Handicapping fishing tourneys?

[Enslow]

All ethics go out the window in tourneys. Money and fishing is a bad taco.

 

[Sub_Elect]

I agree with Sweeney. If you can't keep up than stay on the shore. So many people don't fish because they don't think they have enough boat. Sorry, if you really wanted to fish than get a bigger one.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I agree with that to an extent but it's the tools of the trade that help them place. I'd guess 80% or more of the teams in the top ten in a walleye circuit probably wouldn't be in the top 10 if they fished out of a 16 foot lund with a Ted Williams flasher.

But then you gotta think, did they get the boat and gear and THEN start winning tournaments, or did they just gradually move up from the Lund Rebel as their fishing prowess increased?

Chicken or egg...

 

[Davey Crockett]

Don't matter results are still the same,

80% or more of the teams in the top ten in a walleye circuit probably wouldn't be in the top 10 if they fished out of a 16 foot lund with a Ted Williams flasher.
#$%^&>

 

[sweeney]

personally we started running a 16.5 yar-craft with a 115, we would occasionally place in some of the bigger tourney's and won some smaller ones and company type ones, but on 25-35mph wind days we either beat the shit out of everything including ourselves or we limited fishing to backup and lower wind spots. Finally started to make grown up money and bought a used 18ft skeeter with a 175 first trip out in it put a crack in the hull like the crack in the liberty bell running in big waves. Got rid of that and got a 1785 yarcraft moved everything from the skeeter to that and fished it for 2.5 tourney seasons, I was always fixing stuff and the boat was just to short to handle big waves travel time was crappy on wind days going 7mph up and down the big waves. Then in 08 I said screw it if I want to fish these tournaments hard and feel like I am giving myself the best chance to win I'm buying a new boat. So I took a 6 or 7 year loan out on the skeeter I have now. Honestly best decision I made I don't worry about wiring problems, or other gremlins that come with buying a used boat, I take pretty good care of it other than not cleaning or tarping it enough and it has never let me down, granted I haven't won any of the big tourneys but I have cashed a few big checks at the big check bank, and made a little bit of dough to usually pay for gas and camping beer and bait. My tourney finishes have gotten a little better with the bigger boat, but I mostly think that not having boat issues and being able to go where I want when I want a lot more is the big reason.

 

[3Roosters]

I agree with Sweeney. If you can't keep up than stay on the shore. So many people don't fish because they don't think they have enough boat. Sorry, if you really wanted to fish than get a bigger one.

sorry Sub but that just doesn't make sense and I don't see your logic. The issue isn't that someone doesn't think they have enough boat. Also..how is staying on shore helping gain entrants...and thus entry fees to pay out winners??? If I was a tourney fisherman and payouts were based on number of entrants I would want and welcome more numbers. Or to just go buy a bigger one??? really?
My only point is ...on SOME bodies of water, big rigs POSSIBLY get to FISH longer and just throwing out it there for discussion. It stands to reason that over time, someone who is fishing 7 hours a day catch more fish than someone fishing 6 hrs a day...for me personally, I could get outfished by someone fishing 3 hours to my 8 hrs! I am just stating for discussion purposes.
But to each his own opinion.

 

[Dubbs]

I believe it was last year's either chamber or casino tourney was won by 2 young guys in a ~16' tiller boat w/40-50hp motor. They were able to float over 281 when the big boats couldn't and they got the big fish they needed to win.

It was the Kaderlik's, and if you check the results from this years one day brawl, they finished in second. They had a 16 foot flat bottom with a 40/50 horse, they used a big Coleman cooler as their live-well and to get across 281 they had to drain the cooler to float across.

 

[sweeney]

like most if someone would give me a 20-21 footer with a 350 to 400 I would run that instead.

 

[DirtyMike]

After a rough day on the water with wags, I told my wife that we needed a bigger boat with a windshield. Well, I'm happy to say that I'll be fishing out of my tiller for a couple more years.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Sooo..me and couple buddies were in the man cave drinking some tasty beverages recently. Solving all earthly problems- politics, dog tail docking, rocks on section lines, boat landing do's and don't's, yadda yadda yadda. We were pretty much solving everything as we had plenty of beverages in the fridge to thoroughly discuss each topic.
Anywayyyy..fishing tournaments came up...and the prospect of handicapping them. Heck..we handicap everything else..golf, horse racing, etc. So we can up with this utterly brilliant idea haha to handicap fishing tourneys to possibly to get more entrants, especially those with smaller rigs, and it would work like this...stay with me here. haha
For this example lets choose Devils Lake as the tourney..
Entrants with say..150HP motors and above would receive Zero additions to their bag limit weight at the end of each day.
Those running 125hp-149hp main motor rigs would earn an xtra 1/2 pound to their weight at the end of each day.
Those running 100-124 hp rigs would earn an xtra 3/4 pound to their weight at the end of each day.
Those running rigs under 100 would earn the maximum 1lb to their weight at the end of each day.
As the fridge was emptying we concluded this brilliant haha idea may generate more entrants that don't have speed merchant vessels yet want to compete. Of course playing my own devils advocate says..hey..if you want to get in a tourney..abide by the rules no matter what boat/motor you use.
Thoughts? Disclaimer... my rig would earn weight at the end of each day...hahhaa
Thanks for reading! Good fishing!

