Tournament Results

[Fever]

Ok. I had to ask to have my last post removed because I screwed up the title.... anyway: There was a tournament on Waconia yesterday. I talked to a guy fishing it and he said it was an ABA tournament. I looked around and searched on google but couldn't find any results. I'm just curious as to what the winning weight is. If anyone knows results please post. I'm guessing a real nice (winning weight) 5 bass limit on that lake would be around the 19-20 lb mark. I wasn't in the tournament myself but started fishing around 5:45 (15 min before the start "I think") and had some luck. I ended up catching 17 bass from 5:45 till about 9 then I left and went to two other lakes a bit north and west of Waconia. I had two 18's, two 17's and a 16 incher for my best 5 so probably around the 14-15 ish lb range maybe. Just couldn't get a pig (kicker fish) But that tournament ended at 3pm so for the time I was there I did ok. Imagine my surprise, getting to the landing on a sunday morning at 5:30am only to find that it was dang near full.... wow.

[mojoputter]

Here's the link, maybe they will update it in a few days.

http://www.americanbassanglers.com/tour2011.php?Division=44&Date=07/24/2011

[hockeybc69]

It says 7-15 days for updates to be posted on the web.

They mail the results to the national office for verification and such, then post on the internet after that.

[GooBack]

Most people not fishing a tournament usually win them. And most people fishing a tournament have it won two days before it starts.

[Larson15]

Fever,

I was out there yesterday as well and had no idea a tournament was going on till I got to the lot. I had the best day of fishing I have had in a long time. Me and the guy i was fishing with had about 22 lbs in our first 50 casts. It was unbelievable. Really wish I was fishing the ABA yesterday.

[Fever]

Larson,

Yeah it was a good day... I got a fish on my very first cast and within about my first 3O min had about 8-9 fish... and two of them were 18 ish inchers. I went through more than a few Baits / plastics in the first hour as they were really shreding them up. Things did slow down for me when I got surrounded by a handful of boats though. I actually heard one guy that was in the tourney say to another guy that was in the tourney to not let me in. Meaning, to not let me fish a stretch of the lake. A bit later I told him that I heard him and that I didn't approve of it and that when stuff like that is said it gives tournament fisherman a bad rap. I think he understood but ya never know. Kind of a jerk thing to do and to say... I think me just being there might have been stressing a few people out, especially when they saw me catching a few fish.

[Superduty]

I'll probably get grief for this comment, but I'll make it anyway... I fish tournaments. I don't like it when somebody tries to fish the area I am targeting. I know it is public water and do my best to be polite. If I'm a fellow tournament angler and not in the tournament that particular day, I would stay out of the way and hope the other guy shows me the same respect. I probably wouldn't have even launched my boat on the lake that day. I would rather "fun fish" another lake without the crowd.

[st.crioxfishin]

Fever, here are the results:

http://abamn.com/images/pdfs/Waconia%20Results%207-24-11.pdf

I actually ended up winning that one on Sunday. You are right, it was a good day out there, probably one of the top 5 best days I've had so far this year. Caught around 50 fish and about 40 came from one 10x10yd area. My hands are just raw right now, but I'm not complaining. It was one of those days that you wish you had someone else in the boat to share it with.

[Fever]

Well, With all due respect Superduty, I would have to completely dissagree. If that was how a non tournament angler on a day of a tournament on Waconia were to act that person would very rarely get to fish Waconia. You Follow? There are tournament events nearly every weekend either sat or sunday, from Bass opener then even more picks up after Musky opener and that goes through August-september. So... In response to your response - I respect your opinion, and do understand your take, but I completely disagree. As stated many many times in several posts discussing Tournament anglers - people do not own spots and just because there is a tournament one angler does not have any more of a right to fish a spot than another. I set my alarm for 4:30 that morning, purposefully went on sunday rather than on saturday with the intent of avoiding potential tournaments... See how that worked out... No way I was going to pull into that partking lot then just turn around just because thirty other boats were there. I too fish tournaments and NEVER EVER would have said something like that guy said to the other tournament fisherman in order to block me out. (Talk about disrespectful). Now. Just for the record. After I said something to him I did leave the area for him to continue fishing and I went to check out a couple other spots. I think if your going to fish an ABA tourney or any other for that matter you'd better have more than 1 or 2 spots to depend on if you plan on winning, just in case. That is completely rediculous. Oh, and St. Croixfisherman, Congrats on a job well done!!!

[NTW]

Congrats Bob!

To go along with Superduty's comment, I would (and have) decided to fish a different body of water in that situation. For one, when I go out for the fun of it I feel that I catch more fish in less pressured water. For two, I've pulled up to my #1 spot before and had to share it with a non-tournament fisherman and it is disappointing. I recognize it is nobody's fault and don't ask them to leave nor am I impolite to them. It is tough not to let it mess with my head though.

