Quote Originally Posted by 4given View Post
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.