OK Tournament and Non - tournament Bass Fishermen

[MarkW]

Linda,
No one is complaining. Jim asked a question and I am giving my honest opinion on why I didn't fish it this year. $95 is alot to pay especially the extra gas it takes to run back and forth to the hourly weigh-ins. My boat holds 50 gallons and gets about 3 mpg. It's hard to justify running wide open to get back to the ramp in time and weigh a fish thinking you have second or third place and only to find out after 3 days entry $285, plus maybe that much in gas to find out that KRA isn't paying 2nd-3rd. It's a little deceiving. It needs to be worded a little different in your flyers and ads. Remember the hourly prizes were part of the attraction to this tournament that the KRA keeps pushes each year. Not to have prizes for 2nd and 3rd probably upset people this year as it did me last year.
Remember, not complaints. I looked at everyones comments as constructive critiscm and should be read as that and seriuosly taken into consideration for future events.
Remember also-----this is your audience and you are hearing from the people you need to hear from. So don't take offense----listen,learn and make changes. Most of us on here are willing to help.

[SlopFishin]

First off, I'm not much of a tournament fisherman. However, I do think they have a pretty neat format in this tournament.

Even if I did fish tournaments, I would have absolutely NO desire to fish the Ohio River. If they wanted to generate some real interest, they'd do it on KY Lake from Paris to the Dam. Much better fishery.

[Basswipe]

If they wanted to generate some real interest, they'd do it on KY Lake from Paris to the Dam. Much better fishery.

I basically said the same thing earlier, but added Barkley as well.

Have the same tournament, with the same format. Run it on Ky Lake from Paris to the dam with several launch/weigh in spots on the lake, and include Barkley with at least 3-4 weigh in launch/weigh in spots and the turnout would be phenomenal.

[LindaH]

Again, I was not trying to attack anyone who was offering constructive criticism. I was asking people not to jump to say things that were not constructive. It was my two cents because I believe in the long term affect of the tournament.

I don't understand where the deception is when the printed material states that only the big prize is guaranteed. When the decision was made to do this tournament a second time, it was based a lot on the post tournament comments made to KRA staff personally and on the posts on this site (by people who both participated and who couldn't because of scheduling) expressing that they wanted this tournament back this year. The KRA lowered the grand prize thinking that surely they would have enough participation to pay everything based on post tournament feedback last year. Aren't all tournament payouts based on participation? The way to insure that everything would be paid is to participate in AND spread the word about the tournament because the more people who know about it, the more people will participate based on the law of averages.

If the $85-95 registration is a deal breaker, then would it have mattered if it was in March or October? These are the things the KRA needs to know so that they don't change it to March and then have the same lack of participation. They truly did try to address what they heard last year by making some changes this year, but it didn't seem to help.

Maybe distrust will be the catch 22 that is the death of this tournament before it even had a chance. The fishermen won't fish because they don't trust that ALL of the prizes will be paid and the KRA has to lower the prize money because they can't trust that there will be enough participation to break even and lowering the prize money is one of the reasons that some did not participate. That would be very sad.

[redneckshadrap]

Again, I was not trying to attack anyone who was offering constructive criticism. I was asking people not to jump to say things that were not constructive. It was my two cents because I believe in the long term affect of the tournament.

I don't understand where the deception is when the printed material states that only the big prize is guaranteed. When the decision was made to do this tournament a second time, it was based a lot on the post tournament comments made to KRA staff personally and on the posts on this site (by people who both participated and who couldn't because of scheduling) expressing that they wanted this tournament back this year. The KRA lowered the grand prize thinking that surely they would have enough participation to pay everything based on post tournament feedback last year. Aren't all tournament payouts based on participation? The way to insure that everything would be paid is to participate in AND spread the word about the tournament because the more people who know about it, the more people will participate based on the law of averages.

If the $85-95 registration is a deal breaker, then would it have mattered if it was in March or October? These are the things the KRA needs to know so that they don't change it to March and then have the same lack of participation. They truly did try to address what they heard last year by making some changes this year, but it didn't seem to help.

