September kicks off the start of the bass tournament season at Clear Lake. Leading off is the Bob”s Marine Stratos/Champion tournament Saturday, the first of many major bass tournaments in the next few weeks.
The big question is how will the sinking economy impact the number of fishermen competing in the tournaments?
Bass tournaments have been one of critical elements of the local economy for a number of years. Studies have shown that a tournament fisherman spends approximately $200 per day in the county, which includes motels, meals, gas and other incidentals such as fishing tackle. In a 100-boat (200-fishermen) tournament that means county businesses get approximately $40,000 per day in revenue. When you consider that most of the larger tournaments are two-day affairs and that the majority of the fishermen spend at least two additional days prefishing, it adds up to roughly $160,000. That”s for just one tournament.
Clear Lake typically plays host to about a dozen major tournaments a year plus dozens of smaller team events. For example, the upcoming Bob”s Marine tournament this weekend will have about 100 boats as will the WONBASS Pro/am the following weekend.
After those two tournaments there is the FLW, which will have at least 150 boats representing fishermen from throughout the Western United States. There are also a number of Tournament of Champions (TOCs) scheduled for October and November. Those tournaments could host up to 200 boats. In other words, every weekend for the next two months there will be a major tournament at Clear Lake.
A few years ago just about every major tournament would have between 125-200 boats, but the poor economy has taken its toll on the tournament fishermen. Just the entry fee alone in a major tournament can run as high as $1,200. The cost to travel to and from Clear Lake can be mind-boggling. For example, a 300-mile roundtrip will cost about $200 in gas.
Most modern bass boats have tanks holding up to 50 gallons of gas. On a lake as large as Clear Lake, it”s not unusual to burn 30 or more gallons during a day”s fishing. That adds up to another $400. A new modern bass boat will cost in the neighborhood of $60,000. The minute it leaves the lot the value of the boat takes a huge nosedive. Most of the fishermen finance their boat for 10 to 15 years and then trade it in after five years. When you take into consideration boat payments and other expenses, we”re talking about real money.
When a tournament fisherman announces to his wife that he will going to Clear Lake for four or five days to compete in a tournament and the total cost will run about $1,500, she takes a long and hard look at her husband”s favorite pastime. This is especially true when many of the tournament fishermen have lost their jobs and are being supported by their working wives. A number of fishermen have told me their wives have told them the tournament days are a thing of the past.
Actually, with the exception of the FLW, most of the major bass tournaments are basically a winner-take-all event. The rest of the field divides up the rest of the purse, which more than often barely covers the entry fees much less their expenses.
The FLW has the richest payout. The winning pro takes home roughly $30,000 and a new Ranger bass boat if he is the current owner of a Ranger. If not, then he gets only the $30,000. The entry fee for the pro is $1,000. Most of the other major tournaments have an entry fee of $500 to $700 and the winner gets approximately $20,000. While that may seem like a lot of money, remember only the winner gets that kind of cash. Typically the payback is to 20 percent of the field and the rest get nothing.
I wish I had a dime for all the young fishermen who have told me they want to become a full-time pro. As one of the most famous professional fisherman, Dee Thomas, once said, “If you want to become a full-time tournament bass fisherman don”t quit your day job.” How right he was.
