Now that I have had a few days to recover I figured some people might be interested in how the tournament was actually run and how well we thought it went.

Friday night was the captains meeting, as we all showed up but Greg, we had preregistered online which was fairly simple to do. It was hard to find out where they were set up with the FLW trailer as there were no signs anywhere. Keep in mind this is just our observation and not knocking the tournament as they are still working out the bugs.

Finally find the trailer and go over to check in. They had many FLW staff there to help you find your way around. I thought it was a little strange how the tables where set up, but again this is the 1st time we have done this. But you would go to one table and check in, then sign a release form, which needs to be signed by all team members. then go to another table and do something else then go back to the other table to rent your keep alive.

On a side note, It does mention that the release form needs to be signed on there web site but only says either the team captain or 1 member need to be at the meeting. Well Greg had to work late, so we had to have him come by and sign or else he would have had to go to the trailer in the morning by 5 and sign the day of the tournament which would have put a little crunch on our game plan of getting to the start on time from our marina. So it is something they need to change on there site to let everybody no they should come sign at the meeting.

After we were completely checked in we were given our Keep alive box and the staff informed us how to use it, We rented ours for $50 or you could buy one for $250. We went and put it in the truck and came back over to the staging area.

So the meeting got started, all the rules were gone over by Bill Carson, Bass had to be 28 inches from the tip of the mouth to the tip of the tail, larger size was 34 inches to the fork in the tail, which actually gives you a bigger slot, which I think is great.

They also talked about handing out transponders to go in every boat, Why so they can track were you are at any minute so if you go out beyond the 3 mile limit as ruled by the state to try and cheat, you are disqualified. This is a pisser move by FLW as these fish are coming back alive and they can keep track of where every boat is.

They went over a few more rules and then they draw random numbers for your boat, you go pick up your number, your trasponder
a copy of the rules and a sheet that lets DMF know you are fishing this tournament and can Kull fish. They Infored us there would be a boat set up in the moring outside the marina and we all had to be at the staging area by 6:30, teams 1-19 left at 6:30 and teams 20-39 left at 6:45. End of tournament was 3:30 for the 1st group and 3:45 for the second group.

When you come back in at the end of the tournament you have to once again check in with the boat in the staging area. You come in and dock and you are responsible for loading the fish box keep alive onto a cart and someone we assist you and you have to have 2 team members capt and one other take the fish up and weigh them in.
I really wish the whole team could go but I am sure they do this because of dock space while trying to get everybody in to weighin ontime.

So you weigh in your fish and now the waiting game is on, I was surprised that the time went rather swiftly for them to get all the boats in in a timely manner and get those fish up to be weighed in.

Then while you awate the final tally and your heart is about to jump out of your chest they announce the winner!!! They call you up on stage for photo's and a little chat with Bill Carson on how you worked your day. Then you go off stage and have to talk with some reporters and do a few more photo ops for FLW and the local papers and magazines. While we are doing that we are also awaiting the word on when we would have to go take the Lie detector test.

Now keep in mind we have been up since 3 am and it is now almost 6pm, so Bill Carson had a gentlemen fly in for MS to give the lie detector test so he would be at the hotel at 7, so we drove the boat home, cleaned her up and had to go back for the lie dectector test, which by the way lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

But I commend FLW for doing this test, It will keep everybody honest and if you do not pass, I have to tell you, you will not get your check. After I completed the test the gentlemen giving me the test called Bill Carson and told him I passed with flying colors, Bill Carson met us in the lobby and handed me a check for $20,000. and also gave us a the actually Bill Board check for $35000.

The reason the money amount got messed up was that I registered everbody online and I was paying with my credit card so my name went in 1st as the team captain. Well the bonus for having Yamaha engines was $15000. Well when they sent the serial numbers from the engines they didn't match up with my name as they are in Bill's name hence the problem. Well no problem, We brought the original title certificates for the engines to the captains meeting and it is all resolved and we should be receiving the other check soon.

Overall we felt that this was a very proffesionally run tournament. The staff was very helpful and tried to accomodate everybody as best they could. I am saying this either because we won, but I would recomend any body to go fish this tournament as you have just as good a shot as any of those big fancy boats out there to win. You can't beat a $500 entry free if your winnings is $35000 or maybe more if you also have a sponsoring boat.

The way they did the slot limit and keeping these fish alive is one of the reasons we participated in this tournament. I have heard alot of comments about whats the big deal with catching fish of that size, well I suggest you go ask the 39 boats that just participated how easy it is to get those size fish. We fished almost the whole time, caught 15 bass and only had 4 in that slot limit, and only 10 of the 39boats weighed in fish so you tell me how easy it is. In my opinion anybody can go get live bait and put them over fish and take a big fish, thats a no brainer, but try and get the ones in the middle range and only on artificials and we will see how good you are. Luck will play a role in any tournament.

