PWT on the St Croix

Signed up for the Pro-Am today. I’m the 8th alternate but was told I have a good chance to fish. Reading over the rules it says to help out by helping to pay the pro for gas used. Not that big of deal but how much? Also I can’t share my fishing knowledge of the Croix with the Pro. So do I just do what I’m told and keep quiet? There must be some staff members that fish this or some members that fished as a amateur in other tournaments. Whats it like? Any do’s and don’ts.

Interesting question on gas…a lot of talk about this has been on http://www.fishwrench.com and http://www.excelbass.com. The going rate for Ams seems to be around $20-$30 with some paying as much as $40. Some pay based on how the pro treated them – almost viewed as a tip more than gas money. Some of the pros said they always want to be offered money, but some may refuse it because they’d be fishing the tourney with or without the am.

I guess the next time I fish as an Am I’m going with $30. I need to be considerate of the time the pro put into pre-fishing; not just the time spent on the water with me. I used to pay $20, but that was when gas was only $2.29 per gallon. Yikes!

Budget in $40 – $60 bucks a day for gas. Give it to your pro right away in the morning as you meet up. Breaks the ice and sets a good tone for the day. Your pro will have a plan and should explain it to you. Work as hard as you can to follow it. Even if you think it’s crazy or totally different from the day before. Play by the game rules and it will all work out. Good Luck.

-J.

I dont think you can share info and a Pro should have his game plan already anyway.When you meet the Pro you will be fishing with he should go over things with you beforehand.I would chip in on gas anyway as I know how much it costs to run these boats And that doesnt even factor in maintenence,insurance etc. and the cost of the boat and equiptment etc.However I would wait till the end of the day and look at the overall expierience and how much running was done.$30 to $60 should be sufficient and I guess it depends how much money you can afford.I dont fish the big leagues but the way I see it you have basically 2 types of people fishing them.You have some guys that can easily afford to play and you have guys that are just getting by and hoping to win.The guys just getting by will really appreiciate the money and the other guys wont care much either way.For the price of the Amature entry fee it is a pretty cheap 3 days of fishing anyway.Have fun

I give $50 a day. Give what ever you can and feel is right. $25 a day seems a little low with the cost of gas today. I also dont let them turn it down. Leaving it in the concell of the truck or glove box of the boat works. Just tell them as you are leave you left them some money to cover expenses.

Think of it as a really cheap “Guide” trip! Give’em at least $50.00 for a day of fishing and learning some new techniques!

I agree there are two kinds of people you will fish with. One will be the one that helps you, the one that teaches you, the one that understands you paid to get in also, the one that gave you a great expierence.He will be the true Pro. You would tip him accordingly.I would bring as much as you could afford. Would $75 be to much? Not if you had a great time and would be talking about it 5 years later!

Then there is the guy who THINKS he knows it all, doesn’t share anything of the plan, thinks he DESERVES everything, views you as a nessasary evil. The one who makes you wish you had stayed home that day with your wife. He is the wannabe. Besides tipping him accordingly (you still should give him $25 IMHO), let everyone at the weigh-in know what a stroke he was and why he got the tip he got.

You are going to do what many people envy. Have a great time, there are alot of really great who people that will help you. Just don’t think just because you are entered as a AM that you will automaticlly draw a PRO. REMEBER, ALL IT TAKES TO BE A PRO IN THESE THINGS IS MONEY. Ability and personality are not a requirement.

PM SENT

Been on both sides of the boat so can offer some opinions here.

Partners for the day –
Think of it as a team for a day where the boater is the captain. Give them the respect they deserve for taking the risk to fish on the boater side and in turn they should also treat you as a fishing peer. It’s in both of your best interest to help each other to have the best day fishing as possible and each of you have the combined goal of bringing to the scales the most weight for the day. 99%+ of the guys you meet will be excellent and you will really enjoy your day but as with life there are always circumstances around a less than ideal experience. Have an open mind and ask how your boater would like you to help for the day and your experience for the day should exceed your expectations.

Gas money –
It is not required but is encouraged as stated above. Most boaters are struggling to make ends meet in the world of professional walleye fishing where payout are reducing and the costs are increasing. This is money to cover the ‘teams’ expenses for the day – gas, tackle, bait, depreciation etc. Yes as a non-boater you paid an entry fee to fish but remember so did your boater. As someone said above with cost of fuel for both the boat and tow vehicle $40 only buys 10 gallons of fuel – at 2.5 miles per gallon in the boat at WOT that’s only 30 miles. I have received ‘thank-you’ money ranging from $0 -$150 for non-boater for their day’s experience. Use your judgement to determine your appreciation for the experience.

Sharing your knowledge-
In my boat I respect the fact that you fish (little or alot) but I am not looking for any information related to the body of water we are fishing on. A boater will have prepaired (practiced) for multiple days at their own expense to formulate the best game plan based on practice and will adjust as required. Respecting this and not sharing any information is how a non-boater keeps their level of professionalism.

Bottom line is be prepared to learn more about a sport you love and hopefully some tactics that you can apply to your home waters. Enjoy the experience as lots of folks would love to trade places with you.

Let me know if you have any further questions,

ted

Sounds like this is setting you up to either enjoy the day or have a bad one. If it were me, I’d chose to have three good days and don’t let anyone dictate how that happens.

Come up with an amount you’re going to give each guy, same amount each day regardless of experience. Professional. Then go out and have three good days of fishing, some you’ll enjoy more than others.

Don’t spend you’re whole day worrying about how much you’re going to tip and if this pro was better than the first. Some will be better than others, but so what!

Have fun, I’m jealous I didn’t get in. Really wanted to just didn’t pull the trigger.

Eric