Fishermen and local businesses are wondering what impact the failing economy will have on bass tournaments as well as other recreational fishing at Clear Lake.
There is no question that the sale of bass boats has taken a dive for the simple reason that many fishermen are out of work and the credit crunch has hit fishing along with just about all other outdoor recreational activities.
The number of fishermen entering bass tournaments has been steadily declining for more than a year. Where once a team tournament would draw from 70-100 boats, now most team tournaments draw less than 40. Add that to increasing entry fees and many fishermen are either opting out of all tournament fishing or are fishing in only a few selected events.
The total entry fees for a standard team tournament run about $300, which includes all options. Add in at least $75-$90 per night to stay a local motel, $50 per day for meals and another $100-plus per day to gas up the boat, and that brings the cost of competing in a tournament to more than $1,000.
Of course, not included in this are the boat payments and the money spent on fishing gear. A modern bass boat runs from $50,000-$60,000. The price of a high-end fishing rod can run as much as $500, and then there are the price of lures. Swimbaits can cost as much as $100 each and even a standard crankbait will set you back $30.
Most of the team events are part of a circuit in which fishermen compete in four or five tournaments followed by a Tournament of Champions at season”s end.
When you consider that in many cases the winning team only takes home about $1,500 or less, the cost of the this sport makes a person take a long and hard look at his favorite pastime. As one tournament fisherman recently told me, “My wife pays the bills and when she added up the cost of fishing a tournament and the small amount that I win, she said that it”s time for me to get a new sport.”
This high cost of fishing was acceptable when everyone had high-paying jobs and the equity in homes was going through the roof. Some fishermen took out second mortgages to buy bass boats, thinking their homes would increase in value so fast that the boat would pay for itself within a few months.
As we all know now that hasn”t happened and many of these same people are having their homes foreclosed on and they can”t sell their boats. I know of one person who traded in his bass boat a few years ago but still owed more than $20,000 on it. He wanted a new boat, so the dealer added what he owed on the old boat to the new boat and he now owes more than $65,000 on a boat that”s worth only about $35,000. He said he called up the bank and told them to come and get the boat.
If the tournament organizations can”t get the fishermen, the local economy will also suffer. Motels that cater to fishermen will lose business as will local restaurants and other businesses. It will definitely have a trickle-down effect.
In my opinion, the type of bass tournaments that will survive are the specialty tournaments. These are the ones held once a year such as the Holder Ford-Mercury tournament or the Bob”s Marine Stratos-Champion Boat Owners event. These are fun events and feature high paybacks for the entry fees.
Presently there are five tournament organizations operating circuits at Clear Lake. How long these organizations can continue with a dwindling number of fishermen is a good question. Like all businesses they have to make a profit and if the fishermen support them they will survive. If not, we may look back at bass tournaments as the good ol” days.
