Weight It In Or Keep Your Mouth Shutt!

[Sam]

Well, let's see. We've covered glitter-boat pros, tournament fishermen in general, drunken spoonbillers, and jet skiers (lake lice). I'd like to add the boatloads of ski boat folks who run their boats at top speed, spin them out and yell "wahoo", and keep doing it over and over again while I'm trying to quietly fish and deal with their wakes. Oh, and how about people who run yachts that could easily go to Japan on a lake that's 1/4 of a mile wide? Their wakes can about sink me from 300 yards away.

But you know what? We all get along. My wife doesn't fish, and when I take her along for the boat ride she's always surprised by how nice everyone is and how we help each other out. Lots of times I've taken time out from my fishing to give someone a tow to a marina, and I've even given deer hunters a ride across to the other side of a cove, saving them a long hike. A feller by himself at K Dock once did a flying launch in front of me, the likes of which I'd never seen - I gave him a ride out to his unmanned boat, which was rapidly receding into the distance. People at the lakes have been good to me too, and I know I could count on any of you here to give me help on the water if I needed it.

It's all good - and anyway, I kinda like the bikini girls on the ski boats.

[Whack'emGood]

This might be the most difficult professional sport ever created. I think most people haven't a clue what it takes. Performing week after week on new water.

I agree with you on this BRBF.

I have nothing against Bass Fishing Pros. I, personally, would love to be able to fish for a living... but I don't have the backing money to even try-- or the confidence to assume I would be good enough to survive. It would be a hard road (even for the better ones), but better than my day job-- that's for sure!

I know most of them hire guides and get info from locals and such-- but the competition is fierce, partly because most of them get outside tips and help.

Whack'em

[Whack'emGood]

It's all good - and anyway, I kinda like the bikini girls on the ski boats.

+1

[bigredbirdfan]

I would suggest to increase your pre-fish time whenever approaching any new water. Call the boys at Febreeze or M & M's, or Midol PMS . . . whoever your sponsors are, tell 'em you need an extra nights stay and an extra days guide service, too, and to loosen the purse strings . . . this is afterall the most difficult professional sport ever created.

You must be somewhat mis-informed about tournaments. Or one might say ignorant. Per the FLW Rules Website.

. Off-limits, practice and competition

Tournament waters will go off-limits to all contestants 12 days prior to the first practice day in all events. Contestants, including co-anglers on the waiting list, may not enter tournament waters to fish, test equipment, sightsee, etc., during the off-limits period. Flights over tournament waters are not permitted at anytime after the start of the off-limits period.

During the off-limits period, practice and competition days, pros may not solicit and/or receive fishing information from anyone except confirmed pros and through publicly available sources. Beginning with practice and extending through competition, pros may not obtain fishing patterns or locations from co-anglers or fishing information from noncompetitors or follow a noncompetitor’s boat or participate in the practice of “hole sitting” or the placing of markers by anyone. Anglers eliminated after each round of competition are considered noncompetitors. Pros in the top-10 cut may not solicit or receive fishing information from anyone except other top-10 pros. Co-anglers who share fishing patterns or locations with pro competitors will be disqualified along with the pro utilizing the information.

The purchasing of, or bartering for, information or the hiring of services will not be permitted after the start of the off-limits period. The sharing of tournament winnings in exchange for fishing information is strictly prohibited.

Tournament waters will reopen for practice four days (Saturday through Tuesday) prior to registration day. Pros and co-anglers may practice alone, with another competitor, with a member of their immediate family (mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandchild or spouse) or with approved sponsor representatives who have also observed the off-limits period and procedures or with approved media representatives. Tournament waters will be closed to all contestants on Wednesday, registration day, prior to the first day of competition

Pretty darn difficult fishing if you have never been on a lake before. So I stand by my post as this being the most difficult pro sport. Why don't you slap down the $9,000 deposit and call you sponsors and see how easy it is as you describe.

[bigredbirdfan]

I don't mean any disrespect, I really don't, but I can't help myself.

A dude in a $40,000 glitter boat, with the latest in high tech sonagraphs/fish-finders equipment

Do I sense some class evny? So what if people have this type of equipment. We all wish we had it and beautiful women all over it and a case of colds ones. That's my dream at night anyway.

[brownieman]

I just wish I had the money for that kind of equipment...maybe I could afford to pull the junk I've got to the lake a little more, lol

[rps]

Time for someone to PM Trav and ask for his dead horse picture.

[Gradyh]

I don't mean any disrespect, I really don't, but I can't help myself.

99.95% percent of the time when you say I don't mean any disrespect, you are getting ready to disrespect.

[trockbassin]

I have had the privlige to fish with and against some of these guys that fished The FLW Tour on Table Rock this past weekend. In fact a guy I fished with a couple of years ago in a tournament as a co angler made the top ten as a pro. In talking with him I asked him how he liked fishing the tour because this is his second year full time on the tour. He said he absolutely loves it but the level of competitions is far better than anything he has ever fished. He's on Kelloggs pro team and finished 2nd here in the fall for the Stren Championship. I guess what I am saying is if anybody thinks they are so good I encourage you to put your money down and fish for a year on tour, and I guarantee you will get it handed to you. Also being around a lot of Pro fisherman I have come to realize that for the majority of them the only information they get or want is from looking at the local tournament information from the past. Most of the really good fisherman do their studying and will never talk to anybody about locations or baits and things of that information. Really information from locals will only mess you up more than if you go out and figure it out on your own.

[Gradyh]

I would like to see a show of hands of those who would not like to catch fish for a living assuming you had the ability and financial means to hit the circuit. Would it get to be a "job" after a while? Maybe so, but I promise you it would be better than the current 7am-7pm job I have right now.