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

[creeker]

Here's the way I see it... If you were up in a deer stand on public land and one of the Drury brothers or Latocki's showed up with with a camera crew and told you that you were in their spot, would you move? What if it was Joe Sixpack who came along? What if it was me?

A second way to look at it is if you go to work tomorrow and someone is parked in "your" spot--not because the spot was assigned to you, only because you always park there--would you expect the guy to move? What if the situation was reversed and there was a spot right up front, but so and so normally parks there, would you park in the back of the lot because of it?

Now, I got to thinking about the whole "interfering with a guys living" aspect. I don't follow tournament fishermen, but I looked up this Aaron Martin fellow. I found out that he's sponsored by the following: Megabass, Roboworm, Gamakatsu, Sun Line, (BSX) Biosonix, Tru-Tungsten, Aaron Martens Lures, Vault Energy Drink, and Ford Excursion. While I understand that winning tournys gets you the sponsors, I don't see how this one spot would make or break a fellow that has been fishing as long as he has. Especially, as he says, "All I've really done is fish" (quote taken from http://www.bassfan.com/profile.asp?pro_ID=14). Frankly, I don't find him to be a sympathetic character.

But in the same vein, I will say that if someone essentially "cut in line" to get the spot, that's certainly in poor taste.

[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)

[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.

[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.

[GeoFisher]

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)

AND I Should CARE..........WHY...............