Guys with money VS the guys without!!

i said this in an earlier post!!

I’m not knocking the non boaters at all!! I’m was just saying if ya got a boat good enough to fish a tourney and your out pre-fishing then jump in and fish the boater side!!

I understand the finacial sides of both worlds and i woudn’t and don’t look down on the guy that can’t afford to fish the boater side! Most of the guiys on the non-boater side have more knowledge but not the funds to fish the boater side..then you have some “pinheads” and guys that just have money that are clueless!! i know one guy that lives in camanche iowa that get’s a new boat every year and has ton’s of money..you know what he can’t catch a cold but he fishes all the bfl’s and a lot of BASS events( i think he finaly gave up on BASS)..why does he fish,,,,he’s got money!! give their money to somebody that knows how and has a desire to fish and kick butt in tourneys you’ll see and unstoppable guy!!

I think god gives money to guys that can’t catch fish to make it equal!! you see very few rich fisherman because they don’t have the desire or the hart to win the money..why because they have it already and fish just because they can!!Unless they earned or fished for it i don’t think they understand!!

The reasons I fish:

1. Entertainment
2. “Good, clean fun” with the kids
3. Spend time outdoors
4. Sense of accomplishment when I do it well

Maybe this makes me a loser, but then the only tournament I’ve ever fished was the FTR get-together. I gotta believe that if fishing were about cashing a check, I’d quit.

I am a fishaholic. I need a successful 12 step program… Please send lures.
jc

Good for you Gianni, I don’t think those reasons for fishing will ever make you a loser. Ever. I don’t need to cash a check in a tourney to have a good time. When you break it down, it’s just fishing. Nothing more, nothing less. Too often people lose track of that.

You can add:

relaxation and escapism

to your list for me Gianni.

Okay I’m fishing as a coangler, I’m poor, I love fishing for checks, and although it is an unpopular opinion I feel tourneys are a great gauge of fishing talent. I’ve been on the no talent side enough to recognise talent in others when they tromp me.

But would I still survive without tourneys , well maybe. I actually entered as a coangler because Nate needed someone for guaranteed entries and to spend some boat time with him in practice. Where else can a poor boy from Coon Valley WI get a days fishing trp for $75, what a cheap date. LOL

ISN’T THIS THE BEAUTY OF FISHING. IT CAN BE MANY DIFFERENT THINGS TO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE 6’6″ HULK TO ENJOY IT. YOU DON’T NEED A HARVARD EDUCATION TO ENJOY IT. YOU CAN BE A MAN, WOMAN OR CHILD AND ENJOY IT. I PERSONALLY LOVE THE TOURAMENT SCENE. I LOVE THE COMPETITION. I LIKE THE MONEY, BUT LIKE THE FEELING THAT I WAS THE BEST BASS FISHERMAN FOR THAT DAY. IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I DID WELL, I FORGOT WHAT IT FEELS LIKE. BUT I ALSO LOVE TO SIT ON THE BANK AT NIGHT AND CATFISH. MAYBE SNEEK IN A BEER OR TWO. I HOPE THAT I AM FISHING UNTIL I LOSE MY MIND, WHICH PROBABLY MEANS ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO. TBASS

This makes me ponder the question of………….what were tournaments invented for? Maybe some business guy had a great idea but I’m thinking it started with two guys trying to prove who was the better angler on a particular day. Well, fishing is learning whether you’re in a tourney or not. However, in a competitive environment, where money can be won, you know some of the better anglers are going to be there and it causes an acceleration in your learning curve. Watching, guessing, trying, documenting results……………not to mention it usually adds to that inner hunger that drives people to struggle, struggle, struggle until they’ve achieved the level required to taste success. I’ve been told that getting into tournaments is a great learning tool and I’d have to agree. The pressure forces dedication and decisions. And even the good guys get slammed once in a while……………doesn’t mean they’re dumb or rich………..it just wasn’t their day.

Now, I ask you………….why in the world do you want to rip on people who have money? Money can provide economic freedom and if a person chooses to get into tournaments because it’s fun, does it really pose a problem? The way I see it…………..is…………..if a poor guy wants to get into tournaments but can’t afford it, then DO something about it! “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” comes to mind. If they’re really that good, they’ll start making money, reinvesting, and the rest should be history. But give the money to someone else because they know more? If I applied that logic to everything else, I’d be broke and working for free!!! And just to say it for the sake of saying it, in MOST cases, the people with money know something the people without don’t. The issue isn’t who has or hasn’t money, it’s about knowledge, application, and result. The result will define your lifestyle.

My vote goes to the guys who fish to fish. Almost everyone has a fancier boat than me but it doesn’t take away from my ability to have a good time, catch fish, or relax…………….and if I’m a better fisherman than the guy who just shelled out $30K or more on a new rig, I don’t feel I deserve that boat more than him.

