In the world there are times where it takes an amazing number of factors to bring about an event or result. Even just brewing a cup of coffee takes a medium, heat source and solvent. Nothing it seems is capable of being solely responsible for any outcome. But leave it to tournament fisherman to identify a phenomenon.
Each anglers bad luck is the sole cause of their out of the money finish. When weigh-ins begin it becomes a village of men standing about talking about their BAD LUCK. Listen closely and the same maladies effect them all, standards include, "I broke off...", "I lost a...", "trolling motor quit at.." The anglers in the money seem completely unaware that only the bad luck of the other anglers stood in the way of them having to join one of the cliques. The other anglers skill, poor decisions and any other factors be damned! My bad luck is the only reason I did not win like I should have!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Which is better? Winning or Winning?
Scenario: You have spent all day bass fishing and it is 2:30, weigh-in is only 30 minutes away.
You paid $200 to enter the tournament and another $100 in expenses.
What would prefer?
1. That you have had a great day fishing, caught a record number of fish, so did all your competitors and you FINISH ONE SPOT OUT OF THE MONEY.
2. That you had a tough day fishing caught only three fish and get the last check of the tournament and BREAK EVEN.
3. Have a terrible day fishing but had one big bite late and won big bass and MADE $100 on the day.
4. Had a terrible day fishing, miserable weather, caught two fish but everyone else did terrible and you get second place and YOU WIN $300.
5. You know that you can't answer honestly.
You paid $200 to enter the tournament and another $100 in expenses.
What would prefer?
1. That you have had a great day fishing, caught a record number of fish, so did all your competitors and you FINISH ONE SPOT OUT OF THE MONEY.
2. That you had a tough day fishing caught only three fish and get the last check of the tournament and BREAK EVEN.
3. Have a terrible day fishing but had one big bite late and won big bass and MADE $100 on the day.
4. Had a terrible day fishing, miserable weather, caught two fish but everyone else did terrible and you get second place and YOU WIN $300.
5. You know that you can't answer honestly.
Why would a hobby be done for money? Is it then a hobby?
You have a job, you work hard. You have a family, you spend time with them. You get to take some time off from family and work and enjoy a hobby. Golf, tennis, running, fishing, going to museums, reading, or a variety of other activities designed to help you relax and enjoy a quality of life. Sometimes a hobbyist might even enjoy competing against others. There is after all a primal need to be the better man. So a good hobby is a good if not necessary part of the healthy adult life.
Where does hobby end and part-time profession come into bass fishing. It seems that the millions of runners and bike riders that do so for hobby only have managed to keep up their interest without a horde of tournaments to compete for money. The local tennis club still rewards competitors with a simple trophy and applause. So why has bass fishing become so much a for money, tournament driven "hobby?"
There are a few possible answers any of which may be completely wrong or possibly completely dependent on the other answers but here they are in no particular order.
1. Bass fishing is simply a reflection of this country's lottery win, reality millionaire, get rich quick and I deserve it mentality. Every bass fisherman watches Television and sees that some professional angler wins 1 million dollars and somewhere inside he believes that he could do that, or maybe he just thinks "man what I could do with that kinda money." Certainly tournament directors and organizers get this mentality to a point. They often have bass tournaments where first prize is $10,000 or more dollars and yet a top ten finish may net less than $1,000 and finishing in the top twenty percent may not even get you a dime! But then all you have to do is give the field the chance to get rich quick. One does have to ask though if the need to compete for an outrageous first prize is the whole answer to tournament bass fishing how does a runner train for miles a week and know that he will never get a dime for his efforts?
2. Bass fishermen are actually more gambler than hobbyist. Perhaps bass fishing is not enough of a hobby to really appeal to many people. Maybe it is the gambling aspect that really drives the sport. Indeed there does seem to be a great divide between a retired gentleman and his grandson heading out for a morning of fishing in their 18 foot bass boat versus the mad rage that is the start of many bass tournaments. Perhaps the enjoyment is driven by trying to win money not just go fishing. The fishing is a hobby that would be nice to take the kids out a day or two a month for but tournament prep can keep a working family man on the water 5, 10 or more days a month.
3. You gotta justify your toys somehow. Maybe when ya pay $600 a month for a truck capable of pulling Mount Rushmore down and another $600 a month on a bass boat that can't fit in your garage you have to say
it is for more than your man ego. Bass fisherman may have a hard time admitting that they just want a truck bigger than Bubba's and a bass boat that runs faster than many sub compact cars. So they rationalize it by the fact that they fish for money so they gotta have good equipment. Well or is it that they have to make up for a lack of equipment?
The list could seemingly go on forever. It almost becomes an excuse list not a reason list. Should a true hobby need the added dimension of for money competition? Are bass fisherman just the world's worst part time employed workers?
When was the last time the average tournament fisherman competed for just a trophy?
Where does hobby end and part-time profession come into bass fishing. It seems that the millions of runners and bike riders that do so for hobby only have managed to keep up their interest without a horde of tournaments to compete for money. The local tennis club still rewards competitors with a simple trophy and applause. So why has bass fishing become so much a for money, tournament driven "hobby?"
There are a few possible answers any of which may be completely wrong or possibly completely dependent on the other answers but here they are in no particular order.
