To join, or not to join...

I gotta do it!

Thanks Guys.

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Very good advice from Mr Garrison. There's no sense going into such
things
without thinking that you can compete & even win them. Just be realistic
&
don't expect overnight success - while it can happen, it's VERY unlikely.
Speaking from experience, the butterflies fight harder than the bass at
first! Just go by all means, and go to have a good time Charles.

Warren




"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
I figure that the BFL is so low on the totem pole (compared to the
Everstart/FLW) that the politics wouldn't make it down that far... but
what
should a person be wary of?

Do you think it would be a good learning experience in fishing? Or a
bad
experience in a mis-managed tournament league? Or maybe both?

If you think the BFL doesn't have problems I am afraid you will be
disappointed. You will hear all kinds of stories - some might even be
true.

Fishing the BFL either as a boater or no boater is a learning
experience.
You
will have both good and terrible experiences, some based on partner
draw,
some
based on other factores.

I fished the Redman Trail in 1984 and 1985 - it became the BFL a few
years
ago. I learned a lot - mainly that I could not compete at that level.
Maybe it
was a attitude thing. I am glad I tried it, but would not do it again.

You will definitely have some tales to tell after fishing those
tournaments. I
met some great folks - some that became fairly well known. Mainly what I
learned was that somebody will get on fish every tournament, no matter
how
I
did.

Give it a try - you might love it.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 21:34:28 -0500, "go-bassn"
wrote:

You've got a boat my boy - go as a boater! The competition in the BFL's
will be far from the pro level, in fact you might find yourself saying (to
yourself of course) "Gee, what is THIS guy doing up front?" I'm not saying
that the competition will stink, but I am saying that the odds of getting a
"good ride" in the BFL's is very low. The BFL is on par with the BASS
Federation Charles, and you have the skills & knowledge to compete as a
boater in either of them.

Now if you get a chance to ride on the FLW or BASS tours, by all means don't
pass it up. That would guarantee you an increase in knowledge...

Some quick comments:

1. Warren...I don't want you take offense to this...but I'm
going to give you a bit of advice that just might help you
tremendously in next year's fishing tournaments: "Don't believe
everything you read in Bassmaster magazine..especially the crap about
how you are a just a minor league fisherman compared to whoever the
BassMaster writer is writing about in that month's rag."

2. Charles...if all you want is to compete well, just join the
lousiest bass club you can find north of the border (ie. "Have
fishing rod...will travel" Rapala and Wal-Mart lover's Club) and fish
their tournaments...:

3. Everyone...in all seriousness, if your goal is to increase
your bass fishing knowledge...IMO, the best way to go about that is to
spend "as much time on various waters" fishing "with as many different
people" as you can...picking up and practicing the different fishing
techniques and strategies that are out there. (read this above
sentence over and over again and you really don't need to read
anything else below)...

You can do it as a boater or nonboater. You can do that from the
boat or from the shore. And you can do that fishing with a guy in a
plain white unadorned T-shirt who has never fished a tournament in his
life...

You can can do that by fishing no tournaments at all or by
fishing in pretty much any tournament circuit...FLW, BASS, BFL,
Federation, whatever... Understand that the major difference in these
different tournament circuits is who is allowed to fish them, the
entry fee, and location of tournaments (ie. BASS hold the majority of
their tournaments in the southeastern US). Now, someone might be able
to make an argument that the level of "competition" is better in one
or the other..but there is no way that any circuit has a monopoly or
even majority of the best fishermen out there...whatever your
definition of best fishermen might mean.

The last time I checked...there still isn't a true "open"
national fishing circuit that fairly tells us who the best fishermen
in the world are. If there was, I might fish it and claim my throne.
Or maybe some guy nobody ever heard of from the swamps of Florida
might...: Regardless, you should never rule out the Harry and
Charley's of the world...especially if you're doing so in favor of
some punked out fancy schmancy type that drives a 22' 45k rig with a
275 hp motor on the back of her...even if the latest crop of BASS or
FLW writers tell ya they are "Fishing Gods" bc they wear a certain
fishing circuit patch on their sleeves...:

IMO, for "most people" who want to increase their fishing
knowledge...going as a nonboater in "any tournament circuit" is an
outstanding way to quickly pick up the "what to do and what not to
do's" of fishing. As for worrying about bad draws...you should be
able to learn something from anybody...even if its only what not to
do. And in any tournament circuit, you will fish with some guys who
have varying degrees of fishing skills. And you'll probably find that
what you learn is not necessarily dependent on the success you have in
a fishing outing...as you can pick up a great technique or two without
having success on that particular day. And I guess its possible to
not learn as much on the days that you accidently stumble on a mess of
em' too...

