A South African With a favour to ask?

[Bassmaverick]

Morning Gentleman and ladies

Over the past weekend i was privileged enough to be awarded a slot in the Costa Flw Series championship in Burnside at Lake Cumberland . This will be to represent South Africa in the international series.

What has become a issue is renting a boat for the practice days 26th to the 29th October and would like to ask if anyone would know of or be able to help me in a direction to find a boat to be able to practice off for the above dates that i could rent . FLW has kindly offered us boats for the tournament days yet for the practice days they are asking 500$ a day which is slightly out of the budget range .

Any help with a boat dealership that rents smaller boats or any help is so greatly appreciated .


Thank you in advance.

[retiredmechanic]

I think FLW dropped the ball on this. Would have thought they would have made arrangements to have boats available for the people coming from far away because it would be really hard to ship your own boat. Sorry, I don't have an answer to your problem.

[Bassmaverick]

Thanks, they have provided boats for the competition days, yet for practice they want 500 dollars a day which is a little steep for my budget. so trying to find a possible cheaper alternative.

[wbfishon]

Here's a couple of ideas/suggestions you can consider...... assuming you have already researched renting a bass boat. Search out the Kentucky tab under BBC State Forums and ask your questions there..... locals might pick up on it and help.
Also, from the main BBC page, check out the Fishing Swap tab. You might find a guy with not only a boat, but some local knowledge of Cumberland.
G'luck!

[mactlman]

can you hire a local guide to fish with and show you around?

[Rip Bass]

I’m pretty sure there are no info rules for the practice days so he would need a boat,not a guide or local to help out. Good luck to the OP,I wish I could help.

[Bass Cat Boats]

Insurance when dealing with an international user on a bass boat is extremely difficult.

[retiredmechanic]

Insurance when dealing with an international user on a bass boat is extremely difficult.

I thought it might have to do with insurance.

[Bassmaverick]

Thanks for the responses . If i had to arrange insurances would this be able to be arranged ?

[Bassmaverick]

Unfortunately not due to the no information rules

[retiredmechanic]

Thanks for the responses . If i had to arrange insurances would this be able to be arranged ?

Check with World Wide Marine. They are a BBC sponsor.

[Charles Prestridge]

Insurance when dealing with an international user on a bass boat is extremely difficult.

Interesting information. It is logical, insurance would be a concern. It would not have occurred to me, the difference of an International angler. I guess it has to do with differences in laws of different countries, which increases potential liability.

[HH45cal]

If your allowed- I can take u out and show u around , I can also ask a local boat dealer if he has anything that he can rent to you

[JR19]

I went to the FLW site and read the Costa rules. per: rule#5 I don't think it's a possibility for me to go fishing and invite you or for me to take you and just simply be someone who provides a boat and watch you fish on the dates you mentioned. However I am taking my fall vacation and will be off work 10-14 thru 10-22 and I think we can go in that time frame but I doubt if you will be stateside that soon. I had planned on fishing Cumberland a couple times in that period anyways. It's not my home lake but I am 25 miles from the lower end where the dam is located. Green is my home lake, which is 4 miles from my house but I do make the 25 mile trip to Cumberland and fish it about 10 or so times a year.

Here is a small quote from rule #5...

"Contestants may practice alone, with another contestant in the championship, with a member of their immediate family (mother, mother-in-law, father, father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, grandparent, grandchild or spouse), approved domestic partner, approved sponsor representative, or an approved youth age 18 or younger, provided the practice companion has also observed the off-limits period and procedures. Contestants may also practice with an approved media representative. Flights over tournament waters, including drones, are not permitted beginning with the start of the off-limits period, extending through practice and competition days."


So based on the criteria I quoted from them I would do this...ask them if you can go with me or someone else willing to take you for a pleasure fun fishing trip in the official practice period provided they followed the off-limits periods and procedures as they defined. I would plead my case as you being from another country. By default you do not have the resources of relatives, sponsors and other people they would allow if you lived stateside.

