View Full Version : Pro Am tournaments
Jeremy A
03-08-2001, 01:46 PM
How does a guy get into the Am side of a pro am?
Someday I would like to think of being a pro, but I have no idea who to go about this. so it seems like a logical place to start.
Unless one of our residant pros wants to drop me a eMail and talk to me about it.
River Rat
03-08-2001, 02:25 PM
Go tho the in-fisherman site and you can register for a pro0am. $575 a pop
Jeremy A
03-08-2001, 02:27 PM
LOL, yeah, I got an extra $600 buck laying around...
Wow, how do people afford that kind of entry fee?
jerry
03-08-2001, 02:53 PM
We all quit smoking long before you did!! LOL!!
Westy
03-08-2001, 03:16 PM
Money well spent if your matched with a good pro. The information you will get is worth more if you are serious.
Good Luck.
Recommendation
03-08-2001, 03:52 PM
If you are serious about becoming a professional angler, putting $575 on the table to bring only the basics, like rain gear, etc. to learn from some of the best pros in the industry, in their boats, on their turf, seems a pretty good education to me! Besides, once you get into the whole game, that fee is only a small portion of what you will be repsonsible for paying. Gas, food, lodging, rigs, electronics, accessories, clothes, etc. starts to add up for the pros. Fishing on the am side is a great way to get your feet wet. Check out the In-Fisherman.com web site and click on PWT; they might still have some room for ams this season, even. Good luck!
Jeremy A
03-09-2001, 05:42 AM
As you might have guessed, This had been mostly thoughts in my head until now.
Yeah $575 does not seem like alot of cash for what you can learn and connections that can be made.
How ever, it is a bit of a shocker right off the bat. something I will have to work on for next summer from the looks of it.
To make a good comparison, call 5 of your local fishing guides and get a daily rate from each, add in the tip for each from each day and then take into account the fact that you won't learn a body of water from a guide, only the necessary locations and presentations to get your daily limit of fish (not all guides operate this way,but most I've been with only want to reveal as much info as necessary to get the job done which I have absolutely no problem with as they are providing exactly what they are paid for, a successful fishing trip). Total up the financial output and look at total knowledge gained and then compare this to fishing for 5 days (if you show up early and prefish for 2 days) with 5 of walleye fishings best.
To me there is no comparison. Also its worth it for the friendships and contacts that can develope alone. Plus, its just plain old fun!! Best bunch of professionals to be assembled in one group, these guys really make the amatuers feel comfortable and want them to have a good experience.
P.S. I was in no way taking shots at the guiding industry, I have been on several guided trips and don't know of a field where the people work so hard for their money. No one is getting rich guiding from what I can see. Lots of patience and good communication skills is an understatement to describe most of the guides I have had the privilage of spending time with.
Check out the PWT amatuer scene, its a great enviornment to learn in.
I fished team walleye last year, and my average weekend bill was about $400. Makes me really think twice about doing that this year, I might try to see if I can squeak in as an AM yet if they're not all full. Seems to me like a better investment in my future as a fisherman, especially for someone that wants to be a "pro" someday.
Eyez
Greg W
03-09-2001, 07:42 PM
RJ,
You make some excellent points about guiding. I only recently started fishing for "eyes" seriously, but have fished for other fish like steelies seriously.
While in the learning process of steelie fishing, I decided to hire a guide to show me the ropes. While talking with several differrent guides, the one that I chose told me he wasn't selling a fishing trip. This guide told me that he was gonna teach me "how, when, where, and why" of stealhead fishing. We set up a trip and had a great day of learning, which included catching some beautiful fish. Sure we caught a bunch of fish, but now I can catch these fish while others scratch their heads and catch a few.
After a couple years, I went back out with the same guide just to refresh my tactics and to show him what I learned, we had a great day. I also try to attend his seminars whenever they are close to see if I forgot something. To this day, we are good friends.
Before you hire that guide, ask him what he is gonna do for you. Some people only want to catch fish, while others want to learn "how, when, where, and why" of fishing.
Greg
Chairman
03-14-2001, 06:16 AM
Give RCL a look, their sites are pretty good and I am sure there will be openings this year. The pro-am expierence is a memorable one.
cisco
03-14-2001, 11:14 AM
Remember, too, there are other perks for that money. Get to the site early and you can easily set up pre-tourney outings with any of a number of pros. Offer some gas money and bring along some lunch and you've got another day on the water for practically nothing with a guy who will teach you more than you'll absorb.
The tourney format also includes some meals (rules meetings, pro-am pairings, community pr, and the like). It's obviously a good deal different than hiring a guide for three days of fishing, but it is much more valuable if you want to learn from three (or more) really good anglers.