Rayburn BFL Tourney

I'm thinking about signing up for the MLF BFL tourney on Sam Rayburn as a coangler happening on January 7th. My reason for this post is to gain feedback from you guys. Would it be worth it to drive over 5 hours one way to fish this? I've never fished there, but a goal of mine is to get into tournament fishing more in 2023. My boat has a 150 Mercury, and if I'm understanding the rules, only 250s are allowed in this tournament. So I don't want to drag the rig all that way to not use it.

It's a maximum of 250hp I believe.

Up to 250 isn’t it ?

Rayburn as a co would be a smart 1st trip.

That'd make more sense, but you never know with MLF lol.


So you're encouraging me to do this? Lol thanks for your feedback. I've been wanting to get on this lake for a while now.

Go for it!!

Hey Choctaw, I fished the BFL as a co for a few years. Unless you're just wanting to get some extra fishing time in before or after the tournament I would not drag a boat 5 hours. Even if you get on a pattern or find a spot, your draw may be onto something completely different or fishing 30 miles from a spot where you may have loaded the boat. Having grown up fishing Rayburn there are probably only 2-3 patterns going on this time of year anyway.
I always just treated it like a guide trip. Show up with a few rods, your tackle box and some snacks and just have fun. If you're a good fisherman the cashing checks part will take care of it self.

Just bring some early spring time rigs and a few rods and go get in the boat and hope whomever you are with has located fish. Bring $75 a day or so for gas and respect the boater's boat.

Have fun and dress warm, long runs can be cold early in the year on big sam

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate your input.

Oh I almost forgot, when throwing soft plastics on Rayburn throw any color you want as long as it's watermelon.

Up to 250

I say dont take your boat and it all depends on the draw from what friends tell me. Go and have fun and hope you dont draw someone who has plenty of money but no real fishing skills. I hear that happens a bit.

The gas thing is insane! I personally have an issue charging any amount to co-anglers bc I am fishing the tournament whether I have a co-angler with me or not. I don’t ask where they want to fish or really let them decide anything for the day so no way in hell am I asking them to finance my fishing day. $75 is over 20 gallons a of gas. If a Boater burns more than that with you in the boat, he needs to pay you for wasting your day on a boat ride. If he needs co-angler contributions to finance his tournament the he shouldn’t be fishing the tournament.

I’d love someone to tell me why a co-angler should pay $75 per day to the boater? Maybe I’m wrong but that seems excessive bc you aren’t taking the Co-Angler fishing out of the goodness of your heart. It’s not a guide trip either.

Hard to say and honestly there's a good chance you'll draw some weekend wanna be which can seriously be a worthless trip. Especially if weather is rough. I'd rather throw my money as a coangler in something close to home or a 2-3 day event if I had to travel that far. Driving 5 hours one way to get in the boat with ol bubba chunking traps for 2lbers isn't much of a learning experience. And I 100 percent guarantee 60 percent of the field will be doing that...

It's definitley not a rule but more of a courtesy thing. I'd been paying $50 to the angler but fuel cost and everything just being more expensive because of inflation $75 would be more in line with what I'd pay now.
I'll be moving up to boater this year and probably in Oklahoma because I'm just closer to most of those tournaments. The BFL comes to Lake of the Pines again this year and I may fish that one in the Cowboy division if my schedule allows. I'd like to catch enough ABA's to qualify for the championship as well.
On the extra fuel money from a co-angler, I'm not budgeting for that at all but if I get it I'll probably spend that money on more tackle.

Unless your fishing extra days i wouldnt bring the boat. Coangler can be fun and its really all what you make it. I dont know about $75 a day lol, but i have a different opinion than most on all that stuff. Just do what you think is right. Talk to your boater the night before and prepare for what yall will be doing. Talk to him about storage and try not to over pack. I offer to help load/unload and whatever else they may need help with. I try to be encouraging to the boater and help during the day, respect their stuff, but at the same time i have a goal of whooping them out of the back of the boat. Im competitive and while i want the boater to succeed and we arent in direct competition, i have the confidence that i can outfish anybody i get in the boat with that day or i can learn a lot from the whooping i take

I think some level of compensation is in order. They have boat gas, extra truck gas, you hope they prefished and spent gas on that. Throwing the boater a few bucks, whatever you think is appropriate is the right thing to do. I think 75 is fair. Maybe it's 50, maybe it's 100. It's not 20 and it's not zero.

I had a co angler that had never made a regional in 9 years. I don’t know how that’s even possible, but it was the last tournament of the year and I put him in a place to catch a limit and he knew he was going to finally get in. High fiving and hugging me all day. I didn’t ask for gas money but he reached in his pocket and pulled some out and I just put it in my pocket. Got home and it was 4 wadded up one dollar bills lol.

You're 100% "that guy". $75 is a drop in a small bucket. You can burn 20+ gallons. easy in a day going from the dam up north on Rayburn.