SO thats my scoop on things, we will definatly be fishing it again whether it be this year or next as we still have to sit down and make a team decision. But if you are thinkin about doing it my suggest would be to go for it, You have nothing to loose. I would like to also thank all of the FLW staff for there hard work in putting these tournaments on and best of luck with them in the future. IF you have any more questions about it, just drop us a line or email and we will let you know as much as we can. The nest tournament is in Sept. Out of the bass river so go get um!!!!

(Qoute) In my opinion anybody can go get live bait and put them over fish and take a big fish, thats a no brainer,


I've got to respectfully disagree with you on that one Julie !!!
Some are FAR better than others at fishing live bait, being Mackeral, herring, pogies, ect.....

Raider Ronnie, don't take that the wrong way buddy, every fisherman is good at some method and some are better that others. What I meant by that is that 90 % of the time fish are more willing to take live bait than and artificial. So if you have it it does make catching fish easier most of the time if you know how to do it.

First congrat';s to captain and crew on the win; great job!! Having fished f/w bass tournaments for many years I know just how much of a rush it is to be sitting on top waiting for that final boat to weigh in! (And conversely, how bad it feels to have that last boat beat you by oz's!!)
As far as the 34" slot limit goes, I think that idea stinks and know that it kept a lot of locals from participating. If you think it's hard to get a 28-34" fish on artificials just try to put BIG fish in the boat using those same baits. It would certainly be a better "test of the best" than a 2 fish slot limit that adds a good degree of luck into the skill equation. I frankly can't believe that only 10 boats weighed in fish. Maybe they should have spent more time jigging and less time on the radio!! JMHO:devil:

no radios allowed or cell phones....
part of the reason for the tight slot is the keep alive system, that is the size fish that fits in the box, we had to toss a 40+" back in the drink and keep looking for another 33"er, as odd as that sounds. others did the same. I am not a big fan of kill fish tourneys, say it was a bigfish kill tourney, there could have been 80 dead breeders sitting on the dock.
IMHO, FLW did a great job in organizing this tournament and i appreciate the fact that it was a catch and release.
Kudos to FLW and the staff. :claps:

Get a bigger box! I figured that the slot limit was tied into the "release tube" thing. Does a 40" fish die quicker than 34"; I think not. Regarding the "radio" comment;didn't know they were out. Just my observations on the everyday "haba" airwaves...Reel Dream this is Draggin Fly.. My Sunshine..Lucky Strike..Alternative , etc. :bgi:

Raider Ronnie, don't take that the wrong way buddy, every fisherman is good at some method and some are better that others. What I meant by that is that 90 % of the time fish are more willing to take live bait than and artificial. So if you have it it does make catching fish easier most of the time if you know how to do it.


Julie,
My reply was more towards fishing live bait and getting BIG fish!!!
And when even there are days that the fish are finicky, some are MUCH better at getting the fish to eat than others.
Maybe it depends of what some think a big fish is !
To me, a 20 - 25lb fish is NOT a big fish! Maybe for my son , but not for me !!!
Year in year out in Boston harbor we have the usual same guys who allways get the big (40lbs + ) fish.
It's not because they are just fishing live bait or they are just lucky,
They put their time in and are just better at it !!!
Lots of guys don't even know how to find or get the bait !

Raider Ronnie, I totally agree with you there!!!

i think they should allow boats of all sizes , i find it hard to believe my 18 ' parker is not seaworthy :realmad:

I dont think its meant not to be seaworthy,but it might not be able to keep the live well on board ,as far as room goes...???

Hey Ron, we all know that it's your son who catches all the fish and you just drive the boat!. :humpty: You hit the nail on the head with your observation on who is catching big fish on a regular basis. There is no substitute for time on the water when it comes to developing skills and that "fishing" intuition and intensity that good fisherman have. I used to be pres. of a local bass club and constantly heard complaints about scheduling tournaments on waters that a "few" would have an advantage on. The fact is that it was almost always the same guys finishing in the $$ and they could catch more fish in a bathtub than most of the complainers could catch in a bass factory! Good fisherman make their own "good luck" regardless of the technique being employed and they are usually proficient in all methods whether it be trolling, casting, jigging, chunking, live bait fishing, etc. My complaint about the "slot limit" tournaments is that the "luck" element becomes too much of a factor. Given the number of big fish in the haba this year (anything over 34" is big to me...or big enough $$) I still can't believe the tournament weights were not within oz's for the top 20 boats...never mind 29 boats getting skunked!!! Sorry about the rant...I'm at work and bored! :bsod:

