First off...I just want to say that I had 2 and a half hours to think about the SCBBBC State Classic and how it was (at least) for me.

It may sound like sour grapes but I had zero fish for 2 days. That's kinda hard for me to accept but thats fishing. The thing that bugs the crap out of me is that the guys that couldn't or didn't run were stuck at a place that was not producing fish. The people that could run did in fact run....far far away from State Park. I kinda knew that my fate was sealed when I saw nobody from the other club fishing State Park.

If we had to pick a place to launch and one of the criteria was that each person had to fish at the launch site at least one day, i bet the location would be way different!

I still don't get that running thing. We all have our honey holes and that just makes it my honey hole against your honey hole.

I always believed that a tournament isn't a true tournament unless the conditions are the same for 100% of the field. This was certainly not the case. The analogy that I have come up with is a golf tournament. It would be akin to having a tournament at Monterey peninsula but you can play at any course there...Spyglass, Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach or Pacific Grove. All different venues in the same area but vastly different in difficulty. Enough said. Unless everyone plays the same course, it is not a true test of ability (or be it luck). Same conditions for 100% of the field.

There were many things to bitch about...the rain, wind, cold, the long run to Ferndale, the whitecap rollers. I had my ass handed to me this weekend. If somebody found it at the campsite, can you please return it to me, I might need it to take a long and glorious $@it. Sorry to vent but it's just my two cents.

Any thoughts?

I've never liked running. Prior to recent permits it wasn't legal and SCBBBC had to go through hoops to get a running permit. IMO it isn't a level playing field; with running anyone who has reasonable access to a body of water (i.e. more than once or twice a year) is going to have a significant advantage. And there is no guarantee that runners are even fishing the same lake as everyone else. Besides, at least prior or this tourney, running kills fish.

I think everyone should fish the same water. For example on the delta what the h-ll is the point of holding a tourney in a certain area if some drive off and fish totally different water? Might as well just say "we're having a tournament somewhere on the delta...weigh in will be at <who cares>".

I am sure some SCBBBC guys will have something to say about this but knowing certain honey holes that are clearly outside reachable distance given the "human power" nature of out clubs should not even come in to play. Driving a freaking truck is NOT man powered...unless you pull a Fred Flintstone and peddle!

Buzzfish

I

Hey Gil sorry you had such a bad experience this weekend. I actually had a good time. But I always have a good time at this tourney. The fishing was tough at State Park for sure; we sure could have used another foot of water or two!

Here's what I have to say about the running aspect of this tourney.
First the SCBBBC is a club that runs and always has been. Whether it is done legally or not isn't relevant anymore with the DFG permit that Rich has worked so hard to obtain. BnT was a running club when I joined some years ago but choose to become a non running club when we had our own discussions with DFG on the subject back in 03 I believe. Does this make one club right and one wrong when it comes to running? No, I don't think so, it just makes them different and I am OK with that!

Another thing to remember is that everybody who launched at State Park, myself included, had the option to run. For whatever reason it was we all choose not to. This did not work to our advantage that's for sure since it would seem that we all had to work harder for our bites than some of those who ran. The bites were there, some big ones too, but we just needed to work harder for fewer of them. Bottom line is this; the decision to stay at State Park when we had to option to go elsewhere was a bad one in my opinion.
So for this reason I would tend to say that the conditions were the same for 100% of the field. Some made good decisions and some did not.

The honey hole where this tourney was won, and it was a true honey hole this last weekend, is a place every BnT member is very familiar with. The tourney was won from M&M!

I guess when I think back on my experience this weekend I look at it differently. I knew what the running requirement were and I choose not to make a livewell that I could run with. I choose to stay and fish State Park after 2 days, half days actually of pre fishing with 2 or 3 bites each day. The bites were good ones; there was the potential to get 12-15 lbs if you got the right 3 bites. I knew the rain would change things and I hoped it would be for the better but it wasn't the case. I finished in the money at 11th place which made my lousy choices easier to take but in the end I know I made some bad decisions that didn't help me finish higher.

Once again sorry to hear about your missing @$$, I hope it is returned soon!

