Fisher_King:

I fished B.A.S.S. affiliated tourneys, Redman T and Club T for roughly 10 years.

Never won a B.A.S.S. T, or Redman T but won quite a few Club T.

Although our Club tourneys were big, (we always had at least 50-70 fishermen/averaged around 80-100 fishermen per T) and some of the Club guys had premium equipment & boats (Rangers, Stratos, Skeeter, Etc), the B.A.S.S./ Redman T guys ALWAYS had the finest boats & equipment.

The biggest difference between the Club guys and the “Pro” guys was “time” & “sponsors”, (time & money).

Time- A full-time B.A.S.S. guy usually has the ability to “pre-fish” every T he fishes (a HUGE advantage over Club guys). Heck full-time B.A.S.S. , FLW guys have time to sit and simply PRACTICE casting, find fish, use & learn their electronics, Etc. A Club guy has to go to work to pay for his boat, lures, reels, Etc.

Sponsor’s- Even the worst Sponsor will at least supply you with their product, (or give you a huge discount). Having access to FREE, quality, hooks, soft plastic’s, wet weather gear, boats, motors, rods & reels, Etc. makes a HUGE impact on HOW you fish, WHAT you fish, and your WALLET.

Imagine getting Sponsorship from a soft plastic company?

I knew guys that were sponsored by Culprit, Daiwa, Rebel, Etc and they had an “allowance” of so many FREE lures per year and a 40-50% discount on anything they purchased.

Can you imagine getting a $200-400 allowance strictly for a particular brand of lure PER COMPANY? (My buddy with Sponsorship from Culprit, Rebel, Cotton Cordell, had so many different lures he had to build a shelf system in his garage to keep them organized!) By the way, $200-$400 was a LOT of money 12-15 years ago. Back then, there were no $15 lures! If a lure was $7.95 it was EXPENSIVE! (lol)

That alone is a tremendous advantage over Club and part-timers……

I fished the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass T for years, ( a HUGE T with an average of AT LEAST 150 boats)- http://www.wolfsonchildrens.org/ways-to-give/bass-tournament/index.html

As you get higher in Tourney Bass fishing the more important it is to have a FAST boat, fantastic trolling motors, great electronics, Etc.

Bottom line?

T-fishing is all about money, time, skill, & luck.

Money?- The guy in the Skeeter with a 200 E-tech has a distinct advantage against a dude with a 17 FT Tracker and 50 H Merc.

The guy with the Skeeter can quickly move to spots around the lake or reservoir , (in a blink of an eye), whereas the guy with the Tracker has to “choose carefully” where he will move because it takes him TIME to get there and back.

Time?- The guy who got to pre-fish all week will have a distinct advantage over the dude who arrived late.

Skill?- The guy who gets to practice, (on a regular schedule), his casting & boating skills will have a distinct advantage over the “weekend warrior”.

Luck?- For every Mike Ike, KVD, Etc there are hundreds of guys “almost” as lucky. (lol)

I miss tourney fishing but it’s very hard to support a family fishing a trail. Heck, it’s hard supporting yourself fishing a trail! I knew guys that LIVED in their trucks 8 months out of the year; did their laundry in the lake, (which is highly illegal! lol); lived off of bologna & peanut butter, Etc.

Becoming a successful T fisherman is almost like playing the lottery every week, only a LOT MORE expensive! (LOL)

(GF can elaborate; I think he’s trail fishing this year.)