Opinions on what makes a good fishing club

[Astrobass]

Boy there are some strange opinions on this post. If a club has low entry and low prize why fish? Why not just join a 10 boat club that charges $10 per tournament and pays 10 places? If you won a tournament or even finished second wouldn't it be nice to win enough to at least pay your gas money? If you don't have the money just go fishing for fun where there is no entry fee.

Now you are dragging it out too far. 3 place payouts are the norm. If you are fishing to make money, then I wish you all the best and maybe you should start on the PAA tour. Membership fee is $500/yr and entry fee is $3500 a tournament. Big payout right? Have fun.

If you don't have the money just go fishing for fun where there is no entry fee. Or if someone chooses to fish by himself let's let him pay half an entry fee. What? If any of you'all fish a club with at least 20 boats and you will let me fish for half price I want to know about it, what a deal.

You are more than welcome to fish with us. Just be a member of state and national Federation Nation. Maybe we are wrong in doing so, but I here no complaints at our tourneys. I've only seen a solo fisherman win 2 times in around 25 tournaments.

Or how about this one, switch from front to back. Let's figure this out. A person owns a boat, makes the payments on the boat, maintains the boat to make sure it runs well, puts oil in the boat, charges the batteries, cleans and waxes the boat and then is required to let someone else fish in front. Great deal there! This attitude of entitlement is one of the reasons I will never fish a draw club anymore. The second reason is if you show your partner a really hot place the next tournament he will be sitting on that place. If you try to teach a pig how to dance you will only frustrate yourself and annoy the pig. In a team club tournament my partner is more than welcome to fish in the front and if it is his spot or fish he has found I may insist on it. But that is a privilege not a right. We work torgether.

I agree. In team tournament format (not draw) it is nice to be able to switch front to back to give the guy up front a break, especially if it is a windy day on the lake. But that is the choice of the boat owner, not the right of the non-boater. I also don't like a draw tournament, because, let's say a 5 lb'er throws the hook right at the boat and you miss with the net. The person that had the fish on is going to be disgusted in the net man and the net man is gonna feel awful. This is bad enough if they are partners throughout the year, much less for 2 people that don't even know each other.

Why membership fees? Scales are not the only expenses a club has. And what's left over from membership can be put into the classic pot. There are many great clubs out there find one and fish it.

Agreed.

[offdtop]

Boy there are some strange opinions on this post. If a club has low entry and low prize why fish? Why not just join a 10 boat club that charges $10 per tournament and pays 10 places? If you won a tournament or even finished second wouldn't it be nice to win enough to at least pay your gas money? If you don't have the money just go fishing for fun where there is no entry fee. Or if someone chooses to fish by himself let's let him pay half an entry fee. What? If any of you'all fish a club with at least 20 boats and you will let me fish for half price I want to know about it, what a deal. Or how about this one, switch from front to back. Let's figure this out. A person owns a boat, makes the payments on the boat, maintains the boat to make sure it runs well, puts oil in the boat, charges the batteries, cleans and waxes the boat and then is required to let someone else fish in front. Great deal there! This attitude of entitlement is one of the reasons I will never fish a draw club anymore. The second reason is if you show your partner a really hot place the next tournament he will be sitting on that place. If you try to teach a pig how to dance you will only frustrate yourself and annoy the pig. In a team club tournament my partner is more than welcome to fish in the front and if it is his spot or fish he has found I may insist on it. But that is a privilege not a right. We work together. Why membership fees? Scales are not the only expenses a club has. And what's left over from membership can be put into the classic pot. There are many great clubs out there find one and fish it.

The question is "Opinions on what makes a good bass club", you didn't express any of that. Guys are giving their opinion on what they feel would make a good club, not the opposite. I mean really what would make a fair/reasonable membership fee(if any according to some)? Whats a good entry fee? Payout? The "rules" how do you keep them simple? How many boats make a good tourney in relation to competition..... get the idea? Not questions others opinions but actually try to compromise on thoughts and keep it simple yet fun.

I found this club and their rules are listed: http://bassclub.rushcreek.net/
I especially like the very last rule....lol!

