Heartland/ Flw

[soggyfeet]

It like gambling for a living. Few can do it but lots would like to.

[redbud]

this is a good thing,they will only mess up our peaceful lake for one week. let them get the circus finished so the rest of us can get back to relaxing and enjoying Table Rock alittle sooner.In my opinion big bass tournaments are generally bad for the lake but good for the retailers [Wal-Mart]. When i was a kid the fishing here was awesome,almost all the time. now not so much.It irritates me when some one who fishes for a living thinks they are more entitled to fish a spot whether I was there first or not . I am a business owner and have to compete with other people in my trade. I dont camp out in front of their office and try to steal clients. when a floating billboard shows up in a cove Im fishing I ignore them , Im not impressed .

[skeeterp]

wow, the FLW boys sure do get beat up a lot on here. My opinion, these are guys who have a very rare opportunity to do something they love to do and have an opportunity to make a living doing it, that's awesome. The FLW has brought a lot of awareness to the fishing industry and a lot of corporate sponsorship into the fishing industry that didn't used to be there. I would love to have the opportunity to fish for a living but I never will so I fish the regional buddy tournaments. I will probably fish the Heartland, it would be nice if both tournaments weren't the same week but pfffft, you go fish, hope you find fish and have fun. You're still fishing. I think for the most part there are few FLW boys that think they are bigger than life but the rest are just like you and me, they love to fish and they have an awesome opportunity to make a living doing it. I don't believe most think they are entitled to a local spot or have dibs on a spot over a local guy, they've all done this enough to know they get what they get and just hope somebody isn't on a spot they were counting on fishing. Cut em some slack. These big tournaments bring a lot of money into the local economy too, and they don't "hurt" the lake or fish, it's a testament to the great fishery that Table Rock is, sure it's zoo out on the water, but doesnt even compare to the zoo of summertime local idiots on the water....just my .02 worth.

[Whack'emGood]

wow, the FLW boys sure do get beat up a lot on here. My opinion, these are guys who have a very rare opportunity to do something they love to do and have an opportunity to make a living doing it, that's awesome. The FLW has brought a lot of awareness to the fishing industry and a lot of corporate sponsorship into the fishing industry that didn't used to be there. I would love to have the opportunity to fish for a living but I never will so I fish the regional buddy tournaments. I will probably fish the Heartland, it would be nice if both tournaments weren't the same week but pfffft, you go fish, hope you find fish and have fun. You're still fishing. I think for the most part there are few FLW boys that think they are bigger than life but the rest are just like you and me, they love to fish and they have an awesome opportunity to make a living doing it. I don't believe most think they are entitled to a local spot or have dibs on a spot over a local guy, they've all done this enough to know they get what they get and just hope somebody isn't on a spot they were counting on fishing. Cut em some slack. These big tournaments bring a lot of money into the local economy too, and they don't "hurt" the lake or fish, it's a testament to the great fishery that Table Rock is, sure it's zoo out on the water, but doesnt even compare to the zoo of summertime local idiots on the water....just my .02 worth.

I agree. I would love to fish for a living... everybody has to make a living at something, and why not something you love? It makes perfect sense to me. I once wanted to make a living as a Pro Golfer. I was a top High School Golfer and then went on to play Division I College Golf. I never made it pro-- It would have been nice to do something I loved to do and make a good living at it. I turns out that I didn't really love it as much as I thought-- got burned out and didn't make it. I found out that I bass fishing is my true passion and I never get burned out, tired of it, or frustrated with it to the point that I don't have a great time doing it. I would love to have the time and backing to try to make a living at it. That would be great.

RPS asked why do guys fish tournaments? I personally enjoy the competition. I have always been competitive-- in my youth I played competitively in several sports at one time or another-- golf, basketball, football, baseball, track, and bass fishing. I love the competition and the comaraderie in the bass tournaments I fish, just as I enjoyed it in those other sports. I will say this-- being that I do it for fun (and not for a living), I do choose my tournaments wisely. I only fish with tournament groups who demand the utmost sportsmanship and where the competition is friendly, fair, and fun to compete against. It is no fun fishing with cheaters, snobs, or unsavory characters. You don't run into problems in the local tourneys around here very often though. They are mostly a good bunch of guys that enjoy the competition and the friends you meet during them. It is fun.

Also-- I won't fish in tourneys that I think "hurt" the fishery. I will only fish in tourneys where the tourney directors take care of the fish and demand that the fishermen do the same. However, I believe most tourneys don't hurt the fishery at all-- the competitors love to fish, so they do their best to take care of the fish and the fishery.

I also agree with Skeeterp about which type of crowd annoys me the most... no doubt, I would rather have the lake packed with bass fishermen than with player boats and jet skis!!! What is the worst, though, is when you get both. That is my .02, for what it's worth.

Whack'em

[getfished]

Good discussion! Everyone makes a lot of good points. It helps me to see the whole picture a bit clearer. Hooray for this forum!