# What if everybody had a chance to cash?



## hopin to cash (Sep 14, 2010)

Has anybody ever put thought in developing a weekday once a week series or club where a handicap was developed? Similar to how golf and bowling leagues are run.:T


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## qpan13 (May 30, 2010)

I personally think this is a great idea


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## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

yikes!!!!

+5 for me minus 2 for cullin'

sounds kinda crazy to apply to fishn'- how on earth would you ever place a handicap onto the skillset of lucky anglers....


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## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

Sounds kinda cool on the surface but waaaaaay too many variables in fishing to actually make it work, and that's without even factoring luck into the equation!

I like it how it is, all even!


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## Dinger (Aug 24, 2005)

....AND free entry AND 100% payback!

Ding <----gonna pass on this one


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

hopin to cash said:


> Has anybody ever put thought in developing a weekday once a week series or club where a handicap was developed? Similar to how golf and bowling leagues are run.:T


I've thought about becoming a male super-model, but it's just not possible. Well, I'll put it to you this way. I'll become the highest paid male super-model in the world. When bass tournaments are fairly held with handicaps figured into the equation.


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

yeah, i just cant see how this would work. i think what you would have is a lack of quality fisherman. since everyone thinks they are a quality fisherman then you would have a lack of fisherman. I know for me personally, i wouldnt want to be in a tournament where i have to start with minus 3 fish, or minus 3 lbs. and on the other side of the equation, i wouldnt expect someone to want to fish against me if i started out with 3lbs before the tournament even started.


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## Dinger (Aug 24, 2005)

I like the mnenomic for that one better *wink*...

On a slightly more serious note, I fish Nip's Lado Series and about half of his NOAA events with my young Son. I am trying to teach him to win with humility and to lose with grace and the determination to improve the next time.

I do NOT want him thinking "Gee, if we would have dumped a few of those fish last week instead of weighing in we could have gotten a bigger break this week".

I have participated in "handicapped" sports and there's nothing worse than being beaten by sandbaggers that lay in the weeds half of the time to steal an unfair advantage in pins or strokes.

How about giving basketball or football teams a headstart to reward poor performance from the week before? I don't think so.

The only true sport with anything resembling a handicap is probably hockey's penalty box but that's for punishing bad behavior not rewarding previous poor performance and/or lack of effort.

I think Nip can "weigh in" (pun intended...hem hem) on the subject of how difficult it is to maintain any kind of purity in tournament fishing without an open invitation to bend the rules. 

Ding <----catch 'em all and let God sort 'em out!


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## throwitback (Jun 10, 2010)

I agree with you Dinger, I also want my little girl to grow up and know what its like to get beat and make her want to improve.. Its like the soccer games the kids play now where they dont keep score because they dont want to hurt the losers feelings.


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## hopin to cash (Sep 14, 2010)

I suspect the guys who have replied here have one a touny or two. There are those of us who work many hours and just don't get a few days a week to pre-fish. Havn't fished many tounys but do enjoy the competition...would just like to see some different names on the leader boards once in a while.


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

As a former tournament Director, it would be a nightmare to try and factor in everyones "handicap" after all the bags are weighed at the scales. Even worse to try and come up with a mathmatical sytem that could be considered "fair" across the board for all the anglers involved. I for one do not want my angling skills based or judged on somebody's idea of a handicap. If I had a bad day then I deserve the goose egg and the blank on the board. If I wiped the floor with them slammed home a win then I'd want that recognition at the scales as well without interference of some kind of handicap.


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## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

hopin to cash said:


> I suspect the guys who have replied here have one a touny or two. There are those of us who work many hours and just don't get a few days a week to pre-fish. Havn't fished many tounys but do enjoy the competition...would just like to see some different names on the leader boards once in a while.


With all due respect don't fish the big money stuff if you think your behind the eight ball to begin with.

If it's about competition (and that's completely fine!), find a small local club. Some fish for nominal fees and others don't exchange cash at all. It's competition, fun and learning without the pressure of "money" tournaments. 

That's the wonderful thing about fishing, you can experience the joy it brings on any number of levels suited to what you want out of it!


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## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

hopin to cash said:


> I suspect the guys who have replied here have one a touny or two. There are those of us who work many hours and just don't get a few days a week to pre-fish. Havn't fished many tounys but do enjoy the competition...would just like to see some different names on the leader boards once in a while.


Thats the problem i see far too often. Someone shows up to fish a tourney being fairly new to it and expects to do as good as the guys that have been doing it for a long time. You have to put your time in. I know when i first started out i would donate my fair share but like in any sport, you get better by competing against strong competitors. As for prefishing here in ohio, well our lakes are small and putting time in over the years you learn the lakes and most importantly you understand seasonal patterns and how to deal with the conditions of that day. If you understand how bass relate to the seasons, conditions and specific lake then you can get by and compete with the guys who always do well without all the experience. The largest problem i see with guys who don't catch as many fish is because they are sloppy casters, not accurate, have poor hooksets, are too loud ,are lousy with trolling motor,and are not very versatile. They fish the past memories ,not what the fish are doing right now. Trust me even the very best struggles at times, just look at some of the bassmaster and FLW weigh ins.


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## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

> I suspect the guys who have replied here have one a touny or two. There are those of us who work many hours and just don't get a few days a week to pre-fish. Havn't fished many tounys but do enjoy the competition...would just like to see some different names on the leader boards once in a while.


I love this thread cuz it illuminates the luck or skill (chevy/ford) discussion.

I work many hours a week too- no prefishin' on more than half of the wins I have ever accomplished.

Some of the other ones I fished memories- won.

Others- I was in tune with the particular day.

Mostly...was I lucky???

I used to be of the skill theory.

As I age...I'm gearing with half and half- maybe even 51% luck.

