Hey Guys
I know this is a long post but it is worth the read.
I am posting this thread because the Niagara Bassmasters are in serious need of non-boaters for our club. A large number of our non-boaters from last year have purchased boats of their own and we are having a hard time filling teams with non-boaters and this is why I have made this post to you.
Let’s start with the question everyone asks, “What does it cost?”
The cost to join the Niagara Bassmasters is $60; this fee gives you your membership with the club and eligibility for club benefits, trophies, prizes etc. It also registers you with the Ontario Bass Federation. (OBF) Your registration with the OBF gets you a subscription to the BASS Times monthly paper, in this paper there are fishing articles and tips as well as updates of past tournaments.
Your second cost as a member will be to B.A.S.S. (USA) the current cost of this membership is $15 U.S. funds. Your membership here makes you eligible to enter any B.A.S.S. sanctioned tournament with any club. On top of this you receive a subscription to BASS Masters magazine the best bass publication in stores today which covers everything from tips, tricks, tackle, tournament reports, club stuff etc. When you become a member of BASS they will send you some free stuff, tackle, hat, line or whatever their special is at that time.
Once your memberships have been paid you can start fishing club tournaments.
Now this doesn’t mean you have to fish every tournament or have to go out and buy the best stuff or be like a “pro” fisherman. You can fish 1, 5, 10 however many events you wish to fish and bring the equipment you have with you.
This is all done in a fun and friendly atmosphere. No stress, no pressure just going fishin!
New members are recommended to enter tournaments as non-boaters, reason for this is to help them become more familiar with the waters we fish and the different techniques used to catch the fish in them. If a new member has a boat and wishes to fish as a boater that is just fine too, no pressure!
If some of you are thinking that the cost is too much to join then look at it this way. Find out what it costs to book a guided bass fishing charter for the day. Some charters only last 4 to 6 hours and cost hundreds of dollars. Our tournaments last 8 hours and the cost is the tournament entry fee($40) and you split the gas money with your boater/partner (average $40). In the end you get a full day on the water with an experienced bass angler, the knowledge of fishing that day and a chance to win your money back and then some.
Many people don’t fully know what the local BASS clubs have to offer and are under the impression that you need to have a skilled or knowledgeable background in bass fishing in order to join the club and that is the furthest thing from the truth. The only thing you need is a good attitude and the willingness to learn. In the sport of fishing no matter how long you have been doing it or what you think you know you will always learn something.
If you have any questions feel free to post them here or PM me, I would be happy to answer them. Or else feel free to join us at one of our club meetings held the second Friday of each month at 7:30pm at the Royal Canadian Legion 5603 Spring Street, Niagara Falls.
Our next club meeting is this Friday July 9 at 7:30. Please feel free to attend.
Thanks,
Pete Elphinstone
Tournament Director
Niagara Bassmasters

Pete how would this apply to the folks that live in the US and already have both a NY and Ontario fishing license or are considering getting them?

Hey Joe
How's it going?
Most of the waters we fish in our club tournaments are connected to US waters. In these cases anglers competing in these tournaments require a US license as well as an Ontario license. Not all events border US waters but most do. Basically you can live anywhere and still be a member of our club if you wish. If you live in one particular region you don't have to join the club that is closest to you.
In the case where you have a buddy that belongs to a club in a different area then where you are from, you can still join the same club as him. In our club we have members from all over the Niagara Region, Welland, St. Catharines, Thorold, Grimsby, Hamilton and of course Niagara Falls. We do have a member that used to live in the USA and had heard about our club while living over there.
Depending on if you wish to attend club meetings or not you will just have further to drive. Club meetings are not mandatory; you can attend one, all, or none, completely the members choice. The club meeting consists of the political part of running the organization but we always try to have a little fun at our meetings whether it is seminars, raffles or just sitting around talking fishing!
If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
Pete

hey pete, can u email me a copy of your tourney schedule? list any open events u have as well. i was thinking of join the niagara club too just to get on the water more. ill have to see if any events conflict with the hamilton schedule. also i can let our club know about open events if they wanna fish them.

darrell_maclean@bell.blackberry.net

thanks bud!

and to anyone thinking about joining the club, but are unsure because u think u wont get a fair shot at fish from the back of the boat or ur new at it or u dont have the best gear... dont worry, we're all out here to have fun and catch fish. the guys in the niagara club are a great group and stand up guys!

Hey Guys
I joined the club 6 years ago with no tournament experience at all, and spent the first 4 years as a non-boater. I'll admit I was nervouse at first, but after that first tournament I was hooked (no pun intended).

