question about tourny...

[wave warrior]

why is it you set up a tourny like this( 2 fields of boats ) and expect average ''joes'' in 14-18' boats to compete with ''pro's'' with sponsers and guides with $30,000 to $50,000 or more in equiptment that fish these very waters every day????? :confused: :( very biased imo!!! i came to this with high expectations but never entered tourney because of the uneven playing field!!! :( it seems to me that if you split the field between us average joes and the pros it would just make sense!!!! ;) not taking away from what you guys put into these events...i know you try to accomadate all of us but it just dont add up!!! oh yea and to top it all of you have a 2 man team going against a 6 man team??? never heard of such a thing...sorry to vent as i did enjoy the weekend but it just wasn't what i expected... P.S.- i would like to here from others who feel the same IF there are any??? PLEASE dont take this the wrong way guys...it is afterall just my open thoughts...

[Papascott]

Wave warrior if youy feel it was unfair you did right by not fishing it. There was a 6 rod limit on all boats except for 2 man teams limited to 4 rods per state law. The 2 man teams had a cheaper entry fee. How is that unfair? Any boat on Erie should be able to fish 3 people or it is probably too small.

It is an OPEN TOURNAMENT. What part of open is misunderstood? I think that everyone that dishes out 150 in entry fees plus a couple days off work better be serious about fishing. What would determine the split for pros and ams? Sounds like an open invite for alot for alot of fighting and arguing.

There were 80 teams that did fish and none of them are crying the blues? If you want easy competion go to the park and play marbles against 1st graders:) If you want to fish with the toughest walleye fisherman in the state, Fish at the Hog Fest! Seriously this is a fairly high dollar entry tournament and with the high entry and huge payout you are going to see the best show up!

Scott

[bobk]

I am an average joe and didn't feel that way at all. I have a 19.5 ft boat and feel I had the same chance as any one else to catch fish. The teams that had more than 2 people could still only run a max of 6 rods no matter how many people in the boat.
It really is all about the fun of getting together and meeting new people.My panther lift broke,(240.00) :( we got our butts whipped in the tourney and I still had a great time.100.00 for a tourney is really a cheap entry fee also.

[K gonefishin]

Don't take this the wrong way, if you can't roll with the big dogs stay home. There is no such animal as a level playing field when it comes to fishing you pay to play and for the "average joe" it doesn't pan out as well for you, Nobody forced you to enter or pay to play, you knew there was going to be pro's and charter captains, me and all the other weekend warriors had to face those same guys and I knew that going into the game, and I beat alot of them and alot of them beat me that's the way it is, unfair I don't think so if you don't feel you are good enough to compete with them don't compete. What do you want all the top Erie guys to do stay at home during these events? What is your opinion of a even tourney, I bet you can't come up with one because one would probably exist if you could. This is just the way it is, come for the fun and the learning experience and take it in stride and learn from the guys who did better than you once it's over everyone will tell you what they did that worked and didn't work learn and do better next year or stay home and watch the leader board.

[swedish_pimple]

Wave Warrior,not to burst you're bubble or anything,but we drove 5 hours from Central Indiana,Fishing in a 18' Lund,that had a outboard motor that didnt wanna run at all,and we ended up in 14th place,and there was less than 5 lbs between us and 4th,I personally am a angler who thinks to be the best ya gotta beat the best,I like the way its ran,it gives ya more to shoot for,you asked for opinions so theres mine,Im in no way being a smart butt,but this is just how I feel,we beat some good local fishermen up there this weekend,I've only fished Erie a total of less than 10 times in my life,if I were you,I would be writing Santa claus a little note,I think Ill write em a note myself,I wish you the best of luck,

Swedish_Pimple

[Lundy]

I'll try and answer.

When this event was just in the idea stage, well before it ever became a reality we wanted to try and have an event that was a little different than your traditional walleye tourney on Erie.

The intent of this event was to provide a fun weekend to anglers of all backgrounds and experience levels to meet and share the passion and fun of walleye fishing. To introduce and provide a format for those that have never fished a competitive event an opportunity to get your feet wet (Not directed at you Buckeye Ron :D ) in a low key, low entry, easy format with as even of playing field as possible. To allow anglers of all levels and experience to talk and share and learn and most importantly have fun with one another.

The format of the teams and rods, and low entry fees was established as the best we could develop to provide as even of Field as possible and NOT split into divisions. That would deviate from the entire original intent. I did not see any parade of sponsored pro anglers walking up to the stage, I saw some but it certainly wasn't the majority.

