Tournament Q's

[Martini78]

Alright! I've really enjoyed my first season of bass fishing immensely! I learned a lot, tinkered with tons of equipment, and probably spent 500+ hours on the water. I've done my homework on rods, reels, lures, etc... and field tested my share as well. I fished a tournament with a friend and we ended up 7th place out of 22 teams.

So for 2009, I'm joining a Bassmaster club. They have lots of tournaments throughout the year and monthly meetings. I don't own a boat, so I would be considered a rider or co-angler, and randomly paired with a boater for each event. The killer for me is that I don't know ANYBODY that's in the club. I'm not afraid of my social skills, but I am nervous nontheless.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I know I'm going to need a better life vest and a weigh-in bag of my own. What else will I need? For instance, do I need my own net or should I be allowed to use my partner's?
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[fsh4fun05]

I can't say what your club is going to be like but the two clubs I've fished with the guys and gals are awesome. The first club I joined I was still a newbie to bass fishing and the boaters were more than happy to show me the ropes and use their net []. That was a few years ago and I really didn't have the drive to fish tournaments and didn't care for competition but I've honed my skills and have my own boat now.
I met a guy at a tire shop getting a flat fixed for my boat trailer. He saw the BFT sticker on my truck and yada yada he invited me to his bass club meeting. Fishing with this club is more like fishing with friends instead of hardcore tournaments. We have fun, bbq on two day tourneys, share stories, have a drink or two...or six [shocked].
We draw names for boaters/non-boaters so you fish with different people and learn new techniques and places to fish.
My life jacket is just a generic life jacket, we have to wear them anytime the big motor is running. I want one of those blow up ones that inflate when you hit the water but I can't justify the cost. (Christmas is coming hint, hint [])
I got lucky and scored a bunch of weigh in bags at a tournament when I first started but you can buy them from some sporting stores.
I mentioned the flat tire earlier, I was fishing in southern Utah for a couple days and then headed Northbound when I blew a tire on my boat trailer. Guess what was the one thing I left at home? Yep, spare tire and lug wrench. After traveling 2 mph down the side of the freeway for a half hour to get to the exit a truck pulled over with a bass boat behind it. He said he saw us fishing at Sand Hollow and was wondering if he could help. (He was headed back from an FLW tourney in Nevada and stopped at SH to fish for a while.) We both had boats and trailers made by the same maker so he let me use his spare tire. I got my tire fixed and returned his the next day. That's what bass fishing is all about. I promise you won't be dissapointed about joining a bass club-friends, memories, and fish...what could be better?
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[gdn443]

It's all about the folks who are in the events. My buddy and I did alot of tourneys in the past few years and now unless we have fished with them before and have a BBQ after the day we don't go. We go to have fun, not presured to win. You'll find 99% of fisherman are no different than you. Just find a club or group you enjoy fishing against.
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[bendopolo]

Fish hard, Be ready for whatever comes up,tacklewise and clotheswise, Bring plenty of food and water. Be respectful of your partners boat and stuff, be cheerful, don't gripe, be yourself because you can't hide who you are for long.Travel as light as you can with the proper gear for a whole days fishing. Have fun! These tips got me thru years of tournys.
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