Flw In Trouble?

[J-Doc]

Might as well put it out there. The way this country is headed, it might not be long before we no longer have that freedom.

Yep. Like next week? Lol

Another "Cause I said so and if you need me, I'll be in Hawaii" type exec. order thing

[ness]

I say judging a person based on their clothes or the stickers on their boat puts one in the same category as the high school nasty-girls clique.

There. I said it.

[Sore Thumbs]

I get where Champ is coming from. I fish Bfl series and these guys act like they are seasoned pros. I wear t-shirts and hats as well. That is a far cry from a sublimated jersey with sponsors all over it and name on their back. It's more the way they act than how they dress. You can almost always tell the difference between someone who is legitimately sponsored and who is not. The guys who are treat it with respect and a sense of responsibility to make good on those who sponsor them. Those who aren't are easy to spot. I refer to them as "That Guy".

[fishinwrench]

I actually wasn't referring to guys that deck themselves out solely for fashion reasons, I was referring to actual "pro level competitors". There's too many of them IMO.

Too many "tournaments" with too many contestants. I just think it's time to up the ante, stop the paybacks after 3rd place... or something to clear out the rif-raf.

For real though, a couple every year would be cool, but 4-6 organized events every WEEK on every lake has taken away from the coolness of it all. They aren't anything of interest to spectators anymore....they have now just become something that is always IN THE WAY.

Everybody that wants to be a good angler CAN BE a good angler now. So what's the point ? It has reached crapshoot status.

[abkeenan]

I am on both sides here as far as pimping your favorite brands but also being a "goober" going too far with fake sponsorship jersey's and pro style wrapped boats. My grandfather always told me he never understood why people would SPEND money to sport a particular companies logo's or merchandise as it was just free advertising for that brand and in most cases YOU ACTUALLY PAID FOR IT. I agree to some extent but also see nothing wrong with supporting a brand/company that you have grown to love because its a good product or has treated you right with customer service. I've loved Nike since I was a youngster and that is really the only tennis shoes I will wear. I am very brand loyal to Nike. Fishing wise I purchased a few Lew's speed spools and was happy with them and I now have their hat with the logo on it I wear and also some t-shirts. I like wearing them showing that I support a good company and good product. But the guys that have jerseys with their names on it, patches all over it and a wrapped boat without seeing one cent or perk for that company are buffoons. Sure they are free to do as they please as it's a free country and you can spend your money however you want but lets be honest....they are d-bags.

[Iclass]

I see several people sponsered by Arkansas Razorbacks and Florida State...

To me it's no different wearing a fishing jersey of a company/brand you like than a particular team

[abkeenan]

I see several people sponsered by Arkansas Razorbacks and Florida State...

To me it's no different wearing a fishing jersey of a company/brand you like than a particular team

Agree and disagree. If people are as proud to wear their Strike King hoodie as they are to wear their college alma mater then they have a seriously love affair going on with that company and probably need to be on the next episode of TLC's "My Strange Addiction". Doctor....I have no idea how that 6XD and it's trebles got stuck there.

[Champ188]

I actually wasn't referring to guys that deck themselves out solely for fashion reasons, I was referring to actual "pro level competitors". There's too many of them IMO.

Too many "tournaments" with too many contestants. I just think it's time to up the ante, stop the paybacks after 3rd place... or something to clear out the rif-raf.

For real though, a couple every year would be cool, but 4-6 organized events every WEEK on every lake has taken away from the coolness of it all. They aren't anything of interest to spectators anymore....they have now just become something that is always IN THE WAY.

Everybody that wants to be a good angler CAN BE a good angler now. So what's the point ? It has reached crapshoot status.

Nailed it, Wrench. The prize money is so diluted these days by short fields and ridiculously deep paybacks that everyone basically has a chance to win their entry fee back and the really good anglers have little chance of winning any significant amount. Heck, if you shop around long enough, you'll eventually find some kind of "circuit" where you can actually make a check without having to catch much of anything.

Reminds me of some of these youth sports nowadays where EVERYONE gets a trophy and score isn't kept because we can't have any of the little buggers going home thinking they are a loser. Well, guess what? Some days you're a loser. Might as well get over it. The life lesson there is you hitch up your britches, grit your teeth and do what it takes to get better. Or you quit. Welcome to life.

[merc1997 Bo]

Nailed it, Wrench. The prize money is so diluted these days by short fields and ridiculously deep paybacks that everyone basically has a chance to win their entry fee back and the really good anglers have little chance of winning any significant amount. Heck, if you shop around long enough, you'll eventually find some kind of "circuit" where you can actually make a check without having to catch much of anything.

Reminds me of some of these youth sports nowadays where EVERYONE gets a trophy and score isn't kept because we can't have any of the little buggers going home thinking they are a loser. Well, guess what? Some days you're a loser. Might as well get over it. The life lesson there is you hitch up your britches, grit your teeth and do what it takes to get better. Or you quit. Welcome to life.

you have wrench have hit the nail on the head of why i basically quit fishing tournaments. kind of a waste of time to win and hardly cover costs. back in the day, most tournaments did not pay past 5 places regardless of how many showed up.

the only way to fish against someone with comparable abilities would be to have a handicap type tournament something like team roping does. it would take some doing and setting up, because you would need to have a series of tournaments to establish a handicap for each one. of course, you can improve as you go along, and be boosted up to competing with anglers with better abilities. a bit off topic, but something to consider.

bo

[crazy4fishin]

Wrench - I see what you are saying....full disclosure my only "touney" was the Oakley Big Bass event last year.....didn't win any money but had fun and a pretty good lunch and I like the rod.... I will probably do it again this year.

And I have to tell this story - my wife fished with me and prior to going she desperately wanted us to get matching t-shirts so it looked like we fish as a team....whew, after reading this I am glad I dodged that bullet! Just having some fun Champ!

Anyway back to my thought - are you also referring to club tournaments? Or are you referring to more organized events like Fisher of Men, FLW and the likes? You make a good case for a solid business model that would make money for the tourney and the players. The dilution that you refer to is why some of these other events are suffering, or I assume that to be the case....only so many $$$ to go around.

And Champ - you are so right.....I had a t-shirt that read "second place is the first loser"

C4F