Archive for category: Blog

2023 Tournament Payouts

With what seems like an endless buffet of tournament options available to participate in, making the right choice from a financial perspective on which ones to enter can prove to be a daunting task.  Simply breaking down the entry fee to payout ratio can prove helpful in making a decision. There are many different semi-pro tour level events, and most of these events provide paths to making it to the pro-level which can also be a factor in your decision making if ascending the ranks is one of your goals.  Let’s take a look at a few of the options available in 2023.

MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League

The MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League is a great way to start your career as a bass angler and not have to travel far to do so. Anglers can fish as a boater or a non-boater, and pairings are determined through a random draw the night before the tournament. This tournament trail has 24 divisions with 4 qualifiers and a 2-day super tournament in each division. However, the payouts below are just for the single day qualifiers.

**Based on 200 boats**

Boater                                                                                                             Co-Angler

Entry Fee: $220                                                                                             Entry Fee: $110

1^st place: $6,000 plus Phoenix Bonus up to $7,000                                 1^st place: $3,000

2^nd place: $3,000                                                                                             2^nd place: $1,500

3^rd place: $2,000                                                                                             3^rd place: $1,000

4^th place: $1,400                                                                                             4^th place: $700

5^th place: $1,200                                                                                             5^th place: $600

6^th place: $1,100                                                                                             6^th place: $550

7^th place: $1,000                                                                                             7^th place: $500

8^th place: $900                                                                                                8^th place: $450

9^th place: $800                                                                                                9^th place: $400

10^th place: $700                                                                                              10^th place: $350

11^th place: $630                                                                                              11^th place: $315

12^th place: $580                                                                                              12^th place: $290

13^th place: $56 0                                                                                              13^th place: $280

14^th place: $530                                                                                              14^th place: $265

15^th place: $500                                                                                              15^th place: $250

16^th place: $480                                                                                              16^th place: $240

17^th place: $460                                                                                              17^th place: $230

18^th place: $440                                                                                              18^th place: $220

19^th place: $420                                                                                              19^th place: $210

20^th place: $400                                                                                              20^th place: $200

21^st place: $390                                                                                               21^st place: $195

22^nd place: $380                                                                                              22^nd place: $190

23^rd place: $370                                                                                              23^rd place: $185

24^th place: $360                                                                                              24^th place: $180

25^th place: $350                                                                                              25^th place: $175

26^th place: $340                                                                                              26^th place: $170

27^th place: $330                                                                                              27^th place: $165

28^th place: $320                                                                                              28^th place: $160

29^th place: $310                                                                                              29^th place: $155

30^th place: $300                                                                                              30^th place: $150

31^st place: $290                                                                                               31^st place: $145

32^nd place: $280                                                                                              32^nd place: $140

33^rd place: $270                                                                                              33^rd place: $135

34^th place: $260                                                                                              34^th place: $130

35^th place: $250                                                                                              35^th place: $125

36^th place: $240                                                                                              36^th place: $120

37^th place: $230                                                                                              37^th place: $115

38^th place: $220                                                                                              38^th place: $110

39^th place: $210                                                                                              39^th place: $105

40^th place: $200                                                                                              40^th place: $100

Big Bass: $1,000                                                                                             Big Bass: $500

 

MLF Toyota Series

The MLF Toyota Series is the step below the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals. Like the BFLs, anglers can choose to either fish as a boater or a non-boater. There are 6 divisions with 3 tournaments in each division plus a championship that the top 25 boaters and top 25 non-boaters qualify for. Top prize for the championship is $235,000 plus REDCREST invitation for boaters, and a Phoenix 518 Pro with 115 HP Mercury valued at $33,500 for co-anglers. Check out the divisional payouts below.

**Based on 260 boats**

Boater                                                                                                             Co-Angler

Entry Fee: $1,700                                                                                          Entry Fee: $550

1^st place: $65,000 plus $35,000 Phoenix Bonus                                       1^st place: $38,500

2^nd place: $27,500                                                                                           2^nd place: $8,000

3^rd place: $18,000                                                                                           3^rd place: $6,500

4^th place: $16,000                                                                                           4^th place: $5,000

5^th place: $15,000                                                                                           5^th place: $4,500

6^th place: $11,500                                                                                           6^th place: $3,750

7^th place: $10,000                                                                                           7^th place: $3,250

8^th place: $8,500                                                                                             8^th place: $2,500

9^th place: $7,500                                                                                             9^th place: $1,800

10^th place: $5,500                                                                                           10^th place: $1,600

11^th place: $5,000                                                                                           11^th place: $1,200

