Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Couple of OI Questions
This will be our first BassCat Owners tournament, so have a couple of questions. 1. I keep seeing numbers around 600 – 800 for the number of boats that will be there. Is there plenty of dock space, shore space and parking space to accomodate that number of boats and truck/trailer combos. 2. My partner and I will be staying at a near-by place with a boat slip. On tournament mornings can we come by boat to the start point or must we trailer around and launch at the tournament marina location? Probably dumb questions, but nevertheless, of interest to this first-timer! Thx, C.
Last year was my first OI, and I can assure you that everything will run very smoothly. There will be several locations for people to launch thier boats. You can drive your boat from your boat slip without any problem. You DO NOT have to launch at the tournament marina. You will see lots of boats, but this tournament will be very smooth. Have a great time. KentKent Charles 2002 Pantera Classic & 200 Yamaha VMax
Something else that is worth mentioning is they have flights so it isnt 600-800 all at once but there are a bunch of them at any one time. In a nut shell you will come in on the left side of the Marina cove (there are bouys out there and people will be packed in tight on the right side of the bouy line. Follow that line around to a tower that is on the end of a dock…you will drive under the tower with your livewells open and pumps running. They will give you a slip showing you went thru check in…either the next dock or two there will be someone standing asking you to pull your kill switch. After all that you make your way out to the take off…you will be able to hear the numbers being called and just work your way forward as they get closer to your number. At the end of the day there will be the same pontoon they call numbers from out at the mouth of the marina and you need to check in. Good luck, have fun and be careful…lots of boats running in and out of the marina. I never had a problem but you need to be on your toes. It is one smoothly ran tournament and you should have a blast!
Basschaser & DPT2005 – thanks a bunch! Good inputs!Looking forward to a great time!C.
Another thought is, dont get to the take off toooooo early for your flight, as there are enough boats waiting and it does get crowded in the marina area. Good Luck,
Interesting comments. Do we get a brochure explaining these things?
You will get all your info when you register. (Wednesday at the Ramada Inn)
When you register, you will be assigned a boat # and given info regarding your take off time. Like Judd said, the take offs or flights are usually in groups of 80 boats…if for example you are #400, you would be in a later take off time. So you do not have to be there at 6am but around your groups take off time. The Marina cove is fairly big and will accomodate a lot of boats. If you get there early just to see, just stay back toward the docks or shoreline. You can launch pretty much from any public ramp on the lake and boat over to the Marina. You must check in prior to take off and return at the end of your day to the Marina, then you can go back to your ramp. Like my first couple of OIs, observation is a key…….Good luck96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
All will be ok, you will never fish another tourney that is run as smooth as this one, no matter how many boats….. Greg
Thanks for your comments. This is my first OI. I use to fish quite a bit (not tournaments) and am trying to get back into. My son is coming with me. We are definitely amateurs especially with regards to tournaments. I had only fished a couple and I think one of them was the old shotgun start.
© 2026 Bass Cat Boats