Well this idea is going over about as good as a screen door on a submarine but I still like it.

 

[Sub_Elect]

sorry Sub but that just doesn't make sense and I don't see your logic. The issue isn't that someone doesn't think they have enough boat. Also..how is staying on shore helping gain entrants...and thus entry fees to pay out winners??? If I was a tourney fisherman and payouts were based on number of entrants I would want and welcome more numbers. Or to just go buy a bigger one??? really?
My only point is ...on SOME bodies of water, big rigs POSSIBLY get to FISH longer and just throwing out it there for discussion. It stands to reason that over time, someone who is fishing 7 hours a day catch more fish than someone fishing 6 hrs a day...for me personally, I could get outfished by someone fishing 3 hours to my 8 hrs! I am just stating for discussion purposes.
But to each his own opinion.

If you want to increase entry fee money and you think that the reason people don't enter is because their boat isn't big enough with enough horse power than you need to ask yourself, If people aren't entering tournaments because they don't have a big enough boat is it because they aren't serious enough to justify a big boat, or would they fish if the competition didn't have better equipment than them?

 

[Callem'In]

I was on Devils on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was very limited to where I felt comfortable going in my 16.5 Ft Alumacraft. Sunday morning was nice when I left Grahms until the Big Flashy Glass boats from the AIM tournament passed me like I was sitting still (doing 30mph) and their wakes made the ride to Pelican very interesting. In most tournaments, small boats have no place being in it....

- - - Updated - - -

On a side note, We caught decent fish on Sunday that would have placed us in the top 10.

 

[k9guy82]

I think the AIM tournaments kind of level the playing field with their format. All fish have a predetermined weight that coincides with their length. I feel that might encourage more people to participate with a smaller rig.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I think the AIM tournaments kind of level the playing field with their format. All fish have a predetermined weight that coincides with their length. I feel that might encourage more people to participate with a smaller rig.

With boat length ?

 

[3Roosters]

If you want to increase entry fee money and you think that the reason people don't enter is because their boat isn't big enough with enough horse power than you need to ask yourself, If people aren't entering tournaments because they don't have a big enough boat is it because they aren't serious enough to justify a big boat, or would they fish if the competition didn't have better equipment than them?

okkkkkk let me try this one more time...may have to open the man cave up early for a busch light. Some people can not afford bigger boats and/or perfectly fine with what they have. I guess I wasn't slamming the big rigs equipment, my entire point of starting the thread in the first place is....doesn't it make sense to handicap it somewhat..if possible and it doesn't sound like it is. Might even be a win win situation..imagine that!!! More contestants and bigger prize money. Have a equalizer of sorts..where the guy that gets to the spot 20 minutes after the big guns and has to leave 20 minutes sooner than the big guns...thus at least 40 minutes LESS FISHING Time.
Just saying go buy a bigger boat is not the answer my friend. That type of answer would come from a rig with a 350 pooh poohing a guy with a 90 hp getting an extra pound at weigh in, even though the 350 boat got 40 minutes more fishing...in this example of course..
Let's look at golf for example. You are flighted by handicap..which is wrought with honestly issues but that is another matter..
Or league golf..you have a 6 handicap..I have an 8..which means you are better..to even the playing field you would need to give me 2 golf strokes. Makes it for a more competitive and hopefully fun round. Without it..well you would win everytime as you have a lower handicap and thus are a better golfer. Just saying go buy better equipment is not a good answer.
Anywayyyyyyyyyyyy.. at the end of the day I think just because a person is able to FISH 1 hour more than another guy is not a true test of a good fisherman IMHO.
Man cave opens in an hour! haha

 

[Sub_Elect]

If your man cave was in Hettinger I would be there. Maybe another time.

 

[sweeney]

well I think your plan makes no sense, to be honest most the big tourneys, if not all fill early, so you wouldn't really be upping the entries any. they have a set amount of teams they take, take the governors cup 2xx teams and it was full months ago. If the fishing is good tourney's fill because everyone is catching fish and thus think they have a chance to win some money. When fishing sucks you see very few of the guys who are the weekend warrior fishing these tourneys. The Governors cup was letting people enter days before the tourney a few years back they were having such a hard time filling it, not because guys have small boats but because fishing was tough. Everyone is an awesome fisherman and fish big money tournaments..... when the fish are biting.

The AIM not filling up I think is due to some thinking the system is even more susceptible to cheating or the fact that most guys already scheduled out their tourney's for the year by the time AIM set it's schedule. I think next year if AIM sticks around ND they will have full tournaments now that the word is out.

 

[Davey Crockett]

How many would fish a tournament if the entry fee was $ 750 so the payout was bigger ?

 

[sweeney]

They used to have tourney's like that I think it was 1000 bucks entry fee, the tourneys dropped off or the entry was lowered. If there was a 1000 entry tourney that was 100% payback with some added money I bet you would get 30-50 boats now days depending on where it was located.

 

[johnr]

I was thinking this thread was about retards and cripples...turns out I was right...:::