how do i get there?
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
i have been bass fishing my whole life and dream of doing it profesionally.And anyone who has fished with me say the same thing. they say i think u speak the same lang as a largmouth.i won a small local tournament in VA BEACH 4 TIMES IN A ROW renting a john boat with a small livewell from the marina that hosted the tournament. i cant really afford a boat yet. and just moved 2 south carolina. and cant find a partner with a boat that will take me seious.what do i do and where do i go from here? some advice anyone
jason moyer
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brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
how do i get there?
Hello Bassboy,
Welcome to Bassin' USA! Your story is one that many of us can relate to, myself included. Although there are a lot of options for you, you might find "partner draw" tournaments to be a good starting place. The basic concept is that you will be paired with a boater (like it or not) and fish together during each tournament day. The Bass Fishing League (BFL) BFL Website hosts one day partner draw tournaments, as well as the Bassmaster events BASSMASTER Website.
So why fish partner tournaments like BFL or Bassmaster? Well, you are going to need to market yourself in order to help cover the cost of your tournament expenses and that means sponsorship. I'm not going to candy-coat this part, it is not easy to obtain "cash sponsors". The one thing that these bigger tournaments offer is media coverage. There is a catch with BFL though... only certain companies that sponsor FWL/BFL are allowed to be seen on TV and in print. So that limits your list of potential sponsors. Also, keep in mind that you will be targeting the same companies as the other anglers fishing the trail are targeting. So in essence you will be competing at two levels:
Level 1: Tournament Competition
Level 2: Sponsorship Competition
The sad truth is that it is more important to sponsors that you can sell yourself and their products/services, as opposed to winning tournaments. Unless you win the FWL All American, or the Bassmaster's Classic.
Another option for you would be what is known as the "grass roots path to the Classic". Start by joining a bass fishing club that is a member of the Federation Nation (B.A.S.S.), and start fishing as a non-boater in the state federation tournaments. The trouble is, until you get a boat, you can't even be eligible to win an event like the Bassmaster's Classic.
So that brings us to option #3: Work harder at advancing your current career (or if needed change careers) so that you can fund yourself... at least enough to get started until you can make a name for yourself.
Option #4: If you talk to many of the Pro-Bass Fishermen, they put everything on the line to fish for a living. Everything is loans and credit cards. It is live or die, sink or swim... they put themselves in tremendous debt and hope to win a major event before they go broke...
Well, that just about scratches the surface, so I'll stop here and give you a chance to reply and also let the other guys/gals give you some of their viewpoints on the subject.
So what do you think so far?
Brendan
Welcome to Bassin' USA! Your story is one that many of us can relate to, myself included. Although there are a lot of options for you, you might find "partner draw" tournaments to be a good starting place. The basic concept is that you will be paired with a boater (like it or not) and fish together during each tournament day. The Bass Fishing League (BFL) BFL Website hosts one day partner draw tournaments, as well as the Bassmaster events BASSMASTER Website.
So why fish partner tournaments like BFL or Bassmaster? Well, you are going to need to market yourself in order to help cover the cost of your tournament expenses and that means sponsorship. I'm not going to candy-coat this part, it is not easy to obtain "cash sponsors". The one thing that these bigger tournaments offer is media coverage. There is a catch with BFL though... only certain companies that sponsor FWL/BFL are allowed to be seen on TV and in print. So that limits your list of potential sponsors. Also, keep in mind that you will be targeting the same companies as the other anglers fishing the trail are targeting. So in essence you will be competing at two levels:
Level 1: Tournament Competition
Level 2: Sponsorship Competition
The sad truth is that it is more important to sponsors that you can sell yourself and their products/services, as opposed to winning tournaments. Unless you win the FWL All American, or the Bassmaster's Classic.
Another option for you would be what is known as the "grass roots path to the Classic". Start by joining a bass fishing club that is a member of the Federation Nation (B.A.S.S.), and start fishing as a non-boater in the state federation tournaments. The trouble is, until you get a boat, you can't even be eligible to win an event like the Bassmaster's Classic.