[4given]

Everything I said was an opinion with my tounge planted firmly in my cheek. That was my point some of these opinions are downright impossible. I helped start a club in 1975 and have been a board member every year until last year. That club is still in operation today. We started with 9 boats and some years have up to 50, so something must be being done correctly. If we had used some of these opinions we wouldn't have lasted a year. Here's what it takes to make a good club. The rules that are made are kept, no exceptions. The rules are for everyone, no favorites. Have fun. Here are some clubs that are well run. Green River, Bluegrass, Iroquois, Allen County, Grayson County, Barren County, Building Trades, the Tue. night and Friday night opens at Rough and Nolin are run efficiently and Jim does a good job at T-ville on Fri night and the Mon. mornings at T-ville and Ranger Bob's Sat. morning are well done. All of these are sucessful and run correctly. And most of them will tell you the last thing they need are more opinions. They need people who are willing to work, not talk.

[bassman_ky]

Memberships fees around $20 a person, entry fee $70 a boat(buddy tournament) . Simple rules must be in the boat to land fish, no more than one rod per person at a time, artificially bait only, size limit according to lake limits, all decisions made by tourney director are final. Just make sure what you do for one you do for all. Don't just bump some of the fish, if you bump one bump them all even if your 100% sure it'll go. That just looks better across the board. 20+ boats keeps things pretty interesting because out of that many boats you know someone's is catching em. This is my .02.

[bassman_ky]

One thing I forgot to mention. Always do livewell checks. Even if you are 100% sure nobody is cheating.

[sweetwater]

4given said "If a club has low entry and low prize why fish?" I would think to have fun maybe? If someone can afford a $50000 boat, a $40000 truck to pull it with, an assortment of $200 rod & reels, a box full of $4 to $15 crankbaits and $3.60 gasoline to put in the truck and boat then it's going to take more than a few bucks from a tournament to pay for this. My hubby and I roughly fit into a few of the above categories and we catch fishevery trip. My hubby is a Campbellsville native and I hale from central Alabama. As a team we have seen it all when it come to fishing and could, without a doubt, be competitive in every tournament on Green but we chose not to fish them because neither of us needs any recognition or justification to know we are a descent fishing team. No one even much more than knows we fish unless they see us pulling the Skeeter around. A club such as artcarney_agr spoke of would be wonderful, not for the recognition or any money but solely for the fellowship of true sportsman. Take the money and ego trips out of the equation and the only ones left would be the true sportsman.

[4given]

That was my point sweetwater, if you can't make enough to pay for the gas why have an entry fee? Fish for free. Or better yet don't fish a club just go fish. You are not going to make enough money to pay for your boat or truck, with a few exceptions. But why would anyone within the confines of a club fish a club if there is not even a chance to pay for your trip. I don't understand that thinking. If you are going to fish a club and for sure lose money every time, don't tournament fish just go fishing. Let me give you an example. We have a man and his wife fish with the club I mentioned above. This is their second year with us and they are wonderful people. They also look like they are flush, new boat, nice tow vehicle etc. I don't think they need the money. They finished 4th last month, winning money for the first time. You should have seen the smile when her name was called to collect their money. It may have been the applause that caused her to smile, you will be congratulated if you win money in this club. Or it could have been she was relieved to know their trip was paid for and they fished free that night. They didn't need the money but they were glad to have it. Are you saying by your last line that true sportsman don't have egos and don't fish for money?

[roughscott]

Just keep it simple . The best tournements are just locals !!!!!!

[artcarney_agr]

4given said "If a club has low entry and low prize why fish?" I would think to have fun maybe?

Exactly...to have fun. That's what fishing is all about, isn't it?

I fish with a group of guys about every other week - kind of like an "unofficial" club. No membership fees, or meetings, or any of that. We meet up at the ramp at a set time, do a $20 per boat entry fee, and winner take all. No club expenses. No politics. No mad people.
Just good fun and a chance to win your gas money back and then some.

