So I am moving to Arkansas at the end of the month, and recently started started looking into the FLW BFL weekenend tournament series. As luck would have it, there is an Arkansas series with all the lakes being within decent driving distance. These are all one day events with very affordable entry fees.
I plan on registering for these tournaments as a Co-Angler and had a few questions since this will be my first tournament experience.
How much gear should I plan on being able to carry on some else's boat? Most of my lures are in a backpack, but I'd like to plan on how many rods I'll be able to take.
How much should I plan on pitching into for my Boaters gas? Is buying lunch, dinner or a few beers an acceptable alternative to gas money?
Anyone ever have any bad experiences with boaters trying to take a co-anglers fish? This may sound dumb, but it was a thought that crossed my mind.
Any info or advice is appreciated. Feel free to PM.
Thanks,
Joe
I plan on registering for these tournaments as a Co-Angler and had a few questions since this will be my first tournament experience.
How much gear should I plan on being able to carry on some else's boat? Most of my lures are in a backpack, but I'd like to plan on how many rods I'll be able to take.
How much should I plan on pitching into for my Boaters gas? Is buying lunch, dinner or a few beers an acceptable alternative to gas money?
Anyone ever have any bad experiences with boaters trying to take a co-anglers fish? This may sound dumb, but it was a thought that crossed my mind.
Any info or advice is appreciated. Feel free to PM.
Thanks,
Joe
Joe, you should really enjoy fishing the FLW BFL events and will most likely make some new friends out of the deal. I recently moved back to MA after living down south for a few years. While I was down there I fished the BFL's as a co angler.
There is a pre tournament meeting the night before the tournament where pairings are announced. This isn't mandatory to attend but most times boaters and co anglers will attend. This is a good opportunity to meet your boater and talk about preparations and expectations for the next day. Questions to ask are - do you need help getting the boat ready? What time are we meeting? (always be early), etc.
If you can't make the meeting, you can call in and confirm you will make the tournament. You will get a text message with your boaters name and contact info and can call to go over everything.
The most I ever paid for gas was $60 but that was because I cashed a nice check due to the boater putting me around fish and I felt bad because I got lucky and got bigger bites in the area than he did. Respect goes both ways - if you don't feel like the guy treats you with respect than I wouldn't feel obligated to give him anything. I always offered to split gas $ but most times I would have to force the guys to take my $. I would bring as few setups as possible and keep it simple. I normally brought 5-8 but learned I could get away with much less. I learned a lot about fishing as a co angler and if I was to do it again I think I would have much better results. It's a different game from the back of the boat for sure, if you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
I was happy to make a few good friends through the BFL's that I still keep in touch with. Throughout the season we ended up sharing hotel rooms, going out to dinner as a group after the tournaments, and one guy even offered to let me use his Ranger Z20 on weekends that he wasn't. I didn't take him up on his offer but was amazed with the generosity.
Enjoy & good luck!
Last edited by jbigun on Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:49 am; edited 1 time in total
There is a pre tournament meeting the night before the tournament where pairings are announced. This isn't mandatory to attend but most times boaters and co anglers will attend. This is a good opportunity to meet your boater and talk about preparations and expectations for the next day. Questions to ask are - do you need help getting the boat ready? What time are we meeting? (always be early), etc.
If you can't make the meeting, you can call in and confirm you will make the tournament. You will get a text message with your boaters name and contact info and can call to go over everything.
The most I ever paid for gas was $60 but that was because I cashed a nice check due to the boater putting me around fish and I felt bad because I got lucky and got bigger bites in the area than he did. Respect goes both ways - if you don't feel like the guy treats you with respect than I wouldn't feel obligated to give him anything. I always offered to split gas $ but most times I would have to force the guys to take my $. I would bring as few setups as possible and keep it simple. I normally brought 5-8 but learned I could get away with much less. I learned a lot about fishing as a co angler and if I was to do it again I think I would have much better results. It's a different game from the back of the boat for sure, if you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
I was happy to make a few good friends through the BFL's that I still keep in touch with. Throughout the season we ended up sharing hotel rooms, going out to dinner as a group after the tournaments, and one guy even offered to let me use his Ranger Z20 on weekends that he wasn't. I didn't take him up on his offer but was amazed with the generosity.
Enjoy & good luck!
Last edited by jbigun on Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:49 am; edited 1 time in total
This should get some good responses.
When i fished as non boater i think i paid 80.00 for 2 days up front.
I'm not sure how flw handles it.
As in rods and tackle,
Common courtesy will follow.
You need to take enough rods to handle the unknown technique needed but not overload their boat.
If i had to guess 4-6 rods is good.
Maybe bring some spare spools or reels in back pack.
A boater taking a co-anglers fish?
You mean from the live-well?
They will probably have a separate compartment. I would also recommend your own culling rings.
Note: I have had a few boaters request not to cast in their water up front. Anything past the windshield can be considered off limits.
Thats up to the boater and a courtesy issue also.
I'm sure you'll find all the answers needed. But have fun and let us know how ya do.
When i fished as non boater i think i paid 80.00 for 2 days up front.
I'm not sure how flw handles it.
As in rods and tackle,
Common courtesy will follow.
You need to take enough rods to handle the unknown technique needed but not overload their boat.
If i had to guess 4-6 rods is good.
Maybe bring some spare spools or reels in back pack.
A boater taking a co-anglers fish?
You mean from the live-well?
They will probably have a separate compartment. I would also recommend your own culling rings.
Note: I have had a few boaters request not to cast in their water up front. Anything past the windshield can be considered off limits.