So that brings us to option #3: Work harder at advancing your current career (or if needed change careers) so that you can fund yourself... at least enough to get started until you can make a name for yourself.
Option #4: If you talk to many of the Pro-Bass Fishermen, they put everything on the line to fish for a living. Everything is loans and credit cards. It is live or die, sink or swim... they put themselves in tremendous debt and hope to win a major event before they go broke...
Well, that just about scratches the surface, so I'll stop here and give you a chance to reply and also let the other guys/gals give you some of their viewpoints on the subject.
So what do you think so far?
Brendan
Brendan C.
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
awsome and thank u. i will search 4 all of those and see what happens . i never even new there were tournaments like that. so i will be at the next one that i can find and hopefully and i will get my foot in the door. i think thats all i need. and one more note- this web site is awsome, i would have 2 say my faviorte one. thanks alot.
jason moyer
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
one other q? do u know of any of those partner draw tournaments in south carolina. or close 2 south carolina?
jason moyer
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brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
how do i get there?
Happy to hear you like the site...
Here is the 2009 proposed schedules for South Carolina:
BFL 2009 SCHEDULE
2009 Bassmaster Weekend Angler Series - Schedule
Here is the 2009 proposed schedules for South Carolina:
BFL 2009 SCHEDULE
2009 Bassmaster Weekend Angler Series - Schedule
Brendan C.
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
i found one the rebel bassmasters, they will have a meeting tonite4 drawing partners and a tournament this weekend on lake secession. so thankx again. i will let yall know what happens.
jason moyer
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brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
very well. seems like a great bunch of guys.i got drawn as a none boater.my partner 4 this sat. is a guy named david d,talks a good fishing game. but dont know how strong his plan is going 2 be.never fished or seen the lake secession.he want 2 hit some creeks in the moutning a toss some jigs on weed beds and then work around sum docks throwing worms,then plan c is work sum points with my fav lipless cranks, so what do u think? i would do it a little different because the water is around 50 -53 degrees. depend on the day!
jason moyer
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jmoyer198484
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:49 am
how do i get there?
oh yeah the club is called rebel bassmasters and the are part of b.a.s.s. federation also so i might have my foot in the door i hope time will tell
jason moyer
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brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
how do i get there?
Sounds like a plan. Two things to bring along for those areas you described... a suspending jerkbait (try to match the forage size and color) and an in-line spinner (Mepps #3 Aglia)
For some info on jerkbait fishing check out this review:
Article that discusses fishing jerk-baits
The Aglia size #3 comes in many different combos of hair, no hair & blade color. My personal favorites are the following:
#3 Aglia, Silver Blade, no hair.
#3 Aglia, Gold Blade, no hair.
#3 Aglia, Silver Blade, Black hair bucktail or marabou.
#3 Aglia, Gold Blade, White hair bucktail or marabou.
I have specific reasons for using these 4 specific in-lines. Keep in mind this is what I have experimented with over the years and are what I consider "good rules to follow"
1) Blade color I change based upon the light conditions. On over cast days, use Silver on Sunny days use Gold. (Don't ask why, just trust me)
2) Depth range: If I'm fishing shallow 8' or less I use the Aglias with hair. If I am fishing deeper water, I first try and trim back the hair with a pair of scissors so that the lure will stay down during the retrieve. (Always cut hair evenly around the hook a little at a time and cut from the base where the thread is tide) The more hair you remove, the deeper you can fish these in-lines. Obviously the ones with no hair get down the deepest; however the hair is one of the main components that make these lures so good.
3) Short Strikes & finicky bass: If the conditions are really tuff and you notice that bass are pushing or missing the in-line, switch to an inline with no hair. All that the bass have to key in on will be a little piece of plastic tubing that is around the shaft of the hook (it's like red/orange color comes standard on the no-hair models). Many times this adjustment will produce hook-ups, when the models with hair do not.
