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Turn out for tournaments at Fork #11791226 08/22/16 10:28 PM
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redmojo Offline OP
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Might regret asking this but why do you think the turnout for most circuits at Fork have gone way down. Media use to have 100+ boats each tournament but has dropped severely the last few years.

Thanks

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11791265 08/22/16 10:51 PM
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DBFishing83 Offline
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Guys are tired of catching 5 & 6 pound bass that they cannot weigh in.
who really goes to a lake and "tries" to get on 2.5# bass ?
Fishermen target and pattern 4-6 pounders.
so you are "lucky" to catch a bag full of unders or even "luckier" to catch an over.
so unless the prize for a good under is really special, then you have your Lake Fork regulars that are the only ones fishing tournaments.
in MHO.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11791270 08/22/16 10:54 PM
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Kay Dyson Offline
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We fished the early Media-JCO trails --- 2007-2010.. The lake was so much fun to fish back then, if you had a low 10-lb sack you were in danger of not getting a ck.. The rules allowing certain anglers to continue yr after yr to compete ran a few off-imo.. The lake's production fell off but that's relative for everyone involved, and the new kind of wore off... Most people got tired of seeing the same people take their money.. I know we took a little here and there.... grin.. Health issues forced us to bow out mainly...

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11791299 08/22/16 11:08 PM
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redmojo Offline OP
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Red y'all definitely took your fair share! Hope to hear your name and the wife over the radio for some of the bigger tournaments. Hope you both are doing better health wise.

We had several tournaments when 9+ pounds got us squat, maybe it will get better after these last few spawns.

Take care.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11791811 08/23/16 03:01 AM
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skins84 Offline
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I often hear "low payout" as a reason but tournaments payout what fishermen put in. Low entries = low payout, pretty simple. I also think most of the fishermen that used the "guides fishing" as a reason to not enter, still aren't fishing even though most tournaments have a "no guide" rule. I've always found that amusing, plenty of sticks at Fork that don't guide.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: skins84] #11791958 08/23/16 08:35 AM
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DBFishing83 Offline
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Originally Posted By: skins84
I often hear "low payout" as a reason but tournaments payout what fishermen put in. Low entries = low payout, pretty simple. I also think most of the fishermen that used the "guides fishing" as a reason to not enter, still aren't fishing even though most tournaments have a "no guide" rule. I've always found that amusing, plenty of sticks at Fork that don't guide.


could be a reason for lower tournament entries..... "plenty of sticks at Fork that don't guide".
Not saying that as a bad thing,,,, but when the "regular" fisherman knows he is going up against a "Fork stick" & plenty of them, they will get tired of donating their money, which = lower turnouts for tournaments.
The easy answer to that statement is the "regular" fisherman should put TOW and get better,,,, yes that is correct, but it still = lower turnout.
so now you have: lower turnout ,,,,, Fork stick vs Fork stick & the occasional guy that wants to "tournament fish" when the prizes are big enough to put the money up against the Fork stick. The occasional "BIG BASS" tournament with boats and such as the prize.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792179 08/23/16 01:28 PM
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Bruce Bullard Offline
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From someone that has considered some of the tournaments in question. Lower entry fees equal higher competitor involvement equal higher payout. Likewise higher fees, less involvement,increasing odds of same anglers winning regularly. I don't mind losing a little money but continuously dropping a couple hundred without much chance of winning would get old quick. I net more in $10 jackpots, than I can bigger tournaments after expenses due to traveling and entry fees.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792244 08/23/16 02:07 PM
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fouzman Offline
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Originally Posted By: redmojo
We had several tournaments when 9+ pounds got us squat, maybe it will get better after these last few spawns.


This is one reason. As stated, dinkmaster tournaments aren't all that fun. Especially when you're fishing against teams who focus on those types of fish all week long. I think the economy has probably hurt turnouts, as well.

But the Big Bass events at Fork seem to continue to draw and grow. I'm guessing that's because of hourly payouts, bigger payouts and the luck factor where anyone can win.


"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out" - Zachary Troy Schrah - a young man with vision far beyond his years.
Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: fouzman] #11792257 08/23/16 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Originally Posted By: redmojo
We had several tournaments when 9+ pounds got us squat, maybe it will get better after these last few spawns.


