TAKEOFF
TOURNAMENT LIFE
7 SIMPLE TIPS TO REDUCE COSTS
T
a little savinGs Goes a lonG Way durinG tournaMent season
alent will only get you so far in the sport of tourna-
ment bass fishing. it’s pay-to-play, which means if you
can’t pay, it doesn’t matter how good you are. you
won’t get to play.
and paying involves much more than just entry fees.
there’s lodging, gas, food, tackle and plenty of other costs
that go along with fishing tournaments, be it a tuesday
nighter or an flW tour event.
it can all add up if you’re not frugal about how you pay
your bills. We talked with a number of pros to see how they
manage to cut expenses, be it fishing near home or traveling
the country. the seven tips listed here are simple enough
that anyone can take advantage of them.
doN’t be too CheAp
32
saving money is never a bad thing, except when it cuts
down on your potential to make money. for instance, big-
bass pots are often good opportunities to make a little more
bank.
terry Bolton will never forget when he was first starting
out. his mom, sharon, was his biggest sponsor, but after
she’d given him a hard time about spending too much
money, he opted not to spend the $50 for the big-bass pot
at his next tournament.
“i caught a 6-8 that would’ve been big bass, and the pot
was $1,000 and a new rod,” says Bolton. “i can tell you i’ve
paid every big-bass pot entry ever since.”
By Sean Ostruszka
1. Find Roomies
Most pros team up with roommates to split lodging
costs. for instance, Brandon McMillan, Jeff Gustafson and
Mark fisher all roomed together for the 2017 tour season.
and when they did, they usually looked to rent or crash at
a house so they could save money on food (see no. 2).
2. Eat In
eating out is expensive. finding a house or place with
a kitchen allows you to go to the grocery store and buy
food much cheaper.
“We’re not eating five-star meals,” says McMillan. “it’s
pizzas and stuff, but a frozen pizza is a lot cheaper than
ordering one.”
don’t have a kitchen where you’re staying? Buy a hot
plate so you can cook in your hotel, or live on bread and
lunch meat.
3. Trailer When Possible
your truck gets far better fuel mileage than your boat.
almost every pro we spoke with said he trailers to differ-
ent areas of the lake during practice to save gas.
4. Save the Braid
Braided line has its applications, but certainly not on
every body of water. still, it doesn’t make sense to th row
it in the trash after a tournament where you needed it.
after a trip to florida or any lake where he spooled sev-
eral reels with braid, Brandon cobb transfers his lightly
used braid to empty “junk” reels – older reels that have
worn out and don’t get used much.
“this way i can save it for a tournament later that sea-
son or even next season,” he says.
5. Ice Up
a bag of ice might not cost much, but during a sum-
mer tournament, buying multiple bags each day adds up.
that’s why Jeff sprague tries to stay at hotels with large
ice machines. he’ll fill small garbage bags provided by the
hotel to keep his cooler and livewell chilled.
6. Fight Rust
hooks are metal, and metal rusts. todd hollowell
always hangs his lures to let water drip off and reduce
the likelihood of rust forming, as opposed to letting a
lure sit in the bottom of his boat or a tackle box where it
can develop rust and wind up getting thrown in the trash.
“When i get my batteries, they come packed in blocks
of styrofoam,” says hollowell. “i’ll throw those in my tackle
compartment. they’re the perfect hook hangers.”
7. Bring All Your Tackle
if Joshua Weaver goes into a tackle shop, more than
likely he’s leaving a couple hundred dollars behind.
Knowing this, he packs up his truck with as much tackle
as he can so he’s not tempted to go to local tackle shops
at various tournament venues. ■
FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2018