I would never ask for a dime

But, I would never get in another person's boat and not offer.

Are you worried my philosophy won’t get you paid on the days you suck? Because I’m the guy who has fished as a co-angler only twice but have had co-anglers in my boat dozens of times, and the most I’ve ever taken was $20.
If $75 is a drop in a small bucket then why do you need it? $75 might be a drop in the bucket to the Boater running a $70-$100k boat, with another $60k truck, and about $5k in rods and reels. Meanwhile, it might be something to that co-angler. Who knows.
Point is, I was fishing that tournament whether they got in my boat or not. It wasn’t contingent on someone splitting costs with me. So expecting that amount of money, to me is kind of dumb.

And 20 gallons should get you 80 miles at 5500 RPMs on most 250’s. So that’s 160 miles you are asking for gas money for. Unless you make the longest run on the biggest lake in the state then you’re essentially asking for them to pay your practice gas too. That’s insane to me so I’ll continue to be “that guy” who doesn’t feel the need to rip off a co-angler.

it is considered a common courtesy to offer gas money, it makes you not "that guy" the next time you show up.

I have fished with people who refused my offer, fished with those who accepted and thanked me, have fished with friends that no offer was made because the next trip would be in my boat.

no different to me than tipping a guide, good or bad day, it gets you remembered in a good way vs. the other way.

its up to the boat owner to say no but with the added weight on a full grown man and tackle and snack and any other stuff added to the boat its going to make the boat slower and have to use more fuel so i would want to offer to help out he can always refuse it

If your after the learning and experience aspect, that’s a great way to do so. I fished it for several years as a co…met some good folks and some not so good folks. You’ll definitely learn a ton. Yes, you can use your boat. The maximum horse power is 250. So, you can use your boat. Just keep an open mind, have fun and be a sponge.

I guess I'm that "other guy". Whether you would have spent money on gas, pre-fishing, or otherwise...I pay. I hate deadbeats. It's not a ripoff if you feel compelled to help a guy out with expenses no matter what their income or lack of it is. It's called common courtesy. It's being a good dude. You bought a boat, a vehicle to pull it with, insurance, repairs, T.O.W (hopefully if I'm a co), etc, etc. If i'm bypassin all that to fish with someone I pay up. But, that's me.

I’ve fished both as a co and a boater. The co should offer, the boater shouldn’t expect it.

When I first started fishing as a co I was 20 years old picked up the bfl flyer at the Walmart outdoor counter and let’er rip.

1st tournament I fished was the very 1st TTT. Of course the meetings were at the middle school in jasper, I pulled out the ole atlas and headed south. Took 69 from Greenville to Jacksonville. What a beating that was, got there in time to find the middle school. They call my name and my boaters and we head to meet each other. His first question is
“who you here with”
I was like ah by myself.
“Well since you won’t tell me who you’re here with I guess I can’t tell you what we will be doing tomorrow.”
“Meet me at the stump at 5”

“Ahhhh the stump…”
“You know the cafe out close to twin dykes”
“Okay is this a good time to ask how to get to the lake”
“You’ve never been here before?”
No

He gives directions, we meet up, launch and he tells me he is concerned about his lower unit and if that was not the case we’d go to the canyons and catch 30 a piece but instead we’re gonna stay close to launch and catch….. nothing.

At this point I did not know or think about the cash for gas fished 3 or so more tournaments before a boater must have been depending on it to get home. Pretty much dog cussed me. I felt like a jerk and dug some cash out of my pocket. Went back and evened up with all my previous boaters I could catch up with. Never ran into that 1st Larry Nixon wannabe again. Don’t think I owed him anyways.

Fished with a few other guys over the years I don’t think I owed a dime to. Either too dumb to be fishing a 10 man club tournament or front end you deep all day. But I’m sure I gave them a few bucks regardless.

What I'm shocked about is that throwing gas money at the boater is even worth discussing. To me it just seems like the right and proper thing to do. Hell when I fun fish with someone I'll throw gas money unless it's a deal where we take turns taking each others boat. When I offer gas money they are taking it or I will happen to leave it in the seat of the truck. Some of you weren't raised right evidently.

You seem like "that guy", the one that thinks they are going to get over on everybody.

Like I said I have never asked or expected a dime when someone has gotten in my boats, but I have never gotten in someone else's boat without offering.

You obviously do not understand courtesy or ethical behavior. It's all good, the world is made up of all kinds of people.

You guys need to go fishing. Yall are arguing the same point at each other lol
I have a solution, yall put a taxi meter in your boat if you think someone owes you for gas

I fished redman/BFL for about 20 years and probably 90% of the time i would draw a coangler much younger than me and usually they would have young children still at home...would always decline any payment toward gas and tell them i remembered those days when my children were young and how scarce money was...I would tell them that i would hope when they reach my age and draw a young man that they treat them the same way....and I'd like to think most of them will....