FYI if my memory is correct they had the Everstart Championship (before it was called Costa it was Everstart) on Cumberland about 15 or so years ago and it was a fall tournament. I recall going to the weigh in and watching Brent Ehrler beat out a local by the name H.C. Sumpter. I recall Brent in an interview a couple years ago saying the Everstart win is what launched his pro career. The reason I mention this is because you might be able to go into the FLW archives and find out some information/stories/articles about that tournament and use it as a baseline to get you started since it was a fall tournament. I don't know what I can or can't tell you because I am not familiar with their no info rules on when you can or cannot receive information. By no means a I Cumberland stick but I do have knowledge of every creek on the lower 1/2 of the lake. (and that is a lot of water) I fish it some and have a love/hate relationship with the lake. One thing for sure though if you look at the results and stories of the 2017 and 2018 FLW tour event held in the spring the lake will fish NOTHING like that in the fall. There is tons of youtube videos where the Tour was here in the spring BUT they cherry picked the time when the lake was fishing at its best. In a fall tournament it's a totally different lake that will fish a lot harder.

As for a practice boat another option might be contact Day's Boat Sales in Frankfort, KY. The owner Bill Day fishes the FLW tour. I am pretty sure he even fishes some Costa events. Heck he might be in the tournament for all I know but my point is he is a FLW pro and owns a boat dealership. He might be able to get you into a demo or pro staff boat. Pittsburg Marine in London, KY. is another boat dealership that might be an option to find a demo or pro staff boat. They are not that far away from the lake and they have ties to FLW. If I were betting $ I bet Days or Pittsburg is the dealers providing the boats on tournament day for the people you mentioned traveling abroad. It might be a long shot but I would reach out to them and see what happens.

[JR19]

Story about the tournament

https://www.flwfishing.com/news/2004...t-championship


In this link use the feature Costa, 2004 and Championship Lake Cumberland 11/03.


https://www.flwfishing.com/results


Here is links from the 2004 Championship. I know that is 15 years ago but it's the ONLY fall tournament FLW has ever had on the lake excluding a fall High School Championship. Go to FLW and put Lake Cumberland in the search feature. The overwhelming majority of tournaments are in the spring. You could not pay me to fish there in the summer due to the massive amount of pleasure boat traffic. Cumberland has HUGE pleasure boats. I think it is also has the largest number of houseboats on the water in the United States. Gin clear and deep water with heavy boat traffic makes it a nightmare to fish in the summer. Late Fall (with late being the key word) and winter people will actually pass up other lakes to go to Cumberland but in the summer you can't find a bass fisherman in the daylight when the pleasure boat madness is in full swing. In the spring it will fish decent to great. I am really surprised they are having a championship on the lake in the fall based on lake history...look how poor the numbers are from 2004. I fished a small circuit that had 3 tournaments on Cumberland in the October, November and December and we all had very small weights or lots of zeros. Granted it was also a small turnout of boats but the weights are still typical Cumberland fall numbers... http://www.usabassin.com/modules.php...=441&year=2019

[Rude196]

Fall is a great time to fish Cumberland. Depending on weather. I’ve fished against H.C. numerous times, and Cox. I always knew where they thrived, just couldn’t get same bites. I was younger then and unwilling to play against big water now, hope the op realizes Cumberland can get real dangerous,real fast! Watch weather and plan your day accordingly.

[Bassmaverick]

JR19 i cant thank you enough for the time and effort you put into your reply it is thoroughly appreciated and noted every word you said . read every piece you sent twice and must agree with you ,it puts some of the spring fishing euphoria into perspective and gets the head back to tough fishing .

As for the Boat situation as thankful as i am for your offer i will need to be taking the South African co-angler (Giullio ) with me for the days of practice .(but again thank you for your generosity .)He was my boat partner through the season of which we did compete as a team to get this opportunity to come to the states . Was an amazing season with 6 regional wins and placing second in the final. putting a link in to the article below.

https://www.flwfishing.com/tips/2019...a-championship

But i have sent days boat sales a email and awaiting a response and hopefully something can be arranged .

The issues seem to be the insurance issue which I'm working on and hopefully find a solution .

But again i cant say thank you enough for your offers advice and just time for helping me .

If you ever do happen to find yourself on my side of the world please do give me a shout so i can show you what South African Bass fishing is about , its an incredible place for fishing .

Kind regards

Greg

[Bassmaverick]

Thank you again for the offer ,yet by the time we arrive states side i will be in the no information cut off which is the 21st october. so thank you for your offer its greatly appreciated. Thank you

[fishnfireman]

Come on guys..
If it were near me you could borrow mine..

[Brownmaniac]

Come on guys..
If it were near me you could borrow mine..

Not that far of a drive, he would probably arrange pickup...