likely be longer than three panfish, and with dozens of kids and parents surrounding the normally quiet pond, i didn’t think my chances of catching bass were very good. By reading. i learned how to use a sliding egg sinker, barrel swivel, leader, and worm. i also figured i could cast this out to the center of the pond and prop my rod in a forked stick and wait for the catfish to find my bait.
The plan worked like a charm, and I easily won the derby and took home the American Flyer. My picture was in the local paper and everyone in town knew me as the kid that won the derby! to this day, i continue fishing tournaments, but for very different reasons than the ones i started with.
So, why should you consider fishing a tournament? How can you maximize the benefits and minimize the pitfalls? What should you consider regarding personal conduct and ethics, dealing with rules infractions and converting success into a fishing career? How do you know when it is time to quit fishing tournaments? all are relatively simple questions, with often complex and confusing answers. The following discussion is not intended to answer those questions for you, as only you can determine what is in your best interest. instead, the intent is to cause you to think about your own situation, so you can recognize the value of competing and to help you set goals to ensure you are benefitting from fishing tournaments.
Here is a list of reasons i have heard others say why they fish tournaments -to have fun, to learn, because they enjoy competition, the adrenalin rush, to earn respect, to gain a reputation, to spend time with someone special, to avoid work, to be outdoors, to relieve stress, to promote oneself or a product, to make money, to start a fishing career, for friendship and as one gets older: to relive the glory days, to stay in touch, and to stay active. What reason would you like to fish tournaments? is it one of the above, or a combination of several or all of the above? or do you have your own reasons? Many start as i did, for egotistical reasons, to achieve “fame or fortune”. This is a valid aspect of competition and most of us enjoy winning and the
spring 2013
By marc marcanTonio
notoriety that comes with it. What i have learned over the years is there is a fine line between good and valid reasons to compete and bad or invalid reasons.
Probably the earliest warning sign of danger ahead is when you start thinking you have to win, for any reason. When fishing local tournaments, you often see individuals or teams that fish hard for a couple of seasons and then disappear, never to be seen again. They may even do well at an event or two, cashing a check. in some cases these individuals may learn that competition is not for them, or winning isn’t as easy as they had thought. Far too often though, the reason some quit is because they were gambling with the family budget, which they couldn’t afford to lose, but did.
This is probably the biggest pitfall of tournament fishing. as my friend don iovino always says, never fish with “scared” money. When you cannot afford to lose, it is easy to justify in your mind bending the rules and adopt a “win at any cost” mentality. This is bad for the sport and bad for any individual.
Cheating has occurred in tournament fishing in the past, and will likely occur in the future. overall, it is very limited and not a major problem or reason to forego the sport. Be careful about accusing anyone of cheating, because they seem to always cash a check. False accusations can be just as bad as cheating and is equally unethical. on the other hand, every contestant has an obligation to be vigilant and speak out when someone appears to break a rule. Knowing a rule violation occurred, and doing nothing about it, is harmful to all the other contestants, and to the integrity of the circuit and sport. one way to handle a potential rules violation is to bring it to the offender’s attention on the spot. Maybe an honest mistake is being made and you can correct it to the benefit of all. Maybe what you thought you observed didn’t actually take place, or maybe you are wrong on your interpretation of a rule and the person you thought was in the wrong is actually right and corrects you. Sometimes, you will simply
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