12^th place: $4,250                                                                                           12^th place: $1,200

13^th place: $3,750                                                                                           13^th place: $1,200

14^th place: $3,750                                                                                           14^th place: $1,200

15^th place: $3,750                                                                                           15^th place: $1,200

16^th-20^th: $3,750                                                                                              16^th-20^th: $1,000

21^st-25^th: $3,000                                                                                              21^st-25^th: $850

26^th-30^th: $2,700                                                                                              26^th-30^th: $800

31^st-40^th: $2,350                                                                                              31^st-40^th: $725

41^st-45^th: $2,300                                                                                              41^st-45^th: $700

46^th-50^th: $2,250                                                                                              46^th-50^th: $675

51^st-55^th: $2,200                                                                                              51^st-55^th: $600

56^th-60^th: $2,100                                                                                              56^th-60^th: $570

61^st-65^th: $2,000                                                                                              61^st-65^th: $550

Day 1 Big Bass: $500                                                                                     Day 1 Big Bass: $150

Day 2 Big Bass: $500                                                                                     Day 2 Big Bass: $150

 

MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals is the step below the Bass Pro Tour. Anglers must qualify for the Invitationals through the Toyota Series to have a shot at making it to the top level. The Invitationals consist of 6 tournaments that last 3 days. Below are the payouts for those tournaments.

**Based on 150 anglers**

Entry Fee: $5,000

1^st place: $115,000 plus REDCREST Invitation

2^nd place: $50,000

3^rd place: $20,000

4^th place: $18,000

5^th place: $17,000

6^th place: $16,000

7^th place: $15,000

8^th place: $14,000

9^th place: $13,000

10^th place: $12,000

11^th-30^th: $10,000

31^st-50^th: $8,000

Day 1 Big Bass: $1,000

Day 2 Big Bass: $1,000

 

BASS St. Croix Bassmaster Opens

The Bassmaster Opens is the pathway to the Bassmaster Elite Series, and boaters must fish all 9 tournaments to qualify. However, a boater can qualify for the Bassmaster Classic through fishing one division if he or she wins an event. There are 3 divisions with 3 tournaments in each. Below are the payouts for each tournament, for boaters and non-boaters.

**Based on 200 anglers**                                                                  **Based on 150 anglers**

Boater                                                                                                 Co-Angler

Entry Fee: $1,800                                                                              Entry Fee: $475

1^st place: $46,667                                                                                1^st place: $17,000

2^nd place: $22,667                                                                               2^nd place: $4,000

3^rd place: $16,000                                                                               3^rd place: $3,000

4^th place: $13,333                                                                               4^th place: $2,250

5^th place: $11,600                                                                               5^th place: $2,100

6^th place: $10,667                                                                               6^th place: $2,000

7^th place: $10,000                                                                               7^th place: $1,900

8^th place: $9,333                                                                                 8^th place: $1,800

9^th place: $7,333                                                                                 9^th place: $1,650

10^th place: $6,000                                                                               10^th place: $1,500

11^th place: $5,333                                                                               11^th place: $1,400

12^th place: $4,667                                                                               12^th place: $1,300

13^th place: $3,667                                                                               13^th place: $1,100

14^th place: $3,667                                                                               14^th place: $1,000

15^th place: $3,667                                                                               15^th place: $900

16^th place: $3,667                                                                               16^th place: $800

17^th place: $3,667                                                                               17^th place: $750

18^th place: $3,667                                                                               18^th place: $750

19^th place: $3,667                                                                               19^th place: $750

20^th place: $3,667                                                                               20^th place: $750

21^st place: $3,333                                                                                21^st place: $700

22^nd place: $3,333                                                                               22^nd place: $700

23^rd place: $3,333                                                                               23^rd place: $700

24^th place: $3,333                                                                               24^th place: $700

25^th place: $3,333                                                                               25^th place: $700

26^th place: $3,067                                                                               26^th place: $600

27^th place: $3,067                                                                               27^th place: $600

28^th place: $3,067                                                                               28^th place: $600

29^th place: $3,067                                                                               29^th place: $600

30^th place: $3,067                                                                               30^th place: $600

31^st place: $3,067                                                                                31^st place: $550

32^nd place: $3,067                                                                               32^nd place: $550

33^rd place: $3,067                                                                               33^rd place: $550

34^th place: $3,067                                                                               34^th place: $550

35^th place: $3,067                                                                               35^th place: $550

36^th place: $3,067                                                                               36^th place: $550

37^th place: $3,067                                                                               37^th place: $550

38^th place: $3,067                                                                               38^th place: $550

39^th place: $3,067                                                                               39^th place: $550

40^th place: $3,067                                                                               40^th place: $550

Maintenance tips for any season

Have you ever had things go wrong out on the water? Let’s say you broke a rod on a hookset, your reel suddenly started messing up, or worse. Maybe your trolling motor or outboard motor fails and ruins your day of fishing. These are just a few things that could go wrong on the water, but you get the point. To prevent or reduce the chance of your equipment failing you and ruining your day, it is important to go through the maintenance process during the off-season. We will split up this maintenance blog into two different categories: (1) fishing equipment maintenance and (2) boat/trailer maintenance.

