wayne pro/am and open!!!

[crumcake1223]

first id like to say great job to all that fished the pro/am and the open!!!! this weekend had to be with out a doubt the hardest 2 days ive spent on the lake sence april and thats no joke. we went from 27# kings all day to huntting like a fool till the last min.

2nd id like to say thanks to put the raffle together for the open

now i got a real question for the pro's---

i got 2 down riggers( and lets face it, it doesnt matter what they are other than the fact they get your stuff down deep for the sake of this arguement)

4 dipsy rods

2 300ft copper

and i lost track of rods( some where around 20)

a fish hawk 4x

fish finder($1000 range)

flashers,flies,and lets say for a # a s@%t load of lures.

in a 18 ft penn yann

no with that said what makes a pro team just that a pro team???

is it just the fact that we have been doing this for 3 years peaced together and are just now figuring out that theres a ton of fun doing this??? we are truly looking for some light on this subject and maybe others are to thanks in advance

john crum, dipsy ranger

[fast and silver]

They put 12 fish in the box and make it look easy

[ Post made via Android ]

[synergyboy10]

There is nothing easy about putting 12 fish in the box. We only managed to catch 21 fish for the two days.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[TOP SECRET]

A pro team is a team with at least one licensed captain. It doesn't mean they are good or bad. I could get my license and I would be considered a "pro", but I'd still be just an average fisherman I believe the old rule for what a "pro" is was someone was a guide as well.

In the new forma there is "open" and "pro/am". Anyone can enter either division, although I hope next year they make the open division amateurs only.

Nick

[Finders Keepers]

It really depends on your definition of "Pro". I believe there are two strains of "Pro's": 1. Like Nick said, licensed captains who run charters and/or guided trips and who fish for a living, and 2. tournament anglers who are extremely good at targeting specific species and put fish in the box even in the toughest of conditions and who participate in many tournaments in a given season. Until recently, the second type have been very scarce to non-existent, but we (Finders Keepers) are trying to bring our amazing fishery into the spot light by capturing the attention of major sponsors/companies worldwide while promoting our fishery and helping those just getting into the sport to be successful on the water. This will hopefully allow for more "Pro Tournament" teams to emerge in the Great Lakes. Neither my brother or myself are licensed, but we have a very tight program that puts fish in the boat virtually every trip out!

Either way, you don't have to have the biggest boat, fanciest gear, or every kind of lure (although having multiples of the hot rigs helps), to be a pro. What is required is skill, experience, and dedication to the sport. If you want to know how we became "pro's", there is a thread on the "Finders Keepers True Ontario Story".

[Jimmyi]

Tim,

It was great talking to you, Jeff and your dad Friday at the weigh in. You guys are not afraid to share your knowledge or help out guys trying top learn the ropes by answering questions. I wish other folks were like you instead of being so secretive.

Jim

[crumcake1223]

i thought it was having your license but wanted to conferm it. ill be honnest we came, we fished,we saw,we where humbeld, and now we want more. i dont think we have ever fished so hard, trying everything we could think of, and caught so little but had such a great time. it was great to meet some of you that i have sort of meet on here. and look forward to meeting more of you at the next one.

congrats once agin to all that participated. you dont have to box out to have a great time. and it was great to see that even some farm boys on the dipsy ranger have a chance to compete.

[Fishtails]

Crumcake,

I fished the open for the first time at Sodus, after several years of fishing the Am and a year of fishing the pro. I chose the open because my crew was two thirteen year old boys and I had no other adult on the boat to help out. I was pretty overwhelmed so as it was, but to fish the Pro and have the responsibility of an observer plus the added pressure of knowing we had $700 In entry instead of $270 would have subtracted from the fun.

The only reason I say this is that I have fished them all...tightlines, King of the lake, Wilson Invitational, etc, etc. I do not have a captians lic, nor does anyone I fish with I live In southern PA and have almost no network of friends/boats that we communicate with on the water. We are just weekend rec fishermen that enjoy fishing tournaments. I only started fishing lake Ontario about 8 years ago, yet had me and my kid crew entered the pro In Sodus we would have won the overall trophy box division with a 266 score.

So to your question, what makes a pro team a pro team......entering the pro

division....that is it.

The most important thing is to have fun and not over pressure yourself. Lots of the Pros are captians, but that should not intimidate anyone from fishing Pro. Sometimes their bigger boat will help them, sometimes it won't. Sometimes having all that time on the water helps...but a lot of times it actually hurts them. Sounds stupid, I know, but it's true. Take Sodus as an example. Most teams that have been fishing Sodus have been pounding fish, and falling into a routine. During the Pro Am, lots of guys fished where the fish have been most of the year. We came In with no local knowledge or network of friends and we just fished and searched until we found them, and we were all by

ourselves.

In the past, fishing the Pro division for most of us would just be throwing money away. Now, with the new format, you can always just go for the trophy box, and that is only 5 biggest fish.

In my opinion, there is no special criteria to be a pro team, just enter, put together a smart plan, don't out think yourself and have fun. Winning money is just a bonus. There are always going to be great teams like Cold Steel with large networks of friends out on the lake and big sponsors backing them, and those teams will win plenty of times....but not always. I mean no disrespect to Cold Steel... They are good guys and great fishermen who have earned every trophy and first place finish they've received. It just is what it is. I have found most pro teams are really friendly and will welcome all newcomers with a smile and a handshake. Do well and I can almost guarantee the first person that will be standing there to congratulate you and shake your hand will be ThrillSeeker Vince himself

Try the Pro division out and have a good time with it!

Hope to see some of you at The Little Salmon River Challange! Justin and I will be fishing with Jon of Jon's little salmon bait & tackle....good luck to all!

[Finders Keepers]

Nicely said Rod. Good luck this weekend, we'll see ya there!

[crumcake1223]

you hit the nail on the head. we have fished prety hard all month trying to hone our program and have hammered the heck out of fish. then the open hit and took it in the shorts on sat. great luck to you an dtight lines