After years of success, bass tournaments may be losing their luster, at least in California.
Twenty years ago the average team tournament held on Clear Lake would draw 50 boats at the very least, but that number has diminished considerably. For example, back in 1990-92 the Record-Bee/Bruno”s bass tournament drew upward of 225 boats. In fact, the tournament was always held in February but the field would fill much earlier.
It was the same with the West Coast Bass tournaments. I remember the director of the Redman Tournament once telling me that he needed to draw 80 boats just to break even. How times have changed. The past few years has seen the team tournaments draw from as few as six boats to a high of only 25. In fact, a field of 25 boats is considered very good.
Even many of the popular pro/ams are lucky to have 100 boats. The two tournaments held last weekend are a good example. WONBASS held a team event Saturday and drew only nine boats. On Sunday, the American Bass tournament drew only 16 boats. Even the national tournaments such as the Bassmasters Classic held last week doesn”t draw the attention it once did. That tournament ended on Sunday and only a few newspapers on the West Coast carried the tournament results.
What”s going on?
There could be several reasons for the lack of interest in tournament fishing. The primary one is the high cost. Typically the entry fee for a team event, which includes all the options, can run as high as $350 per team. Add in such expenses as motel, food and gas and that can easily add another $300 or more to the expense of a one-day tournament.
For example, if a fisherman lives in the Sacramento area it is approximately a 300-mile round trip from Clear Lake. Since most vehicles towing a heavy bass boat only get about 10-12 miles to the gallon, that comes to about 30 gallons of fuel just to drive here and back. With gas selling for more than $3.50 a gallon now, that comes to $105.
Then there is the gas for the boat. It”s not unusual for a tournament fisherman to burn 30-40 gallons in single day and when you include a day of prefishing, that comes to 60-80 gallons, which comes to another $140. Now we are at nearly $600 for just entry fees and gasoline. The motel and food bills add another $200, which comes to approximately $800.
Add in five or six tournaments a year, which makes up a circuit, and you”re talking real money. Of course, that doesn”t include the monthly payments on the boat.
Most tournaments pay back either one in three or one in five entries, with the winning team taking home the lion”s share. When a field consists of fewer than 20 boats, there isn”t much money to pass around. Take the American Bass tournament held Sunday. While this circuit has a good payback, there were only 16 teams and the winners received just $1,018 and second place $906. These were the only two teams to get their entry fees and expenses back. The others basically just contributed. It”s not the tournament organization”s fault. The reason is a lack of contestants.
Some fishermen say it”s not just the expense of competing; it”s who you are competing against. If you look at the top five finishers in any tournament, at least two will be the same teams regardless of the tournament. In other words, these fishermen are so good at what they do the rest of the field offers very little competition. A few of these fishermen are Mark Crutcher, Randy Marshall, Kevin Hall and Greg McCosker. These guys are always near the top of the leaderboard. Many of the other teams compete in a dozen or more tournaments a year and never take home a check.
Another factor could be there are just too many tournaments, that and many fishermen are turning to other forms of entertainment. I know of a number of fishermen who say they will only compete in the specialty tournaments such as the Holder Ford, Bob”s Marine or Triton Boat Owners Tournament. These tournaments continue to draw more than 100 boats.
There is no question that tournament fishing and the competition is exciting to many fishermen. But with gas prices lurking at $4 per gallon, the big question is how many can afford it?