This is one reason. As stated, dinkmaster tournaments aren't all that fun. Especially when you're fishing against teams who focus on those types of fish all week long. I think the economy has probably hurt turnouts, as well.

But the Big Bass events at Fork seem to continue to draw and grow. I'm guessing that's because of hourly payouts, bigger payouts and the luck factor where anyone can win.


To me this is exactly the reason

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792377 08/23/16 03:14 PM
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I wish they would stop those Big bass tournaments at Fork. Stop them for 2-3 years and see what is does for the fishing.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792389 08/23/16 03:24 PM
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fouzman Offline
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I wish they would stop all the dink master tournaments. They place far more pressure on the fishery than do a few big bass tournaments per year. Two to three years without them and the fishing would explode. Not necessarily due a reduction in post release mortality, but more so due a reduction in constant fishing pressure.

However, neither will ever happen.


"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out" - Zachary Troy Schrah - a young man with vision far beyond his years.
Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792424 08/23/16 03:45 PM
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I think the Big Bass tourneys are good for the lake. (Economy wise) I do agree that all the smaller tourneys need to go. There are way too many of them now.
It was different back in the day when Media was pulling on average 100 boats a month.

Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792430 08/23/16 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: redmojo
Might regret asking this but why do you think the turnout for most circuits at Fork have gone way down. Media use to have 100+ boats each tournament but has dropped severely the last few years.

Thanks


When Media was drawing 100+ boats regularly there werent all of these other trails with Fork Divisions.... any area that draws decent now days gets covered up with 10 new tournament trails or new divisions within a year of showing solid numbers. I also believe the way the fishery has changed has something to do with it too.. it went from power fishing a grass lake to a drop shot and shakey head lake for the keepers. Not saying power fishing wont get it done from time to time, but not like it once did. I still love to go out there and fun fish Fork, just dont have any desire to fish anything other than the big bass events as far as tournaments go.




Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: fouzman] #11792698 08/23/16 06:08 PM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
I wish they would stop all the dink master tournaments. They place far more pressure on the fishery than do a few big bass tournaments per year. Two to three years without them and the fishing would explode. Not necessarily due a reduction in post release mortality, but more so due a reduction in constant fishing pressure.

However, neither will ever happen.


There are only two regular Lake Fork Dink Master trails that I know of that are still in existence, Media and JCO. The number of those two combined for their yearly total of entries won’t even come close to 50% of the entries any one of the major Big Bass tournaments. You have Berkley, Legend of Lake Fork, Big Bass Splash, Mega Bass and Skeeter. Then there are a ton of other smaller tournaments of significance i.e. THSBA, Mad Dog Moore, Elliotts, Irving Bass Club, Lake Fork Open and Champs just to name a few.
All of the Lake Fork trail tournaments have died out for the most part aside from Media and JCO. There were a number of other trails that tried it but just could not get even close to enough entries to sustain. They were just tad late to the dinner table, imo.

There were more than a few years of heavy mortality of the fry from the spawns with little or no cover to hide in. Then there was the free courtesy ride to any of the host marinas for any fish 14 to 16 inches caught for all those years. Now it seems to be most any fish caught between 10 and 14 inches for any of the stringer tournaments gets a free ride along with the few that are caught in the 14 to 16 inch range.
The Big Bass tournaments put thousands of anglers on the lake any given day or weekend and just about every fish caught in the 1.5 to 2.0 range gets hauled around for much of the day. These are fun deals for the anglers and the economy loves it. I am one of them.

There are just not as many fish as there were as compared to 2006-2011 and it has been a steady downhill effect ever since then. I think the trails have suffered because folks are tired of hauling around a 5 fish limit from 4 to 8 pounds in most cases as you can see in the posted results with sacks in the 8 and 9 pound range being few and far in between. If you have guides steadily cashing checks, it will hurt your entries on a local trail no matter how you slice it. Trails can also tend to run their course so to speak and folks move on to other tournaments and different endeavors.


Tom Cornelius

Romans 10:9-11



Re: Turn out for tournaments at Fork [Re: redmojo] #11792723 08/23/16 06:19 PM
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Rhino68W Offline
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That lake needs a break anyways.

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