FLW Weigh-in

So today my wife and I bundled the kids up and headed to Red Wing for our first ever live weigh-in. Great time had by all despite the bad weather BUT one thing really put us off. It seemed like a lot of the guys were very reluctant to share what they do to catch fish? They are supposed to be the ambassadors of our sport. Promoting their sponsors by telling us how to catch fish using their products. They grow our sport by telling and showing others how to be successful more often. It might be awhile before we stand in the rain in 45 deg weather for the FLW again.

To bad to hear that RR. I have really never been impressed with all but a handful of the “pros” and their lack of personality. It sucks to hear that continues to be the case.

With that being said I would like to say Brett King is a stand up guy and easily approachable IMO. So at least a bad attitude isn’t pervasive in the entire “pro” industry.

Couldn’t agree more, many of the guys are very approachable. And this is not a personal attack on any of the guys. I just don’t understand why the information is so guarded as they ride out of town to Port Clinton. What value are they as pro’s to a sponsor if they don’t share how to be successful with their products? One guy was so vein he shared that he was fishing with a “Rapala” oh thanks pal there are only a 1000 to chose from!

they may be holding back some if they have buddies fishing the MTT tomorrow. there were a hand full of FLW guys that entered the MTT today and there may be more tomorrow. i do think that in any other case that they should be giving out a little info but never too much……. dont want to make it to easy for everybody. i do believe if you watch the live weigh ins from the whole tourny and you put all the little tidbits of info given out together you can get a pretty darn good report though.

I think they need to bring Mark Zona in to break down the winning pattern..
The BASS elites really do a good job with showing off the winning pattern, and also what others in the top 10 were doing.
And for pretty much any big bass fishing event you can go on the tackle warehouse message board and get a break down on what the winning pattern and gear was.

Quote:

---

So today my wife and I bundled the kids up and headed to Red Wing for our first ever live weigh-in. Great time had by all despite the bad weather BUT one thing really put us off. It seemed like a lot of the guys were very reluctant to share what they do to catch fish? They are supposed to be the ambassadors of our sport. Promoting their sponsors by telling us how to catch fish using their products. They grow our sport by telling and showing others how to be successful more often. It might be awhile before we stand in the rain in 45 deg weather for the FLW again.

---

Just being a devils advocate (and pioneer of walleye tournaments)–I ask you–why would any of the guys who did well tell their potential future competition how to beat them the next event in that location? Would it be smart for an NFL coach to send the opposition his playbook? Or the pit crew of a NASCAR team to send the engine parts/car plans lists etc. to the other pit crews?

It’s a whole other subject, but this is an example of how the business model of the sport is wrong and has been from the start. The anglers shouldn’t be forced to give away game plans as their sole way of the industry paying them. (and no, I won’t get into that debate here)

Anyway–just food for thought from a pioneer of the sport.

That all said, THANKS for your interest in the sport! Feel free to call me and many of the other guys (still fishing or not).

I think a lot of it has to do with the MTT going on. I have watched many live weigh-ins and they usually say a little more on the final day. But I dont watch and expect to hear exactly what they were using for a set up. Like Steve said these tournaments make their rounds to locations and if you give away all your tricks it will be harder to win.

Steve, I see your point. On a lake that may be a logical point. Down here on pool 4 I would say that is an illogical point. The fish on pool 4 most likely won’t be caught in the same place and in the same fashion next week let alone next year. If there is one thing I have learned down here over the last 4 years is that consistency is subtle at best.

Quote:

---

Steve, I see your point. On a lake that may be a logical point. Down here on pool 4 I would say that is an illogical point. The fish on pool 4 most likely won’t be caught in the same place and in the same fashion next week let alone next year. If there is one thing I have learned down here over the last 4 years is that consistency is subtle at best.

---

Again, devils advocate if I am a pro angler fishing future river events in this location, I will record present flow rates, time of year, water temps, water levels, water clarity and the like…and then, if ever I am in that location with the same or similar conditions–even years later, and I have the winning info in hand as well, I will take money easier from past winners than without the present day winning pattern info. Most good pro anglers( nor business owners to their competition) are not willing to hand anyone that advantage–if they are smart!

Just sayin’. LOL

I hope to see you and your family at future events. And hope it is a better experience for you and yours. Feel free to call anytime…

Were the wife and kids as disappointed as you ? I don’t think the weigh-ins are for the winners to disclose their techniques and areas… any tourney fisherman I have ever asked, if they actually gave me an answer, they were lying A sponsor expects you to use the products and SHOW they work.

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

So today my wife and I bundled the kids up and headed to Red Wing for our first ever live weigh-in. Great time had by all despite the bad weather BUT one thing really put us off. It seemed like a lot of the guys were very reluctant to share what they do to catch fish? They are supposed to be the ambassadors of our sport. Promoting their sponsors by telling us how to catch fish using their products. They grow our sport by telling and showing others how to be successful more often. It might be awhile before we stand in the rain in 45 deg weather for the FLW again.

