Future Pro Tour with Kayaks

"anyone who wants to participate in the future pro tourneys though should be following the same format as the other guys."


You are 100% correct bassmanben!
I think Pb's can be beat at their own game with their own rules. However, the skill and ability of a bass fisherman who does this on a regular basis will be frowned upon by "big bass"  and will be overregulated into oblivion. Kayaks will never be fully accepted in the pro bass PB er tournaments that's the reality of it.  Their whole industry is geared to sell fiberglass, fuel, $13,000 motors, and 10" color gps/fishfinders.

while it is quite a rush to be compeating against Pb's I feel the energy, talents and networking ability of this site would be better used establishing themselves in their own pro-bass league. 

We do what we do and they the same.  And don't worry..80% of them would be 90% clueless in one of our kayaks and 100% pissed off that they have to get a little exercise.

Brian



 

Future Pro Tour, along with all the other bass tournament organizations, utilize a livewell and live-weigh-in format because it works.  One factor to consider, is the handling process... remove the hook, attach a culling buoy, put the fish in the livewell.  This involves very little handling and time out of water.  The fish then is not handled until returned to the lake/river in exchange for a larger fish, or transferred to a weigh-bag (filled with water) and the the scale, back to the water.

CPR is good for some scenarios, but my experience has been more time out of the water and handling to get a clear, still photo on a measuring device.  That system doesn't work for me, so I generally don't compete in that style of tourney.  Tournament bass fishing is a huge industry in and of itself.  It is also a spectator sport that continues to grow.  CPR and Support boat formats just don't lend themselves well to the live excitement and publicity that the industry desires.  

To compete with Future Pro, or any other tournament bass fishing organization, one has to play by their rules.  When in Rome...

I'll try to make the AOTY Awards and bring my humble rig.  Also, I'm more than happy to meet up on the water for some fishin' and some rig talk/demo.  And, as I've mentioned, I'll make every effort to make livewells and livewell kits and any other tourney prep related stuff as easy and smooth as possible for anyone interested.

I don't want to jack the post, but there are other bass tourneys with smaller entry fees out there that I can share info on.  They just don't get the publicity that Future Pro Tour does and the amount of participation and payout may not be as much.

FPT and similar organizations in CA tend to average between 4-12 entries in the Small Boat Division.  That is the reason why a club like that would become willing to invite and include Kayaks and Kickboats in the Small Boat Division.  For them it makes good business sense.  The large majority of entry fees goes to payouts, with a small portion going toward operation cost and prize packages for the Angler of the Year and Tournament of Champions (or Classic).  It is industry standard and I believe it is fair.  If I were dedicating hundreds of hours of my time to the organization, seeking of sponsors, acquisition of permits and promotion of an entire season of live events....I would absolutely require a return on my investment.  

$500 for first with only 25 boats is actually pretty darn good.  And there is even more money available to win if you buy into options, like for biggest bass of the event!

As far as the future cost of Kayaks, I'd like to say this... the high quality, well executed designs are pricey now and always will be.  Also, Kayaks can only become as expensive as the market will bear.  That's the reality of any market.  

We've been invited to compete on a certain playing field with certain rules and benefits.  I, personally, consider it a great opportunity and have learned a lot from the bass tournaments I've fished, both on boats and in the kayak (even one, and ONLY one, in a float tube).  It's fun, challenging, frustrating and exciting.  

I suggest you try it.  If not with FPT, then somewhere more comfortable for you.  But try it.  It doesn't have to be as intense as some make it for themselves.  A group of yakkers fishing FPT events does something that money can't buy... gains a bit more respect from those boaters and the industry, translating over time to more boaters aware of kayaks on the water and, thus, safer water.  There's some big picture for you.  Then again, one event like this with a bunch of yakkers may just be a flash in the pan bit of fun and excitement with a little money on the line and some good memories and lessons learned.

Nothing wrong with that kind of result either.

I hope we get a group out there for this kind of thing.  I think it will be good for the sport and camaraderie and maybe a few of our pocket books or somebody's fleet.  And I'm not really into the 'us vs. them' between pbs and yaks or kickboats.  Especially when it comes to fishing.  In a tournament it is every man for himself, but we're all human and anglers alike.  It's fun to joke about beatin the pbs, but that's not why I'm into it. 

Also, I agree 100% with having a Pro Kayak Bass League.  If I get enough pm's about it, I'll expedite the planning and organizing process.  But I believe completely in the viability and sponsorability of the bass industry standard tourney format.  And that we should try events like FPT anyway.

Again, anything I can do to help, just let me know.

Thanks,

Aaron Swerkes

WTG Aaron.....

 Sounds like you have a Good Perspective about this format and the realities of where we can go with it and how...

Thanks for the Great Input and will keep ya in the Loop....

I understand how the LARGER BASS events rely on the big wet fishy show at the weigh in..but for a greater majority of weekend warrior bass tourney guys they are only greeted on the docks with their peers wielding plastic sacs half filled with h20.

I understand that from these ranks will come the next van-dam or ikonelli (spelling?)  and that changing rules just for kayakers is not feasible.. I would hope that kayakers world run as fast as they can from a league that really only wants them for their  big purse allure.  Yeah a kayaker may get away with one or two lakes here or there but seriously...do you honestly think that a kayaker has the range on places like the delta?

