You fish any tournaments?


Guest Andrea

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Guest Andrea

Just wondering how many of you participate in fishing tournaments? If so, what kind? Bass? Catfish? Bream? Have you won any? How often do you enter?

My husband and I like entering the catfishing tournaments. Haven't won any yet, but it sure is fun. It's a 24 hr. contest and if you break the state record for flatheads..you win a brand new Chevy or Ford F-150 truck, boat, motor and trailer. ( No one has won that yet) Grand prize is $2500. Lots of fun. There's about 4 tournaments a year.

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Guest Andrea

LOL, the record I think is around 49 pounds??? The fish has to be alive when weighed in and then you HAVE to take a lie detector test.;):D

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i fish tourneys frequently throughout the year, starting off in the spring, me and my fishing partner start on the walleye tourneys, we normally fish 6 of them a year, we have smaller tourneys, than the IWT, and the Cabelas MWC, the illinois walleye trail host 2 big tourneys every spring, we have not won any IWT but have been just shy of money a few times, some of the smaller tourneys weve won a few times, most weve won on these tourneys is 5,000 1st place payout, the MWC we have not fished yet been wanting too but need to update the boat, cause this is the big dawg tourney and speed is a must have in these tourney is something we dont have have on our boat, this year the MWC had their worst tourney ever, should have definately been cancelled, waters were way above flood stage, very dangerous, and very unfishable field was just shy of 200 boats, 4 total fish caught from 4 different teams, all 4 fish caught was result of luck not skill i can guarentee that, first place team 1 fish 2.71 lbs, take home $60, 630, largest payout in the history of the MWC, 2nd place 1 fish, 2.70 lbs (ouch) $29,694, 3rd $13,916 for 1.41lb fish and 4th $11,620 for a 1.35lb fish, classified as worst MWC ever, yet, after them tourneys we fish some white bass tourneys, me and my partner have won, the one 4 times in the past 8 years, weve had payouts on them based anywhere from 1800 bucks to 2500, based on the field, got the one coming up here may 12, cant wait, been wanting to fish some catfish tourneys in the summer but never have, no bass tourneys either, just not really any good ones around here, and then back in the spring comes more walleye and white bass tourneys, but we lay back on a lot of them cause its hunting season, but we mainly fish walleye tournies here, the stretch of the illinois river that runs through are area is the sauger capital of the world, so u can see why we do alot of walleye tourneys

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Have never fished in a tournament, but have worked my fair share and loved being around them. My granddad held the World's largest salt water fishing tournaments for around 20 years in South Carolina, Florida, New York and Lake Erie. They were named after him, Arthur Smith Tournaments. I miss those days of checking in boats in the morning and weighing in the fish in the afternoon. And of course the HUGE fish fry at the conclusion of the tournament.

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I did in some bass tournaments back in 87 and 88. My best finish was 3rd place. To be perfectly honest, it got to where it was more like work than fun so I quit.

That experience got me so burnt out of bass fishing I didn't even do hardly any bass fishing again for several years. Why? No matter what the weather conditions were or what the fish were doing you were out there for a specified period of time. That was every month (except December and January) excluding all the prefishing time, etc. I started bass fishing more again when my son showed interest in it when he was about 8 years old. He's 20 now. It was one more thing we could enjoy doing together when hunting seasons were clsoed. That was 6 years after I quit fishing bass tournaments.

After that experience I swore I'd never do anything that risked making something I really enjoyed doing seem more like work than fun.

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last season my son won the junior angler of the year award from the Pa. striped bass ass.. they just had their first tournament of the year at Raystown lake and won 1st place . they caught 13lb, 14lb, 16lb, 17lb, and a 22lb stripers, almost unheard of in the first 3hrs of the tournament, I'll have pics. once they're developed .

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Last year I attended one of the Texas Redfish Series tournaments. I tagged along with Trey Ganem and Brian Steward. It was a lot of fun.

First stop of the morning. Angler Trey Gannem preparing for the first wade

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Anglers Trey Ganem and Brian Steward are "burning" a shoreline (looking for fish).

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Brian Steward wade fishing a grass flat

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Tailing redfish along the shore

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I've been fishing various bass circuits and local tournaments for 25+ years. I fished one full season on the B.A.S.S. trail, and currently fish the Wal-Mart/FLW Texas Tournament Trail. I've won numerous smaller events with top prizes averaging around $1000 or less, but I've never cashed in big on the larger circuits.

My best single day's catch, during a tournament, was a 5 bass limit that weighed 25lbs 14 ozs.

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My brother and I have been fishing tournaments together for the last 4 years. We won the Fishers of Men Virginia -East division back in 2004 and finished 39th out of 114 teams on Kentucky Lake for our National Championship tournament. I've fished 1 BFL tourney on the James River (coangler) and finished 16th out of 100+ guys. I love it! I'm hoping to get my own rig at some point but I enjoy fishing team tournaments with my brother. I somehow have to convince my wife that I need a new boat more than she needs a new SUV!!! LOL

Eric

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