I was thinking about the post by Andy last night with regards to running, the need for it, and fairness in our tournaments. These are a couple of things I thought of; some are not new or might be slight modifications on previous suggestions. Also, I am not trying to start an us/them thing here. Both clubs have very similar goals and much more in common than our differences on the running issue: to promote bass fishing from man powered vessels; to ensure the health of bass caught; and to provide an environemnt where anglers can hone or measure their skills against peers in an even contest.

I am making a couple of assumptions here based on my perception of some of the issues:

1. Many float tubers feel at a disadvantage when fishing against a kickboat when that kicboat is allowed to use oars.

2. Many non-runners feel at a disadvantage when fishing against runners. This is particularly true on a lake like Clear Lake: if you don't know where several "honey holes" are around the lake you have to figure out where the fish are in your area and what they are biting on.

3. Having too many people in an area isn't good for either float tubes or kickboats but again I think there is the perception tat kickboats have an advantage in this situation due to expanded range and the ability to get to the good spots first.

4. Both clubs are BASS Federation clubs, want to remain so, and therefore should make real attempts to follow the Federation rules.

The following suggestions are aimed primarily at the Opens/Invitationals and any other two day events.

Why not have two divisions in these large tournaments and one overall winner? You could have one division for float tubes and kickboats without oars and another for those vessels that use anything other than leg power to get around. Things like overall winner and big fish pools could encompass both groups or not depending on what people think.

If two launch points are being considered then you could have one group launch at point A, the other at B. Then the next day the first group fishes from B, the second from A. This keeps everyone from over-running a particular area and everyone gets a chance to fish the same water. It also allows each group (kicking and rowing) to have an even playing field when fishing their area and eliminates the need to transport their fish risking fish kill or a run in with DFG.

Comments/flames welcome.

Buzzfish