Well this thread went sideways pretty quick, which seems to be the norm these days.
The guy just asked a question about towing a boat to fish as a co and somehow an argument about gas money broke out?
Might as well cover some other bases, if you're new to being a co this should help some.

Yes bring money for gas $40-50 is plenty.
Establish where you are going to meet and be there early, also get your anglers phone number and give him yours.
Bring your own gear, including lures and terminal tackle. If something is working that you don't have your angler will usually offer to give you something that will work.
Be able to back a boat down a dark ramp on the first try and turn the headlights off if possible.
Work on your casting accuracy, most guys don't mind going back a few times but it will get old pretty quick if it keeps happening.
Learn how to properly net a fish, if you don't feel comfortable tell your angler.
Don't throw past the center of the boat unless your angler is cool with it.
Bring your own life jacket
When your angler is ready to move he will say so. Have your gear gathered up and stowed away with your life jacket on before your angler sits down to crank up the big motor.
Clean up your mess (used soft plastics, empty water bottles, ect) after the tournament, and help your boater clean the outside of the boat.
If you and your angler got along keep his info, you might be surprised at how many guys will offer you a place to stay or some tips on what is working at different lakes if you stay in touch.
Try to learn something from everyone you fish with.
Have fun!
Good Luck!

Sideways real quick-like, lol. I’ve taken all the insight into consideration. Learning something from everyone that’s contributed to this thread has taught me a lot.

Although I’d love to shoot on down to Rayburn, my finances won’t allow it at the moment. I’m going to be searching for some tourneys closer to home, as Lake Texoma is my home lake. It should be easy to find something coming up soon!

Thanks to all!

Dude quit giving my pattern away!! And I am an old bubba!!

You said this will be your first time to fish Big Sam. I remember my first few times fishing as a co-angler in Redman and Anglers Choice Pro Ams. All I can tell you is I am with most in saying it is a good idea to be a co-angler for a while and when you get there you will find out why. The first time I drove across the dam on my way to Twin Dykes I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out across that lake. Then over the next 20 or so years I finally covered a big portion of the lake and it still amazes me how massive it is and how fishy the whole lake looks. Of course I feel sad that you will not be able to actually see something like the Black Forest and the way it looked in the 90's.
Go as a Co, and hope you have a decent Boater and really for the first time just take it all in because if you are like me you will have dreams of your next trip there and will not wait very long to go back.
My favorite memory was me and a tournament partner winning a Honey Hole tournament there back in the day with a 29.76 bag and I got lucky enough to catch two 8 1/2 lbers that day. It can be a magical place.

If money is that scarce to them…they probably shouldn’t be wasting it on bass tournaments

This^^^^
I've cashed a couple of checks that didn't even cover my gas, lodging and entry fee. Unless you're confident you can finish in the top 10 consistently, or money is not an issue, I would stick with a bass club close to home.
The co angler division is full of talented anglers, some may have a job where they can't take the time off to pre-fish, some don't have the money to cover all the expenses that come with being a boater, even fished against a co one time who used to be a guide on the lake and was fishing the top 150's two years earlier, but was going through a divorce and needed the money.

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You seem like "that guy", the one that thinks they are going to get over on everybody.

Like I said I have never asked or expected a dime when someone has gotten in my boats, but I have never gotten in someone else's boat without offering.

You obviously do not understand courtesy or ethical behavior. It's all good, the world is made up of all kinds of people.

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The guy who immediately gets personal and name calls is supposedly the courteous and ethical person. Your definition of ethical behavior seems to be whatever is best for your coffer. Apparently extorting co-anglers forced to fish with you falls in line with those ethics? $75 is extortion plain and simple.

Personally my ethics stop me from price gouging the person forced into my backseat. But you do you brother. Just make sure your co-angler gets treated with the silver spoon you’re charging him for.
And stop saying you don’t expect $75, CLEARLY YOU DO!

Co angler is very fun with the right boater. Hopefully you draw me haha

You seem like "that guy", the one that thinks they are going to get over on everybody.

Like I said I have never asked or expected a dime when someone has gotten in my boats, but I have never gotten in someone else's boat without offering.

You obviously do not understand courtesy or ethical behavior. It's all good, the world is made up of all kinds of people.

[/quote]

The guy who immediately gets personal and name calls is supposedly the courteous and ethical person. Your definition of ethical behavior seems to be whatever is best for your coffer. Apparently extorting co-anglers forced to fish with you falls in line with those ethics? $75 is extortion plain and simple.

Personally my ethics stop me from price gouging the person forced into my backseat. But you do you brother. Just make sure your co-angler gets treated with the silver spoon you’re charging him for.
And stop saying you don’t expect $75, CLEARLY YOU DO!

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I did not call you any names, feel free to PM me your number and I can explain it to you slower.