But the main thing is to get on the water as much as possible and
fish with and learn from as many different anglers that you can. And
don't just throw a Bill Norman Professional Edge "Middle N" Crankbait
in Blue/Chartreuse all the time either...:

--
Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law
Indianapolis, IN
Email:
Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com
Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater
Favorite Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosiertradingpost.com/FishingTackle
1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 21:34:28 -0500, "go-bassn"
wrote:

You've got a boat my boy - go as a boater! The competition in the BFL's
will be far from the pro level, in fact you might find yourself saying (to
yourself of course) "Gee, what is THIS guy doing up front?" I'm not saying
that the competition will stink, but I am saying that the odds of getting a
"good ride" in the BFL's is very low. The BFL is on par with the BASS
Federation Charles, and you have the skills & knowledge to compete as a
boater in either of them.

Now if you get a chance to ride on the FLW or BASS tours, by all means don't
pass it up. That would guarantee you an increase in knowledge...

Some quick comments:

1. Warren...I don't want you take offense to this...but I'm
going to give you a bit of advice that just might help you
tremendously in next year's fishing tournaments: "Don't believe
everything you read in Bassmaster magazine..especially the crap about
how you are a just a minor league fisherman compared to whoever the
BassMaster writer is writing about in that month's rag."

2. Charles...if all you want is to compete well, just join the
lousiest bass club you can find north of the border (ie. "Have
fishing rod...will travel" Rapala and Wal-Mart lover's Club) and fish
their tournaments...:

3. Everyone...in all seriousness, if your goal is to increase
your bass fishing knowledge...IMO, the best way to go about that is to
spend "as much time on various waters" fishing "with as many different
people" as you can...picking up and practicing the different fishing
techniques and strategies that are out there. (read this above
sentence over and over again and you really don't need to read
anything else below)...

You can do it as a boater or nonboater. You can do that from the
boat or from the shore. And you can do that fishing with a guy in a
plain white unadorned T-shirt who has never fished a tournament in his
life...

You can can do that by fishing no tournaments at all or by
fishing in pretty much any tournament circuit...FLW, BASS, BFL,
Federation, whatever... Understand that the major difference in these
different tournament circuits is who is allowed to fish them, the
entry fee, and location of tournaments (ie. BASS hold the majority of
their tournaments in the southeastern US). Now, someone might be able
to make an argument that the level of "competition" is better in one
or the other..but there is no way that any circuit has a monopoly or
even majority of the best fishermen out there...whatever your
definition of best fishermen might mean.

The last time I checked...there still isn't a true "open"
national fishing circuit that fairly tells us who the best fishermen
in the world are. If there was, I might fish it and claim my throne.
Or maybe some guy nobody ever heard of from the swamps of Florida
might...: Regardless, you should never rule out the Harry and
Charley's of the world...especially if you're doing so in favor of
some punked out fancy schmancy type that drives a 22' 45k rig with a
275 hp motor on the back of her...even if the latest crop of BASS or
FLW writers tell ya they are "Fishing Gods" bc they wear a certain
fishing circuit patch on their sleeves...:

IMO, for "most people" who want to increase their fishing
knowledge...going as a nonboater in "any tournament circuit" is an
outstanding way to quickly pick up the "what to do and what not to
do's" of fishing. As for worrying about bad draws...you should be
able to learn something from anybody...even if its only what not to
do. And in any tournament circuit, you will fish with some guys who
have varying degrees of fishing skills. And you'll probably find that
what you learn is not necessarily dependent on the success you have in
a fishing outing...as you can pick up a great technique or two without
having success on that particular day. And I guess its possible to
not learn as much on the days that you accidently stumble on a mess of
em' too...

