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Dennis Sandoval.
Fishing first tournament as a co-angler this week in the PAA tourn on the Arkansas River. Any ideas on what I should bring besides life jacket and rain gear? How many rods should a co-angler bring? How much gas money should I offer each day to the pro? Is there anything else I should know about fishing as co-angler? I am treating this as more of a learning experience than trying to win tournament. Thanks for the help.Last edited by fishntrox on September 11th, 2012, 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
life jacket, food and drink (non-a) and enough cash for at least 1/2 the expenses including gas, oil, and tow vehicle.cant tell you what tackle to bring I would try to keep it to one medium box/bag and no more than 6 rods of your choice.if you know your partner and it is a team contest give him/her a call and discuss strategy and what is going on on that water. Dont be cheap with offering to split expenses you are getting a ride in a nice boat, guided and all you pay is 1/2 the direct expenses. I always try to be a little generous there and good will has a way of going around. Be respectfull of the owners boat and equipment and ask him/her if there is anything special they would like from you. Curtesy is always appreciated and sometimes not recieved.Irv
Split the fuel based on reasonable costs of $40 or $50, unless the trip is short then less is fine or $20. 4 to 5 rods and a travel bag, life vest and rain gear, plus drinks.
Thanks guys! I have been fishing club tournaments for the past 14 years and this opportunity came along very suddenly. I just wasnt sure on how much equipment to bring. Im very excited to have the opportunity to fish with some of the best professionals around.
As far as the fishing part of it, they will probably go over some ground rules at your pre-tournament meeting. Generally they say you are not allowed on the front deck of the boat unless the pro asks you to come up there. Common courtesy says not to cast ahead of the boat and trying to beat the pro to the cast. Im not sure about PAA rules but there was a recent incident where it was against the rules for the coangler to continue fishing while the pro was not on the front deck. In this case the pro was at the well trying to cull a fish and the coangler continued to fish which was against the rules. Like i said, stuff like that should be covered at the meeting or in a rule book. I carried pretty much exactly what you have been told above. One medium sized tackle bag, rain gear, life jacket (pro may tell you he has plenty but bring yours if you like the way it fits), drinks and food, and 5-6 rods. The pro will generally tell you what type of fishing he is doing and what you can expect and that will help you determine what rods and tackle you need to take. You may still want to take one extra in case they throw in something crazy. My coangler experience was in the spring and I was told we would be fishing spinnerbaits and rattletraps which we did most of the day, but he also stopped at a deep dropshot spot and I was unprepared for that. Enjoy the experience. You can learn a lot from those guys.Jim EbarbMany, LA (Toledo Bend Lake)2004 Cougar/ 225 OptimaxHumminbird Helix 12 Chirp SI on BalzOut Mount at bowLowrance HDS 7 at bowHumminbird Helix 12 Mega SI on Ram Mount at ConsoleLowrance HDS 8 in dash at console
Id take 3-4 rods(its faster to retie lures than to dig all of the hooks from your 53 baits on your 53 rods that are tangled after the first ride in the am), backpack with 3-4 3700s, 3-4 bags of plastics, needlenose pliers, 60 spf stick of sunblock, 3 cliff bars(in backpack), 6 gatorades(still in plastic holder).All of this you can easily carry around when you look for your pro in AM without looking like dufus. Wear raingear and lifejacket in am as itll be a little cool at takeoff anyway. Sunglasses around your neck and hat on your head(easier to keep water off of you in rainsuit with hat on).1 glass rod, 1 spinning rod(8lb fluro), 1 68″ rod, 1 73″ rod.Now when you drive down here I would load your truck with every piece of tackle you own so you can taper your stuff the night before the derby or between days if its multiday. Take extra rods, tons of tackle, tons of line.What will impress most folks is if you show up without a lotta crap. If you rolled up there with 2 rods, small backpack, and a sixpack of gatorade with your rainsuit and a well worn lifejacket on most folks would figure youre a damn stick.C.O.D. Jr. III
Thanks everyone! Very helpful info.
Give him $50 first thing in the morning. You do not need to split expenses with him as you will have no say on where you are fishing. As a boater, I never liked the game of negotiating for money. My opinion.Bill Spence St. Albans, VT [url=mailto:billspence@yahoo.com]billspence@yahoo.com[/url] http://www.twinstatebassin.com Bass Cat Boats http://www.basscat.com Vexilar Marine Electronics http://www.vexilar.com
ward wrote: What will impress most folks is if you show up without a lotta crap. If you rolled up there with 2 rods, small backpack, and a sixpack of gatorade with your rainsuit and a well worn lifejacket on most folks would figure youre a damn stick.Now that would be more than impressive. That would be a complete shocker. Lately you tell a co-angler one thing and theyre going to do exactly the opposite. At least thats what my experience as a boater has been lately. 12 Things A Co-Angler Shouldnt Worry About!1. Dont worry about the number of rods you need……..youre going to bring 8-10 anyway. 2. Dont worry about no smoking……….youre going to sneak one in anyway.3. Dont worry about having a storage box to house all your tackle because youll fill it up and you will bring a suitcase full of crap too. Your tackle bag is so big the driver cant even get out from underneath the console.4. Dont worry about an ice chest. Youll store all your drinks in the empty storage box and most of your tackle will be in your no boater suitcase. Never have understood that one! 5. Dont worry about taking a GPS. If you draw a local, mark his spots and go ahead and fish those spots the following weekend when youre fishing a buddy tournament. 6. Dont worry about wiping your feet off before you get in the boat……the carpet in the boat makes a great wiping spot!7. Dont worry about that dipping dye. They make stuff to get that out of the carpet and off the seats.8. Dont worry about gas money……….if he doesnt put you on a check the boater doesnt deserve gas money.9. Dont worry about casting over the boaters shoulder, he shouldnt have first crack at the best spots.10. Dont worry about helping the boater out. If hes not on any fish or if hes struggling tell him you got a spot 20 miles up the lake that you and your buddy caught 20 lbs off of last month.11. Dont worry about him going to your spot because he is probably going to ignore you and if I were you I would start pouting.12. Dont worry about the boater offering up $500 per fish if you livewell is full of biguns. It happens! All in fun, but has happened to one or all us at one time or another!Be respectful of the boat as he as a lot of money invested in his equipment and the tournament itself and youll be fine. Good luck in your tournament and have fun!
Nothing wrong with trying to win the tournament, someone has to. Fish, and fish your strengths. And never step on the seats! Respect his boat as it was yours.
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