Fishing Equipment Maintenance

1. Rods

• Rods seem like a simple piece of equipment that doesn’t need to be maintained, but this could not be further from the truth.
• We recently caught up with Denali Rods Pro Michael Neal who gave us a few quick tips on getting your rods ready for the new season. “The first thing I do is take a Q-Tip cotton swab and run it through all of the guides to check for any cracks, or rough spots that may fray my line. While I’m doing that I check the tip of the rod to make sure it is properly aligned, and still secure. Next I move down the rod looking for any small cracks or nicks in the blank that might compromise it. Then I finish the inspection off by making sure the reel seat is in good shape, and tightens up like it should. Those are some very simple things that everyone can do to make sure your rods are in great shape for the season” said Neal.
• Cleaning the reel seat with rubbing alcohol can be very effective also. Dirt and grime can get caught up in the reel seat and on the reel very quickly.

2. Reels

• Just as cleaning your reel seat on the rod can be effective, cleaning the reel itself should also be a priority.
• While it may be easy to clean the outside of the reel, cleaning the inside of the reel can be a little more difficult. Adding a drop of reel oil on the bearings can increase the performance of a reel tremendously. To do this correctly, click the link to this video. Dirt and grime can get caught in parts of the reel, so it might be wise to clean some of that out with a Q-tip before adding oil.
• To get the full service of cleaning a reel, it would be best to send your reel off for service to the manufacturer or a local professional.

3. Line

• While line on a reel should be replaced more than once a year, it is certainly important to change it before the season starts if it is unknown how old the line is. Line can become brittle from exposure to harsh conditions, such as heat or cold whether it has been used extensively or not.  If you don’t plan on changing your line we recommend you at least strip off several yards and check for abrasions before hitting the water.

4. Lures

• Organizing tackle boxes/bags can be extremely effective. Labeling each one with a sharpie or label will save time out on the water and make it easier to find a certain lure.
• Make sure there aren’t any rusty hooks in your boxes. Rust can spread and ruin every hook it touches if they are in the same box for a long period of time. It would be wise to check your boxes for rust BEFORE the off-season.
• Check your tackle boxes for moisture. Moisture will rust hooks and ruin the colors in soft plastic lures, and not to mention create mildew. Waterproof boxes are also an option that many anglers are using now.

5. Tools

• There is nothing worse than trying to remove a hook with rusty corroded pliers when a hook is deep in a fish’s mouth. To prevent this from happening, use WD-40 to lubricate them. Any type of scissors, clippers, or pliers can be lubricated to prevent rust.

 

Boat/Trailer Maintenance

1. Inside of the Boat

• Dirt and grime can get under the lids of compartments, behind graphs, and around the trolling motor mount. It is never a bad idea to clean these areas. Vacuuming the carpet for pieces of dirt, line, etc. is also a good idea.
• Cleaning the livewells and the drain screens in the bottom of the livewell might even save you a fish’s life.
• Open all compartments to let moisture air out during the offseason.

2. Trolling Motor

• It is always wise to remove the trolling motor prop and make sure it is free of fishing line/debris inside.
• Trolling motor pull cables can often fray quicker than an angler may think, and the angler sometimes won’t even realize it until it breaks. If the cable is damaged in any way, it would not be a bad idea to replace it.

3. Outboard Motor

• Check and make sure the water pump is working before taking the boat out. This can be done through hooking a garden hose up to motor muffs, meant to be placed over the water intake on the lower unit, and looking to see if the water is pumping through fully.
• Similar to removing the trolling motor prop, it is also important to remove the outboard motor prop to make sure it is free of line and debris underneath. While the prop is off, it is also wise to add some marine grease to the shaft of the outboard motor after wiping the old grease free.
• Greasing the pivot points of the outboard motor where it tilts or steers is another quick and easy task that can save you problems out on the water. Watch this video to see how easy it can be.
• Adding fuel treatment to your gas tank after letting the fuel sit for a long period of time is also important as it will prevent ethanol issues and stabilize the fuel.
• Always be sure to change your gear lube in your lower unit every year to prevent water from getting in the gear case.
• Checking the trim fluid and hydraulic steering fluid levels is also important and can prevent a headache from happening out on the water.