MT

great reply mitch,I think if ya show up knowing that you have an option to run(same as everyone else)you made a bad decision.I personaly don't like running and didn't do when I could.I didn't attend for 2 reasons..1st I have niner season tickets(not cheap so I try and make all the games)and the 2nd is cash is real tight for me right now.If I had gone(wouldn't have run anyways)it wouldn't bother me cause I knew up front that running was an option.
It sounds like the bite was as tuff as the delta is right now :o congrats to the winners and all those that tuffed it out.See ya'll on the water!
Swampy

>Hey Gil sorry you had such a bad experience this weekend. I
>actually had a good time. But I always have a good time at
>this tourney. The fishing was tough at State Park for sure; we
>sure could have used another foot of water or two!
>
>Here's what I have to say about the running aspect of this
>tourney.
>First the SCBBBC is a club that runs and always has been.
>Whether it is done legally or not isn't relevant anymore with
>the DFG permit that Rich has worked so hard to obtain. BnT was
>a running club when I joined some years ago but choose to
>become a non running club when we had our own discussions with
>DFG on the subject back in 03 I believe. Does this make one
>club right and one wrong when it comes to running? No, I don't
>think so, it just makes them different and I am OK with that!
>
>Another thing to remember is that everybody who launched at
>State Park, myself included, had the option to run. For
>whatever reason it was we all choose not to. This did not work
>to our advantage that's for sure since it would seem that we
>all had to work harder for our bites than some of those who
>ran. The bites were there, some big ones too, but we just
>needed to work harder for fewer of them. Bottom line is this;
>the decision to stay at State Park when we had to option to go
>elsewhere was a bad one in my opinion.
>So for this reason I would tend to say that the conditions
>were the same for 100% of the field. Some made good decisions
>and some did not.
>
>The honey hole where this tourney was won, and it was a true
>honey hole this last weekend, is a place every BnT member is
>very familiar with. The tourney was won from M&M!
>
>I guess when I think back on my experience this weekend I look
>at it differently. I knew what the running requirement were
>and I choose not to make a livewell that I could run with. I
>choose to stay and fish State Park after 2 days, half days
>actually of pre fishing with 2 or 3 bites each day. The bites
>were good ones; there was the potential to get 12-15 lbs if
>you got the right 3 bites. I knew the rain would change things
>and I hoped it would be for the better but it wasn't the case.
>I finished in the money at 11th place which made my lousy
>choices easier to take but in the end I know I made some bad
>decisions that didn't help me finish higher.
>
>Once again sorry to hear about your missing @$$, I hope it is
>returned soon!
>
>MT
>
>
>
Very well put Mitch.
BTW I`ve won alot of $ right there at the state park you just got to know the area.As a matter of fact it used to be my "secret honeyhole" untill peeps found out where I was going and then BAM! it became the new blastoff spot which totally sucked for me.
;(

>The tourney was won from M&M!

Dang...that's clear across the other side.

How long of a drive is that?

Yeah but the ranger was hot ;) ..lol.... Seriously, I was surprised when I came rollin into camp before wieghin,and Steve said you had already packed up and left...sorry it was that bad man....at least you didn't have as long a drive to think about how tough a tournament it was.... x(

Gil,

Fishing should be fun, first and foremost. Fish the tourneys that make you happy. Skip the ones that don't. The good thing as fishermen is that we have lots of options - options that include fishing for fun without fishing for money when the time is right :) My .02

I am new to the float tube fishing scene. I tournament and recreational Bass fish from a boat and I am learning how to tube fish. I read your comment about fishing and not being able to run. Can everyone in the tournament run and choose not to? Or are the rules not the same for everyone? Some people are allowed to run and some are not? When fishing a tournament in a Bass boat we may run 30 minutes or longer before stopping to fish. Can someone clear this up for me? I am a little confused.

Welcome to the board fishnjohn.

In a kickboat/float tube tournament running means you can drive to another location on the lake to put in then fish there, and transport your fish back to the weigh in location via your vehicle. This is primarily done on big water like Clear Lake and only with a special permit issued by the DFG. Everyone who enters a "running" tourney (one with a permit) has the choice to run to another location or to put in at the host location and fish there. There are special livewell regulations that must be adhered to as a condition of the permit to ensure the well being of the fish if you run.

Running in a tube tourney is very much like a boat tourney where you can run to any location and then bring your fish back to the weigh in location.
It helps to spread the anglers out too when there is a large field. If 40 to 60 tubers all launched at one location it gets a little crowded.

In the case of this last weekends tourney my livewell did not meet the permit conditions to transport so rather than modify my livewell I choose not to run and stayed at State Park and paid for it.

Hope this helps!

MT

Thank you for your help.