Looking to do some small tourneys...

[jonboatjunkie]

So I would love to start fishing some small bass tournaments around the metro area and need a little input. I have a 1648 jon boat with a 25 hp motor on it. With two guys and gear, the boat goes 20 mph. If I want to fish just some small $20 entry fee tournaments, will my boat be good enough to be competitive or are all the boats at these "entry level" tournaments going to be bass boats with 150 - 200 hp motors? My goal is to buy a good used bass boat within the next 3 -5 years, I just don't have the funds now. I'd like to know whether or not I'd be wasting my time in these tournaments using my boat. Tournament fishing is new to me so I'm just trying to get my ducks in a row and not be naive. Thanks for the input!

[gurkster]

I would say go for it. I don't think there are boat size restrictions. The faster boats will get the spots of their choice, so you would be at a disadvantage there. I fish a Fun Bass League (no fees) in the north metro and we have a few smaller boats all the way up to the $30k bass boats fully decked out. Good Luck!

[Deitz Dittrich]

For my first few years tournament fishing I fished out of a 16' flat bottom alum boat with a 35hp eng... I did fine.

The key is to have a very good working live well..

[ALL_IN]

I run a tournament series in wright county... we have boats of all sizes come to the tournaments. DD is right with the live well, that is key to make sure you are keeping your fish alive, dead fish do not win tournaments.

Everyone needs to start somewhere, I fished in a big ole' aluminum Lund for four years before I bought my bass boat.

If you are interested in joining a fun tournament series, cheap 50 bucks a boat, look us up!

https://sites.google.com/site/amateurbass/

Happy Fishing!

[clm]

yep. live well is key. its not the boat that catches the fish. have you thought about joining a club. i know you can join in as a non boater in a club out by me.

[jonboatjunkie]

Thanks for the info, guys! That's great! I'd love to get in some tournaments this season. I'd also love to join a bass club so All_In, I'll be checking out your link!

[JohnMickish]

One thing to remember about tournaments, there is alot more going on than just catching fish. Time management, pressure and keeping fish alive are all major factors in the game. Fishing your first year in smaller tournaments with a smaller boat is a great way to find out if you really want to fish them.

[mojoputter]

Jonboat, we have a small bass league in the north metro looking for teams. $60 for 5 Saturday tourneys, I think we have 6 boats now. We have small to nice bass boats out there. Nothing serious, nothing real competitive as you can tell by the cost. Just a bunch of guys that like to bass fish and have a few beers after. We have all ages that compete, we have no age requirment. This would be a good place to start, let me know if your interested.

[herefish101]

Those big fast boats just fly by all the fish anyway, sometimes going slower can give you a better view of things.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

You can do it, no problem. Like others said make sure you have a good livewell system. I say something in the 20 gallon range if you intend to fish day long tournaments.

I fished my first tournaments last year in a similar set up. Its a 17' bass tracker way underpowered with a 25hp. With two guys, gear and a full livewell we were going nowhere fast and definitely not winning any races. It was a good learning experience. I was forced to fish lakes and techniques I wouldnt normally. Also with our boat situation my partner and I learned to find less obvious spots, game plan and good time management.

Its not the boat that is going to make you competitive its you...