If you listened to how and where the fish were caught by the top ten teams you saw teams fishing in 20 feet of water right in front of the Plantation hotel, 30' of water in front of the Castle, and out at the 41 line and everywhere in between.

This weekend is not only about a tournament. It is a fun weekend of fun that has a tournament included in the festivities

[eyecrazy]

I am just an "average Joe" in an 18 footer & I love the format.I think that is what makes this such a great event.Being able to fish against the pro's,charter captains,locals,etc... is the best part.I like the challenge of it,to me,that is what tourney fishing is all about.If you look at the scorecard,there were several D%#n good fishermen that did not fare very well & there were alot of us "JOE'S" in the money(we finished 14).I feel with the way the fish were acting,any one of the 81 boats had a legitimate chance of winning it all.If my outboard had not have broke,our team would have gave team Solecki a run for their money,we would of at least finished in the top 3 if we could have turned around came thru that pod(found by searching) one more time.We gathered all the info we could before leaving & stopped by Dens when we arrived on Thur.& worked VERY-VERY HARD on the water(ie.searching,changing lures,depths,methods,etc...) thur afternoon & friday.Just look at the press release,I think the eyes would have bit a "Livesaver candy" if you brought it by the right fish,they were caught everywhere,on everything.I live in east central Indiana,approx. 4-5 hr drive from Huron,I have been to Erie one other time this year,in April.So I am far from a local,not even close to the pro level(yet-LOL),& not a charter.I picked 2 very good partners in Mike Townsend(very good fisherman) & Jimmy Lang(Jiggin Jims Guide Service - local Brookville/Summit guide)to give us the 6 rod limit(max for any 3-6 man boat) & we worked very hard at it.I will fish this & these type of events until they put me in the ground.I,for one,say it is almost perfect,just a little more tweaking.One other thing PREREGISTER EARLY!Sorry so long. eyecrazy/Steve Hammons

[eyecrazy]

we all jumped on that,i am just a slow typer.When I started,ww was the only post.LOL

[Hetfieldinn]

I'm sure the ratio of 'weekend warriors', like myself to 'Pros' and 'Charter Captains' was a lot lower than most people would think.

My main goal was to check in five fish, which we did. After we boxed five fish, I started thinking about setting the goal a tad higher, such as finishing in the top half of the field, we didn't. That didn't bother me one bit. I hit my main goal of weighing in the five fish allowed. I knew there was going to be some top notch fishermen in the event. That made it all the better, in my eyes.

In my opinion, it was anyone's game from the start. I pre-fished four days straight prior to the tournament. I boxed a nine, an eight, and a couple well over six pounds during that time. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of those big fish during the tourney. The pros and charter captains mostly ran the same program as did the weekend warriors, Dipsy's with spoons, crawler harnesses, and some cranks. The winners just had a little more luck shine their way than the rest of us.

I figured it was a privelege to fish against the other guys in the field, and see how I stacked up. Next year I'll enter my own team, and fish out of my own boat, and maybe finish a little better than this year.

[fugarwi7]

Eyecrazy, I'm with ya...I am just a "limited weekend warrior" and average at best and I had a blast...I didn't get to pre-fish and only had past numbers to go from...(should have used different ones in hindsight), but still put five in the weigh-in box. I can't wait until next year's event! What better venue to fish against some of the best guys (and gals) around and see how well you do? I had no expectations of winning going into this event and was only hoping to not finish in last place...mission accomplished! I think anyone who has even the slightest interest in competing should register in next year's event and give it a go...if for no other reason than the excitment and comaraderie, and if you are fortunate enough to get on the right group of fish, you may even have a chance to win! For the whinners out there, wipe off your tears and get back in the game or stay home and watch Jimmy Houston on TV.

[ezmarc]

Pro is a widely misused term for guys that wear NASCAR style shirts. Some think that if a sponsor gives you a bright shirt that you are a pro. The only true pro's I saw there were a few charter captains and I know some pretty good fishermen that fished the same area and line as the winners and couldn't get the fish to go. A lot of the big boats you saw there were just that, big boats with names and expensive rod holders on them.

The only pro I saw there that has actually had some financial success fishing the pro circuits in the last few years was probably missed by all but me (I met him in 2003) and his partner and he didn't do well in this tourney.

