December signals the start of the bass tournament season and many fishermen are wondering if the skyrocketing price of gasoline and the slowdown in the economy will limit the number of fishermen participating in tournaments. Since many of the tournament fishermen are in the construction business and with unemployment high because of the housing crisis, many fishermen have some tough choices to make.
As an example, do you make the house payment or pay to fish in tournaments?
This year there are approximately 51 major bass tournaments scheduled for 2008 and more than 70 club tournaments. A number of fishermen have told me they plan on cutting down the number of circuits they compete on and a few have said they will quit tournament fishing altogether.
Presently five tournament organizations hold tournaments at Clear Lake. Most of these are one-day team tournaments, but there are also pro/am circuits and Tournament of Champions (TOC), which are usually two-day events.
Many tournament fishermen travel more than 300 miles roundtrip to reach the lake. The tournament entry fees average about $200 per team. The pro/ams can vary from as high as $700 for the pro to $250 for the amateur. The individual circuits are broken down by regions, which cover several lakes or other waters. Most have team circuits and include a six-tournament schedule, of which at least two are held on Clear Lake. Two circuits have Clear Lake-only tournaments. A good number of fishermen will compete on all the circuits. When you consider that most fishermen spend two or three days prefishing for a tournament, that adds up to a lot of money being spent.
Just the cost to drive to and from Clear Lake, plus the cost of gas used in the bass boats, can stretch the wallet. Most modern bass boats have tanks that hold up to 50 gallons of gas. On a lake as large as Clear Lake, it”s not unusual to go through 30 or more gallons per day. With gas presently selling for $3.25 per gallon, that adds up to a nearly $100 per day. If a fisherman spends several nights in a local motel (at about $75 per night) and you add in the cost to eat out, that adds up to more than $100 per day.
Many of the fishermen are actively searching for a travel companion to help share the expenses. Typically a non-boater in a tournament will give the boater money for gas. A few years ago that would have been $20 per day, but now that has risen to $40 or $50.
Even winning a tournament doesn”t put much money back into the old bank account. Typically the winning team in a tournament pockets from $1,000 to $1,500. When you split that in half, it means each team member barely cover expenses or even goes in the hole.
Not included in all this is the cost of the bass boat itself. A new, fully-rigged bass boat costs in the neighborhood of $50,000. The fishing rods, reels and other gear can add another several thousand dollars.
Most team events draw from 30 to50 boats and some even fewer than that. Ten years ago a typical team tournament would draw at least 100 boats. The low turnout means less money for the fishermen and the tournament organizers. Contrary to popular belief, the tournament organizations aren”t getting rich. The average circuit pays back to the fishermen in cash awards approximately 60 percent of the entry fees. They also make a few dollars from sponsors. However, when a tournament only draws 30 boats, it”s hard to show any type of profit.
Since bass tournaments are not considered a paying spectator sport such as golf or rodeo, there are no profits made from the crowds attending the weigh-ins.
Even some of the major national bass tournaments are making changes. For example, BassMasters, the leader of professional bass tournaments, has completely changed its format. BassMasters has eliminated its western tournaments and the entry fee has shot up to $5,000 per tournament. The recent FLW-Outdoors tournament certainly did pay back a lot of money, but the entry fee was $3,500. That”s a lot of money for a working man to come up with.
Visiting bass fishermen spend a lot of money in the county and if the tournament participation continues to decline it could have an impact on the local tourist industry.
