To answer the question of how..... I was 16yrs old using an old express 16’ flat bottom, 25hp tiller, and a bowfishing deck for a casting deck, cooler as a livewell and a bubbler in it. I showed up to lake Lonestar for a Friday night tournament early and was prepping my tackle. As the big boats rolled in a brand new ranger launched and the guy asked me if I shot anything that day. I told him I was fishing the tournament and he just busted out laughing at me. Pissed me off to no end and embarrassed me. Well, after the take off I slowly hit my way to where I was going to start and knew the fish were going to bite after dark. I caught over 30fish on a 100yd stretch and never moved. I landed a giant for that lake and knew I had over 20lbs, no scales or bar to cull with and it was a long night by my self. I showed up and listened and waited for everyone to weigh and I asked what was winning. 20.xx and I laughed and said I’ll be back. I put my fish in a leaking weigh sack and brought them up and everyone was like WTH.... I weighed in a 24.xx sack with a big fish of 8.16.... they guy that laughed at me was in first and started cussing like heck when he saw that I won. I simply smiled and took my money. Ever since then I’ve been hooked!!

RIght after I got bit by the bug I started fishing a local tournament circuit at home sponsored by a local sporting goods store. There would usually be enough guys show up to pay out over $1000 first place and sometimes would pay pretty deep into the field. Me and most of the guys all had high end bass boats that fished it. We had a guy that fished every one of them out of one of the raggediest jon boats I've ever seen with a 25 horse OMC (Johnson/Evinrude) on it. He had about the same set up you had on your Xpress. He kicked our butts every tournament and frequently went home with the first place cash.
When I first got married I sold my second Ranger and I fished out of a Tracker aluminum boat for a few years; a TX17 with a 60 on it, I won more money out of that boat than I did the other three high end bass boats I owned combined and had it the least amount of time. My take on what made it better? More stealth and I could get to places I normally wouldn't take an expensive bass boat.

Right out of high school I started traveling the southwest playing men's Fastpitch Softball tournaments and local leagues. I did that all through the 70's and 80's. I always loved to fish and my parents had a place on Lake Whitney and grew up watching my dad Spinnerbait fish. I was just so used to the competitiveness of tournaments that in 89 when I called it quits on my softball playing (especially after Slow Pitch Softball kind of took over) it was just a no brainer to start really working on my new passion which was bass fishing. I had a partner right off of the bat and we started fishing Anglers Choice and other tournaments but what really changed for me was when my brother talked me into joining the Century Bass Club. As a draw club not only did I fish with a lot of good anglers and learn so much I also met and became life long friends with so many guys as well as future tournament partners I still fish with today. A draw club or tournament trail is a good way to start out so you can see how different people approach fishing and you can start to build the type and style of fishing you prefer and then it is just time on the water.Now at 68 I am still loving it as much as ever.

I got started because I wanted a boat. Both of my kids were starting college and I didn’t have the money to buy a boat. So I decided that I could enter the Bass Opens as a coangler and win one. Simple plan.

Well. The first one, I placed 80-something. The second I placed 18th. The 3rd I would have led wire to wire, but lost a fish at weigh in. It broke my cull tag as I was loading it into the weigh in bag and went overboard. it was. 4 pounder. I finished 4th after it was said and done...3 pounds out of 1st.

I collected my thoughts and money and bought the best I could find for $3000. A Nitro 640 from a fellow forum member. I fixed it up a little(lot), sold it for a profit and bought my Skeeter. I have since spent most every thing I win on the boat or tackle.

It’s not an easy way to get a boat. For the most part, it was a totally impractical way to expect to get a boat. But...here I am. I fish 3-4 tournaments a week. Two working man types, then a bigger Saturday or Sunday tourney. I mostly try to jackpot stuff that I think I can win. That very seldom works either.

Step three is coming soon. A new 20-21 ft 250 boat and the entire Opens schedule. It’s gonna happen.

Fished my first tournament with a much older cousin in 1976 and got lucky and caught a 5 something for big bass and ended up second overall. I was hooked after that. I fished clubs, then regional circuits and ended up fishing BASS in the mid 80's. That was before BASS had different circuits. Back then they only had the one circuit and I was very fortunate to fish with several of the greats. Roland Martin, Hank Parker twice, Harold Allen, Ken Cook, Forrest Wood and Paul Elias. Learned a lot from each of them and found all of them to be great boat partners. I actually got Forrest to fish with me out of my Skeeter. He caught a little good natured ribbing from some of the others over that.

Friend of mine told me he had joined a local bass club and wanted me to fish with him in those tournaments where he would not look foolish. I joined also and we both looked foolish at weigh-ins.

back in early 70's,I had been fishing with local club in greenville,Ms. for about a year when we scheduled a tourny against the Vicksburg club on ross barnett reservoir....went out and bought my second rod and reel,a 5 1/2 ft true temper glass rod and a red ambassador 5000 reel.....we fished out of the guy I drew's boat....a stick steering skeeter with a 35 hp merc and it was fastest bassboat I'd ever been in at the time....at end of tourny,my opponent complimented me on my matching set of rod and reels......(most tourny fishermen only had one rod and reel back then)....

Cull'em or keep'em.. That was fun. Then the news of cheaters being caught and I lost faith in the fellow fishermen and I only fish one maybe two
tournaments a year.

I fished my first tournament at age 28. Met my wife's co-worker in Tulsa and he knew I fished a lot w/ my father. He had a boat and asked if I wanted to join him for a tournament season. We did very well. Fished tournaments together for about 5 years and then he moved to Texas. I kept fishing them with friends and my father, but never really gelled as well with anyone but him. My father and I did well in several tournaments, and I will always cherish that time with him. It's hard to find that right partner that your fishing styles compliment each other. Needless to say, I rarely fish tournaments, anymore. It's a young kid's, flatbillers, perstaffer's game nowadays, that has a lot of free time on their hands.....JMO.