Why is that when I look back at your posts you have nothing but negative things to say about what The Hag and his products? Who are you?

Kermie101 is a staff member of my competition that I treated with respect at all the tournaments. Never done a thing to him, but get that all the time. Just ignore it and we will all try and live without arguements. I told my father one time many years back that if I didn't get a raise, I would quit. You know what he told me? "Gonna miss ya"!

All the motels at Ivie are booked up from September 1st through deer season. September is huge for dove hunters around there. Outfitters there rent all the cabins for their hunters they bring in. BassChamps is going to be there in October and I didn't want to interfere with a huge $50K prize in that trail also.

Championships in the Fall interfere with deer hunters. Most of the fishermen are deer hunters and would rather not miss deer season for a tournament.

Also, I was trying to accomodate the Bud Light Trail Fall division where it wouldn't fall on their dates.

We pay 70% at the ramp. 20% of those funds go directly into the championship where it's paid out then. I only keep 10% for all the expenses. Belive me, when I buy raffle prizes, haul a trailer and a boat to Amistad and such, I lose money!

Hag you sure do have to put up with alot of BS, just to provide a trail for fisherman to fish. You would think that people would be little more positive. If they dont like the way you do it(and I have fished tournaments for 20yrs), they should sell there boats and take up pingpong...

I can just hear the belly aching about the paddles being all wrong....

I am happy to see that we actually will fish for the 20% holdback this year. In previous years the 20% has givin out by a Raffel drawing. I am happy to see that this decision was made. Outside of that the trail is run professionally and I love competing out there. GREAT PEOPLE!! Keep up the good work Tommy. As far as the schedule, we are in west Texas so we are limited as to what lakes we can fish so that is what it is. What I would like to see is the Metroplex teams stay in the plex. There is a number of lakes up that way that they can fish without traveling out here to put pressure on the west Texas lakes. They have choices but we do not; I dont know how many of those Metro-Media tournaments were on Hubbard this year but it seemed like there was one every weekend. Im not trying to start and fires but west Texas is limited as to where we can fish. I like the new schedule, but i would skip deer hunting to fish a championship tourney. Just my 2 cents.

Yep,,,, I listened to too many teams about wanting to do a raffle drawing for that $10K. Bad mistake on my part,,,, I admit it! I don't know how many teams will be actually in the championship this year. But, if most of them show up, the first place check should be between 8 or 9 thousand.

It's hard to describe to the Metromess trails that we just don't have many options out here. When they all come out here, it really puts us in a bind on dates. But, I love seeing people come to West Texas for the fish of a lifetime, just not the East trails. Our lakes just aren't really that big to handle 200 boats or so without someone getting in a fight with someone else on the lake.

We just have to learn to work with each other a lot better.

There are no more trashy black bass left in Ivie. Don't go there or hold any tournaments. Its a trophy Crappie Lake, not a bass lake!

Hey guys,

Just my 2 cents, but my West Texas Media Teams worked with other West Directors and fishermen around every schedule we could find published so as to not be on top of anyone. Rest assured that I will continue to work hard not to pile on, but to continue to provide a venue to fish.

I take all criticism, good and bad, but I sure hope that everyone will continue to work together, as we loved West this year.

TM

We all have lots of tournaments to pick from now and I think it's a good thing. I can remember when us west Texas teams had to drive to the east just to find a lake to fish. All the tournaments trails that are running in our area seem to care about the teams that fish with them and thats good. Best of luck to all the trails.
Tommy Busbee

Busbee's right. We had nothing out here for teams and I remember having to drive to other regions just to fish a tournament other than a bass club. I remember driving to Fork, Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Travis and such many a time.

There are two couples tournaments out here now too and that's great!!! We never had anything that the wives felt comfortable fishing with their husband. Both are awesome trails to fish in with great people fishing it.

We have the Stillwaters club out here too. A great bunch of guys that have an awesome turnout of over 60 or more boats at all their tournaments.

Media and I worked great together last year when we both were on Hubbard Creek on the same day. No problems for the fishermen, as we did different take off times and different weigh-in times.

It's really nice that all the West Texas trails are all friends and work with each other. There were times in the past few years that wasn't the case with other people running trails.

I love it that I wrote rule #1 in this year after hearing so much complaining about lakes, dates, cold temperatures, too hot to fish, too windy, raining, etc. It was putting way too much stress on me and my family. Tournament directors have a tough enough time just trying to make the right choices about lakes and dates. Not even counting the work involved with the registration, weigh-in and keeping the weights and standings correct throughout the year.

After getting a lot of emails and PM's in response to a post here by someone on this thread.... I thought I would show my rule #1 to other directors and they might even consider it.

[b]1). Any team member that is found by the tournament director to be excessively complaining about a rule, a lake choice or the way the trail is run, may be asked by the director to not fish the remainder of the season. [/b]

Shame too, because we only had the championship tournament left this season.


Looking forward to working with you Tommy and with the Media teams in 2011.

You too, Hag. We have a lot of great guys and fisherman adn I want to make as many friendships and tournaments as we can!!!! Look forward to seeing you on the water.

TM

Working together as TD's is the only way we can make all of these schedules work for us and the anglers. Of course there will be events that cross over at one point or another. I have made numerous friendships with other trails and TD's over the past four seasons including CABA, Ignition, CAST, WTTT even though Hag and I have never met and many of the Media directors. Will continue to work with all that will allow me to.

right on!!!!