bites over 15 lesser-quality bites. It paid off for them in catching two bass that weighed more than my culled limit, and maybe they deserved to finish higher. Just something to consider, not just for this event but for any tournament any of us decide to enter. Sometimes it pays to fish for 5 quality bites, and sometimes it is better to go for quantity and increase total weight with that method. In many lakes and rivers you MUST fish differently for big bass than you do for numbers of bass, and there are other times when you can catch the biggest bass just fishing the numbers. If anyone ever figures out a reliable decision-making process then I will quit tournament fishing because everyone else would be fishing for 2nd place at best.

As far as this tournament goes, because it is winter and many people aren't sure their boat will run properly, or that they will enjoy the weather, or that the fish will cooperate, it is a better bet that the number of participants will grow each year if the limit is a 3 fish limit over a higher number. The perception that they can win some money with a single cast or as few as 3 casts will help get people signed up. I would still bet my money on the guys that do their homework and have better skills, but it is nice to have a few tournaments that others can try wtihout a big financial investment. This introduces new people into competitive events and makes it easier to justify fishing a winter event.

Put yourself in the position of half of the field who never caught a single bass. Why should they invest their entry fee next year if they think they have to be able to catch 10 or 15 bass to earn a check? In ever tournament I have in my records for Feb. or March it is often that half the field or more never weighs a single bass. If only the guys who regularly catch 5 or more bass in February enter the Freeze Your Bass Blast, then we only need a dozen doughnuts for next year's event, and the prize money won't be worth our time.

Now if this was part of a circuit, with year end standings, then I would be opposed to a limit less than 5.

I'm running too long on this post, and have to get back to work, but I will also say that I don't think there were more shallow fish this year vs. deep fish...just people fishing more for shallow fish. There are always shallow fish and deep fish in Feb and Mar on Sammamish...it is a tough decision which fish to target. All of our fish came from 47 feet on Saturday.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on February 24, 2009 at 11:40pm

Sometimes accomplishments are due to the hard work of others and credit is not properly given.
I would just like to say for the record that both times Bill Maas and I weighed over 22lbs in tourneys on Lake Washington were on baits that Ron Hobbs Jr. gave me.
He has helped people weigh giant bags, win tournaments, win titles, and win boats. I really enjoy the challenge of competing against him (usually unsuccessfully) and learning from him. Ron is an incredibly talented guy and a blessing to have as a friend.

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