Maybe distrust will be the catch 22 that is the death of this tournament before it even had a chance. The fishermen won't fish because they don't trust that ALL of the prizes will be paid and the KRA has to lower the prize money because they can't trust that there will be enough participation to break even and lowering the prize money is one of the reasons that some did not participate. That would be very sad.

One thing I have read over the years about the Ohio River is safety.

How safe is the river with all the boats plus the barge wake?

Billy

[Viper201]

Jim and Linda,
there is no logical explanation as to why serious tournament guys haven't been waitin in line for a chance to fish for $20k,it makes no sense at all.I'll be the first to first to say it,i didn't fish it purely out of my own stupidity and nothing else,i truely wish i had fished all 3 days.I asked friends and partners to fish with me ahead of time and they all gave me the same lame-a$$ excuses you're getting on here now and i let them talk me out of it and i regret it,i should have fished anyway.

The rules and payouts are clearly stated in your flyers so there is no need to change anything as far as that goes,pretty simple to understand.The rules also are quit liberal in comparison to the bfl,kbf,ibf,hoosier open,bass and a thousand other circuits and the guys that fish tourneys on a regular basis would tell you that,so i see no reason to change them either.The people that are complaining about fishing the river are obviously not people that fish big circuits on a regular basis because as jim said before,every circuit in the area fishes the river many times every year so that excuse doesn't fly either.Its funny to hear people complain about the entry fee also,$85-95 to fish for $20k is the best deal in the country.The same guys that complain about this entry fee will gladly pay $100-200 for a one day event on the river which only pays $4-5k for the win,there's no logic to it at all.Perfect example,last month we had over 200 guys in the hoosier open at rocky point,all teams paid $200 for a one day event and the winners got $4500,do the math,it doesn't make sense that all these same guys wouldn't fish for 4 times the money with a cheaper entry fee does it?!?!?!

Jim raised a lot of good points and it seems he's just wondering how to get more participation from the tournament crowd and obviously there is no good answer or no logical explanation for the lack of participants.I myself want to apologize to all the organizers of the event for not supporting them,i should have been there regardless of what others had to say about it.If they decide to have it again i'll be one of the first people to sign up and i'm not to proud to admit is was a moron for not fishing it this year.I paid $100 on saturday to fish a local 20 boat tourney,how dumb was that??Thats the kind of dumb stuff jim is trying to understand cause probably 1000 other guys did the same thing this past weekend.

[Basswipe]

If the $85-95 registration is a deal breaker, then would it have mattered if it was in March or October? These are the things the KRA needs to know so that they don't change it to March and then have the same lack of participation. They truly did try to address what they heard last year by making some changes this year, but it didn't seem to help.

Maybe distrust will be the catch 22 that is the death of this tournament before it even had a chance. The fishermen won't fish because they don't trust that ALL of the prizes will be paid and the KRA has to lower the prize money because they can't trust that there will be enough participation to break even and lowering the prize money is one of the reasons that some did not participate. That would be very sad.

Linda,

I think you're attempting to fight some things that can't be fought. There will always be a few bad apples that are convinced someone, somewhere is cheating in an open tournament. That's an inevitable fact of tournaments. You shouldn't take it as a reflection of what you're trying to do. It's simply the way of things in an open tournament. You will NEVER please all of the people all of the time.

This tournament is kind of in a bad situation. We can all appreciate what you're trying to do, but you'll never be able to get around a few issues.

Issue #1 is that there will be someone that complains. It's inevitable.

Issue #2 is that you're holding it on a crappy body of water. There's a whole lot of people that just won't fish the river. I'm one of them. That's not a bad reflection on this tournament, it's just the way it is. I don't want to spend all kinds of money to not catch fish, and have my prop/lower unit damaged by trash in the water.

There are other things about your format that can be tweaked, but you'll never get around these two issues. They'll always be there.

[fishbum]

Linda,

I think you're attempting to fight some things that can't be fought. There will always be a few bad apples that are convinced someone, somewhere is cheating in an open tournament. That's an inevitable fact of tournaments. You shouldn't take it as a reflection of what you're trying to do. It's simply the way of things in an open tournament. You will NEVER please all of the people all of the time.