Most people make the mistake of thinking that if someone has a pro staff shirt and a nice fast boat that they must be pro's. That's like thinking someone with a nice boat has lots of money. Most of the so called pro's are just asses over elbows in debt.

I was surprised that the 2 man teams didn't do better in this tourney. A small boat with 2 guys is more than a match after a program is found and quite posibly has an advantage over some of the big guys. We had one angler that has both big and small boats. He brought his 20 footer to fish out of because he thought it would be an edge. Instead it was a day where those 2 extra rods were needed to figure something out more quickly. the team that won caught there 10 pounder as they were starting to clear lines. The difference in that 10 pounder and the 3 pounder they got to cull would have dropped them like a rock in a tighter field but would have only flopped the winning position in this one.

Our format has grown from 50 teams to 58 teams to 80 teams in 3 years all with not so promising weather for each of them. Somebody must like the format.

WBSA tried a dual division series in 2005. It was a bust and we promoted the heck out of it, it was twice as much work and confused almost everyone. It's not likely to happen again just as Coca Cola isn't likely to bring New Coke out again.

Bait Dave has a chance to get people into a lower entry, less pressure tourneys if he has enough support and WBSA is going to do all they can to help him. That may be something you might want to try. Beaver Park has a fundraising tourney every year near Lorain and that also is a lower entry fun tourney. There was a couple in the Port Clinton area this summer as well and I'm sure more that I didn't hear about. You can put 6 guys on a a boat in the Hawg Fest and spend 25 bucks each. That is a bargain anywhere you fish.

I will tell you this. There is nothing anywhere that compares to what we are doing with the Hawg Fest except for possibly the YarCraft Owners tourneys up in Michigan that I attended a few years ago. Some of the ideas for this one came out of that experience.

Besides that you don't have to fish the tourney to have a good time, just come to the party. It's fun and surely there can't be anything wrong with that can there.

[wave warrior]

If you listened to how and where the fish were caught by the top ten teams you saw teams fishing in 20 feet of water right in front of the Plantation hotel, 30' of water in front of the Castle, and out at the 41 line and everywhere in between.

This weekend is not only about a tournament. It is a fun weekend of fun that has a tournament included in the festivities

like i said...i DID enjoy the weekend.... just wondered about the set-up my bad i guess as everyone seems to agree on this... and i'm not talking about me not entering the tourney...as i said i was there for the experiance not to win or even enter...just was differant than what i expected...my misgudgement i guess????

[wave warrior]

P.S...i DONT WEAR NASCAR style shirts and do have a 19' boat ;)

[Big Daddy]

Hey wave warrior... No problem man. It may seem there are lots of big boats and VERY experienced Lake Erie fishers... THERE WERE!!! :D The guys I fished with were my two bro-in-laws. They fish Erie pretty regularly, maybe two or three tmes per month. Tournament experience is mostly union tournaments, and just for fun. True week-enders. We finished 12th. A LOT better than we thought and I'm VERY proud of my team.

It takes work, and I know this from personal experience, having the most expensive gear doesn't always win you the event! A true joy in life is beating guys in pool tournaments by using house cues! LOL! :D :D ;)

Anyway, don't let them scare you off. Get a team together and take a chance. You're a good enough fisherman to get into the fish. Plus, you have a lot of help here from your buddies at OGF!

[wave warrior]

A true joy in life is beating guys in pool tournaments by using house cues! LOL! yea you got me on that one!!!! used to do that alot!!!! DID NOT mean anything negative...just an observation...i WILL continue to participate in ANY AND ALL OGF events unless you guys '' run me off'' !!!

[WB185Ranger]

I've seen some "ave. Joes" in little boats (no bells and whistles on it either) in tournaments who sometimes beat out the "Pro's" in their boats, having a smaller boat on some of these lakes is to your advantage at times! You can get back into places and fish where other people can't and get the big fish! :) WB