If you have never used in-lines before, they are very simple to fish with. For me, I do two things with them:
1) Fish them around cover like, docks, laydowns, brush piles, etc. but I work around the edges, just barely making contact with the cover. (They hang up a lot, so you need to pay attention to where you are throwing them). I like to keep them coming by the cover at a depth where the just loose visibility. So let them sink out of sight, start the retrieve and make an occasional twitch to flare the blade. Most strikes come on the initial fall or right after a twitch.
2) Deep water/Open water/Weed Edges (parallel): Make a long cast, let the Aglia sink all the way to the bottom and before you start reeling in, give it a quick rip off the bottom to get the blade turning, then begin a extremely slow retrieve... the key here is to maintain bottom contact. If you do not feel the Aglia making bottom contact, pause and allow it to fall back down on semi-slack line. Many times, you'll get hit when you pause and allow the lure to fall. Assuming you are making good contact, instead of a twitch, I like a "pull, then pause" retrieve in deep water. The one thing I will say is that there are days when they want it constantly moving and just ticking the bottom, so experiment with the two retrieves.
If you are not hooking up with either the jerkbait or the inline, most likely the bass are not looking for a horizontal presentation, they want something vertical. I would immediately switch over to a jig-N-trailer or another vertical type lure.
Well, that might not be what you were looking for, but it is what I had to offer, so I hope you find something helpful.
Kick some butt!
BC
For some info on jerkbait fishing check out this review:
Article that discusses fishing jerk-baits
The Aglia size #3 comes in many different combos of hair, no hair & blade color. My personal favorites are the following:
#3 Aglia, Silver Blade, no hair.
#3 Aglia, Gold Blade, no hair.
#3 Aglia, Silver Blade, Black hair bucktail or marabou.
#3 Aglia, Gold Blade, White hair bucktail or marabou.
I have specific reasons for using these 4 specific in-lines. Keep in mind this is what I have experimented with over the years and are what I consider "good rules to follow"
1) Blade color I change based upon the light conditions. On over cast days, use Silver on Sunny days use Gold. (Don't ask why, just trust me)
2) Depth range: If I'm fishing shallow 8' or less I use the Aglias with hair. If I am fishing deeper water, I first try and trim back the hair with a pair of scissors so that the lure will stay down during the retrieve. (Always cut hair evenly around the hook a little at a time and cut from the base where the thread is tide) The more hair you remove, the deeper you can fish these in-lines. Obviously the ones with no hair get down the deepest; however the hair is one of the main components that make these lures so good.
3) Short Strikes & finicky bass: If the conditions are really tuff and you notice that bass are pushing or missing the in-line, switch to an inline with no hair. All that the bass have to key in on will be a little piece of plastic tubing that is around the shaft of the hook (it's like red/orange color comes standard on the no-hair models). Many times this adjustment will produce hook-ups, when the models with hair do not.
If you have never used in-lines before, they are very simple to fish with. For me, I do two things with them:
1) Fish them around cover like, docks, laydowns, brush piles, etc. but I work around the edges, just barely making contact with the cover. (They hang up a lot, so you need to pay attention to where you are throwing them). I like to keep them coming by the cover at a depth where the just loose visibility. So let them sink out of sight, start the retrieve and make an occasional twitch to flare the blade. Most strikes come on the initial fall or right after a twitch.
2) Deep water/Open water/Weed Edges (parallel): Make a long cast, let the Aglia sink all the way to the bottom and before you start reeling in, give it a quick rip off the bottom to get the blade turning, then begin a extremely slow retrieve... the key here is to maintain bottom contact. If you do not feel the Aglia making bottom contact, pause and allow it to fall back down on semi-slack line. Many times, you'll get hit when you pause and allow the lure to fall. Assuming you are making good contact, instead of a twitch, I like a "pull, then pause" retrieve in deep water. The one thing I will say is that there are days when they want it constantly moving and just ticking the bottom, so experiment with the two retrieves.
If you are not hooking up with either the jerkbait or the inline, most likely the bass are not looking for a horizontal presentation, they want something vertical. I would immediately switch over to a jig-N-trailer or another vertical type lure.
Well, that might not be what you were looking for, but it is what I had to offer, so I hope you find something helpful.
Kick some butt!
BC
Brendan C.