Sokinwet, that is my point, if you are good at taking large fish on a consistent basis, than it should be awefully easy for you to take fish in the slot, or some would think. If you think it is that easy then why not participate, thats why only 10 boats weighed in fish and only 5 of those 10 had 2 fish. There were some real heavy hitters out there that never weighed in a fish.
I think that the Boston Harbor tournament being time it was scheduled was one of the toughest legs of the tournament as far as fish caught. End of July and early August are the toughest months to produce consistent fish in the harbor. ALot of the other tournaments will be during the fall run or were during the spring migration. In my opinion if you are good at taking big fish you should not have a problem taking slot fish, whats the difference, as far as the luck part goes, is it unfair to have everyday fisherman participate and have the same odds or are we just havin a tournament to satify the high liners. JMHO

If you don't like this type of tournament, no problem just don't participate, we have fished big fish tournaments and won and now we wanted to try and new experience that was more on an even playing field for every fisherman, but more so because the fish were being released. We had alot of fun and the cards were lined up for us right that day. Will it happen again? Who knows? But I think you will see more nail biting in the next several tournaments as there should be alot more fish weighed in and more close at the end.

As far as the fish box is concered, it is pretty big as it sets right now, and alot of boats had problems at this tournament having room in their boat to even have the box there and set the right way so the fish would not get damaged. as it was with the water and the fish in it at weigh in, its weight was about 150 lb to lift out of the boat and get it on the cart and up to ramp to the weigh in scale. SO its not a light item for sure. We have a 9'6 inch beam and only had a ft on each side of it to fish out of while jiggin, you can stand on it without a problem, but its not small thats for sure.

Its always easy over the internet. I don't frequent the site much anymore, but in the old BOAT vs. SHORE battles, I remember so many people claiming how easy it was to fish out of the boat. Ducks in a barrel. I always wondered why they didn't just become guides... if its that easy, make some money doing the thing you love.

And then there's the old BIG FISH OR NOTHING argument. People wouldn't enter b/c it wasn't the biggest fish? Well then shouldn't it be a piece of cake to go out and get a couple of 33" fish? If you are that good, you know your waters and you should be able to find a few fish under 30#s.

I don't buy it. People are going to skip the chance at $35K b/c its boring? they catch fish that are too big? its a stupid format? alot of excuses not to try...

Sokinwet, you did the freshwater bass thing... I did too as a teenager into my 20's. It wasn't just about the lunker, it was competition. Those fish are a couple of pounds. You don't think bringing a 34" into the boat with 35K on the line might be exciting.

I like the format. Its a level playing field. Thats what makes a good competition, isn't it?

Live release. Artificials.

IMO, the best fishermen are those who are versatile. I know there are alot of people that think its all about who gets the biggest fish, each time out. But there are alot of ways to enjoy fishing.

I like to switch it up and do different things. My favorite is to throw a jerkbait into the whitewater of the rocks or sight fish a flat. I enjoy live bait as well... nothing more exciting than when that bait starts gettin' jumpy. I'll throw topwater, I always give the flyrod some time too. I'll even do a little trolling from time to time. No chunking, but I just don't want to cut bait.

This tournament was just another chance to try something different and it was sweet as SH#T!

Jules - Sorry if I come off sounding a little negative; certainly no disrespect intended towards any of the participants and I'm sure that a good time was had by everyone (or most everyone!)...but I stand by my statement that I think the format is for the birds. I think you missed my point about the slot limit thing. Certainly those of us who target big fish for sport or commercially are capable of catching slot fish but when the field is comprised of a number of factory teams and other experienced anglers who are willing to run to the earth's end for fish, I find it unbelievable that almost every boat did not come in with 2 fish in the slot. I don't think the format evens the playing field at all and as I said before, it in fact introduces too much of the "luck" factor into a test of skill. If you knew me you would know that I am as competitive as they come; tournament or not if I'm fishing next to you I want to kick your butt (when I fished f/w bass tournaments I just knew I would win until I lost!), but I did not like this format, felt that I might as well by a lottery ticket and therefore did not choose to participate. I am certainly glad that you did well and showed the big $$ teams that local anglers are no pushovers. Judging from your posts and the smiles on your crews faces I know that you were deserving winners! I'll just shut up now before I get myself in trouble!
P.S. If you happen to see a ratty looking old Seacraft, powered by a rattier Evinrude captained by a bearded old geezer with an older geezer (my dad) as crew just give a wave; I'm nicer in person than in print!
:rolleyes:

P.S. If you happen to see a ratty looking old Seacraft, powered by a rattier Evinrude captained by a bearded old geezer with an older geezer (my dad) as crew just give a wave; I'm nicer in person than in print!


I'll second that - hey sokinwet, how are ya ? How's your Dad doing ? Tell him I say hello.