[hookeyplayer]

wave warrior i gotta tell ya you are dead wrong. i gave $7,000 for my 1983 26' boat/trailer that i can take anywhere. some of the 14'-18' boats i know cost many times more and can double/triple my speed on the lake. i was also intimidated by some boats. many were 18 footers that were well rigged. i think you must not be used to seeing lake erie's typical walleye fisherman. anybody that buys a set of transport rod holders may look like a pro but its just the best way to store and ready your rods.[ i made mine from pvc pipe] and now i look like a pro hay! truth is this is only my second year on lake erie and walleye fishing and i feel confident enough to go out as a one man team and catch 15 good fish by myself in 8hrs[marks willing].one of my guys came up from florida and never saw a walleye before.the other guy was just like me and is learning as well.none of us have ever fished the central basin.[probably why we placed 56]. we're not rich,we're not pros and we're not scared.we're fisherman that want to learn more and have fun with friends/family and that we did. would of liked to of got a top 20 or even won but thats not why we were there.[we decided we would do that next year] one last thing, i'm not even an average walleye fisherman yet, but i can tell a big fish on a fish finder when i see it. and i know walleye's have exceptional eyesight. but i still don't think they can read that price tag on that boat or can see through that haul if youre a pro or an average joe pulling that reef runner. sorry you missed all the money. i really hope they never change the format i thought it was as fair as fair could get.

[ezbite]

loved the format, loved the weekend... loved placing 44th. i will be there next year..anytime i can compete with pros and charter captns who fish that end of erie i will be there.i learned lots and lots. but i also wanted to see if a 42 year old man and his mother and her friend could compete with the big dawgs...hot dog we did. we didnt win any cash but we didnt get :S . my deal going into this tourney was to check 5 fish. mission acomplished.. we tried to find bigger fish but everyone got pretty tired about noon, so we just trolled with the waves till check in time. next year maybe we'll stay closer to shore where its calmer water. anyway i loved it. however im not used to fishing all that shallow water..it was weird not setting out the dipseys 200 feet or more. that was the topic of the day on my boat "think were deep enough? i dont know, i guess, heck go a little deeper, you sure, no". got to have 70 fow under me to feel comfortable running my program... :D EZbite

oh yea i was intimidated by the size and sparkle of some of those boats that cost more than my house..maybe someday ill get one.

thay sure was perty.....but for now ill stick with my 19foot trophy.

[wave warrior]

in response...my 19' cruiser DOES have downriggers rod holders electronics dipsies jets etc. that was not the point...thanks to ALL who responded...that is what this site is for...by the way...team wave warrior/billy bob did take 4th place overall and big fish at ogf crappie tourny on a lake we had never seen or pre fished in a 12' alum boat with very few amenities :p ;) this is my last post on this so mods can close this thing ;)

[Hook N Book]

To introduce and provide a format for those that have never fished a competitive event an opportunity to get your feet wet (Not directed at you Buckeye Ron :D ).
Lundy, that just isn't right man...! :D

Wave Warrior, it was nice to meet you as well as your partner Rattletraprex at the Plantation on Sat.

Here's my take on things:
I certainly understand what you're saying, as I had the same thoughts 2 years ago at the first Hawgfest tourney when I noticed guys had chartered boats for the event and realized there were also professional's entered. I had never fished a tourney before that, and probably will not fish any other one but this one.

For those that don't know, I travel from SW Ohio to Erie (3.5-4 hrs.) at least twice a mouth to fish mainly on the western end. So, it's safe to say I'm a bonifide average Joe and weekender.
Though I was a very humbled man this past weekend, I've come to realize and more importantly welcome the challenge of competeing with the best and knowing it's possible to have a chance at placing in the top three in this tourney. It's anybody's tourney to win, but as I found out it's not going to happened just by showing up...! ;)

Finishing in the 72nd spot doesn't set very well with me and I've got a whole year to think about it. :D
I made some bad decisions in this tournament and I will not make the same mistakes again. It absolutely amazed me to hear some of the higher finishing guys discribe their programs. Our's just about mirrored everyone of them that fished further out (over 40 ft.) but yet we could not get the fish to co-operate. The point I'm making here is preparation, skill and a lot of luck are all key elements in a successful day of fishing (I'll be working on 2 of the 3 for next year.) ;)
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I had another enjoyable weekend at the fest...I met a few more folks that I can put a face to now and had another fantastic meal.

[Lundy]

I'm right there with you Rodney.

I find it funny now how I can make more bad decisions in an 8 hr period that I normally make in bunches of trips combined.

What would normally be a no brainier, literally becomes no brain, mines gone. Right lures, wrong place, Right place, wrong time, right depth, wrong speed, got fish, leave them to find more, drive right past a location that had neon signs lite up with flashing arrows saying "FISH HERE", to find nothing at my other destination, it just went on and on. The longer the struggle continues the more you second guess everything you're doing,and has been working for you for months, bad, bad move. :confused: :D

That is what makes it fun for me, I guess I enjoy becoming a blithering idiot one day of the year :D

[fugarwi7]

That's hilarious!!! You just described every trip I make up to the lake...I couldn't have said it better myself.

