Your 1st tournement stories.

[Stephen Reoch]

Hello all.

Things are very very quite arounds here. WHY?

Will here is the subjuct Class.

Tell every one your 1st tournament stories. I know you all have them good are bad.

Stephen.......

[Jeremy]

I'll start this off Stephen,

This was a long time ago (Don't ask I can't remember and don't want too!)Joking ;D

I had entered this tournament and thought we were doing very well. We had 6 two pound Bass in the livewell. When we got to the weigh in site we saw a couple of people holding there fish by the lip to get it weighed in ( Catch and release in its beginning!)anyways it was a little discouraging. We say some really good fish come by us. Anyways I looked at my partner and said we might as well release our fish look at the size of some of the fish? I had just released the second fish when the tournament director went past us and asked me what I was doing? I told him we had nothing over 2lbs so what was the point in weighing in? He asked me if we had had 6 fish I told him yes, but look at the size of some of the fish? The tournament director informed us that the reason they were bringing them the way they were is because that was the only fish they caught
As it turned out we had just released the winning weight

Oh the lessons we learn ;D
God Bless,
Jeremy

[Gary]

Ah yes, the first tournament. Well, mine was a BFL event on the Potomac River at the start of the 2004 season. I was registered for all the BFL and Stren (Everstart) tournaments for that year as a co-angler, and very anxious and excited to get started. I get to the Potomac the morning of the tournament, all excited about my first ever "big-league" tournament (first tournament of any kind for that matter), and meet my boater. He's a nice older gentleman and we get to talking and I'm just in awe at all that is going on. We get launched, get our gear fine tuned and ready to go, and sit back to that wonderful moment of anticipation before take-off. They start calling the boat numbers, I hear the big engines roar to life across the still waters, I'm tense, thrilled, pumped up and ready to roll. Our boat number is called, this is the moment I've been dreaming of since I was a child. We idle past the checkout boat, I hold on tight, I'm ready to get on pad and fly across the water. My boater hits the throttle and all I hear is bwwwaaaaaaaaaaa as the motor grinds, pushes, and works to get us on plane, which it can't do. We're plowing through the water and I look over at my boater and he says, "Oh, she always does this. My motor doesn't run too well." He then looks forward, hunkers down and says half to the boat and half to himself "Come on b***tch." and tries to coax it into moving...which it did not. We ended up staying in pretty much one spot all day because we simply couldn't go anywhere at speed. Talk about a deflating first experience.

The next week I'm at my very first Everstart tournament, this is REAL "big-league" now, up in Wisconsin. I drove a thousand miles to have a decent first day and then to draw a boater on the second day who's engine died and he couldn't go out. Well, the tournament director said he'd do everything he could to get me a partner, but alas, there was no one available and I'm left sitting on the dock, watching rooster tails head off into the sunrise.

My first two tournaments, both of them a bust because of motor troubles. I was wondering if I had made a wise choice, getting involved in this crazy sport. Since then though, it's been hard work, and all kinds of fun that I wouldn't trade for anything...well, almost anything.

Gary

[Stephen Reoch]

Good Day All.
I started it, Now I should post it.

Story #1.
The 1st tounament was a small tournament on the Rideau River. Me in my 14' glass boat power by a 1958 Johnson 9.8 HP motor. Armed with my 2 new baitcaster rods. It was a warm July day. We started & I went to my 1st spot. There was some there. So I powered up Big motor & went to my 2nd spot. Well the fish were on in 35 mins I got my 4 fish & went to weight in. Then put the boat on the trailer & went home. At 2:00 pm went back to weight in to find out that I had one the tournament. But I soon learned that it was one lucky day & tournaments are not that easy to win.
Stephen.......

[Pete]

Hey Folks,

My first exposure to tournaments was as a scrutineer for OV Pro Bass Circuit. I believe the year was 86 or 87. The Classic was on Big Rideau out of Rideau Ferry. This would be the year the Big Jim won the Classic. My angler was a fella by the name of Keith Farmer. I learned a lot from him.

It was this exposure to tournament fishing that got me into it. It was a great experience and I would suggest to anyone that has the opportunity to be a scrutineer don't pas it up.

Pete

[parker]

Hey Pete,

that was 1987, and I was also a scrutineer. What a blast! The pro I was with was Steve Vodacivich. He was in third place after day 1.

It was a great experience for me also, infact I won several tournaments off of area's that I was shown. Ilearned a few different presentations also off of Steve. At the end of the tournament he gave me all his worms that where left and several other things he thought would help me.

God Bless,
Jeremy

[Gary]

Now that you guys mention it, my very FIRST tournament experience was also as a scrutineer. I don't know the exact year, but it was around '84-'86 or so, and I believe the Canadian tour was then just called Pro Bass. That's what hooked me on the sport of competitive bass fishing as well. It wasn't until 2004, mind you, that I entered my first tournament. Being a scrutineer was a dream come true for a young teen though.

Gary