2005 Won a club event with my 18 year old son, flipping creature baits all day, 14 days after that he was off to the USAF Academy. 2008 won the state title and advanced to BASS Nationals. 2016 part of the team that won the overall title at Western Divisional on Lake Mead and rewarded with a boat.
Won the Big Bass Tour on Lake Norman in 2017.
The one I will remember most was a team night tournament at Lake Piru in So Cal. There were 70-75 boats and this was only the second time we had fished the lake at night. We were excited because we had our second kicker in the boat before dark around 6lbs. At the end of the night we weighed in at 22 lbs. and second place was 11 lbs.
My biggest was a pike tournament ( they’re pretty popular up here in the spring). 120 boats, we won big fish and the tournament, was $5000 and a gas auger for big fish. Second place was a long ways behind us.
Triton Tr17, Yamaha 130
Lund Pro V 1900, Optimax 200
Smokercraft Pro Mag 182, Suzuki DF140
Helix 9si, 10si mega
Minnkota Talon, Terrova
Spring 2003 at Otay Lake in San Diego. My 9 year old wanted to fish club tourney with me so off we go. Let him catch a few bedding fish, he gets a little bored, throws a black senko with no weight out to deeper side. "Dad, I got a big one." 5+, then another, and a third. He would cast it out, set the rod down and wait. End up with just over 20 lbs. Awesome day, he won a little money, and treated me to ice cream on the way home! My biggest win by far.
I won a Mercury powered Ranger 461 in 1999 in a BASS Top 150 as a coangler. Long story behind how it went down. Entry was $400.00. My dad talked me into fishing it. I wasn't going to enter because that was a house payment, and I had 2 young boys. Dad said he would pay if I got picked. Well, I got in and ended up winning it. I can still see the smile on his face. He had a massive heart attack 5 months later that he didn't survive. That most definitely is my most special win.
Won my first team tournament back in 04 - Didn't own a boat and caught the winning limit fishing from the back of my partners boat, called the shots all day and smoked the fish and my partner (Always did and the clown refused to enter the options = Watched second place take our $$$)! Parents bought a "Family" bass boat shortly after (I was only 17), and I upgraded partners shortly after as well haha! Proud of that one and really proved to me that I had some skill!
New partner and I won a 100+ boat tourney a year or so later - Caught twin 7's after adjusting our presentations (Was catching 2-3 pounders non stop on 10" waking swimbaits - Switched up to a BIG worm in the same areas and started getting the bigger fish) and smoked the field by 6 pounds and took big fish - Still our biggest pay day! It was fun joking about putting down the big bait to upgrade with the dropshot, until it worked!
Showed up to a small tournament series at a mountain lake that doesn't get a lot of pressure - All 6 boats left the check in early because they thought nobody else was coming (Historically only the locals really showed up). My buddy and I entered - Idled 100yds to the point we found a school of smallies the week before (Pre-Fishing from a tin rental HAHA) and smoked a limit and started culling in the first 10min. Caught fish all day and won the tournament - NOBODY else caught a fish, and these were LOCALS! Needless to say, we aced the whole season and nearly aced the second season...We made some good friends and hurt some others feelings. Those little 6 boat tournaments were very rewarding - These city boys loved smoking the locals! Fun fact - Carol Martens fished them as well (Aarons mom).
winner...Sorry for your loss.....Originally Posted by Dennis S.
Early 80s. My very first tourney., New lake. 15" minimum and a limit of 3. The lake had been open about 3 years maybe and all the fish were 14.5" LOL. This was an employee tourney . 25 boats and tons of smack talk at work beforehand. It was tough to catch a keeper. I was working nearby so I started taking the boat with me and fishing after work. Took me a while stumble on to a repeatable pattern but somehow I did. My partner and I caught 3 keepers. Two that were just 15" and one 18". Two other boats out of about 25 had one fish each. The boys at work were kinda scratchin their heads because it was so tough to catch a keeper and we had 3 of em. Fun time. I haven't consistently done well over the years but that first one was the best.
GETFISHED !!!
I've had some other big wins over the years, but the biggest for me was winning the Missouri BASS Federation State Championship Tournament on LOZ in 1988. Yep, I'm old.
my dad and I fish local team tournaments. Their year end classic was on kentucky lake . We had a 17 foot tin with a 25 on it and won the two day t and brought home a ranger 188vx with a 150 opti. The next two years we did the same thing . Three years in a row we won a new boat .
First time I won $3 from Mike
Won several local, open, and club tournaments and 5 AOYs in 2 different clubs, but my biggest win was as a Coangler. I won the BASS Elite Empire Chase on Lake Erie in 2008. $25,000.
Won an ABA Open on Seminole the first year of guaranteed 5000.00, wanted to buy power poles but wound up having to buy a new front end on my Chevy 2500, it was luck so easy come easy go
I would say my first BassNation state tourney on Hartwell. I felt like it meant I could fish. Ha what did I know.
Won some club tournaments and a few Husband/Wife tournaments in my club that were very special to me. Another one that was very special to me was a weekly progressive big bass payout that drew some of the best fishermen in the area. Fished it with my best friend, we won the tournament (but didn't hit the weight for the progressive pot) and kept getting updates through the evening about the birth of our first grandchild. So the win was great but getting a granddaughter was even better.
Never won any money worth talking about but have beaten several that have won, Red Man's, ABA's, Federation and, Bassmaster tourneys and they have won multiple boats and big time money way more times than they have beaten me for sure. Never entered any big time tourneys. Biggest was a 175 boat tourney back in the early 80''s but did not do well at all.
144 Boat BFL on Ft Gibson 2 years ago. Won more money in team events but winning on the front deck in a boater/co tourney was awesome
Been pretty lucky with my buddy who i have fished with for about 20 years, we have won three or four boat rigs all but one being 20 foot bass boats and one 175 Pro Tracker with a 60 Merc. The one that stands out most was the Jet a Marina Classic beating out 340 other boats and beating Bill and Billy Schroeder by 2 ounces, 5000.00 cash plus 1500. for big bass.
I came in 14th place in a BFL a few years ago on Okeechobee. After taxes i won 700 ish. There were 250 something boats. I wont fish big tournaments again. I did not like the pressure.
2008 Ranger 178VX
150 Yamaha V-max
GO Fins!!!
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