By Tyler Uteg (Online Contributor)
I love fishing. I have always loved fishing. As I’ve gotten older though, it’s turned into something more than love – it’s become an addiction. Like many anglers, I’m always looking for that next fix, or something to drive me to be better at the sport. A few years back, I found something that truly changed me. It’s forced me to get consistently better at fishing, and brought with it the need to learn new techniques and challenge myself as an angler. That new love is tournament fishing.
Tournament fishing – specifically bass fishing – is something that people who don’t fish just don’t understand. For me, it’s always like trying to explain my job. I’m never really able to do that when people ask me what I do, and it’s exactly the same when I try to explain what tournament fishing is and why I do it.
When I tell people I’m fishing a tournament, their immediate impression is that I’m sitting there in a boat watching a bobber and drinking beer. For some reason, they always think drinking goes with fishing. While that may be true for some, tournament fishing is a whole different animal.
For those folks who don’t think fishing is a sport, I challenge you to go stand in a boat for 9 hours. Then add in the following factors: heat, rain, wind, casting fatigue and sometimes hours without a bite. It’s a sport, and an extremely challenging one at that. What I love most about it is the fact that it’s just one big puzzle, and no one has an advantage. You have to figure out how the fish are reacting to the weather, the pressure and the season in general. No two days are ever the same, but that’s what makes it so exciting – and occasionally frustrating.
I fell in love with tournament fishing 2 years ago when I fished my first event. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I was just fishing for fun. Granted, I caught some fish, but when I saw the fish the winners were catching I was completely hooked. I wanted what they had, and I wanted to know what they knew. I instantly became a sponge, and wanted to absorb every new technique I could find out about.
I’m into my third season now, and I’ve had my best year yet. I’ve only won a single tournament, but I’ve become way more consistent than I’ve ever been with several second place finishes. I consider that to be a significant achievement. I’m not in it for the money (which is very little at this level), and I’m not in it to prove that I’m better than other people. It’s really something that I’m incredibly passionate about, and the only thing in the world that I will go without sleep for.
I can honestly say that tournament fishing makes anglers well-rounded and better prepared for a day on the water. I used to get frustrated with the rain and wind, but now I love fishing in those adverse conditions, because it makes it even more meaningful when I can trick the fish into biting my presentation.
If you are passionate about any type of fishing, I highly suggest that you get involved with a local club, or start your own. It doesn’t take much to put something together with a group of friends. It’s a great way to broaden your knowledge about the sport, and in turn you can pass that knowledge on to the next generation of anglers that help practice Catch and Release.
If you’re from Illinois or the surrounding areas, check out the following sites for local club level tournaments. All of these places will give you a good taste of tournament fishing. If you want to go from there, that’s up to you.
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About Tyler Uteg
Tyler Uteg, 29, a media producer from Chicago Illinois, has been fishing for about 25 years and loves everything about bass fishing, and being out on the water. A member of CAST CREW, his favorite waters are centered in the northern portions of Illinois where he chases largemouth and smallmouth bass. Tyler is a bass tackle aficionado and enjoys supporting and endorsing small, independent tackle manufacturers that specialize in hand-crafted and customized products.