4. Trailer

• The boat trailer is often the most overlooked parts of a boat, but it is arguably the most important. It is important to make sure the trailer winch, strap, and U-bolt on the boat are all secure and without weak points. Straps can be frayed, and a loose U-bolt underneath the boat can have a chance at causing a disastrous situation on the highway. The trailer coupler is also important to observe to make sure it is functioning properly.
• Always make sure the trailer lights are operating correctly on your boat trailer, especially at night. They must be in sequence with your tow vehicle’s lights. This includes brake lights, running lights, and turn signals.
• If your boat has trailer brakes, make sure they are working properly, and make sure the emergency brake cable is without fraying or weak spots.
• Let’s face it. Flat tires could happen at any time. Always make sure your trailer tires have enough air in them, especially in the winter when cold temperatures might cause them to lose air. One of the biggest mistakes people make is forgetting to check the air in their spare tire. Always make sure to do this when checking the other tires.

While an angler cannot control how the fish are biting or how good the conditions are, he can control reducing the risk of something going wrong when traveling to and from the lake and when on the lake. Take these tips and apply them before you hit the water.

Best Weather Apps for Fishing

Windfinder

FREE—Windfinder gives you accurate reports of the wind, weather, tides, and waves. It gives wind and weather forecasts for 45,000 different locations and 21,000 weather stations, and also gives tide forecasts for high and low tides for over 8,000 locations around the world. Wind plays a huge role in fishing, and it can have both advantages and disadvantages. The fish are typically more active when there is a little wind to create a chop on the water, especially on bright sunny days when the fish can see better and tend to get more spooked. When wind creates a chop on the water, it causes the baitfish to swim around more, and it causes the fish to be less shy from boat wakes, a lure falling in the water, or any other thing that fish tend to shy away from when there is high pressure. However, wind can be a disadvantage in certain areas that are harder to fish like in the middle of the lake. It can also make it harder to drive the boat when there are big waves on the water. Windfinder uses measurements in different ways such as wind strength and direction, gusts, air temperature, felt temperature, clouds coverage, precipitation, air pressure, wave height, wave period, and wave direction.

Windfinder Plus Subscription—($9.99 annually) There is an ad-free subscription available in the app that improves the features of wind alerts, map features, superforecast, etc. For wind alerts the user can specify his or her desired wind conditions and get notified as soon as windy days are forecasted. Map features include real-time wind measurements on the wind map. Superforecast is the hourly high-resolution forecasting model for Europe, North America, South Africa, Egypt, and the Canary Islands.

The Weather Channel

FREE—The Weather Channel app gives you live radar updates, severe weather alerts, local weather reports, and weather maps. Weather can be a huge factor in not only whether or not the angler will catch fish, but also if the angler should even go fishing. While the fish might be biting on a stormy day, it is not the best idea to go fishing when there is even a slim chance of being struck by lightning. There is a storm tracker feature available on this app that allows you to prepare for what is to come. There is also a 15-day forecast and an hourly forecast that are both available for any location. The “feels like” feature allows the user to be prepared by knowing what to wear before he or she steps outside. There are also other features such as sunrise and sunset times, personal weather alert customization, and allergy and pollen forecasts.

The Weather Channel Premium—($29.99 annually) Provides ad-free weather, 15 minute forecast details, advanced radar, and more!

 

 

 

Barometer Plus—Altimeter

FREE—Did you know most iPhones have a built-in barometric pressure sensor? This app uses that sensor to measure the air pressure and altitude. Barometric pressure is arguably the biggest factor in what determines a good day of fishing and a bad day of fishing. This app can be used to predict short-term weather changes through measuring the air pressure. It includes an accurate barometer and altimeter that shows what the barometric pressure is reading. There is also a pressure tracking and history graph available for comparison purposes. Knowing the barometric pressure is important because fish behave differently depending on what the barometric pressure is. The feeding windows on high pressure days are typically very slim, and the feeding windows on low pressure days are usually a larger time span. Knowing the trends through the pressure tracking and history graph features will allow the angler to prepare for his or her days of fishing that are being planned ahead of time.

Barometer Plus—Altimeter Pro—($2.99) The pro version of this app is ad-free.