Thats up to the boater and a courtesy issue also.
I'm sure you'll find all the answers needed. But have fun and let us know how ya do.
Don't have any answers for you from experience but I did see a recent article on bassmater that can probably help you out a bit.
http://www.bassmaster.com/news/boater-and-co-angler-perspectives
And I know the Bass College forum has some good info on what to give. I think the general rule is if you win you should give your boater a little bit more than what you were planning.
Alabama just started its own bass tour trail this year. Not sure how successfully it was, but I can see other southern states hopping aboard with similar trails. Something you may want to keep an eye on.
http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/
http://www.bassmaster.com/news/boater-and-co-angler-perspectives
And I know the Bass College forum has some good info on what to give. I think the general rule is if you win you should give your boater a little bit more than what you were planning.
Alabama just started its own bass tour trail this year. Not sure how successfully it was, but I can see other southern states hopping aboard with similar trails. Something you may want to keep an eye on.
http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/
Anyone ever have any bad experiences with boaters trying to take a co-anglers fish? This may sound dumb, but it was a thought that crossed my mind.
Joe
Missed this the first time I read it, but becareful about how tongue-and-cheek you are. Nate Wellman is a prefect example. Lost a season because he allegedly joked about buying a co-anglers fish.
http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=4058
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/guide_to_tournament_fishing.html
This is an article I read before I started fishing as a co-angler. From experience I can tell you that most of the time if you are respectful to him, he will be respectful to you. Also, keep the back of the boat clean of trash and used plastics. The article will help a lot!
This is an article I read before I started fishing as a co-angler. From experience I can tell you that most of the time if you are respectful to him, he will be respectful to you. Also, keep the back of the boat clean of trash and used plastics. The article will help a lot!
It is also good to know how to back a trailer into the water but not required. Don't offer if you aren't experienced or comfortable in a high traffic - busy ramp situation.
Excellent point!
I drove nice sweeet rigs in the parking lot
But you don't want to mess anything up.
Thanks for all the good advice and links. I'm going to check out all the articles.
I have another question as far as tackle, specifically rods. I'm looking to build a decent rod collection that will allow me to fish numerous different presentations I'll need in order to catch fish. One big pitfall is that I'm on a budget, and even spending $100-$150 per set up takes a bite out of my income. I'd like to be able to carry say 4 set ups that will be sufficient in fishing most lures in most situations.
Anyone have any advice for where to start as far as set ups that will allow me to cover most of my bases? I believe to the Keep It SImple, Stupid; but it seems that when I narrow it down to three or four rods, its just not enough.
I have another question as far as tackle, specifically rods. I'm looking to build a decent rod collection that will allow me to fish numerous different presentations I'll need in order to catch fish. One big pitfall is that I'm on a budget, and even spending $100-$150 per set up takes a bite out of my income. I'd like to be able to carry say 4 set ups that will be sufficient in fishing most lures in most situations.
Anyone have any advice for where to start as far as set ups that will allow me to cover most of my bases? I believe to the Keep It SImple, Stupid; but it seems that when I narrow it down to three or four rods, its just not enough.
I have 2 setups that I use for multiple purposes but rarely do. I have a 6'6 camo stix (Cabelas) baitcast rod. Medium action with a moderate tip. It has a BPS Pro Qualifier 7:0:1 with 14# mono. I use this mostly for buzzbaits and walking the dog but will tie on a spinnerbait if there's no top water bite. The other rod I've used for dual purpose is also a camo stix rod but it's 6'9 medium light with a moderate taper. It jas a BPS extreme(this reel is just ok and I wouldn't buy another one) baitcast reel with 10# mono I use this for square bill cranks and texas rigged plastics. Again It's almost always cranking.
I think I'm just gonna stick with the basics for now and see if I feel like I actually need more gear instead of stocking up with a bunch and not using it. I recently just ordered a couple new Tournament Trail casting rods from Cabela's because they were half off.
The rods had excellent reviews so I got a 6'6" MH 1/4-2 Mod Fast tip which I figured would be a great bass rod since I can throw basically any bait. It will be fast enough for plastics and jigs but forgiving enough for spinners, and treble hooks. The second is a 7' H 3/8-2, I'm going to use this for any braided line technique: Frogs, pitching, heavy cover, carolina, and maybe even some swimbaits.
I think I'm gonna get a pro qualifier or a Revo S for the 6'6", but I'm debating on what kind of reel I should put on the heavy. Would a standard low pro casting reel like those two be a good heavy line reel? or should I go with say an ABU C4? The only thing I don't like about the big reels are they are hard to grip since you can't really palm them well. How are these reels with flippping?
I might try to sneak a new spinning rod in a coupel months. But a couple new reels is gonna set me back a couple hundred, so I might have to wait a bit.
The rods had excellent reviews so I got a 6'6" MH 1/4-2 Mod Fast tip which I figured would be a great bass rod since I can throw basically any bait. It will be fast enough for plastics and jigs but forgiving enough for spinners, and treble hooks. The second is a 7' H 3/8-2, I'm going to use this for any braided line technique: Frogs, pitching, heavy cover, carolina, and maybe even some swimbaits.
I think I'm gonna get a pro qualifier or a Revo S for the 6'6", but I'm debating on what kind of reel I should put on the heavy. Would a standard low pro casting reel like those two be a good heavy line reel? or should I go with say an ABU C4? The only thing I don't like about the big reels are they are hard to grip since you can't really palm them well. How are these reels with flippping?
I might try to sneak a new spinning rod in a coupel months. But a couple new reels is gonna set me back a couple hundred, so I might have to wait a bit.