That is just my perspective, I don't think there is anything wrong with hitting the water like Fever did.

[Irish]

Where were you guys finding the fish out there? Deep weedlines? Deep rock?

[Fever]

Just looked at ther results. Wow. I fished 5:45-about 9ish and would have been about in the top 5 - I'm guessing cuz I didn't weigh them. If I'd had stayed till 3 prob could have even upgraded a time or two... Isn't that weird how days like that work? Seems like my prefishing days this summer have consistantly been better than my league events. OH well, it is what it is.

[Fever]

I started shallow real early - then when I left I went out to a reef in order to find some privicy - and fished a jig and caught a couple more. It was a bit slower out deep but I think if a person put some time in they could really do well out deep. I really didn't stick with it for too long. Like a few others have stated in other posts. It's getting to be that time of year where they really school up. I think its just a matter of finding them then milking the school with different methods. Crank - Jig - dropshot, jigworm, etc.

[Larson15]

Well I disagree with turning around in the parking lot and fishing somewhere else. There are tournaments on Waconia almost every weekend. The ABA was only a 15 or so boat tournament and Waconia is large enough to handle alot more boats. I do agree with not fishing areas other guys are fishing. If i see a tournament guy that sets down close to me I will more than likely move. When I go look for new water to fish I will not set down where I see other boats. The spot that we caught the motherload out of was a deep rocky area about 50ft long. They all came on 1/2 oz jigs.

[Fever]

Lars -

I talked with a couple guys and they said 30-32 boats. I guess they could have been wrong but still more than 15 I'm guessing. Anyway, about how deep were you fishing and about what time did you start? Did you have any tournament boats in your general area after it started? Oh, and if you want you could e-mail me those coordinates. If you want...

[Larson15]

The results show only 29 names and a lot of those names were co-anglers. I was fishing in 12-14 ft and there was know-one in sight. It was the first spot I fished at about 6:30 am. Considering that this spot was not someone's starting spot I don't think I will be letting anyone know about it. I went back to it a few times during the day and continued to catch them there. Did not see any boats around it.

[Fever]

Yeah I saw the 29 names too. I did see three boats with just one angler fishing solo. I wonder if a few just left early? But there is a chance too that the two guys that told me about the 32 boats were just wrong and maybe had some misinformation. 32 is alot and I did see a couple boats with two tournament anglers in them, no biggy. Regardless, Larson, if you put in at the east side parking lot around 6:30, I bet you had a difficult time finding a spot to park cuz I was there about an hour before you and had to walk a little ways.

[Larson15]

I actually lucked out and got a spot somehow.

[st.crioxfishin]

Larsen, there were 3 co-anglers.

Irish, I caught a majority of my fish on t-rigged plastics and jig worms, 8-10ft around milfoil.

[Fever]

So.... does that mean 26 boats in the tournament then. Plus the handfull of musky chasers, the + or - 15-20 weekend warriors like myself and Larson gettin out there early, and the sprinkling of people just out for a cruze. They all add up.

[Larson15]

Interesting. Good to know that the ABA is a majority singles tournament.

[corncob]

What a crock!.....I am amazed that tournament fisherman have the arrogance to feel that they should be recognized when fishing and afforded extra respect and fishing space by non tourney fisherman.........Baloney,salami,pastrami, and, hogwash!.....Tournament groupies have NO MORE RIGHTS than any other fisherman!....Reminds me of the ongoing battle between fisherman and lake property owners regarding fishing around docks.....Go buy all the property around a given lake, then you will all have rights you want, but, of course, you will still be battling each other about your individual fishing space........Whine, Whine,whine!

[TonkaBass]

Griz, I think you're missing the point. We are talking about showing people respect when they have money onn the line. Do golfers whine when they shut down a course for a pga event? No... frankly I think as a tournament angler I put up with more harrassment from weekend fisherme who get upset at the sight of a bass boat on the lake. I have yet to talk to a minesota guy who's upset about other fishermen on the spot they wanted to fish.

[Doufish2]

Griz, I agree with ya, Don't care if some local yahoo has money on the line. The lake is open water. Public landing says it is public. Comparing this to a PGA event is rediculous.

I don't fish tournies anymore. I don't like putting up with the uppity a-hole that thinks because he has a patch on his shirt and maybe his name on his boat, owns the lake when he is on it. Don't like me fishing in your spot, tough.

A recent event really soured me to Fed tournies. A small local club was having a maybe 10 boat tourny on a local lake on a Sat. A fed club was having a tourney on Sunday. The Fed club did not want the local club to fish on Sat, so they threatened to call DNR for permits and insurance. State l;aw is 25 boats and under. Just a bunch of egotistical moronic a-holes.

[Cecil]

I think what they are saying, is as tournament anglers we give the respect to other tournament anglers if we are not in the event. Im not expecting or asking non-tournament anglers to unless I am fishing for $100,000 and I am not doing that anytime soon...