For Tournament fishing how much of a disadvantage will I be at?

ALL:

My family and I are moving to Texas at the beginning of Summer. I have fished my entire life, but I have never been someplace where I could bass fish effectively. I still catch fish when I go out whether I am fishing for trout, bass, or even salmon when we were in Alaska. My main question has to do with my boat or lack there of.

I currently have a G3 176 Eagle with a 50 HP motor. I have better electronics on it than what I bought it with, but I know I am still having issues with the rest of the boat and I plan on upgrading before the year is out. My question is how many problems am I going to have before then?

I know with it being on the slow side I won't be able to keep up with the larger boats and I also know that if rough water I will run into a little bit more of a bumpy ride, but is it worth me entering some of the tournaments in the area or should I just wait until I can get a boat that has a 150 on it?

Thanks in advance,
Kyle

I assume a 176 is a 17' boat. If so that may not allow you to fish some tournaments due to its size. Some tournaments limit boats to no less than 18'.

No disadvantage at all

Who would that be?

What lakes are you planning on fishing??

Kyle,

If I were you I would enter every tournament that you could and be proud of the boat you have now. Having an aluminum boat with a 50 HP motor is not really a handicap if you have the drive to compete. You don't need to wait until you have a bigger faster boat. You should have the mindset that you can catch the fish just as well from your current rig as you could from a 22 foot Ranger with a 300 Merc.

It ain't the arrow. It's the Indian.

Good luck to you and welcome to the Greatest State in the Country!

Ken

Which trail is that?

First of all, very few tournament fishermen got to start in a 21’ new bass boat. So even having a boat is a huge start.
Secondly I’ve had my money taken by many guys in a John boat. I havent Seen many tournaments that limit the size of boat but something to look for.
Lastly, just be safe and use good judgement.

A lot of people think guys spend 60,000$ to get a hard on when they fish, and for some that’s probly true. I spent 60,000$ to be able to fish in any condition, and get back safely. The boat means very little to my
Fish catching ability as will yours. Just be smart in bad situations

Anyone remember the kid on fork that won the seal a while back in a John boat?

I haven't fished many tournaments since the mid to late 1990's but back then there were a few that didn't allow it. I know because my very first boat was a 16' King Fisher and there were certain tournaments that wouldn't allow a boat that short. I have no idea if any of the trails these days have those kind of rules or not but I just assumed they do.

My first tournament boat was a 80's model Tide Craft Spitfire 2, 14 1/2 footer

Make sure it has a good live well. Most boats that size do.

boat size doesn't matter, just don't block the dock lol

Nevistar, you didn't say where in Texas you are moving, but I suggest you get here as fast as you can. You'll do just fine in your G3, I do in my Sportsman 17.

Just don’t get here too quick if you are a Yankee or a Californian..

At a lot of the lakes in the eastern side of Texas your boat will give you an advantage.

I fish tournaments in my 17’ Tracker. I’ve fished small club tournaments all the way up to the big bass splash on Fork and never had any glaring issues. Depending on what lakes your fishing it could be an advantage or disadvantage, just fish your strengths and watch out for the big boats who pretend they don’t see you.

boat doesn’t matter at all. I started out fishing media west and donated plenty to a team that fished in an aluminum boat. You can either catch them or you can’t! Bass don’t care what your fishing in.

From what I've just read you really need to buy a 80 mph Skeeter to be in the top 100 of the state of texas.

Boats don't catch fish. Welcome to Texas.

25 years ago someone slammed into me on the way to a tournament and broke the big motor off of my transom. I still fished the tournament and finished in third place just fishing with the trolling motor. Sometimes being stuck in an area can pay off because the distraction of thinking about moving is gone and you can hunker down and fish an area thoroughly. Skills and perseverance count way more than the type or size of your boat.

The boat is a non issue but I would suggest you join a bass club so you can learn your way around and at the same time learn some of the lakes. There are bass clubs in just about every city and most are very welcoming to new comers. I started out in Century Bass club in the Dallas area and it really helped me learn a lot. Good luck and come on down.

Your boat won’t put you at a disadvantage

A little...but it ain't everything

I won enough to buy my first boat as a co angler. It was a 16ft fiberglass 640LX nitro. I used it to win enough to buy a 190TZX Skeeter. After a couple more years, I think I'll have won enough to get a new 21ft.

Boat doesn't mean much. Ain't gonna lie, a better boat does help....but the fish don't care about the boat.

Only a couple of things needed: Trolling motor, and livewell for your catch.
Now go fishing!

What's wrong with a Californian?

Welcome to Texas. One rule here is when you back down the ramp leave your lights on.

Mike is like me. He wasn't born here but he got here as quick as he could!!

Yeh, you'll be at a disadvantage in some cases, but a smaller metal boat has it's advantages as well.

I won more money out of a 17 foot quantum than my 21 foot boats I have owned. It was fun beating guys in the early 90s in their brand new 21 foot rangers and skeeters. Of course now I get beat by guys in smaller boats.

Bottom line, go fish, have fun, and be safe

80mph Skeeter. Now that’s funny

Ohhhh so accurate lol.