[sweetwater]

That was my point sweetwater, if you can't make enough to pay for the gas why have an entry fee? Fish for free. Or better yet don't fish a club just go fish. You are not going to make enough money to pay for your boat or truck, with a few exceptions. But why would anyone within the confines of a club fish a club if there is not even a chance to pay for your trip. I don't understand that thinking. If you are going to fish a club and for sure lose money every time, don't tournament fish just go fishing. Let me give you an example. We have a man and his wife fish with the club I mentioned above. This is their second year with us and they are wonderful people. They also look like they are flush, new boat, nice tow vehicle etc. I don't think they need the money. They finished 4th last month, winning money for the first time. You should have seen the smile when her name was called to collect their money. It may have been the applause that caused her to smile, you will be congratulated if you win money in this club. Or it could have been she was relieved to know their trip was paid for and they fished free that night. They didn't need the money but they were glad to have it. Are you saying by your last line that true sportsman don't have egos and don't fish for money?

4given ask: Are you saying by your last line that true sportsman don't have egos and don't fish for money? No, everyone has an ego to a point. I meant that real sportsman don't get an ego trip by winning and they don't fish solely for financial gain and/or recognition. If they do fish a tourney they will fish with honor and dignity toward their fellow competitors as well as the natural resources which belongs to us all. No live well checks or polygraph test necessary. As a matter of fact there are tournaments in my home state of Alabama in which the anglers will weigh the fish themselves and immediately release them. Their allowed limits of fish are tallied and a winner is named. Try that with group of KVD wannabes and see what happens.

[offdtop]

You know I agree (partially):

"they don't fish solely for financial gain and/or recognition. If they do fish a tourney they will fish with honor and dignity toward their fellow competitors as well as the natural resources which belongs to us all".

But I have to say that I disagree with the recognition portion only because a "real sportsman" as it pertains to a fishing club, loves the idea of competition against his fellow peers and in small clubs as well as larger ones they win the angler(s) of the year to show they accomplished something for an entire year/season. Ego's aside I have won such things and to try to win it was a daunting task because I was up against some serious competition, I was proud of myself and my partner we tried hard - very hard, yet we didn't sacrifice sportsmanship or morals to acomplish we did it by hard work and I enjoyed the recognition my peers shown me for they felt I earned it fair and square. So I don't believe we in small clubs intend to do it for the recognition but when it is earned through hard work and time on the water and your peers that you look up to call you the best that year then so be it.

Livewell checks will happen and should happen because our nature tends to question one 20lb sack for first and 4 pounds for second etc. By performing these simple checks it eliminates the question from a sore loser about how "that guy said he wacked 'em yesterday - I wonder......" Livewell checks hurt nothing. Polygraphs - I really don't think a small club that I know of does it because we are fishing for little money. Please remember I asked the initial question "What makes a good fishing club", not should there even any clubs or I don't like clubs. I also am not asking for what FLW, BFL, BASS, PAA and the list goes on from there does, but to establish what you like about certain clubs that if you started your own or wanted to join one what would you look for? Our club votes members in to keep the KVD wannabe's out, we don't want guys who fish just for the money, nor the boasting type that act like they are the next big thing in bass fishing - and that is one thing in my opinion makes for a good club.............

[LMBC_WeighMaster]

I know I am biased because I am VP/weigh master of our club. But...

What I like about our club is the season is 10 tournaments + a tournament of champions if you qualify. Entry per person is $30/tournament that is 100% paid out over the year.

Our only issue has been the cost of FLW/KBF membership to have supporting insurance coverage. Next year we are thinking of dropping this in place of a waiver signed by everyone. That cut initial club fees by at least 50%.

Pluses to the club include 7 draw tournaments with parings set a few days to a week ahead, 2 pick-a-partner tournaments and the addition of a "team" tournament this year.

With the low entries and relative small size of winnings cheating has never been a concern. We are all friends fishing for fun and bragging rights.

Biggest advantage to me is I don't own a boat and still get to fish area lakes at least once a month. I also get to learn about different styles and techniques with the draw format. This has made for a great learning environment. The only additional costs for coanglers is splitting the cost of gas to get to the lake and while on the water. Fairly economical, all things considered.