But the main thing is to get on the water as much as possible and
fish with and learn from as many different anglers that you can. And
don't just throw a Bill Norman Professional Edge "Middle N" Crankbait
in Blue/Chartreuse all the time either...:

--
Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law
Indianapolis, IN
Email:
Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com
Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater
Favorite Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosiertradingpost.com/FishingTackle
1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner

"Dwayne E. Cooper" wrote in message
news SNIP

2. Charles...if all you want is to compete well, just join the
lousiest bass club you can find north of the border (ie. "Have
fishing rod...will travel" Rapala and Wal-Mart lover's Club) and fish
their tournaments...:

There's no competition in Al's club....


The rest is good advice! Thanks for sharing your insights, and please don't
lurk as much. You seem to have a LOT of experience to share!

Nothing else snipped... cause it's well worth re-reading


3. Everyone...in all seriousness, if your goal is to increase
your bass fishing knowledge...IMO, the best way to go about that is to
spend "as much time on various waters" fishing "with as many different
people" as you can...picking up and practicing the different fishing
techniques and strategies that are out there. (read this above
sentence over and over again and you really don't need to read
anything else below)...

You can do it as a boater or nonboater. You can do that from the
boat or from the shore. And you can do that fishing with a guy in a
plain white unadorned T-shirt who has never fished a tournament in his
life...

You can can do that by fishing no tournaments at all or by
fishing in pretty much any tournament circuit...FLW, BASS, BFL,
Federation, whatever... Understand that the major difference in these
different tournament circuits is who is allowed to fish them, the
entry fee, and location of tournaments (ie. BASS hold the majority of
their tournaments in the southeastern US). Now, someone might be able
to make an argument that the level of "competition" is better in one
or the other..but there is no way that any circuit has a monopoly or
even majority of the best fishermen out there...whatever your
definition of best fishermen might mean.

The last time I checked...there still isn't a true "open"
national fishing circuit that fairly tells us who the best fishermen
in the world are. If there was, I might fish it and claim my throne.
Or maybe some guy nobody ever heard of from the swamps of Florida
might...: Regardless, you should never rule out the Harry and
Charley's of the world...especially if you're doing so in favor of
some punked out fancy schmancy type that drives a 22' 45k rig with a
275 hp motor on the back of her...even if the latest crop of BASS or
FLW writers tell ya they are "Fishing Gods" bc they wear a certain
fishing circuit patch on their sleeves...:

IMO, for "most people" who want to increase their fishing
knowledge...going as a nonboater in "any tournament circuit" is an
outstanding way to quickly pick up the "what to do and what not to
do's" of fishing. As for worrying about bad draws...you should be
able to learn something from anybody...even if its only what not to
do. And in any tournament circuit, you will fish with some guys who
have varying degrees of fishing skills. And you'll probably find that
what you learn is not necessarily dependent on the success you have in
a fishing outing...as you can pick up a great technique or two without
having success on that particular day. And I guess its possible to
not learn as much on the days that you accidently stumble on a mess of
em' too...

But the main thing is to get on the water as much as possible and
fish with and learn from as many different anglers that you can. And
don't just throw a Bill Norman Professional Edge "Middle N" Crankbait
in Blue/Chartreuse all the time either...:

--
Dwayne E. Cooper, Atty at Law
Indianapolis, IN
Email:
Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com
Personal Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosierwebsites.com/OnTheWater
Favorite Fishing Web Page: http://www.hoosiertradingpost.com/FishingTackle
1st Annual ROFB Classic Winner

All work and no play make Charles one grouchy young man! LOL


"Bob Rickard" wrote in message
. com...
The answer is simple, Catfish. Living in Nashville as you do, it is
obvious
that these lakes would require far too much driving for you. My suggestion
would be that you just stay home & work on Secret Weapon stuff.

As always, looking out for my friends,

--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

....maybe you could stay home and watch roller Derby?
Get yer hairy hiney out there and take no prisoners Charlie!!
--
Steve


"Charles Summers" wrote in message
...
All work and no play make Charles one grouchy young man! LOL

Get your butt out there and find the spots for my trip through this winter.