The biggest factor my 1099's for the last several years reflect from DoBass anglers... time management.

The characters who seem to always cash, or even win- excel with calm cool collected personalities and exhibit a demeanor of someone who manages their overall living well - their time paradigms particularly, are always in order.

They are never late, always pay way in advance and I NEVER hear them blame anyone or thing for their lack of success when they don't cash.

They simply point their finger back at themselves.

My theory from sometime ago holds water 

TRUTH IS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH CONFIDENCE. COMBINE THAT WITH THE VARIABLES OF (X) # OF CORRECT PRESENTATIONS/PER HOUR + (X) FISHPROXIMITY/ # OF FISH DIVIDE BY CONSISITENCY SUBTRACT BAD ENERGIES,LOST FISH, ADD POSITIVE ENERGIES PLUS PREPARATION PLUS OLD INDIAN TRICKS = (X) # OF FISH/ (X) 8 HOURS. 


Skill or luck ???

nip
www.dobass.com


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## hopin to cash (Sep 14, 2010)

Well I certainly got a little more reaction here than I expected. I feel like I should change my name here in case I ever win one of these big events. How will I ever brag. We still never made any suggestions on how it could be run.


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## Nipididdee (Apr 19, 2004)

No need for a name change  Stretch those arms out, hide the elbows and tell everyone how you swung them!!!

The only suggestion I have for it to be run, would be into the ground...

nip


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

Marshall said:


> Thats the problem i see far too often. Someone shows up to fish a tourney being fairly new to it and expects to do as good as the guys that have been doing it for a long time. You have to put your time in. I know when i first started out i would donate my fair share but like in any sport, you get better by competing against strong competitors. As for prefishing here in ohio, well our lakes are small and putting time in over the years you learn the lakes and most importantly you understand seasonal patterns and how to deal with the conditions of that day. If you understand how bass relate to the seasons, conditions and specific lake then you can get by and compete with the guys who always do well without all the experience. The largest problem i see with guys who don't catch as many fish is because they are sloppy casters, not accurate, have poor hooksets, are too loud ,are lousy with trolling motor,and are not very versatile. They fish the past memories ,not what the fish are doing right now. Trust me even the very best struggles at times, just look at some of the bassmaster and FLW weigh ins.


i agree with all of this, i would like to add something to the idea of pre-fishing in ohio though. the lakes are so small (with the exception of erie) and the weather changes so easily, its rare that you can go out a day or two before the tournament and catch fish or get bit and then turn around the day of the tournament and do the same thing you did while practicing. it does work from time to time but like marshal said, you have to fish in the moment and alot of times, what you did yesterday or last week isnt going to help you much come game time. practice fishing in my eyes is more about keeping your game sharp, keeping the feel of the rod, keeping your accuracy sharp, keeping your reactions quick etc. i think if you go into practice with that in mind you will have more success. and if you just dont have the time to practice, these things get rusty and to me, the guys that put there time in are going to be more successful more of the time and thats not luck.


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## Dinger (Aug 24, 2005)

I had a long post about the learning curve and payin' your dues to put on here but I guess we're off the original subject matter. It appears that the ones on here that fish (and run) the most tournaments concur that handicaps don't belong in Bass Circuits. 

Ding <---used Uncle Ronnie Yurko as a benchmark back in the day


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## qpan13 (May 30, 2010)

If something was ran it would have to be for a very low fee. It would be something that may be fun to do. I would most likely do it for the fun. I plan on doing some of the mosquito tournaments this season to have some fun and competition. I'm sure I'll learn a few things also. You have to start somewhere.


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## young-gun21 (Mar 14, 2006)

I'm going to have to lean towards the side of this idea being impossible. The parallels have already been made to golf and other handicapped sports where sand bagging is an issue, or how it essentially punishes those who typically have their names on top the leader board. 

I think that the idea of getting a cushion of any sort is a slap in the face to the majority. I've never won a tournament...have a few seconds and top 5's but that only makes me want to get better. Like someone mentioned earlier...it pushes me to work on accuracy, boat control and all of those other variables that have to line up just right for you to beat the correct 5 bass and your fellow competitors on a given lake. I would rather finish last every weekend than to catch 11lbs and beat a team with 12.

Having said all of this, my club has a points system where lakes are weighted (I'm still not a fan but its the tourney directors system and there are a ton of other options for those who don't like it). So if a lake "X" is historically better than lake "Y" those who cash are rewarded a little more on the more historically poor lake. I don't see any other feasable way to introduce a system that hasn't existed in 40 or so years of competitive bass fishing. If it were possible, I'm sure that someone who can't make it out to pre-fish would have been calling for this a long time ago. 

I will say that this is a new debate for the winter...which is refreshing! I'm gonna go in my garage and flip jigs now..


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

i'm trying to get a grip on the words handicap and bass fishing in the same sentence.... 

heck when i was younger my old man would have beat me with his rod if i told him being in the back of the boat was a handicap, let alone wanting to really handicap other anglers in tournaments

whats that you always say nip, think big bass and remove your enemies? mental toughness is alot more than half the battle...


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## fishslyme (Dec 23, 2009)

I don't claim to have all the answers. Handicapping is not an option for the Electric Bass Circuit. We do pay out 100% of the entry fees to 25% of the teams entered in our tournaments. This gives nearly every team a chance to win a prize during the season. I believe that circuits or clubs that pay out to a few teams during the season will loose the teams donating. That's also the way most our members feel. Keep'er Wet, Dave


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## bassman2 (Jul 14, 2007)

I asked the Old Fellow about handicapping bass tournaments....He said they are all ready handicapped....those bass anglers with the most handicaps....lose. He said, "Good bass anglers minimize their handicaps, but that does not mean they need to get a divorce, though."


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