And it’s been my observation that the scarcity of rich fishermen isn’t because God’s leveling the playing field. Most spend their time fishing instead of making money. That’s why they catch more fish and the other guy makes more money. In the end, they both enjoy the same freedom of fishing, but one will do it more luxuriously……….and most likely deserves to do so.

After I cashed a check for the first time. I said I hope I wont expect a check each time and I know there will be months even years of fishing big tournaments that I wont win anything. A young person should be out there to have fun, catch fish and most importantly be learning. but not out there for money each time. But then you get to the Pro fisherman on T.V. With their sponsors and endorcement stuff. Sometimes they may be forced to fish tournaments and mabey they want a break. I doubt it but there might be a pro out there who gets burned out on fishing and gets to the point where he might get sick of it but he is still recieving a lot of money in the process.

I believe there is no better way to spend quality time with ones family then fishing. Seeing that I am one of those guys without I only fish 4 or 5 tournaments a year. Most of these tournaments are fished with my wife or son. My son is only 10 and I get more joy watching him catch fish or carrying a bag of fish up to the weigh in than cashing a check. Just my thoughts I guess.

I think we all have different goals in fishing… as in life… some of us want to prove were the best,or at least a force to be reconned with…. others just want to have fun… some of us seek a bond with family and or nature…. the beauty of fishing is that its one sport that can be enjoyed in many ways… it can satisfy a thirst for competition, it provides challenge and diversity, it can be exciting and fun, it can be relaxing and soul quenching, its a sport with many faces and can be enjoyed by many people in many situations…… I think we all need to explore all that fishing has to offer…. there are some suprising things to be found…. lessons about ones self as well others and the world we live in….

Nothing wrong with that – especially with your kids.

StillaKid’s brief in the free-market economy made me think that I should probably clarify my position on this:

Tournaments are a good thing. Tournaments not only provide the competitors with an environment in which they can joust for top honors, but have revolutionized the way we fish. Were it not for the publicity and notariety offered by orgs like Bassmasters and the FLW, we would all be running 16′ flat-bottoms with vacuum-tube flashers. The mega-horsepower, sleek-hulled, shallow draft bass boats of today were made for the purpose of addressing the tournament market, knowing that us weekend anglers wouldn’t be too far behind. Same thing with electronics, trolling motors, livewell systems, on and on – you name it, and let’s not even get into innovations in artificial baits!

The fact is that right now I don’t have the time or the money… scratch that….

The fact is that tournament fishing is not high enough on my list of priorities right now for me to make the time or spend the money to pursue it to any degree. That’s my bag – and the same goes for many others.

Being a weekend warrior does not make one a loser or a chicken. In my case, for instance, it may just be a reflection of my priorities:

1. Family and God
2. Other Bulls**t

Fishing in general, no matter how much I love it, falls into the second category.

Guys with the huge boat, new truck and with all the fishing equipment a guy ever needs shows how hard they worked for it and give people a chance to set a goal of being like THAT guy. When I watch t.v. or even at tournaments I would love to have that new truck and boat like a lot of guys do, so each day I try in someway to work harder and keep dreaming of that day when I pull in to a Ranger boat company or a Chevrolet dealer. (just examles of brands) and write the check or give them some cash.

Gianni- you are wise beyond your years my friend. I fish for many of the same reasons. I dont choose to do many tournaments because I would rather spend the day teaching my wife and 3 year-old son about the outdoors. I have a nice boat, and make a comfortable living, but It is hard to justify being gone from my son that much right now. Work already keeps me away more than I would like it to, and my free time is precious to him and me. I gave up the crazy game of golf so I could spend more time with him, and it would be hard to justify spending it all on the water. I am very competitive and enjoy fishing tournaments, and one day I hope he enjoys fishing enough to team up with dad to make a run at the “hot dogs”.

BB, sounds much the same with me. My oldest is getting to the point now (9 this summer) where I’ll probably be teaching her how to drive the boat and give her more responsibilities. Spent most of last year getting her to acknowledge that fishing can be just as fun as burning gas running from spot to spot.

By the time she’s twelve, I’m hoping to have her backing the trailer down the ramp – by that time my truck’s worth should probably be down into the range where I can afford to trust her! As for the little one, it’ll be a few years before he’s ready for any tournaments.

With any luck, there’ll be a few summers where I can get into some tournaments in those years where they’re doing their own thing and my boat isn’t full of grandkids.

I’m glad to hear others talk about this. I read the reports and follow the tourneys as best as I can all the while wishing I was there.I always say I going to hit the river hard every weekend but after working all week its just too much to leave the driveway with the kids looking out the window with puppy dog eyes wishin they were going with you. So this weekend when I’m baiting panfish jigs I’ll know I’m not the only one dreaming of throwing a spinnerbait on the river.