I agree we have a ton of talented guys in Texas but you still have to realize only 1 Federation guy has ever won the Classic though Mueller was close this year. No FLW Fed guy has won the Cup. the best amateur out there makes it to the 2 championships but the numbers still show only 1 has done it in about 45-60 attempts of combined championship attempts.
Again not knocking the regular guys just saying your theory might not be totally correct numbers wise.

100% false...... You have to first have allot of money to fish on the pro circuit their are a ton of anglers in this state that could contend with the "pros" but they dont have 50-70k to spend a year on fishing. Not to mention most have family's who need a steady income to keep food and clothes on their family.

Some funny posts on here.

Why'd you change your post? It origionally said that you could...

Just read the OPs original question.... And I would get smoked... I spent 3 straight days pre fishing on the Red River last Oct and before the tournament i was thinking "how hard is it to catch a decent limit out here after 3 days of fishing" caught 3 keepers in two tournament days.... Really opened my mind to how hard the fishing can really be.

I could compete for last place and possibly have a chance!

lmao�+1 and is that a challenge?

It's easy to say you can compete in January/February but by June when everyone is sitting in the bottom half of their bass club and still haven't caught a limit yet maybe the answers would be different. I hope to try some day but right now I'd just embarrass myself and my family.

There are three factors keeping me from competing, boats have tripled in cost since I last competed, fuel and everything else has done the same, and raising my family. I honestly think if the first two factors weren't an issue I could still be out there if I wanted to be. My family comes first after the Lord but I could do it on a limited schedule and still spend time with my family.......

Talks cheap hears a dare come April 26/27 the 59Texas State Tourny will be held on Toledo at fin/feather no big money involved but it will put you against some of the toughest in the state , a lot of pros started here. This will be my 36 the without missing a year it's habit forming.

100% false? Nothing is ever 100% buddy. You do not have to have a lot of money. Kelly Jordan talks about how he started out (you can youtube it). He says he started out and actually won enough to get started and once he established himself the sponsorships came. If you are good enough, then you will find your way into the pros if you really want to. People use money and other excuses because it is an easy out. It takes a lot of money to fish the pros, I agree, but if win at the open level and save, and qualify for the elites and do well, the sponsorships will come. It takes a work ethic most people on here wouldn't understand, myself included. You have to be good at marketing, and you have to be good at catching, and you have to be good at balancing both. Not all those guys on the pro tour are loaded. They have shown that normal people with the right skill set can get there. So I stand by my original statement, if you really could be doing it, you would be.

I don't think I could compete and win, but I don't think I would be last in every tournament either. I have fished against several pro's over the years and have beaten them. I have also had my butt handed to me by pros on my home water when they had never even seen the lake before. Every one of the pros has had bad days when you could beat them and every good amateur has had stretches where they could probably win. I think the biggest factor is that most regular anglers can't compete with the pros unlimited knowledge and ability to dissect water and find a pattern much faster than the rest of us.

I think that some unknown people out there could compete with the big boys with no info help. The problem is the big boys get help from the best locals on the lake. The pros are great, no doubt, but you don't go to an 80,000 acre lake and drop 80 pds in four days week end and week out with out help. If the playing field was equal and nobody got any help then yes some nationally unknown people could compete.

didnt help them at the classic, when the fish were moving around.. you saw the cream of the crop rise up and find fish needed to win.

And an unknown guy named paul Mueller finished second who wasn't an established pro a local stick who beat 99% of the field a local guy who worked his way in like some others that i know if they wanted to do it could.