With all the talk of Tournaments....

[R.D.]

I have noticed one thing.....a lot of organizations are trying to help the weekend warriors and local Tournament fishermen more and more. it may appear that some lakes are going to get hammered mroe than others. Take Milford for example. If you look at the Demographics of a "Regional" tourney you will find there are a lot af guys that will be fishing that are within a 100 mile radius....some will travel 200 miles but I dont think you will see very many doing that anymore.

Just by observation over the last 4 years(or so) I have noticed that most anglers are staying closer to home due to higher costs of most things....Insurance is up, Maintenece is up(both for boat and the tow vehicle)....lets not forget the price on oil/Fuel to accomidate our Needs to get to the lake.

I have also seen a decline in attendance in some areas for tournaments due to this. I for one am a part of that statistic. I used to be able to go to Milford 2 times a month without hurting me....now I'm lucky to get to go Once a month......I also use to do atleast 2-3 touneys a month....now will look for around 1-2 per month and will be trying to keep things as close to home as possible....this in itself will limit my area of travel and might be a deciding factor on HOW I fish.

Granted I am no big $$$ winner and have an average job....plus raising a Family will limit the $ available for someone to use for "recreation" purposes. Then you factor in a 200-300 mile round trip plus any fuel used on water + any tournament fees you have yourslef a $150-$200+ weekend trip.....and that does not include food or hotel if you must stay a night or 2

Now the question(s) come......is it worth it to have that much pressure on any certain body of water close to home?

Would I(you) travel farther just to fish a better known fishery to better your chances at weight in?

Would you be able to afford the added expense knowing full well that you may not place high enough to win enough money?
or would there be enough people in that tournament for you to even consider driving there just to have the chance to place high enough?

Many things to think about but rest assured All things will be considered next year when thinking about just hitting the local fishing hole......or driving 150 miles one way to fish in a weekend tournament.....let alone the little guy who tries his best to compete with his freinds

[jbassman87]

I know that this year I will be watching very close at what/where/when I fish. Like you there is just X amount of dollars to be spent fishing, so you have to choose wisely. I try to stay as close to home as I can, no matter the pressure the lake gets.