BFL guys, are they good?

[Triton4Bass]

I've always wondered if the majority of the BFL guys can actually fish, or if they just have enough money to go out and get whipped all the time. I know a lot of you guys on here fish the BFL, but many of the reports we read from here and many other fishing websites seem to express that a lot of the BFL guys really aren't that good. I know a few guys that fish the BFL, and I believe a few of them just fish the BFL to say they do, b/c from what I have seen there not very good but they do have the funds to fish all the tx's. I didn't bring this point up to criticize anyone or make them feel that I don't recognize there ability to catch fish, I was just curious how you guys on the forum felt about it and if anyone else had a different view point?

 

[flip1up]

Josh, the BFL is very competitive. Sure there are alot of guys that cant really compete with the upper level, just like all big tournaments. But, you can bet your butt that there are a bunch of very good fisherman fishing that trail.

 

[cutthroat]

This is my two cents.You have different groups in the BFL's,the regulars that are constistantly in the money or always in the top 40 and qualifying for the regionals.You have the people that are the recycles and what I mean by that is there is a certain amount that have never fished them and maybe give them a try for one year or a window of two or three years just to say that they tried and then they move on.Then you have people like me.emoLaugh these are the ones that fish them for a number of years that never do any good.It takes all of these groups to make the BFL's what they are.They do a great job at promoting the sport and there is nothing wrong with fishing them and not having success.I used my years as a co angler to gain experiance and to network.I have alot of great memories fishing the BFL's and that Is also where I met one of my best friends.I would not trade those days for nothing.

 

[fischnrod]

I fish the bfl because i want to gain experience, I feel like i have as much knowledge as any one fishing today" literature wise", but when i am on the water it seems to be difficult for me to consistantly put a pattern together that produces. My thoughts are that maybe , if i fish with the better guys in the bfl by fishing as a non boater i can learn from them how they go about patterning fish on a constant basis. I fished with a guy yesterday on Weiss and i was impressed at how he went about his routine. I really learned an extremely valuble lesson yesterday and if it works for me on other lakes then this whole year fishing has been worth every penny that it will cost me to fish this year. I have learned something from every one i have fished with this year and it is something that isn't in any books you will read. Any way to answer your question, I think there is some excellent fisherman in the BFL. Oh Yeah it don't cost me any more than it would if i were fishing local tournaments on a regular basis.


My boater took home a check for a little over 8 hundred bucks.....
I took home a wealth of hands on experience from an excellent fisherman....emoBigsmile

 

[Gray Bomber]

I fished bfl for 2 years as a co-angler and this year as a boater.Now I will be the 1st to say i`m only an average angler,but as a co-angler I learned alot from the guys I fished with and as a boater i`m still learning from the guys I fish with.One thing i`ve noticed about myself is after years of fishing with the same 2 or 3 people I got in the habit of fishing the same ways all of the time.Now after fishing with so many differnt guys I feel like i`m a much better angler because I am know more knowledgable about different technics.Another way you may look at BFL guys is compare it to Nascar.Nextel cup compares to the flw tour,Busch series compares to stren series and then BFL would compare to the local tracks.The guys in BFL are not pros just like local racers are not going to drive in nextel cup next week,But a few guys will improve their games enough by competing in the feeder series to reach the big tours one day.The BFL is a place to see if you are one of those guys that can move up and if not you will probaly still have a great time trying.So to sum it up NO not all BFL guys are great fisherman or they would all be fishing the tour,But 90% of them are good fisherman that enjoy the compition and the more they work at it the better they get.It`s really not that expensive to fish if you maybe give up a few local events that you would usally fish your probaly going to spend the same amount especialy if you fish as a co-angler.Come fish a few and see what you think.

 

[Triton4Bass]

Thanks for the replies guys, I just wondered how everyone else viewed the BFL, Stren, Etc. You guys brought up some good points that will probably change my outlook a little bit, thanks for the replies. emoThumbsup

 

[Pointer 78]

Like Fishnrod and Grey Bomber, I started fishing BFL's to learn new techniques. I've learned more in the last 3 years than the 20 years preceding. My standings have improved every year. I'm currently in 20th place on the Co-Angler side in the Bama Division, I won more money last year than the previous 3 years combined, and I've cashed in 2 out of the first 3 tournaments this year.. The biggest thing I've learned is, you have to adapt to every situation and act accordingly. There are probably only 75 or so Co-Anglers in every division that take these things seriously. Alot of them have their own boats but choose to fish as a Co-Angler. And many of them are much better than the average fishermen.