---

Just being a devils advocate (and pioneer of walleye tournaments)–I ask you–why would any of the guys who did well tell their potential future competition how to beat them the next event in that location? Would it be smart for an NFL coach to send the opposition his playbook? Or the pit crew of a NASCAR team to send the engine parts/car plans lists etc. to the other pit crews?

It’s a whole other subject, but this is an example of how the business model of the sport is wrong and has been from the start. The anglers shouldn’t be forced to give away game plans as their sole way of the industry paying them. (and no, I won’t get into that debate here)

Anyway–just food for thought from a pioneer of the sport.

That all said, THANKS for your interest in the sport! Feel free to call me and many of the other guys (still fishing or not).

---

Sorry man, but what a pile of baloney!

I understand why you might want to keep your techniques a secret. But what your saying is that keeping these tricks secret is more important than sharing info with the public and representing your sponsors.

Time and time again we hear about how these tournaments are great for advancing fishing techniques. And no one can really argue that they don’t. The problem is, most pro’s are so reluctant to share info that these new techniques take a long time to trickle out to the general public.

Why would the general public support a sport where the pro’s refuse to share info on winning catches?

If the pro’s & the sponsors of these pros & tournaments really want more support from the general public, then give something more back when you walk across that stage at the end of each day.

For me, it’s a complete waste of time to show up and watch a tourney weigh-in. And the only people who can change that, are the pro’s themselves, the sponsors and the people who run the tournament circuit.

Follow these guys on line and when the tour show is on TV and you will see how they are fishing. Think the tournaments are a lot more transparent nowadays than what they used to be. Many of these guys over the year will do on line chats, interviews, ect and talk about what works and didnt. To a certain extent the pros are just like every other fisher person on the water. Its fun to tell and show people what you are doing on the water but at some point if you show to much it will come back to haunt you.

I would disagree with the lack of information given by the pros. i fished in the top 10 as a co-angler and all but 1 of the pros devulged a lot of information. 1 pro in particular i would say gave the others a poor representation. Yes using a rapala was pretty poor information. All the others were pretty detailed. I fished with Brett King the final day and what an unbelieveble guy he is. Great fisherman, i would say he is a true ambassador. he shared the specific technique we used the final day to a T. the area we were fishing many others were in the area, we just happen to get the good ones and i think for many reasons.

Joel,

The harsh reality is, what most don’t realize and understand, is that the anglers do NOT get paid real $$ in most cases, to rep those “sponsors”. The only way they have potential of making real $$ at the sport, is by winning prize money that THEY have supplied. In other words, fancy shirts do NOT pay any of the bills for most of the anglers.

If you understand how the reality of the sport functions from an anglers stand point, you might take a different view of them–the anglers.

Again, being devils advocate, what other sport that you are a fan of, do the players interact in this fashion with the fans? Maybe the business model fails the fanbase when looking at the big picture of pro angling…??

I’d be happy to discuss the industry with you or anyone–from an anglers standpoint via the phone or in person. My weather-beaten typing fingers can’t do it here! LOL

God knows enuf fish were killed…

Seen a lot of boats on the river yesterday just watching the tour boats. In fact I believe that’s how 3/4 of the MTT boats pre-fished.

If I was in a tourney fishing for a $63000 purse I wouldn’t give an edge to my competition at all and for these guys to say the little they did is probably more than they care to share. For a lot of these guys this is their living and by no means do they “have to” share any tips, tricks or techniques. You want to learn how to fish the river ? Get out there and do it or if you want to shorten the learning curve hire a guide.

Or jump in as a Co Angler. Great way to see what these guys are doing. You will get a ton more info than what could be shared in a few minutes on a stage. 2 to 3 days fishing and maybe even a few days prefishing with these guys for a few bucks. What is entry on the co side now. $300? Cheaper than a full day with a guide.

What other sport do you have the opportunity to jump right in a participate with the top players in the game?

As a pioneer of being critical of other people I have to ask, “People really get ticked off when a pro doesn’t share their technique and locations for winning or doing well”? I think they might be going to the weigh-in for the reasons.

I think the pros when divulging should just lie about what they did to appease some people. That would satisfy those going just to get some free info for their trip the next day.

I understand how sponsorship works and know first hand that pro anglers don’t get paid from their sponsor but usually just get discounts on those products.
And I have actually fished as a co-angler on the circuit back in 2003 when it was called the RCL. It is without a doubt, the best way to get up to speed on many great walleye fishing techniques while fishing with some of the best walleye anglers on the face of the earth.

I’m not trying to knock tournaments here at all. But I do think this is a fundamental flaw in the system.

And I’m not trying to lump those who are actually sharing info into the group that refuses to share info on techinques. In no way would I expect any of these guys to tell us “where” they are fishing.

But if the tournament sponsors and tackle companies want to see their big time tournaments be more excepted and attended by the general public, then this is without a doubt, one of the fundamental changes that needs to occur.

Why in gods name would anyone, other than family and friends, want to attend the weigh-in’s if it wasn’t for the ability to glean off some useful information on that body of water?

