I think it went smoothly. The biggest problem I have is SETX rules state that 7th and 8th grade can fish. But some schools don't let them. I love when we leave kids behind. Would have been 518 boat count. Thanks Barbers Hill.

Yes I was at the tournament and have been at every event since it started. I never said this was not good for the kids but I do think there is some lacking in safety and it mostly is on the captains of the boat. I and the school I fish with have volunteered our time with setup and tear down at several tournament's. My original question was what and how was your experience at this tournament. I for one have passed suggestions and thoughts on to some of the setx board members in the past. I know some of the board members will see this post. My main reason for this out was maybe if the people on here that did fish setx would voice there concerns or issues for setx to see. If you are very happy with the way it was ran then voice that. If there is something you would like see maybe get changed then voice that. I do like the fact that people with smaller boats can launch where ever they like but I still stand behind you have no control of when they put in when they start fishing and so on but that's just my opinion. I have also witnessed captains letting kids ride on the front deck and sitting in the back seat while on plane. Is that setx fault no its the captwins. This thing was built years ago for the kids of setx just like the thsba was built for the kids in there areas. Know you have kids from Houston Dallas and everywhere else coming to fish setx. It would be nice if setx was for the local schools and setx get with thsba and at the end of the year they pick there top however ever many teams from setx and thsba divisions and have a big championship. Like I said this is just my thoughts and my experience from the first tournament. I also realize basschamps was a little late getting out cause I fished it and was in one of the later flights. Hopefully it will be better next time.

I fished Champs Saturday and was on the water Sunday to see the "crowd" you speak of. I do agree Saturday was a little crowded on the lake because of a 400 boat field in Champs and then lots of high school boats practicing, but I assure you the SETX crew learned something from this weekend. I bet they do everything in their power to not have a tournament on the same weekend as Champs ever again.

As far as the numbers of entries in the SETX tournament, I really don't see anything they did wrong other than the overlapping of time with Champs. Allowing teams to launch wherever they want and leave the ramp whenever they want makes for as safe of a takeoff as possible. Some teams will get to the ramp super early to beat the rush, some will get their at the right time, and some will wait until daylight to get in the water. This is a span of about an hour. I would say there are 8 major ramps that are used. This means less than 70 boats on average are launching at each ramp. I know the south ramps probably have closer to 100 each but this means the smaller ramps have 30-40. Allowing the teams to leave the ramp when they want means they can ease to their spots rather than running wide open. I noticed lots of teams simply idling out of the ramp to a close bank and starting there until good daylight then heading to their chosen areas. This is as safe of a takeoff as you can have with 500+ boats.

Mr. Wacky Freak, I say this with respect, if you don't like the SETX organization, then don't fish it. Large fields are not for all people. There are two smaller high school age trails out of Jackson Hill that might fit your likings. The SETX crew has a great thing going on, and they are definitely bringing in a new generation into the fishing industry. This does nothing but help us older anglers when it comes to tournament fishing. These young kids are buying lures, sunglasses, jerseys, boats, rods, reels, etc...that will eventually will result in more sponsor money coming in to the tournament trails thus allowing us to fish for more $$.

Did I ever say anywhere that I didn't like setx no I didn't. Some people on here need to read and understand what is being posted. It was a simple question asked and I added what I seen. If the issue with boat cards was because of lag time with Champs then good it should be better next time. If people think 517 boats is a good thing then that is there opinion and mine is I would like to see it smaller. Opinions are like [censored] holes everyone has one. Did I say it's a must to make it smaller no just a suggestion. I would fish it if there was 1000 teams.

Wacky Freak - You stated that the SETX was for the Southeast Texas schools only. That shows that you do not know how SETX developed. One of the few main guys that helped start it is from a Houston area school. I doubt he worked his tail off for no pay to start a trail that was not for his own school.

Wack Freak, IMO, I would quit hiding behind a screen name and contact your local team head about your issues. If you know the board members, get with them one on one instead of making negative posts on this board. If the numbers are too high for your liking, fish another trail. If the winnings are higher than you like, fish a trail with smaller payout. If you are upset over something else, then just let it GO................ But for you to state that you are active in SETX, know the board members, and fish the trail. I think airing it out on this site is ridiculous. Dont hide behind a name. Voice your opinion and be heard.

setx high school fishing tournament
wacky freak Online content
Outdoorsman

Registered: 05/14/10
Posts: 50
Well the first setx high school fishing tournament is in the books. 490 teams and the tournament went great. I would like to thank everyone that helped with setup and tear down. I would also like to congratulate trace odell and Matt Martin from buna with the win and Blaine marks and Devin prine from buna with second.



This is a post you made in 2015 about how great the tournament was with roughly 500 teaMS!!!!!!
[u][/u]

I personally would like for the tournament to post how much money in entries was taken in and how much was paid out to each team like all the other tournaments post.

100% of entry fees is paid back at every tournament. Not to mention the thousands of dollars of merchandise that we give away that doesn't come out of that. We don't post that information for several reasons. UIL is a good one to start with.

Also Wacky Freak was a previous board member who may be forgetting none of this has changed since he left.

I would just like to be able to see how the pay out goes according to the placement of the anglers in the tournament. But I understand the reason to keep UIL in the dark because you surely dont want them to be involved. Keep up the good work but I do see if the entries keep getting larger the need for a limit or to have sectionals...but that is a good problem!

It has been a few years since my son graduated, but I remember it being 100% payout based on a percentage. I also remember giving roughly 10K in prizes away each time. I can assure any person thinking this is setup to make money is sadly mistaken. Giving away 0ver 250K last year, plus another 75K in prizes is what its about. THE KIDS........

I think the tournament was ran just fine! My son and his partner finished 12th with 15.45 LBS, and they each got a nice little check.

What won?

Do they pay out cash at each tournament to anglers?

18.79 won.

We give out checks at every event.