Watchin Aaron Martins WHINE at Guntersville.........

[Dave Stewart]

Never said it didn't work both ways Dave, but were any of those guys trying to beat you to your spot so they could play "Beat the guide?" If so, that is just as wrong as what the guy was doing at guntersville.

On their tournament days none of them were playing "beat the Guide" to my spots...they did not launch until 0800 so they could have a prime time weigh in broadcast on the internet...by then I had been on the water for almost 3 hours....that was half their problem...if the Elite Series launches that late in the summer...the locals here are not going to set home and miss a morning summer bite just because there is a tournament on the lake launching that late in the morning each day...ie....that is why there were a lot of folks on their spots last year...also, the locals here do not need to follow them to gps their spots, the locals know the good ledges here, these guys are not discovering any "new" spots.

Just for the record...during the week they were here I was not fishing ledges...I stayed shallow on a frog bite to stay out of their way.

[kc]

Amen to that! I do most of my fishing on the big lakes these days and 90% of the rudeness I encounter from other bass fisherman on the water is Saturday / Sunday morning tournament time. You can just see it in how boats are operated - ripping balls to the wall from spot to spot, running wide out to right where they drop it and start fishing, jumping up from the driver seat and throwing that trolling motor down up and casting before the big motor quits spitting, having little regard for who is coming up the bank 100 ft from where they just cut in. This is not all tournament fishermen by any stretch but it just seems that for many of them "their mission" is greater than other's on the water and that gives them the right to be rude. I fish to enjoy and relieve stress in my life and being wound that tight would sure take any enjoyment out of it for me just like fishing around jerks like that...

kc

[Fast]

Aprils Issue in BASS addressed this very subject!.. Quote from Ish Monroe.." We are trying to provide for our families and that lake is our office for just a couple of days.. Skeet Reese.. their community is paying us to be there to to bring exposure to that fishery.. Each of you have great opinions and each have merit.. There are potential lawyers in the group.. if not already! My take is this.. Be a better man and let them have the spots they need. Yes, you have the choice of getting in their way, but I feel we all understand what they have to do to be at the top of their profession. Each of us love this sport but who of you would go through the time and effort to be a pro fisherman...NO THANKS! I'll keep my day job! Is Arron a great fisherman.. you bet. Is he a cry baby.. you bet.. but I bet the guy that was a gentelman and let him have his spot will tell the story that Arron won 100k partially cause of his kindness.. Better to tell that story to your kids than Arron lost and maybe because I would not let him have the spot. Who would be the baby then? Fish on!!! Ed

[Dave Stewart]

Aprils Issue in BASS addressed this very subject!.. Quote from Ish Monroe.." We are trying to provide for our families and that lake is our office for just a couple of days.. Skeet Reese.. their community is paying us to be there to to bring exposure to that fishery.. Each of you have great opinions and each have merit.. There are potential lawyers in the group.. if not already! My take is this.. Be a better man and let them have the spots they need. Yes, you have the choice of getting in their way, but I feel we all understand what they have to do to be at the top of their profession. Each of us love this sport but who of you would go through the time and effort to be a pro fisherman...NO THANKS! I'll keep my day job! Is Arron a great fisherman.. you bet. Is he a cry baby.. you bet.. but I bet the guy that was a gentelman and let him have his spot will tell the story that Arron won 100k partially cause of his kindness.. Better to tell that story to your kids than Arron lost and maybe because I would not let him have the spot. Who would be the baby then? Fish on!!! Ed

So what are you saying?....We should shut the lake down the week they are here and just let those folks fish and no one else? How about the next week in June this year after the Elite Series is here we have the FLW Tour...guess we should shut the lake down for two weeks....wait...we have the National Deaf Tournament here the following week so that makes 3 weeks in June we need to shut it down....I could keep going but the point is taken. I am not going to file for unemployment just so these guys can have the lake to fish by themselves. They can come fish here and act like professionals. We need to act like good hosts also. A little bit of the golden rule will go a long way on both sides here.

[bullmerc]

If the majors and their select few anglers want a lake all to themselves why don't they take some of the huge profits they rake in and build their own.
Public water that is financed through our tax dollars is for everyone to use and enjoy. If this means that one of the "PROS" get offended because we are fishing a ledge that he was told holds fish then that is too bad.
The causual fisherman has as much right to fish ANYWHERE on the body of water that he wants as much as the "PRO'.
Sure it probably makes the "PROS" angry because a "local" is on "their" spot but that is simply a matter of who gets there first.

As for the "PROS" feeding their familes from their winnings this is a crock. The ELITES all are on the payroll of corporations who pay them whether they catch a fish or not. Sure, if they are not showing up on a regular basis in the rankings then they might loose some of their sponsorship but I don't think their kids will starve.