[tubuzz2]

This was my first outing with you guys and first tournemt. I like it. The only one complait I have is when we are let go at the mouth I made sure I was in proper lineup. But two moran decide they need to fish 30 seconds befor I did and jump line. I had to slow down to get the guy attention. That is bull! That is the only problem I had.

I set a goal to weigh 5 fish and I did nothing big. 17 foot lund with a 60 horse. Did pretty good on the rough water. Not sure where I place? That is another story.

Thanks to everyone who put on Hog fest.

[Dazed and Confused]

Wave,

Don't know how i missed your post this long.

I too felt a little uncomfortable getting into the tourney,mainly because i refuse to troll and felt i would be at a disadvantage.But after seeing the results and the fish that were taken that day,all i can say now is,these guys better be prepared to fish a whole lot harder next year if they plan to beat TEAM DAZED and CONFUSED. ;)

Hope you enjoyed ALL those eyes i gave you and Rex. :B

[krustydawg]

Wave,

Don't know how i missed your post this long.

I too felt a little uncomfortable getting into the tourney,mainly because i refuse to troll and felt i would be at a disadvantage.But after seeing the results and the fish that were taken that day,all i can say now is,these guys better be prepared to fish a whole lot harder next year if they plan to beat TEAM DAZED and CONFUSED. ;)

Hope you enjoyed ALL those eyes i gave you and Rex. :B


I told you guys you should have entered ! It was great meeting all of you at the Boat Basin and drinking a few cocktails ! Are you still in for the ice fishing trip ? :D

[Habitual Eyer]

I came from North Western Indiana. I have a boat that might look Pro. I knew little aboat the Huron Basin, or the standard presentations. I knew I would be lucky to bring in five fish. We did and finished 50th. I knew some Charter related teams would clean up. Also knew some guys who fished this area alot would have an advantage over me. I ran a two man team. I could have put another man in my 20 foot Pro-v but decided fishing (open water trolling) would be easier in my boat with only two people. I saw alot of smaller boats with three man teams. My impression of the Hawg fest?....I'm surprised the take-off went as well as it did with 80 boats all chomping at the bit to get out. I thought that those who may have had a "home field" advantage gave up a ton of info that will make me WAY MORE competitive next year. A guy from the winning boat even spent a moment or two with me while loading his vehicle giving advise and insight on why they had the day they had. I saw alot of people giving time and not getting paid for it. Our $105 entry fee seemed paltry compared to a Pro-am entry fee and only a little more than most other Erie amature tournaments. Best $105 I spent all year. I am now consumed with trying to be more successfull next year. My only complaint.......THERE NEEDS TO BE THREE OR FOUR HAWG FESTS PER. Many thanks to all who put this on. I have been looking for Tourneys close to home and this one was a blast! You keep your eyes and ears open at events like this and much can be learned to make your boat competitive.

[Dazed and Confused]

Are you still in for the ice fishing trip ? :D

Sure am,but this weekend looks bad for me. :D

It was nice meeting you too,wish more could have showed up Friday night at the Basin,it took me the rest of the weekend to polish off all the liquor i brought along with me. ;)

[krustydawg]

Sure am,but this weekend looks bad for me. :D

It was nice meeting you too,wish more could have showed up Friday night at the Basin,it took me the rest of the weekend to polish off all the liquor i brought along with me. ;)

Yeah this weekend is not looking good for the hardwater, but it would be a great opportunity to test my float suit ! :D I agree I wish more people had showed up, the minnows in the basin would have had enough aeration to survive several weeks ! :p

[rattletraprex]

Now that I know more about the Hog fest and tourney will enter next year.I think there were a lot of things cleared up from this thread.Meet some new people and put some faces to names.Had a good time at the basin with Dazed and Krusty.I'm in for the ice fishing but think we are going to hit around Huron or the V this weekend.Maybe some of us can get together and finish off Scotts leftovers.Your fish didn't go to waste Scott,thanks.Was nice meeting Hook & Book and Dixie Chicken among others.We were the ones helping take the table and chairs down Sat.night.Dixie did your buddy check into what wave told him about his boat.I'll send some pm's out about this weekend. Rex

[krustydawg]

Rex,
I will be out this Sunday, maybe Saturday evening also. Let me know where you guys are staying and when you'll be up.