I've got a fancy 21 foot fiberglass boat with three graphs, power poles, and every bell and whistle you can think of. But I still can't catch a dang fish. It ain't the boat that matters. If you suck at fishing like me, you'll suck in any boat. But if you know how to fish, you'll win in any boat. I'll probably be donating to your winnings in a future tournament! Welcome to Texas!

I'm fishing out of a 17' boat with a mud motor and my live well is made from an ice chest... Besides the BIG trails I can fish in most tournaments. I get beat to a lot of spots but I know that's part of it... The guy in front of me isn't going to catch every fish in that area... The only disadvantage I have is offshore fishing because I don't have the better end of electronics... other than that, I still compete and weigh in good bags.

I agree, Go with what you got. I venture to say 99.9% of fish are caught going less than 3 mph.

John Cox wins on the FLW Tour with a aluminum boat which typically has the transducer knocked off the back. He won the FLW Cup. Fishing shallow electronics mean less. As long as you don't have to run far your not at much of a disadvantage. You can win tournaments.

There was a guy on Conroe that years ago won plenty out of a john boat with a tiller motor. He finally got a bigger tournament rig. He did not win more with it. He actually won less.

The only time I see it as a disadvantage is when it's rough and you can't get to where you want to go. Other than that, it will catch fish just as good as the 100k rig and in some cases it can get you where others can't go. Find a good club and learn some lakes around where your at.

my first tourney was a big bass event. I fished it from a float tube and won jigging through tires in front of a marina. go for it!

No disadvantage at all, I see all lengths and motor sizes and it makes no impact on the fish in the weigh in bag. I have seen guys use a igloo with a bubble box aerator come in with nice bags more than a few times.

I think you're all wrong, I've seen more than my share of giant fish just give up and hop on the deck of some brand new Rangers, just so they could ride in such a cool boat.

Actually, fish the "trails" of smaller clubs that fish lakes like Athens, Brandy Branch, Fairfield, Winnsboro, even Sandlin and Cypress, and I think you'll be in great shape. Commit to areas and dissect those areas. I tend to run around more than many, and I'm convinced I'm just stupid, as I never win tournaments!!

You can only catch fish if you have four 16" Carbons, dual power poles AND talons and a brand new 21' boat with a 250. Might as well go home if you cant afford it all cause Texas fish are super stuck up.

I had the same boat! Red with a Force 90 on the back! Loved that little boat!

I actually won a boat out of a 18' boat. So fish in what ever you can. All you need is a livewell and want to win!

Thanks for all the responses

As long as I get a job where we want we will be moving up to the Fort Worth area. I am hoping I can get it so we can live in Weatherford which puts me in distance of quite a few decent lakes. I grew up coming to Texas twice a year fishing with my grandfather in a 16 foot fiberglass boat, but all we ever did was crappie fish and catfish he was done with his bass fishing by that point. I grew up in New Mexico so all we had there was little 8 inch trout, but I still got out every chance I could.

This last Summer we went to Lake O the Pines for 10 days and I was having a ball when I was bass fishing there. Didn't catch anything huge, but I did catch a few in the 4-5 pound range which was the biggest bass I had caught. Never could find the crappie, but I hope to fix that once we move too because I want to get my kids hooked on fishing.

I will start looking for a bass club near where we move just so I can learn the local lakes. I do want to try to do one of the big bass tournaments at Fork one of these days. I might even try to do the whole co-angler thing at some point, but we will see. Of course I have heard that getting a guide to show you around the lake might be a good idea, but not sure how that would work since there are always some good guides and others that aren't worth it, but I would like to get one that can show me how to use my electronics better than I do right now

Thanks again!
Kyle

After all its not the boat that catches the fish. Just be safe running
around the wakes from all those 60,000 dollar wake makers.

When you get moved down and settled, give me a call, I'll introduce you to the guys with the Palo Pinto CountyBass Masters.
We're a small club based out of Mineral Wells, we meet the first Tuesday of every month and fish the third Saturday of every month.
Welcome to TEXAS.
Ty Burns
(940) 577-4510

Thanks Ty I will do that

No disadvantage, you really don't need a 21 ft boat with a 250 to fish tournament. It is all about fishing not boat racing. I started with a 15 ft Bass tracker and a 35 HP outboard and never felt disadvantaged. Won a few as well.

Good luck

this ^^

It's not about the boat it's about the ability of the fisheman to catch fish. My boat is a smaller glass boat but it's runs and i catch fish. You just might hhave to do a litle more Homework.

no disadvantage at all on smaller lakes a buddy and I fished out of a jon boat at the grapevine Wednesday night tournaments and still cashed a check!

Sure, it's a disadvantage, but it's real life and real dollars. I fished out of a 16' Jon with a 40 hp tiller steer for about four years in Austin and I won a bunch of club tourneys out of that thing! And I loved that boat, caught plenty of big fish out of it and several DDs even with a crappy TM and a fish finder that didn't work for about a year or so until I finally replaced it with a new one.