This tournament is kind of in a bad situation. We can all appreciate what you're trying to do, but you'll never be able to get around a few issues.

Issue #1 is that there will be someone that complains. It's inevitable.

Issue #2 is that you're holding it on a crappy body of water. There's a whole lot of people that just won't fish the river. I'm one of them. That's not a bad reflection on this tournament, it's just the way it is. I don't want to spend all kinds of money to not catch fish, and have my prop/lower unit damaged by trash in the water.

There are other things about your format that can be tweaked, but you'll never get around these two issues. They'll always be there.

OK,
I am tired of this trash in the water nonsense.
There is no more trash in the water than there is on Lake Cumberland, Barren River Or any other lake at some times. Spring ESPECIALLY. From what I hear the only damage this weekend to a boat occurred when Kevin's boat swung in the current and bent the boat bumper on his trailer.. Any one else lose a lower unit? Check out the video on the front page of Brian Hickey trying to get into the back of Little Kentucky.. He did not damage his boat.
As for the CRAPPY water... do you think the state is going to spend the money to improve the river fishing if we do not support it? Actually there is a plan now to start stocking the river. WHY? Because the river is getting a ton of use as a fishery. Non=tournament fishermen should support this effort.. Why? It will mean fewer tournaments on the lakes because the number of recreational boaters on the river is a LOT less.. Both sides win..
Rec's hate fishermen and vice versa. If the river becomes a good fishery then both sides win.
Jim Dicken

[fishbum]

One thing I have read over the years about the Ohio River is safety.

How safe is the river with all the boats plus the barge wake?

Billy

Compared to a 40 foot Cabin Cruiser the barges put out the same wake as a bass boat. Cabin cruisers at slow speeds can put out a wake that is as much as 5 feet high.. Barge wakes are around 2 feet AT MOST.. Not sure why ..

[Basswipe]

OK,
I am tired of this trash in the water nonsense.
There is no more trash in the water than there is on Lake Cumberland, Barren River Or any other lake at some times. Spring ESPECIALLY. From what I hear the only damage this weekend to a boat occurred when Kevin's boat swung in the current and bent the boat bumper on his trailer.. Any one else lose a lower unit? Jim Dicken

I've lost 2 props and a lower unit on the river before. Another buddy of mine lost a prop and lower unit. Yet another buddy almost burned up his powerhead because the lower unit sucked a tampon into the water intake.

Yes, the lakes around the state have trash for a few weeks in the spring. The river has it year round.

You may call it "nonsense", but how much money has trash in the water of the river cost you before? It's cost me and others that I know several thousand dollars. A new prop costs about $600. Lower units can run two grand. What kind of dollar value do you put on tampons being sucked into water intakes?

[pkfish]

Jim,

I decided not to fish the Big Bass Big Cash tournament this year because of the boundary change. Let me give a little background information. I live in Southeastern KY (near VA state line), and until last years Big Bass tournament I had never fished on the Ohio River. Regrettably, I only fished day 3 of last year’s tournament. After keeping track with the daily weigh-in totals on fishin.com, I convinced my wife that we should drive 6 hrs to Owensboro and fish the final day for a shot at one cast being worth $50,000. So, we hooked up the boat and hit the road for Owensboro. My wife (of 1 year at the time) had never fished a bass tournament, and we had a blast fishing together. Although I only weighed in one keeper (hourly winner), I guess we caught 20-25 fish (mostly whites) and our time enjoying the competition together was well worth the entry fee. With every hook set, she would get excited hoping the fish would be a keeper bass. Immediately upon arriving home, I started searching for a bed and breakfast (or other lodging accommodations) on the river in the Owensboro area, as we planned to fish the tournament again this year as a team. I was in contact, by email, with Linda after the tournament during the discussion of possible dates for this year’s event, as well as, being in contact with Mark on several occasions (I actually didn’t fish a tournament trail this year because of the conflicting date / I didn’t want to lose the points). The reason we didn’t fish this year’s event (whether found valid or not) was because of the change in pool boundaries. We were excited about spending a week in Owensboro, as I’d planned on taking off a few extra days for some pre-fishing to familiarize myself with the river. When I received word that the boundaries may change, I contacted Mark and his explanation for the change was that the Owensboro Pool was a waste of time last year, and that, someone’s research on the tournament indicated that there would be more interest in the Maysville Pool. I had no interest in fishing the Louisville or Cincinnati pools, and I couldn’t find a place to stay on the river in the Augusta or Tar Creek areas. After debating the cost of fishing for three days (not the entry fees, but hotel, gas, food, etc), I decided to go fish a Big Bass Tournament on Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, AL, where the 1st place prize was a new Triton bass boat, and the top 5 hourly prizes were guaranteed. At the hotel Saturday night, I started questioning my decision to fish Guntersville, rather than the Augusta Pool, since no fished were weighed in the first two days, and my 3 ½ and 4 lb bass on day one in Guntersville couldn’t land a 5th place in the hourly weigh-ins. Like I said earlier until last year’s tournament, I’d never fished the Ohio River. Is fishing that bad in the Augusta area, or did no one fish that pool?