"Charles Summers" wrote in message
...
All work and no play make Charles one grouchy young man! LOL


"Bob Rickard" wrote in message
. com...
The answer is simple, Catfish. Living in Nashville as you do, it is
obvious
that these lakes would require far too much driving for you. My
suggestion
would be that you just stay home & work on Secret Weapon stuff.

As always, looking out for my friends,

--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

Atta boy!

--
Warren

http://www.warrenwolk.com
Http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions

"Charles Summers" wrote in message
...
I gotta do it!

Thanks Guys.

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Very good advice from Mr Garrison. There's no sense going into such
things
without thinking that you can compete & even win them. Just be realistic
&
don't expect overnight success - while it can happen, it's VERY unlikely.
Speaking from experience, the butterflies fight harder than the bass at
first! Just go by all means, and go to have a good time Charles.

Warren




"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
I figure that the BFL is so low on the totem pole (compared to the
Everstart/FLW) that the politics wouldn't make it down that far... but
what
should a person be wary of?

Do you think it would be a good learning experience in fishing? Or a
bad
experience in a mis-managed tournament league? Or maybe both?

If you think the BFL doesn't have problems I am afraid you will be
disappointed. You will hear all kinds of stories - some might even be
true.

Fishing the BFL either as a boater or no boater is a learning
experience.
You
will have both good and terrible experiences, some based on partner
draw,
some
based on other factores.

I fished the Redman Trail in 1984 and 1985 - it became the BFL a few
years
ago. I learned a lot - mainly that I could not compete at that level.
Maybe it
was a attitude thing. I am glad I tried it, but would not do it again.

You will definitely have some tales to tell after fishing those
tournaments. I
met some great folks - some that became fairly well known. Mainly what
I
learned was that somebody will get on fish every tournament, no matter
how
I
did.

Give it a try - you might love it.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

"go-bassn" wrote in message ...
You've got a boat my boy - go as a boater! The competition in the BFL's
will be far from the pro level, in fact you might find yourself saying (to
yourself of course) "Gee, what is THIS guy doing up front?" I'm not saying
that the competition will stink, but I am saying that the odds of getting a
"good ride" in the BFL's is very low. The BFL is on par with the BASS
Federation Charles, and you have the skills & knowledge to compete as a
boater in either of them.

Warren,
I beg to differ with you on this point. I've fished BASS
Federation and BFL for the last 10 years and believe me, the Fed boys
ain't the BFL boys (at least in my state). In the Buckeye division of
the BFL, I regularly fish against two Everstart Championship WINNERS
(Joe Balog, Dick Shaffer), two Everstart POINT CHAMPIONS (Butch
Dombrosky, Charlie Hartly), the 2002 BASS Rookie of the Year and
winner of a BASS Event (Frank Scalish), and a guy who finished 8th in
the BASS CLASSIC (Greg Hawk, the year Kershall won). I have also
fished against David Wright, David Fritz, David Dudley, JT Kinney,
Gerald Beck, etc.
In the FED, it is a bunch of club fishermen who really don't care
(for the most part). Shoot, in my club, the guys who we send to the
bigger FED tournaments are usually the bottom of the list, not the top
guys.
While the BFL ain't perfect, you do stand a chance (as a
no-boater) to really learn alot, but there is a chance that you'll get
a bad draw too. As for the "favortism" allegations, I haven't seen
anything like this. Does FLW keep the problems out of the media, Yes
they do, but it's a good thing. The last thing I want to see on the
news/newpaper/internet is that we are nothing but a bunch of cheaters.
That would enhance the public opinion that we are nothing but a bunch
of beer drinking, tabbacy chewin', cheating rednecks (BTW, I AM a
redneck, I just don't cheat, chew tabbacy or drink, but, vroom, vroom,
vroom, I love Nascar, my country, music (both types, country and
western), bass fishin', jacked up 4x4's and shootin' anything that I
can).
If you really want to see what it's about, look at the past
results in your area and see if there are any nationally known guys.
If so, you'll have about a 1 in 150 odds of being paired with them.
Jack
~~
Jack Dalzell
www.jdbass.com

Now if you get a chance to ride on the FLW or BASS tours, by all means don't
pass it up. That would guarantee you an increase in knowledge...

Call me if you want to chat about this.

Warren