I would like to join a bass club and fish some tournaments. I've never fished a tournament, I don't get on the water nearly as much as I want, and I'm a pretty mediocre bass fisherman, so I would definitely be contributing. I mainly want an excuse to put more fishing trips on my calendar and a chance to socialize and learn from better anglers. I have a pretty mediocre bass boat (15ft 1998 polar kraft aluminum bass boat with a 40 hp Mercury). I've looked at photos from club tournament weigh ins and the parking lots look like bass boat dealerships to me...lots of super nice rigs. Do low brow folks with low brow boats fish in club tournaments? Do you look like a schmuck if you show up in a dinky aluminum bass boat? Just wondering.

There are some a-holes who will make comments or look funny but I've been beaten by way too many guys in flat bottoms to make any remarks. Just fish. Life is too short to be held up by what others think. I've had to learn this from experience. I fish in a 17 year old fish and ski with ugly seats. Was self conscious about it for a while but it doesn't bother me now.

Many a tournament has been won out of boats similar to yours. Go fish them! Anyone who thinks you are a schmuck because of your boat needs a reality check.

There are 40 boats in my club and two or three people fish in aluminum boats. In fact our Angler of the Year last year fishes out of a 16 ft aluminum boat with a tiller steer, and he's 1 or 2 in the standings this year.

People don't care what you are fishing out of. But, I wouldn't worry about what they thought anyway, it's not the boat that catches the fish.

Go have some fun and win one! Make sure all the guys in $60K boats know that you beat them in aluminum.

Come fish anytime with us, fisherman makes the boat not the other way around!

Who cares what boat you have in the end its all about the five biggest fish. Just imagine the look on the face of the guys with their 60k boats get beat by you and your flat bottom.

Believe me the fish don't care what kind of boat you have. That being said the only advantage others might have is speed to the first spot. I fished a couple tournaments out of my '94 ranger sport w/115hp and I had to learn quickly that my first spots were often taken. I now own a skeeter zx200 and I can scoot to the spots quickly but I'm still a lousy fisherman! Other then that it really is just about your skills and having fun. I fish tournaments cause it forces me to try new lakes and refill my testosterone levels (I live in a house full of women).

Spent many a tournament in 18' and under boats. And a heck of a lot of time in smaller ones than yours. Even fished a little local tourney out of a 10' pelican with a 6hp merc just for fun. Give it hell and don't worry about the rest.

Cash checks......always shuts up the ivory tower type......

My favorite thing on earth when I was a teen was to follow a Ranger down a bank they just fished and let them watch me catch fish they buzzed by......my old aluminum boat back then would've made your polarcraft look like a new Skeeter.

Catching fish is what it's about.....not how much your phallic symbols cost....

Good luck!

And those McKinney fellas seem like good folks....look them up.

the first tourney i ever fished my brother and i were in a 16 foot center con. tunnel hull flats boat that was camo. we launch and pull up between all the nice bass boats and some guy ask "what kind of fish do you catch in that boat?" my brother replies " same as you only bigger". lol just go fish and have some fun competing and dont wory about what kind of boat you have.

There is no such thing as low brow boats, Just low brow boaters. LOL Just go out and have fun.

F--k and feedem fish heads if they don't like it. Most everybody starts with small boats. The last club I fished in a guy won AOL a few years in row fishing in small boat.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I really appreciate it.

I agree 100% with what everyone has said. Just go out and have fun, most guys that I know that are in bass clubs really enjoy helping others.

That's ok. My little aluminum boat gets pushed so much by the wind that I could probably just sail to the hole faster than most boats can motor there.