No Harm done Sokinwet, just a difference of opinion, I can tell you that there were 27 boats in this tournament from MA none that I no off that were big money boats, only saw one sponsor boat at the tournament with tripples that I can remember. I do also agree if you are a hard fisherman and put in your time you do have a home field advantage to some degree in these tournaments.

I am on the water many days a week as fishing is what we do, whether we have clients or not we love bein out on the water and catching fish. I, like Schoolie Monster perfer alot of different methods of fishing. I don't need to just try and catch big fish to prove something!!! I enjoy hookin up and something pulling the other way and Bill and I very much enjoy teaching people to fish so they as well can enjoy in the thrill of catching as some of them have never caught a bass before in their life.
This was a big money tournament, not your average $1000 or less prize so we figured why not, last year we invested in a new boat. this year we were kinda forced to move and buy a house, as well as I have had many medical problems of the past couple of years, so the money would definatly come in handy for us and the guys that fished with us if we won. SO we went out with a game plan, fished our butts off and it paid off!!!
Life is good and I'll give ya a wave when I see ya out there. good luck and good fishing!!!!

Hey, John,
Say hi to your dad for me also, I know he's getting up there in years and I hope he is doing well and still able go get out and fish as much as he wants.:wave:

In my opinion this tournament came down to 3 things.
- Putting your time in.
- coming up with a game plan and STICKING to it
- Having some luck on your side

Putting time in,
We fish the tourny and even though we knew what we needed to do and how we needed to fish, we put in 0 time before it and were netting bait all night and fishing and catching large fish right up to the days before the tournement even though we knew we couldn't use bait !, but hey, thats what we like to do!!!
We even had my son Leo out at 1.00am netting with us the week before , and he fought most of our fish the next day with them !!!
Sticking to a game plan,
We went out with not much of a plan, and never stuck to one thing all day, and looking back now I say to myself, what the hell were we thinking trying a few things that we did!
Luck,
No matter how good anyone is, some amount of luck ALLWAYS is a factor !!!
I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but we didn't do these things we finished in 10th place and Team Alternative did and they won, end of story,
congrats to them!
Hopefully our team learned from this and I guarantee if I have my way we will do things MUCH different next month down in west Dennis !
Julie, you guys going to be there ???

As for the keep alive,
It was no big deal!
You only have to have the fish in it when you bring the fish in.
We didn't use ours all day till we had to go in!
But when you have livewells like ours pumping 3400 gals through a 2in hose, it's not a big issue!!!:grins:

Ron - that's not a livewell - it's a pool :uhuh:

Ron - that's not a livewell - it's a pool :uhuh:


Pogies like it !!!
Maybe we should put a diving board on it for them !!!

Steve & Ron - I'll tell my dad you said hello! We've all been a little down lately as my mom passed away suddenly a few weeks back. I've been keeping him busy fishing as much as possible. For an 84 yr. old deaf, blind, forgetful old coot he can still catch em with the best and has been fishing every day of the commercial season with me. Still have to remind him once in a while that the fish have to be a little bigger than 16" these days before they go into the box. Once a "pin hooker" always a pinhooker! Despite the family issues and some down time with ethanol problems ,a broken helm and a tilt trim that decided to do neither, we have been having a good year. I would guess that my dad is one of the last of the old guard MSBAers from the 50's that's still with us and I know he would jump out of his death bed if he saw the trout stocking truck drive by! I'll be forever grateful to him and that old MSBA crew (including your dad, Steve) for letting me tag along with them when I was a kid and helping to turn me into a "fishoholic." Since this a tournament thread I'll brag on my dad a bit with a story about his only striper tournament about 35 yrs. ago. He had been fishing Great Bay, NH for a few weeks with my little (now balding!) brother and had been hammering BIG fish. One weekend trip happened to be on the day of the Great Bay Striper Tournement so he figured they might as well enter. They had been fishing one of the umbrella rigs that we used to make in the garage and sell through Bill Nolans shop and the locals had never seen one before. (30 yrs. before 9er rigs)They had a great day and my dad took 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the mens division with fish to 40 lbs. and my scrawny 10 yr. old brother took 1st in the jr's and 1st OVERALL with a 40+. Well the locals were a little pissed off and gave my dad some grief: weren't catching those fish in the bay, kid couldn't have caught the big one, illegal lure, etc. Well my dad being a little feisty in those days put them in their place and walked away with all the prizes. Next year he figured he'd enter again but when he tried to enter they told him they had a new rule; "Previous winners couldn't enter" Well they fished that day for fun and my dad made a point of going to the weigh in with the old tin boat fish box filled with cows. Knowing my dad I'm sure that he got more satisfaction from that than a couple of trophies and a few plugs. See you on the water! John

I think it neat that two of the hardest fishing people I know won the whole schlemiel!:bgi: