Quinte Fishing

Just wondering if these tournaments are dominated by "PRO" Anglers or are they more geared to the amateur tournament anglers?

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.

From what I have seen, I think that regardless of ones rating as a pro or amateur.....the locals always have an edge at Quinte. Look at any weigh in board. I like it when I hear of fellows from the area that do well. Especially.....lol...when I feel they are underequipped, but make up for it with local expertise. (Napanee anglers of course have my best wishes all the time)

Don Stokes

Agreed I just have a friend that wants to try a bass tournament. So i'd hate to say lets fish this one and end up competing against nothing but pro's LOL!

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.

This series is mostly local guys and some from out of town.

We get the od Pro here but there a few locals who compete on the CFT.

We have some very good anglers down here but to enter a tourny of this

class for 150.00 per team for the payback is very good. Check out the

website here.

See you on the water. Good Luck.

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Live to fish

In canada who really is a pro? minus say bob Iz....! There is no ranking system here, so who decides? Hypothetically..... A 16 yr old enters a pro am, Thinks he/she is getting a pro when really they get a guy who may just have the money to afford the truck the boat and so on. I think we should have some sort of ranking system where we all start at the bottom tournies and work our way up on a point system of some sort. It would be pretty disheartening being that 16 yr old when you find out you spend more time on the water than the so called pro you are paired with. Because you have a show doesn`t necassarily mean you are pro either.
On the other side I have an 18 ft aluminum and I have competed in the quinte series. Give it a shot it is a great run tourney and great experience.When I went I took a 16 yr old for his first time fishing one and we finished 15nth and got our money back. He loved it and wants to do more....its always good getting new blood into the sport we all love.
Hopefully others could write some good points on who is a pro and who isn`t or how you could get to that status because I feel in Canada there is no way to tell. you should have to earn it and work your way up!!!!
fishman

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O2BFSHIN

Great to here guys Thank you very much. I fished a Pro-Am in Kingston way back when it was GM-PRO BASS.

I think we'll do the Quinte Series since I have relatives near by we can stay with which will make it a little cheaper

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.

I agree with fishman, pretty much the only difference between the guys who fish the CFT and the Quinte Series is that the CFT guys somehow can afford to pay the entry fees, have the big boat and truck and take the whole summer off to travel and prefish. It is a great way to learn to deal with different conditions and to learn to concentrate on what you are doing. As anybody says, experience on the water is the biggest key. If you are only going to do one tournament then i would suggest doing the two day events. It is amazing how much you learn from one day to the next, and makes you think what you would differently next time if you were faced with the same conditions. I have been doing them for 4yrs and ahve been on stage twice and before that I have never fished for bass in the bay, and now thats all i fish when the season opens. Good Luck!!!

I think were taking the "PRO" thing too literally. What the PWT does is makes you fill out a resume including your past accomplishments and also an account of what equipment you have including boat , motor and electronics. Let's face it, if someone is serious enough to enter a PRO/AM competition they are going to have a good idea what it takes to be a pro competitor. I have only seen 1 pro that didn't live up to the task and he lasted 2 tournaments and was replaced due to complaints from amatuers.Some food for thought. Enter the most prestigious tournament you can afford. Here's why. The level of fishing knowledge and skill among ALL anglers nowaday is so high you stand just as good a chance of doing well in a high end series as a low end series. Really it's up to the organizers of each series to scrutinise pro qualifications if they want to keep their reputation sound. Theres no political body that determines who's who in golf for example. If you've got the score you can work your way up by entering open competitions. Pro's should be more comcerned about getting paired with poorly skilled amateurs. After all, they have a lot more on the line and an Am who can't net a fish can make or break you.

you both make some very good points and I like to hear other peoples opinions what makes a pro or not. and yes the am could make you or break you. I still feel there should be some sort of ranking system so we could work our way up.... earn it on merit. I know people who have all the high end stuff yet aren`t on the water that much. Lets face it you can only read so much its time on the water like Jay said; that is where you learn the most. I also agree with the 2 day tournies even though I don`t fish many of them. Rice Lake is a good example where you can have a banner day because you found smallies only to return and they are long gone!!!! This is where consistancy comes in and thats why I love the classics.
Just a few thoughts
fishman

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O2BFSHIN

Morning RangerGuy! The Quinte Fishing Series is regional series that is fished predominately by local anglers from the Quinte area. Saying that, we have a number of anglers who fish the Series regularly from Toronto, Oshawa/Whitby and Kingston area also. We have a great bunch of guys(and gals) who love to fish, can be very competative at times but still have a lot of FUN and we as organizers try to ensure that the fun part of fishing is still there.
As for who's a "Pro"- for the most part, if you got the money you can be/call yourself a pro but most anglers know there's a little more to it than that! I've been in the tournament business for over 15 years and seen a lot of "Pro's" and for me the number one thing that seperates the great anglers from the good anglers is "time on the water". To become a consistent and knowledgable fisherman you have to be willing to take the time and be on the water. Lets face it, most anglers have the same tackle/equipment and can throw a bait more or less the same but knowing where to go or where to throw it is a different story.
Hope you decide to join us and enjoy this great fishery on the Bay. Till next time, Pete

Well said Pete. A fun series for all.

See you there.

Leon

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Live to fish

I agree with Pete, the Quinte Series is a great way to be introduced to tournament fishing because Pete and the staff work really hard to make sure that everybody who enters any tourney have the most important thing which is fun. About the Pro thing, I have placed in the money before on the Bay of Quinte and with the CFT I cannot enter any Pro/Am tournament on the Bay as an amateur. That does not make any sense to me. As I look at it, yes I know the body of water but there are many more factors to learn then just the body of water. I would love to spend two days with Rocky Crawford to learn more about the "Why" of fishing, and the CFT will not let people do that.

well said pete. time on the water is everything
fishman

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O2BFSHIN

Quinte fishing series I hear is a pretty awesome group and organization. I am looking at doing a couple to prep for some other events out that way.

To me a pro is someone who puts the bread and butter on their kids dinner table with their rods. There is no way anyone can make a living fishing T's alone here in Canuckville. Add in guiding, promotional work, different media and there might be a chance at it. I figured this out early and got involved in those "other"avenues and have recently returned to the T environment on a more full-time basis this year after a 3yr. hiatus to get the others off the ground.

Targa is right though when defining a "Fishing Pro". There is a certain level of professionalism the organization and angler must uphold to attract co-anglers/advertisers.

Good luck Rangerman, there is some awesome bass fishing in the bay and Lake O.