chirmy Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Being out west, I get the western boards information on what is going on with the Federation. Can anyone tell me if there is just as much concern in the South, East and Central areas and are there any boards with discussions? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasbass1 Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Go to www.bassfan.com go to dock talk and you can catch up. There are 2 parts of the story. You need to read them both to make some sense of the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elken Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 I know that I'm not very pleased. When ESPN took over a few years ago, they talked about the great new circuit for the average club tournament angler; but in reality it is only for the South, East and Mid-West. No West coast at all; same for if you want to check out the Bassmaster University classes. Then if you want to read the how-to articles on the B.A.S.S. website, you have to be an "Inside Member". Now they kicked the Federation Regional Reps out of B.A.S.S. forever and if we don't like it, we can lose our State Champion's place at the National Championship. The old B.A.S.S. membership isn't worth what it used to be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskat Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 If you've kept up with all of the things happening with BASS you'll notice everything is geared to keep "locals and non-pros" from winning any of their tournaments. I feel that's the real reasson for the $5,000.00 entry fees. They know that the locals can't afford an entry fee of this amount. As for the federation I got my fill of them several years ago. The state tournament had over 300 boats and the winner got $1,200.00 That's Bull hockey! Where did the money go? The guys who made the state team didn't receive that much help. While I'm on the warpath with BASS. What's up with the sponsor deals. You can't show any decals except their sponsor's. They say they want to bring the sport to the level of NASCAR and golf. Well NASCAR's biggest sponsor is Nextel. Seems to me there's a Cingular car as well as a couple others. BASS/ESPN need to wake up and smell the roses. They need to step back and look who made BASS what they are today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfellmy Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 looks like the same deal when I quit BASS back in 1992. Got fed up with all the crap and realized that i was having more fun when I hopped in my creek, waded a mile or so, caught a bunch of fish, and saw no one the entire time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Same thing happened up here. The local groups closed up. The smaller groups are nothing more that "feeders" $ for the main setup. All the cards are stacked against you at the start. It's a race you can't win. We have a very good bass club locally and that's the clubs that everyone should support.(you're local clubs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macspredshack Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 sooner we do away with tournaments...the sooner we can all enjoy better fishing...for the sheer joy of it...not the $. Bass will appreciate it too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 I don't agree Mac. Tournaments are what help keep the inventive spirit going at a good pace. I understand what you mean about the $ though. Unfortunately for some folks that means more to them than the sport. Our local club(not connected to BASS or any other organization) has been going since the late 80's and we have 12 to 14 tournys every year one of which is for charity(local). I do think that some of the folks have to look around the glitz though to see what is real for the average fisherman. I aslo know that tournaments are not for everyone and that's ok. The one thing to remember is what an old gent said to me on a fly fishing river:- " every day you go fishing, is one more day you are going to live". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macspredshack Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 Inventive spirit? Perhaps...but even without that their is enough interest in the sport to support innovation without Tournaments. I just can't even try and justify the manner in which so many 'competition' anglers treat their quarry. Speed, speed speed is all that matters and fish handling/careful unhooking etc is a joke! I just feel that all things considered, the mighty $$$$ is ALL that matters in the eyes of many competitors...and the fish come a very poor second in the grand scheme of things. A water starts fishing pretty good...word gets out...tournament circuit hammer it to death...then moves on to wherever else is doing well. On balance I honestly believe that angling in general would be better off without it. It will never happen of course...where greed and the exploiting of a resource is concerned to make money, all else suffers... Yes, everyday spent fishing IS a bonus...but it should not be driven primarily by financial gain to the detriment of the resource! I am afraid we will just have to agree to disagree on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted November 24, 2005 Report Share Posted November 24, 2005 I don't think we have to agree to disagree at all. I can only speak to my local situation. I am one of the founding directores of our local club and in our constitution we have a "sportsman" clause. Part of that clause deals with the treatment of live fish even if you are fishing outside of a tournament. When you join our club you have to agree to this. If you are caught mistreating any fish,in any way, you're membership can be revoked and you may even be reported to the authorities depending on what you've done. We have a lot of lakes locally and out tournaments are set up with great care so that there is minimal effect on the resourse. We work closely with DNR on this and they have done extensive testing on the resource. Basically what I'm saying is that it is up to each member of each club to do their best to "protect" the resource, not to exploit it. We have heard the stories(all the way up here) about lakes being virtually wiped out by the high profile trails. This, I agree is just wrong and I don't understand your local DNR putting up with it. We have to apply for permits for each tournament and if DNR feels that a certain lake has seen too much pressure they will pull the permit. As far as the inventive angle goes there have been many inventions done under the pressure of "competition". Medical as well as mechanical. This type of competition is no different. Don't get me wrong here; I'm not upset with your posts; I'm just stating my opinions and thoughts on the matter. I'm a great believer in you get what you create. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macspredshack Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 And where the $$$$$ rules (like tournament fishing) we get what we get wether we want it or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskat Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 I have to disagree with you Mac. We would not have what we have today if it wasn't for tournament fishing. From boat ramps to baits. Tournaments bring in millions of dollars to the economy each year. As for mistreating fish; tournament fishermen take better care of their catch than most people just out fishing. First point is most tournament fishermen are better educated in how to treat their catch, second if you go to weigh-in with a dead fish it cost you dearly in weight. I fish several tournament trails from 300 boats to 5 and I've never witnessed any angler mistreating their catch. I don't fish for money (although a check is a big bonus) it's the competition that drives me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macspredshack Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Like I said earlier...we will just have to agree to disagree. Each to their own. Money incentives tend to corrupt...consequently, tournaments serve to reward but a few...and the fishing (and fisheries) come in as but tools to line the pockets of those who exploit it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 I guess it all comes down to each his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfellmy Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 what soured me on the bass tourney thing was at a Chapter Federation state finals tourney(the one that takes you closer to the classic). It was on Lake Monroe in Indiana. All the fish being weighed in had no lip injuries. All the fish were spawning. Everyone was flipping a large jigging spoon with a 5 times to large treble hook into beds. Not quite what I would call "fishing" and I never called "snagging" a sport. My partner the first day tried to test me and I told him that was illegal. Second day partner didn't care he snagged three fish and weighed in 19 pounds...then I refused to sign his weigh in card. Only my fellow club members would even talk to me after that. The ethics of the big time tourney guys is never a question...too many cameras. The little guy tourneys may be legit, but some are not. This really put me off of tourneys. I fished a couple of more tourneys after that but the sour taste in my mouth never left. So I quit tourneys. Then I quit pond fishing (other people around) and only fished creeks. Now that i moved to where I can't catch any smallmouth bass, I now wade the river and catch tarpon, snook and redfish. Occasionally get chased by a gator, but that only happened twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macspredshack Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 Your own experiences would appear to lend creedence to my statement above re tournamants e.g. "Money incentives tend to corrupt" A sad fact of life I am afraid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