[bigrod]

I have done my damnest to stay away from responding to this thread but guys if you think there is more than 25 guys on the ELITE series making tons of money you are sadly mistaken. Most of the guys are barely making it and if they lose one more major sponsor they wouldn't be fishing it next year. I would venture with entry fees taxes, gas hotel or campground food insurance the list goes on and on it takes upwards of $75,000+ to fish an ELITE season and i am not counting if they enter any of the opens to requalify either. Some of you need to wake up and see it isn't a bed of roses these guys have. I didn't even mention the time spent away from some of their familys for weeks and months at a time (priceless)

[Duayne]

The biggest difference is if you found that spot, or did you do what some of these local fools do and follow an angler around, watch him catch fish, and then purposefully go out and beat him to that spot in the morning. Huge difference and most of the time, it is one idiot local trying to go out and "beat the pro" See what happened to Jeremy Stark last year.

I think this is the key here. I'll equate it to the guides on Cumberland. Those guys really are putting food on the table by fishing day in and day out. No sponsors to speak of (that I know of) in a very competitve business. I'm not saying the pro tourney fishermen do not earn a living, but the guides make much less and there is less room for error.

I haven't seen it in a while but it used to be very common for weekend warriors to wait at the edge of the no wake zone so they could follow the guides to their spots. I am SURE it still happens but I haven't seen it of late. I've always respected their craft and what they are doing and I don't bug them. I do talk to a few, but I never even ask for a report and they rarely give any info without solicitation. I may ask how the bait catching is, or such, but otherwise I leave them to do that that it is that they do.. LOL

BUT If I go though my logs, and put what I know into my own plan, and that plan means I end up fishing the same waters as a guide, then so be it. If its too tight and they are there first, I'll go to plan B. If I am there, and its too tight, I'm not gonna give up a spot and I've never had a guide ask me to. They don't "own" the spot and neither do I.

The only exception to this was when I hired Lance Sasser for a day. My father-in-law, God rest his soul, wanted to striper fish and I had not been on the water in a few months. I wanted to make sure he got a quality experience and I was afraid to take a chance on blanking like I normally would. Anyway, Lance took us to a spot I would have NEVER dreamed of for that time of year and my now deceased F-I-L proceeded to have a ball. I figured it might be his last trip and it turned out that it was. The next day we went out on my boat and I went to a totally different spot because I didn't think it was right to go to the spot Lance was fishing since I would not have found it on my own.

[jcb]

Some of you need to wake up and see it isn't a bed of roses these guys have. I didn't even mention the time spent away from some of their familys for weeks and months at a time (priceless)

Yeah, but they chose their line of work, and they knew what they were getting into. And I'm sure many of them walked away from rock-steady, well paying jobs to do it.

[dc chopper]

Hey, if some one ferley's ( don Knotts from 3's company) my spot expect me to whine, esp if they were following the day before.

[bullmerc]

That is the life they have chosen. The same goes in any profession. If the company you work for is loosing money you will loose your job. I don't see anyone crying about the working 9-5 Joe not being able to feed his family after getting fired from his job because of an economic downturn or outsourcing.

I fish for pleasure and turn all my fish back and the spots I know holds fish were acquired through many hours on the water. If a "pro" stumbles upon one of my spots I don't ask them to leave. I simply go to another spot even though I am assured that I spent more man hours finding the spot than the "pro" who most likely found the spot via a phone call.

I normally get to fish about 4 weeks out of a year, the "pro" fishes around 300 days a year. If I am on one of my spots catching fish in the very limited time I have to enjoy my favorite passtime why should I give up my spot to the "pro"????????? Afterall my time is just as valuable to me as his is to him. Let him spend a few man hours finding another spot the way I did to find this spot.

[Fast]

So what are you saying?....We should shut the lake down the week they are here and just let those folks fish and no one else? How about the next week in June this year after the Elite Series is here we have the FLW Tour...guess we should shut the lake down for two weeks....wait...we have the National Deaf Tournament here the following week so that makes 3 weeks in June we need to shut it down....I could keep going but the point is taken. I am not going to file for unemployment just so these guys can have the lake to fish by themselves. They can come fish here and act like professionals. We need to act like good hosts also. A little bit of the golden rule will go a long way on both sides here.

Dave,
I have been waiting since last Thursday to reply.. no computer at the lake.. I have two issues with your comments. First is that at NO TIME did I say or hint that we should shut the lake down and hand it over to the pros.. including you! What I said was basically if someone needs a spot and they make a living fishing, I would let them have it. YOU of all people should understand and respect that. Do NOT put words in my mouth. If your going to try to make me look like an idiot, get what I say correct.
Which leads me to my second issue.. Maybe I mis-read your blog about not slamming people and YOU would not tolerate it. Is slamming trying to down someone for their comments? If so, you better moderate yourself instead of threatening us what you will do if you catch us doing it. Give yourself a warning. I have no problem if someone strongly disagrees with my opinion but, do as I say, not as I do does not work! If you are offended by my words, feel free to give me a warning or delete me! Ed

[jcb]

Dave,
Maybe I mis-read your blog about not slamming people and YOU would not tolerate it. Is slamming trying to down someone for their comments? If so, you better moderate yourself instead of threatening us what you will do if you catch us doing it. Give yourself a warning. I have no problem if someone strongly disagrees with my opinion but, do as I say, not as I do does not work! If you are offended by my words, feel free to give me a warning or delete me! Ed

Wow, overreact much?