But honestly, on the bigger lakes that I didn't have as much time to practice on like Ivie, Choke or Rayburn, in a few of those tourneys, I fished as a backseater out of glass boats and man, those boats are definitely nice. It was sure nice catching a 6 1/2 pounder uplake in Ivie in one of those two day tourneys with only about 5 minutes of fishing time left on the second day and running back quickly to the ramp with my buddy's Z520 and 250 SHO to find out that fish got us the win! Would that have happened in my jon. Probably not. But again, real life is what it is and you'll be fine with what you got.

I fish from a 17ft bass tracker. I upgraded from a 40 trolling motor to 24v 80lb. Huge difference in the wind. I also had higher quality electronics installed. Research the lake, prefish it and go kick those guys butt in the $70k boats.

Thanks

Even if I upgrade it won't be for one of those 70k boats. My wife would kill me

The boat I have has a 50lb trolling motor on it and once I get it set up I will be using a Garmin Striker 7cv at the steering column and a Garmin Striker 4cv at the trolling motor. I also have a Lowrance Hook 5 with the map module in it right now at the steering column, but I am trying to decide if I want to get rid of it or leave it since the Strikers don't have pre-built maps on them.

If it does alright I might just decide to get the new trolling motors with spot-lock on it instead and maybe a power pole for the back, but that is down the road when I decide how it is doing.

Now that sounds like a great story! Got some photos? That must have been so much fun.

I'm sure that fishing in Alaska put you in "rough" water from time to time. If you were comfortable and not afraid then you will be OK in most of what Texas can throw at you.

Welcome!

Thanks

and yes I was in some rough waters up there from time to time

I won a lot money fishing out of a 15ft Astroglass with a 40hp Johnson. Go for it!!!

ill have to look for those old polaroids. fished with old man (famous)Bob. he caught a 4 pounder first thing in the morning and went home to watch college football only to return to the weigh in for his check.

I have owned 3 17 foot Tracker aluminum boats thru the years, including my current one. You will learn in a hurry to respect big lakes (Falcon, Rayburn, Toledo) on windy days. Just use common sense and you will be fine.

+1

Size doesn't matter. I keep telling my girlfriend that. Lol

Alot of guys fish tournaments out of smaller boats and do very well. Some lakes may be harder to fish because of size of lake and rough water and windy conditions but you can always find somewhere to get out of the wind.

If the tournament directors allow trailering, it helps a lot. They should allow that on windy days to accommodate contestants with less than 18 foot boats (my opinion, anyway). I hope I didn’t offend anyone. It can be a touchy subject, sometimes.

Double post, sorry.

I’ve had big boats, little boats and everything in between. For a while I ran an 18’ aluminum center console - first tournament in it I got some looks until I laid the wood to them at weigh in. We’ve all been there, pretty sure no serious fishermen I’ve ever met had their first boat be a brand new high dollar fancy rig.

...I have been fishing Texas tournaments out of my Stratos 176 w/ a 50hp for many years.
Cashed my fair share of checks. Once you get to your spot you are on the same water as the next guy
we had no problem fishing Bass Champs Sam Rayburn or Falcon with the 50hp motor and 17.5 Stratos. I even caught fish with my Ugly Stick and $39.00 Abu Garcia Black Max reel. It is not the cost of the equipment have ,,,,, it is how you use that equipment.
...ENTER / HAVE FUN !!!!

Thanks again

20 some odd years ago I lived in North Carolina for a short time. While living there I purchased a Bass tracker Tourney TX 17. It was BPS's biggest aluminum boat at the time. Had a 40 horse and a 38lb thrust trolling motor with a small depth finder in the dash. I had met a gentleman who was in a club and he insisted I fish their open tournament as they were trying to get new members.

The tourney was on Falls Lake in late February. I agreed to fish it and showed up early to make sure there were no issues. My rig drew a few laughs and some finger pointing. My new "friend" commented how "cute" my new boat was. I took it all in stride and asked when I had to be back at the ramp. 3:00 sharp. So off I went.

About an hour in I met up with my friend in the back of a creek and he said I should concentrate in the backs of the creeks. So, I did. In fact, I stayed in that same creek the rest of the day.

When I got back to the ramp for weigh in, I once again endured the admiration of my "cute" coat. I also enjoyed the admiration of the sack of bass I had.

I was able to get to water that the other fisherman could not. Taking my friends advice, I went as far back into the creek as I could. It narrowed down quite a bit and then opened up into a nice size pond. The waster was very shallow until you reached the pond. So, I had it to myself.

Well, it was loaded with pre-spawn fish. I ended up wit close to 30 pounds and won the tournament.

So, fish with what you got, and don't worry about the other boats.

(I have been fishing Texas tournaments out of my Stratos 176 w/ a 50hp for many years.
Cashed my fair share of checks. Once you get to your spot you are on the same water as the next guy
we had no problem fishing Bass Champs Sam Rayburn or Falcon with the 50hp motor and 17.5 Stratos. I even caught fish with my Ugly Stick and $39.00 Abu Garcia Black Max reel. It is not the cost of the equipment have ,,,,, it is how you use that equipment.
...ENTER / HAVE FUN !!!!)
now i dont feel bad i have a zuma 165 and was a lil embarresed to fish tourneys out of it but flukman83 you just brought it to prospective.