 

 

 

Weather Underground

FREE—The Weather Underground app includes severe weather warnings that can also be customizable, a 10-day and hourly forecast, and high-resolution radar and satellite images. The weather data is combined from 250,000 personal weather stations that gives you accurate weather reports. Some of the features of the app include “feels like temperatures”, wind speed, wind direction, rain accumulation, humidity, dew point, visibility, pressure, air quality, flu outbreaks, sunrise/sunset, and moonrise/moonset. More unique features of this app include the heat map, nextrad radar, and satellite. The heat map allows the angler to choose where he or she wants to go fishing. For example, if the low temperature in the late summer is 50 degrees at Lake Guntersville, but the low temperature is 60 degrees at Pickwick Lake, it might be a wise decision to take advantage of the late summertime cold front that is occurring at Lake Guntersville.

Premium—($19.99 annually) The premium subscription is an option to choose in the app, which includes ad-free use, and customizing your ideal weather conditions so you can be notified when it is best to go fishing.

 

 

 

Fishing and Hunting Solunar Time

FREE—The position of the sun and the moon phase can affect the feeding windows. A full moon can cause a huge wave of fish to spawn during the spring, but it can also mean that fish might feed more during the night with the high visibility. With this app, an angler can save his or her favorite places and look to see what the solunar tables are showing. It shows the predicted times of the major and minor feeding periods, tides forecast, day rating, moon rise/moon set times, sunrise/sunset times, day/month views, current weather and 5-day forecast, solunar data calendar for future reference, and moon phases. Knowing the predicted major and minor feeding times could help in a tournament situation when timing is a huge deal. Any pro angler will tell you that it’s always about being at the right place at the right time.

 

Pro version—($3.99) Some of the features listed above may only work in the pro version. To get all the features listed above, it is recommended to purchase the pro version.

 

 

Buoyweather

FREE—Buoyweather allows the angler to pick any point at an offshore location to receive a long-range marine weather forecast at specific GPS coordinates. This is particularly good for saltwater fishing when it could be storming at a certain location that the angler was planning on fishing. Many northern fisheries like the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain span for miles and miles, so it is hard to judge what the weather will be unless you pick a specific location. 2-day weather forecasts including wind, waves, and tides are available through the free version of this app, along with additional weather data and a sun/moon calendar.

Premium—($79.99 annually) The premium version allows the user to have access to 16-day weather forecasts including wind, waves, and tides. The user can also save unlimited favorite forecasts and can also edit and organize favorites for easy access!

 

 

 

 

Fishweather

 

FREE—Fishweather has a “LIVE WIND” feature that provides the most detailed report of the wind strength, wind direction, wind gusts, and temperature. Knowing exactly what the wind conditions are will help you better prepare for what is to come. Weather reports come from over 50,000 stations worldwide. This app also provides fishing reports from fishermen worldwide, tide reports, radar/precipitation map, satellite/clouds map, forecast map, sea surface temperatures, and nautical charts. Some of the above features may only be included in the plus, pro, or gold version, but we recommend trying the free version first to see how you like it!

Plus ($3.99 monthly, or $44.99 annually)

Pro ($9.99 monthly, or $119.99 annually)

Gold ($14.99 monthly, or $179.99 annually)

 

NOAA Marine Weather

 

FREE—This app allows the user to observe weather, wind, and wave conditions. Pressure and humidity can also be observed, along with wave period, direction, and height. All of these factors can have an effect on the way fish feed. With most weather apps, the wind direction and speed are the only ways to determine how big the waves are. Often times this can be misleading because an angler cannot only depend on one or the other. For example, if the wind is blowing 5-10 mph, one might think that the waves won’t be big. However, if the wind is blowing 5-10 mph against extremely heavy current straight up the lake, the waves can be 2-3 times as big as one would think. With this app, the wave direction and height are given to you.

Premium—($36.99) This version of the app is ad-free, has more advancement measurements for height and distance, and more! You can also select your desired wind/wave direction and find it on the compass page.

 

 

 

Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live

FREE—This app provides reel-time radar images, severe weather alerts, accurate weather forecasts, and more! The precipitation map shows a forecast of precipitation for the next 24 hours or 7 days. There are also maps that show the cloud cover and snow depth, and the user can choose what type of background he or she prefers (standard, hybrid, or satellite). The app also has the typical features like high, low, and “feels like” temperatures, pressure, humidity, wind speed, visibility, dew point, chance of precipitation, and sunrise/sunset times.

Premium—($2.99 weekly, or $19.99 annually) The premium version of this app provides severe weather alerts for all saved locations, hurricane tracker, advanced precipitation forecast, lightning tracker, temperature map, rain alerts, air quality index, wildfire tracking, RainScope, hourly forecast, 14-day forecast, and no ads.