I will support/enter almost any bass tourney that caters exclusively to kayakers.  I will also
enter a few PB'er events with the hope of a pattern paying off within a mile or so.  But not for a second do I believe that numerous victories over PB will be chalked up as anything but "luck" in the eyes of "big BASS"

I will respectfully disagree that a higher profile of  kayakers  in  the BASS circuit will lead to more kayaking safety.

Danglin I love ya' and I appreciate this information.  But I think that us entering these events is a sucker bet for us for bigger payouts for them.




Hope to see a bigger interest in an orgagnized Kayakers leauge,

Brian

Hello NorCal Kayakers!

This is Vince Harris, president and director of the Future Pro Tour, and I want to first thank you guys for giving me audience, and allowing me to propose an offer to your organization that I know will be of benefit to both of us.

First of all, please know that our purpose in wanting you to be part of what we do is not to take over or replace anything that you do. I too belong to a club and throughly enjoy what we do, what we stand for, and what we provide for the local/regional members who belong.

Our organization is dedicated to helping develop the skills of the beginning to intermediate level bass angler, in a fun yet competitive environment. Our entry fees are very affordable, and the phenominal support we receive from major sponsors - both in and out of the industry, makes our program possible and provides for our members/participants significant exposure.

And being dedicated to the "grass roots" angler, I can't think of anything more "grass roots" than Kayak angling for bass, and as such, I would like to respectfully extend the following offer to the NorCal Kayak anglers, as it would be a priviledge to have you all be part of the 2010 FPT season:


We have an annual membership fee to participate in FPT events but there will be NO MEMBERSHIP FEE for any of the kayak anglers that participate in our events. If you belong to an organization that requires a membership, we encourage you to continue your support for that organization and save your membership for them. 

All FPT event rules will apply to Kayaker/Belly boat participants, except that there will be no off-limits for you guys. That is, you will be free to fish in the areas that are off-limits to motor boats (5 mph zones etc.)

For saftey reasons only, as soon as the big boats are launched (appx 20 mins), you guys will be free to go fish. The good part about that is that the small boat division (of which you will be part of) comes in last, so you will gain the time you lost, on the back end - big time.

Motors? Sure you can! Remember you are in the small boat division, so anything (motorwise) within the 0-90 hp category goes.

YOUR OWN TOC PRIZE

If we get an average of 20 teams -kyaks, belly boats or anything combination thereof, over the four events you guys are designated to particpate in, I will arrange to have a fully rigged belly boat for the top 5 competitors to fish for at our FPT classic!

The 2010 FPT Classic will be a split-venue with day one being at Camanche, and day two being on the California delta. You have no idea what kind of value your participation will add to the FPT Classic event and the news press thoughout every sports fishing media outlet in the state regarding your particpation in the FPT Classic event will be off the chart.

Moreover, I will gaurentee that at least two of you will make it on the TV broadcast at the Berryessa opener (I am the executive producer of the show so I can put on anybody I damn well please!)  On one of the shows for 2010, I will also do a profile expose on the NorCal Kayak Club, which will give your organization MEGA exposure throughout the state as the show reaches over 7 million cable subscribers per broadcast.

Most of our events will be covered in the Fish Sniffer magazine, so you will also get some "photo love" in that publication as well as some "photo love" on the front page of the FPT website.

In truth, the FPT, being an organization dedicated to promoting "grass roots" anglers, finds that a partnership with NorCal Kayak Club would be a natural fit, as I don't know any group of anglers more "grass roots" than you guys. And sponsors LOVE grass roots stuff. And trust me, you will be exposed to some pretty big sponsors.

I could go on and on, but I will stop now and close with letting you all know that it would be the highlight of the 2010 FPT season if I were to get the opportunity to crown one of you the winner at a FPT event. Hollywood could not write a better script than that!

Any of you that are interested in participating in the 2010 tour, please call me ANYTIME and I will help you get registered.

Thanks again for your interest, and I hope to see you all at the season opener at Lake Berryessa on March 27th!

Sincerely,

Vince Harris

President, Future Pro Tour Tournament Trails
http://www.futureprotour.net
916-768-0938
vince@futureprotour.net

Events for 2010 Kayak/belly boat members to participate in that will count toward qualifiying for the FPT Classic:

Berryessa - March 27th
Folsom - April 17th
Delta - June 5th
Clearlake - Aug 14th

FPT Classic (Nov 6th & 7th)2010 FPT season:

Good luck SKILL to all who enter. I'll see you at a couple of these.

Brian 

Thanks for Coming on Board Vince    

 Nice that your able to give the Details better than myself and making yourself available....

To be clear....

If a Kayak wins the Classic, it's a Rigged Kayak prize  .........  right?

Why does it have to be anything different than what the PBers win? 

Why does it have to be anything different than what the PBers win? 

I agree.....I'd like a fully rigged bass boat 

Why does it have to be anything different than what the PBers win? 

I agree.....I'd like a fully rigged bass boat 

+10....

I just saw a commercial on tv....

grand prizes are Huge for Pbs...  we get to try for a kayak/ belly boat?????

I think you had better change how this is worked out Vince

The reason they're offering something different for this group is because we're only being asked to fish 2-4 events to qualify for the "Classic" and this special prize.  If you were to fish all 7 events and qualify for the "Classic" the same way the rest of the PB field does, then the bass boat is fair game.