I personally like the format of this tournament. So much so, that after last year’s tournament I started searching the internet for more tournaments like it (that’s how I found the Guntersville tournament). In fact, I planned on fishing the Arkansas River tournament this year, but I now have the opportunity to serve as a camp counselor at a youth fishing camp in Lake Park, GA that week. I have a competitive nature and love tournament fishing, unfortunately for my wallet, my ability to catch limits of quality fish has not materialized to this point. So, the idea of one cast winning the tournament is an exciting concept, not to mention the hourly prizes. I truly hope this tournament continues, as I feel it has the potential to grow into the event that the Kentucky Restaurant Association is hoping for. This weekend’s tournament on Guntersville drew over 600 participants, and I over heard several father son teams during registration Friday night say this was their first time to fish a tournament. So, non-tournament anglers will fish this type of event.

Off the subject (as this thread was about the Ohio River tournament), but I think you stated that a 1500 anglers tournament on KY/Barkley would never or could never happen because the lake’s size. I’d disagree with you on that (and I’m only posting this because if the guys that keep stating bring this event to KY/Barkley really want such a tournament, then they should contact the coordinators of the tournament I fished this weekend). In a couple of weeks, they will be holding a tournament on Toledo Bend with an estimate of 2500 entries, and their tournaments on Lake Fork and Sam Rayburn are even bigger than that, so 1500 on KY/Barkley could be possible. I’d love to see that tournament as well, as I love visiting that area.

Back to the Ohio River tournament, if it is held again next year, Lord willing and we can get time off from work my wife and I will make the drive north and fish the event again.

Phillip Little

[fishbum]

I've lost 2 props and a lower unit on the river before. Another buddy of mine lost a prop and lower unit. Yet another buddy almost burned up his powerhead because the lower unit sucked a tampon into the water intake.

Yes, the lakes around the state have trash for a few weeks in the spring. The river has it year round.

You may call it "nonsense", but how much money has trash in the water of the river cost you before? It's cost me and others that I know several thousand dollars. A new prop costs about $600. Lower units can run two grand. What kind of dollar value do you put on tampons being sucked into water intakes?

What time of year.. was the water up? Flood stage.. Or other..
Tampons and other items of plastic or rubber content are found in the waters of the above lakes year round as well because of people not respecting the waters. IF you fish the river it is no more or less likely to be a danger to your prop than any other body of water. I see posts on here every week about losing a prop or a lower unit due to low water or high water or some piece of nonsense some boater dropped in the lake.. Sandwich wraps and plastic bags. I have been on the water for tournaments on the river 12 times now and only ONCE was there a problem. The KBF tournament out of Carrollton a couple of years ago experienced high rollers due to wind. You get those on Kentucky and Barkly as well as Cabin Cruisers, and Barges.. but you would fish Kentucky and Barkley which are both basically rivers like the Ohio..with the same amount of trash and even worse problems with shallow water for people who have no clue it is there. Stumps are everywhere including the MIDDLE of the lake.. which also has concrete foundations. compared to Kentucky Lake and Barkley the Ohio River is a picnic in my opinion. NO stumps in the middle ..maybe a tree floating down stream or an occasional house.. but you should be able to see those.
Jim Dicken