If tournament anglers were required to share info on what techniques worked during that day of fishing in the tournament, then the playing field would be equal across the board. The anglers who could best put together all the pieces of the puzzle and apply them on that particular day would still rise to the top of the field.

And the general public, would not only have a reason to go to the weigh-in’s but they might also speak more favorably of tournaments and the anglers that fish in them as a whole.

As for pro angler sponsor’s, it’s hard to imagine any of them being upset about a pro who mentions there product as a reason why they caught fish on that particular day.

Last but not least, if the bass circuit guys do it on a regular basis, why is the walleye circuit any different?
Don’t many of the bass circuit guys have the same concerns as the walleye guys?

As for anyone making a living solely on tournament fishing, name one guy that lives entirely on his tournament winnings?

Jesse,

Of the field of 109 or whatever it was and is at this level of competitive walleye angling , less than ten “pro’s” make their living at this sport or even a good percentage of their living.

Now I wish I had not entered into this thread. LOL But the dead fish concern brought up by another poster needs addressing.

The fact is, that most of the walleyes killed in the last 25 years in the midwest or elsewhere, by the general public, have a relationship to tournament fishing/tournament anglers. From equipment being used to presentaion and locations the public uses, most of today’s general public fishing is originated at the guide/pro levels of the sport. So—in fact, walleyes killed, if that is a concern, by the general public, far out weigh what this past weekend event killed. Blame the pro anglers? Or blame the general public for using the pro’s “killing” methods/locations/tested equipment as being more of a negative impact to the fishery?

Mn. DNR stats show that less than 1 percent of the walleye harvest at heavily fished lakes and rivers ( like Lake Mille Lacs and the Miss.) by tournaments, are the direct result of the tournaments themselves. In fact, if it were not for public pressure, the DNR would not be concerned about competitive angling. Indirectly–the answer is obvious? Look in the mirror.

I am done here..LOL Feel free to call me if ya want more debate etc. from me. Thanks…

Quote:

---

God knows enuf fish were killed…

---

You have proof of this? I doubt it.
DT

As far as the gerneral public (which I am a part of) I am quite sure when the filet hits the batter and certainly when it hits the oil, they are dead I attribute alot of dead fish, more specifically “wasted dead” fish on tourneys and slots than I do general public fishing

i was at the tourney and i would say it was a very high release percentage. the flw will post that information if its not already posted. The fish that did not make it go to a local food pantry. Also if you go to the flwoutdoor website a lot of interviews are on there with the pros that share a little more information on technique. and specific types of location, ie: wing dams, current seams, current breaks. i would agree on the co-angler opportunity. That is the main reason i did it. These guys are so good, they are putting pieces of a puzzle together and that is how they find the fish. are the walleyes relating to a certain situation, well – they look for other situations where they can duplicate that situation. and bam now they are onto a pattern. i pre-fished with a pro and found this to be pretty unbelievable how it works. we found fish in a certain depth in the main channel and seen the fish were relating to the woops in the bottom. The pro remembered were a couple other locations he found had the same depth with the woops, we went there and bam game on. it was truly amazing the learning in the last 4 days. probably would’ve taken 20 years to figure out what i learned in the last 4 days.

Quote:

---

I agree with Jesse get out there and fish nothing you do or say will change anything anyway

---

Exactly, just because they are pro’s does not make them have to tell in detail what they did or where they were at. I think people are misconceived by what the pro’s should share.

Joel, any true die hard walleye angler will attend a weigh in just to see who brought what in. I do it all the time. I don’t need to know where or how they caught the fish.

I stand by my statement on this. They didn’t come here and spend a week prefishing and another 3 days fishing so they could tell someone that to lazy to get out on their own and find some fish, where and how to fish. That’s what hiring a guide is for. These guys worked hard to find what they found and they surely ARE NOT obligated to tell anyone where the fish are and how to catch them.

With that being said if you don’t like it don’t go it’s as simple as that.

I go to all the MTT weigh-ins on Mille Lacs… yeah I know alot of the guys, but it’s fun to see the bags come in and have a few too

Jesse, while I do agree with your comments I feel I must point out that “pro” stands for Promotional not Professional. So by that definition yes, as a “pro” they pretty much are required to share how and what they are catching fish on. As per the contract with their sponsors.

At least that is how I understand it. Just had to play devils advocate there.

Quote:

---

I go to all the MTT weigh-ins on Mille Lacs… yeah I know alot of the guys, but it’s fun to see the bags come in

---

When did the MTT become a husband/wife event?….

Quote:

---

I go to all the MTT weigh-ins on Mille Lacs… yeah I know alot of the guys, but it’s fun to see the bags come in and have a few too

---

MTT groupie.
DT

He didn’t say OLD BAGS…
DT

Quote:

---

Jesse, while I do agree with your comments I feel I must point out that “pro” stands for Promotional not Professional. So by that definition yes, as a “pro” they pretty much are required to share how and what they are catching fish on. As per the contract with their sponsors.

At least that is how I understand it. Just had to play devils advocate there.

---

I am well aware of that thus the reason you see them having seminars at sportshows and working weekends in the fishing section at Wal-stores and other sporting goods stores.