Frequently Asked Questions and other information
I have a friend who I like to fish with, if we both join the club can we fish together all the time? Unfortunately not, our club utilizes a draw team format. This means you will likely fish with 11 different people throughout the year, which means 11 more new friends and possibly a greater opportunity to learn new techniques.
I am not able to attend the monthly meetings, can I still fish in the tournament? Absolutely, meeting attendance is not necessary, but we need to have your tournament application in hand before the meeting. You can mail it to us, but we have to receive the application prior to the meeting in order for you to get paired in the draw.
How much does it cost? First, you have to be a member in order to fish a club tournament, the cost for annual membership is $40. Second, the basic monthly tournament entry fee is $60, with a five-pound fish pot included. And finally, if you are fishing as a co-angler, you need to contribute money towards the expenses of operating the boat. Saguaro, Bartlett, Canyon and Pleasant are $50; Apache, Roosevelt and Alamo are $80, Lakes Havasu and Martinez are $100. These are recommendations, but ultimately it is up to the team to determine if more or less is reasonable.
How old do you have to be to join? 18 years of age
How can I receive more information about joining? The easiest way is to send us a contact form which is found on the home page.
How are the two man tournament teams formed? The tournament teams are created each month at the end of our monthly meeting. Boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired through a computerized draw.
I do not own a boat, can I still fish? Absolutely. Many of our club members do not own boats. A tournament team, comprises of two anglers, fishes out of one boat. The tournament teams are randomly paired at our monthly meeting.
Midweek tournament questions.
For Co-Anglers:
I am not able to attend the monthly meetings, can I still fish in the tournament? Absolutely, meeting attendance is not necessary, but we need to have your tournament application in hand before the meeting. You can mail it to us, but we have to receive the application prior to the meeting in order for you to get paired in the draw.
How much does it cost? First, you have to be a member in order to fish a club tournament, the cost for annual membership is $40. Second, the basic monthly tournament entry fee is $60, with a five-pound fish pot included. And finally, if you are fishing as a co-angler, you need to contribute money towards the expenses of operating the boat. Saguaro, Bartlett, Canyon and Pleasant are $50; Apache, Roosevelt and Alamo are $80, Lakes Havasu and Martinez are $100. These are recommendations, but ultimately it is up to the team to determine if more or less is reasonable.
How old do you have to be to join? 18 years of age
How can I receive more information about joining? The easiest way is to send us a contact form which is found on the home page.
How are the two man tournament teams formed? The tournament teams are created each month at the end of our monthly meeting. Boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired through a computerized draw.
I do not own a boat, can I still fish? Absolutely. Many of our club members do not own boats. A tournament team, comprises of two anglers, fishes out of one boat. The tournament teams are randomly paired at our monthly meeting.
Midweek tournament questions.
For Co-Anglers:
- Communication: contact your partner prior to the tournament to discuss the essentials:
- Ask your boater where to meet on tournament morning.
- If uncertain what to tie on, ask your boater what he suggests and be prepared to fish on tournament morning.
- Discuss pre-fishing the tournament with your boater, and see if it is possible for the two of you to pre-fish together.
- Food: bring your own food and water, and ask your boater if he has ice on the boat for beverages and food. Avoid bringing your own cooler if possible as space can become an issue on the boat.
- Backing in: be completely honest with your partner about your skills for backing the boat into the water. If able – Great! If not comfortable backing a trailer, that’s OK as well, he can do it or find help. In the morning, many boaters will back the tow vehicle and boat down to the water’s edge so you don’t have far to go. If you do end up backing down, make sure to go over the operation of the tow vehicle with your boater: lights, locking, 4WD if equipped, etc. Headlights should be shut off when backing down the ramp or when pulling up and off the ramp so as not to blind drivers waiting to launch.
- Travel light: it is better for both you and your boater to keep your tackle to a minimum, 5 rods and one medium size tackle bag/box.
- PFD: bring your own Personal Flotation Device.
- Clothing: be prepared for the weather. If there is a chance of rain, bring rain-gear. Dress appropriately; layering is smart for our lakes. Bring sunscreen and sunglasses.
- Read the rules: read the tournament rules closely. Though many rules are similar throughout the bass fishing world, there are usually subtle differences. Understand the basic rules, as they apply whether you know them or not.
- Back seat: expect to fish from the back of the boat, do not expect to be given the trolling motor.
- Keep organized: keep your area clean and organized, put stuff away. As much as possible, allow your boater a clean and clear path from the front of the boat to the driver’s seat.
- Trolling motor: if asked if you know how to run a trolling motor – again, honesty is best, as it is likely a very expensive bass boat. Believe me, there will be nothing worse than damaging the boat because you turned left when you wanted to go right, and you ran into a large submerged rock and consequently chipped the fiberglass hull.
- Check the live-well: the live-well is typically located at the back of the boat. Periodically check the fish for good health, let your boater know if you start to see a problem.
- Net that fish!: be ready with the net, or as ready as you can be. If you no longer have cat-like reflexes, that’s OK, but still try and be as prepared as you can when your partner yell’s “fish-on” and he is counting on you to net his fish. If unsure how to net a fish, ask your boater how he prefers you to net.
- Casting forward: never fish in front of your partner unless they give you explicit permission to do so. There's no quicker way to be in an uncomfortable situation!
- Cast to different spots: keep a close eye on where your partner has thrown and try to hit different spots.
- Complementary casting: throw a lure that is presented at a similar speed, or a faster speed than what your partner is throwing. The boat will move according to the type of lure the boater is fishing. You need to make sure you are not trying to fish a drop shot when your partner is burning crank baits. You'll want to throw something that acts differently than what your partner has just shown the fish. If he doesn't get the reaction strike off the crank bait you probably won't either, so show the fish a spinner bait or some other reaction bait.
- Be patient: There can be a variety of reasons to get frustrated while fishing out of the back, and this frustration is easily remedied when you start catching fish, but Arizona lakes can be very difficult to fish, and you can easily go hours without a bite. Don’t get frustrated. It is possible you will be paired with a boater that fishes completely different than you are used to. Use the time together as a learning opportunity, and always try and do your part to help the team.
- Clean boat: always offer to help wipe down the boat, and clean out the interior.
- Money: remember to give your boater your fair-share money prior to the start of the tournament, the amount varies depending upon the lake, the information is located on the bottom of the tournament entry form and in the upper portion of this page.
- Damage: You are responsible for any damage you cause on the boat.
- Bass Bites: If you should be fortunate enough to win money in a Midweek tournament, we ask that you contribute a few short words about how you found success on the water for use in the monthly Bass Bites newsletter.
- Contact your partner/co-angler soon after the meeting and discuss pre-fishing.
- Ask your partner/co-angler what he is comfortable throwing so you can figure out how he can best help your team.
- Always be willing to share new techniques and tackle with your co-angler to help him improve.
- If something comes up and you cannot be on time, call your boater/partner.
- Be sure to familiarize yourself with the Midweek Bass Angler’s tournament rules.
- If you should be fortunate enough to win money in a Midweek tournament, we ask that you contribute a few short words about how you found success on the water.
- Know your tournament boat number.
- You must use an official club weigh-in bag to transport your fish from your boat to the scales, they are issued at the scale-master's table. If the bags are all out, wait until one becomes available, in the mean time, your fish will be happy in the cool, shaded, oxygen rich live-well. Bring your personal weigh bag to transport your fish back to the lake after your catch has been weighed. Why do we do this? We have found that fish stand a better chance of survival if the time spent in a weigh bag is minimized.