I want to start tournament fishing. I do not have a boat (yet).
I am wondering what the main differences are between the different clubs. I see three main ones mentioned here and in local publications.

-Western Bass Club
-Northwest Bass Association
-Puyallup Hawg Hunters

And I know there are others.

Do you belong to all of them? Why or why not?

Wich clubs can you go the furthest in? Meaning qualify for the FLW and bassmasters circuit?
I have looked at the different web pages and it is confusing to figure out which clubs lead to qualifying for a pro tournament.


Thanks for your response!

Thanks for the reply Russ.
Can you lay out how you went about it? What clubs did you fish etc? How did you hold a job and travel to fish?

I have been wanting to do this for years since grade school. I finally have a job I do not work weekends so I can fish the weekend tournaments with no problem.

When I join Western Bass how do I go about finding a back seat to hone my skills?  Are the same boat owners and backseaters togther all the tounaments?

Thanks.

Fly,

When I first came to Washington I joined the Kent Bassmasters and we made a state team from the top 10 guys out of our club. The best 5 were boaters at the qualifiers and the last 5 were backseaters. I was fortunate enough to be a boater for all the qualifying events I fished. I fished the state qualifiers for about 8 years and my best finish was 11th in the state which at that time they only took the top ten. As far as fishing the Pro events I took some vacation time off to fish them. You are looking at about a week for practice and tournament.

As far as backseating in the club I see most guys switch up partners on a regular basis throughout the year. I personally fished with two different people this year as many guys will do the same. To fish at the club level is a great way to get to know the waters we fish in Washington. Many of the guys in the club are very experienced bass fisherman and can help you learn the water better as well as help you on technique, etc.

If you want to get involved in the state qualifiers I believe you would have to sign up with a different club in order to fish the events. Some of the guys in our club fish in both clubs in order to do this. Some guys just fish the ABA and the NW series. To each his own. Clubs such as Kent bassmasters,Puyallup, and Evergreen I believe fish the State Qualifier series.

As far as finding a backseat, just ask around on either the forum or at club events.

I wish you the best in your endeavor to become a better fisherman.

Russ