The fall months signal the start of the bass tournament season at Clear Lake. While there have been a number of tournaments held throughout the summer months, most of the tournament organizations schedule their events after Sept. 15 because they”re allowed to hold eight-hour tournaments instead of six-hour tournaments, which the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) requires during the period of June 15-Sept. 15.
Typically a tournament circuit will run from October to May, with the Tournament of Champion events taking place in September and October. Presently there are five organizations running circuits at Clear Lake — WON BASS, American Bass, Angler”s Choice, 100 Percent Bass, and Future Pro. A number of organizations such as FLW and Holder Ford hold specialty tournaments. In all, approximately 55 bass tournaments are scheduled for the lake during the upcoming season.
DFG requires all organizations holding any type of fishing contest to obtain a permit, and that includes bass club tournaments.
Clear Lake is one of the more popular stops for the tournament circuits. This is especially true since the Bassmasters pro/am tournament held earlier this year broke several national records.
During the past 20 years, bass tournaments as well as tournament anglers have changed dramatically. Today”s typical tournament fisherman has invested more than $40,000 in a boat, plus another $30,000 in a vehicle to tow the boat. And the electronics in today”s bass boats often resemble the cockpit of a modern airliner. There are GPS systems and the latest in fish finders and water temperature sensors. When you add in several thousand dollars in fishing equipment, not to mention motel bills, food, gasoline and entry fees, tournament fishing rapidly becomes a very expenseive pastime.
Fishermen themselves have changed radically from two decades ago. They are much better at their trade and much more intense. If they arrive in an area and someone is already fishing there, they often become tightlipped. And God help the angler who pulls in front of a tournament angler and casts anywhere near him.
The big investment in a boat and equipment isn”t always rewarded. The average fisherman is lucky to win back his/her entry fee much less expenses. Most of the tournaments held on the lake are team events and the winning team generally wins approximately $2,000. From there, the payback drops dramatically. In other words, it”s basically a winner-take-all scenario.
Even facing the very real possibility that he won”t win much, surveys show that the average fisherman has no problem plopping down an average of $200 for the entry fee and another $200 per day on expenses. And most fishermen spend at least two days prior to a tournament prefishing for the event. Most tournaments are either one- or two-day events.
Very few of the tournament fishermen are full-time anglers. Most hold other jobs that pay for their expensive pastime. Mark Crutcher of Lakeport is one such tournament angler. His full-time job is with the California Highway Patrol. Even so, he has been very successful at tournament fishing, winning several new boats. He competes in both team events and pro/am tournaments and usually finishes well up in the standings.
“I”ve seen a big changes in the past five years in tournament fishermen,” Crutcher said. “For one thing, the quality of the fishermen has vastly improved and they have much better equipment. They are also much more focused and competitive. In fact, some of these guys can be brutal.”
According to Crutcher, it takes a lot of time on the water if you expect to consistently win or place high in a tournament.
“Years ago, most of the fishermen did minimal prefishing before a tournament. Now, even in team tournaments, it”s not unusual for some of the fishermen to spend three or four days on the lake prior to a tournament,” Crutcher said.
Crutcher said the reason he fishes in tournaments is because he enjoys their competitiveness.
“I grew up playing baseball and other sports and was always competitive. I switched to bass fishing for the same reason,” Crutcher said.
Even if the average tournament fisherman struggles to make expenses, it”s not the money that”s important to most. More important is just being rated as the best fisherman, in other words, it”s all about ego.
Competing for the honor of being the top fisherman or hunter has been going on for hundreds of years and was a coveted position in many native villages. That hasn”t changed in the past 1,000 years.
