BFL - As a Co-Angler

[dblades]

In all the tournaments I've fished as a co angler from fruit jars , BASS federation, the old BASS top 100s, CPAA, Heartland etc,  I've had one bad experience.  If it interests you give it a try.

[fowlthing]

I fished two Bass opens as a co angler.  Really enjoyed the experience overall.  Learned from all 4 boaters.  Two of them knew quite a bit  more, one had been on the elite series before an illness.

 

They were all great to spend the day with, and truly enjoyed it when I caught fish. Cost was about 450$ per tournament plus they encourage helping with fuel, about 40$ per day.

I agree with Bill, that many are everyday guys, that have had some success somewhere, but are not not necessarily way better than many locals.   But this event also had some truly top notch talent, Elam, McClelland, Clouse,  

 Even the elite guy at the end of the day asked me if I had a spot and we went and each caught a keeper.

It was great fun, and did offer the possibility of winning some money, although that was not my motivation to enter the event.

I hope to do it again,  it make me realize how hard the pros and guides work to fish everyday.  The days are very long.

[magicwormman]

14 hours ago, JF660R said:

So, in reading the thread about MLF vs FLW (and watching Scott Martin) talk about it... I got to reading about the BFL, and I'm pretty intrigued. 

I've never really followed the different tour setups, basically always considered them to be too expensive and far away for me. 

I only just read and realized the BFL is divided into divisions, with 5 stops in the Ozark division. And $150 a pop to co-angle. All within driving distance.

That, for me is really do-able. I've only ever done some club style buddy tourneys, and the BBT on Table Rock. Both of which I really enjoy and would do more if I had a buddy that wanted to consistently participate. 

I'm drawn to the amateur option because of the affordability, no wear on my boat, and... I'm just not that good. 

So, all that said, I checked out the FLW Facebook page and the 2019 BFL post comments are almost all complaints...

About the entry fees, how rude the boaters are, payouts, etc...

Now I'm not sure what to think. I mean 5 stops is $750 (plus food etc. I get that) not terrible. I'm not in it with big expectations of winning so the payout deal doesn't really bother me. Really just thinking it would be a fun experience. 

Am I wrong? Are a large portion of the Pros hard to spend a day with? 

 

I have fished a few BASS events (in the old days) on both sides. My personal experiences were better as a non-boater, than the boater side. When I fished as a non-boater, I had great partners and even won a event on Table Rock (2008). I ALWAYS insisted that the boater accept my cash, as I know how much his expenses are to fish these events. My experience on the boater side was the fact that a few guys wouldn't even offer to give gas money, at the end of the day.

[Champ188]

11 minutes ago, magicwormman said:

My experience on the boater side was the fact that a few guys wouldn't even offer to give gas money, at the end of the day.

The guy that won the BFL event on Table Rock out of my boat was one of those guys. Slipped down to the dock while I was waiting on my check, got his stuff out of the boat and never bothered to say thanks for helping me win, kiss my elbow or anything. Then he had the audacity to call me a month later and ask for advice on another lake. 😆

[Royal Blue]

8 minutes ago, Champ188 said:

The guy that won the BFL event on Table Rock out of my boat was one of those guys. Slipped down to the dock while I was waiting on my check, got his stuff out of the boat and never bothered to say thanks for helping me win, kiss my elbow or anything. Then he had the audacity to call me a month later and ask for advice on another lake. 😆

That's crazy.  I guess I see it as an opportunity to glean any type of knowledge that I can in a situation like that.  I'd want to see how someone with that much more experience than me goes about ALL of it from start to finish.  I'd even pay attention to how they were retrieving the bait that they were using.  Especially if I hadn't done it before, I'd try to be a sponge.  I'd assume that my money was earning me an education on the water.  

[magicwormman]

3 hours ago, Champ188 said:

The guy that won the BFL event on Table Rock out of my boat was one of those guys. Slipped down to the dock while I was waiting on my check, got his stuff out of the boat and never bothered to say thanks for helping me win, kiss my elbow or anything. Then he had the audacity to call me a month later and ask for advice on another lake. 😆

That is just crazy! That would leave a bad taste in your mouth! I just can't understand people in this day and age. I truly think the root cause is poor parenting and the lack of Christ in your life.

[m&m]

JF660R, I agree with Bill and would add the following: If you like the idea of competition, grab a buddy and enter buddy tournaments. If you’re looking to learn something about fishing, hire a guide. 

Mike