1. Bass fishing is simply a reflection of this country's lottery win, reality millionaire, get rich quick and I deserve it mentality. Every bass fisherman watches Television and sees that some professional angler wins 1 million dollars and somewhere inside he believes that he could do that, or maybe he just thinks "man what I could do with that kinda money." Certainly tournament directors and organizers get this mentality to a point. They often have bass tournaments where first prize is $10,000 or more dollars and yet a top ten finish may net less than $1,000 and finishing in the top twenty percent may not even get you a dime! But then all you have to do is give the field the chance to get rich quick. One does have to ask though if the need to compete for an outrageous first prize is the whole answer to tournament bass fishing how does a runner train for miles a week and know that he will never get a dime for his efforts?
2. Bass fishermen are actually more gambler than hobbyist. Perhaps bass fishing is not enough of a hobby to really appeal to many people. Maybe it is the gambling aspect that really drives the sport. Indeed there does seem to be a great divide between a retired gentleman and his grandson heading out for a morning of fishing in their 18 foot bass boat versus the mad rage that is the start of many bass tournaments. Perhaps the enjoyment is driven by trying to win money not just go fishing. The fishing is a hobby that would be nice to take the kids out a day or two a month for but tournament prep can keep a working family man on the water 5, 10 or more days a month.
3. You gotta justify your toys somehow. Maybe when ya pay $600 a month for a truck capable of pulling Mount Rushmore down and another $600 a month on a bass boat that can't fit in your garage you have to say
it is for more than your man ego. Bass fisherman may have a hard time admitting that they just want a truck bigger than Bubba's and a bass boat that runs faster than many sub compact cars. So they rationalize it by the fact that they fish for money so they gotta have good equipment. Well or is it that they have to make up for a lack of equipment?The list could seemingly go on forever. It almost becomes an excuse list not a reason list. Should a true hobby need the added dimension of for money competition? Are bass fisherman just the world's worst part time employed workers?
When was the last time the average tournament fisherman competed for just a trophy?
Why do bass fishermen fish tournaments?
There are a lot of fish tales that we could start with in Bass Fishing but perhaps the biggest has to be the idea that the hobby tournament fishermen fish for money. The logical interpretation would be that each year the tournament bass angler takes income minus expenses and the resulting number is his profit or the money his tournament fishing business netted him. *1
The TRUTH is that the hobby tournament fisherman is in a general addicted to two things, 1. The hope that he can win money and 2. to compete and hopefully brag later about his accomplishments (a real bonus here if is others blow his horn and allow him to say overly humble and ridiculous things like "I just got lucky", etc).
The idea of winning money is no stranger to the American adventurist. Since the days of Dutch and Spanish traders there has been a risk and reward gambler in many of us. The distinction in many is if they understand the folly of a non accounting business. Each year over 40 million Americans head to Las Vegas Nevada hoping to win money. This has to be one of the most insane ideas in all the world. Often even the players themselves state that they plan to lose money and winning is a bonus. Sounds oddly similar to "I get to go fishing the money is just a bonus doesn't it?" The Vegas convention bureau reports that only 6% of Vegas visitors say that gambling is the primary reason for the trip. However, more than 85% of visitors report some gambling. When a casino has revenues in the billions and profits in the hundreds of millions one thing is for certain, they do not build em and run em on winners. The hope is left in the casino and the player simply does no accounting of his gambling business and reports that he had a great time. This is the state of the modern day bass tournament fisherman, he is incapable of admitting that he is shooting the moon for the big first place pay day and ignoring the fact that 90% of all tournament fishermen lose money in their business.
But losing money isn't the only part it is worth a lot of money to people to be recognized as better than the next guy at something.
I would be happy to have any tournament fisherman give honest thoughts on this subject and would be happy to detail any tournament fisherman that can back up a claim that they made money fishing!
*1 - Hobby tournament fisherman =non professional tournament fisherman. This article is not directed to anyone that claims their sole income as tournament bass fishing. That is a whole other story of the lure pimpin guys and their festive wrapped boats!
The TRUTH is that the hobby tournament fisherman is in a general addicted to two things, 1. The hope that he can win money and 2. to compete and hopefully brag later about his accomplishments (a real bonus here if is others blow his horn and allow him to say overly humble and ridiculous things like "I just got lucky", etc).
The idea of winning money is no stranger to the American adventurist. Since the days of Dutch and Spanish traders there has been a risk and reward gambler in many of us. The distinction in many is if they understand the folly of a non accounting business. Each year over 40 million Americans head to Las Vegas Nevada hoping to win money. This has to be one of the most insane ideas in all the world. Often even the players themselves state that they plan to lose money and winning is a bonus. Sounds oddly similar to "I get to go fishing the money is just a bonus doesn't it?" The Vegas convention bureau reports that only 6% of Vegas visitors say that gambling is the primary reason for the trip. However, more than 85% of visitors report some gambling. When a casino has revenues in the billions and profits in the hundreds of millions one thing is for certain, they do not build em and run em on winners. The hope is left in the casino and the player simply does no accounting of his gambling business and reports that he had a great time. This is the state of the modern day bass tournament fisherman, he is incapable of admitting that he is shooting the moon for the big first place pay day and ignoring the fact that 90% of all tournament fishermen lose money in their business.
But losing money isn't the only part it is worth a lot of money to people to be recognized as better than the next guy at something.
I would be happy to have any tournament fisherman give honest thoughts on this subject and would be happy to detail any tournament fisherman that can back up a claim that they made money fishing!
*1 - Hobby tournament fisherman =non professional tournament fisherman. This article is not directed to anyone that claims their sole income as tournament bass fishing. That is a whole other story of the lure pimpin guys and their festive wrapped boats!
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