For those of you that have never fished in a tournament please let me fill you in a little of what you'll experience;
- Friendly competition
- Meeting new people with a common interest
- Dock talk while the boats are being launched
- The suspence of waiting to blast off, not knowing how your day will turn out or if the plan you and your partner came up with will work
- Hooking into the first fish of the day
- Paterning the fish (figuring out where they are and what they'll hit)
- Sharing knowledge with you parner. Everyone of us loves to talk fishing & are willing to explain what we're doing or using and why
- Learning something new, this happens every time on the water, boater or non-boater (even if it's what not to do)
- Putting the biggest limit of bass together that you can that day
- The ride back to the dock not knowing how the other guys made out
- The suspence at the wiegh-in, finding out how the other guys did, and how you stacked up to them
- More dock talk, everyone is very open with what they did that day (what worked & what didn't)
- Possibly winning the tournament. The feeling knowing you were the best angler that day is a rush that can't be beat

I hope this helps anyone interested

I joined 3 years ago and plan on being in it as long as its around. At first I was nervous to join because I thought I would make a fool of myself (wich I probably have a few times) but who ever I was paired with just offered advice on how to improve different techniques. Its a great groups of guys to fish with, plus you get to learn from them. I fish from shore so getting to go out on some nice bass boats is a treat for me.

Just my two cents.
bassdan

Whats the average age for members? I'm 33. How many people per boat usually? What kind of gear would I need to purchase?

I believe our youngest member is in his early 20s and our oldest might be in his sixties. There is no age limit, young or old, all are welcome, but i believe the average age would be 36.
Dont buy anything yet. Bring what you have to a club tournament and go from there. It is good to start out with 1 spinning rod and one baitcasting rod. It doesnt have to be the most expensive equipement but it cant be the $9.99 combos at canadian tire because it just wont last. When you fish with different club members you will see different equipment, some guys will let you try things and you might find the right combo that fits your style of fishing. Some anglers use 90% spinning and some use 90% baitcasting you need to try tournament fishing first hand to find out what is the right equipment to buy for you.
I would however recommend that you buy a well fitting good quality life jacket. Some boaters do carry an extra life jacket but jackets are not one size fits all. This is something that you do not want to cheap-out on. This thing could possibly save your life someday.

I have received a lot of PMs on this topic, if I havent got to you yet dont worry i will.
Pete

I joined the club when i was 37, i started by fishing the open tournaments, the guyz were great and i learned a tonn about fish managment and conservation, and believe me the club is 100% dedicated to the live and healthy releasing of all fish,and they take the time to explain it very well, the thing that got me to join was the guyz themselves the great conversation and the comradery, i've meet alot of great people and hopefully get to meet many more!I'm proud to be a member and plan on being one for a very long time.

just wanted to throw my 0.02 cents in. These guys are great guys to fish with. I fished a year with them and learned more than I could imagine. Unfortunatley im broker than a joker right now. Again do not be discouraged to join for whatever reason. If I already have the BASS membership card and such does that make it any cheaper or do you have to renew?

how old do you have to be

I believe the legal age without parental consent is 18, , Pete could probally explain it in more detail!

I have been a member since 2000, and still the night before a tournament I am like a giddy little school kid, thinking about the big ones.

You need to be at least 16 years of age.
Pete

I've been a member of the Niagara Bassmasters for 3-4 years now. After fishing as a non-boater and really enjoying it, I decided it was time to buy my own rig.

Even though I currently live in Orillia, I still make the drive down to Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara to fish with the club, its a blast. You don't have to be a pro, and you'll learn new things every tournament. It's a good time and everyone's friendly! Give it a shot!

-Drew

Hey guys, just saw this post thought I would add in my 2 cents as I am in my first season as a member of the Niagara Bassmasters. Anyone who is interested in learning all the techniques to catch bass should not think twice about joining! I have only fished about 5 tournaments with them and I have already learned so much! It's makes me angry that I waited so long to join, missed out on a few years of experience! It's ok though I am catching up quickly on missed time! The reason I didn't join earlier was I am a bit shy with people, and didn't have a ton of knowledge on bass fishing so I was feeling a little timid. That all went away after fishing my first few tourney's. They are all great guys in the club and all full of different knowledge from years of experience, which I intend to pick away from their brains lol! Honestly though it has been a great experience for me and I am only half way through my first season. If you were like me and amazed by bass from the first episode of the Reel Fishing Show that you watched then don't wait to join! I'm looking forward to expanding my fishing knowledge and getting into some serious tournaments! I will be fishing with this club for many years to come!

Pete your in box is Full !!!

Pete the Tim Hortons in chip OK?

Sorry been getting so many messages that I ran out of room. LOL! I made some room so let the messages fly!! Anyway 10am friday morning at the Timmies in Chippawa is good. If there is anyone else that is interested in signing up along with these guys please feel free to come out, or if you just have some questions about the club com'on by.
Thanks,
Pete

Cool, we'll see you there.

Joe

Excellent to see more people interested in joining the club. It is definitely worth the initial fee of joining. Its like having 12+ chartered fishing trips in the best smallmouth fishery for under a hundred dollars. If you win a tourney the twelve charters are now paid for. (minus cost of gas). There are several people with many strengths in so many different areas Every time out is a learning experience. This is the grass roots level and the way to make it as far as the ESPN BassMaster classic. Think about it for under a $100 you actually have a chance to fish for $millions$

Pete, do you have or need copies of the registration sheets?

The Niagara Bassmasters would like to welcome Smokin Joe and Bondar, 2 newest NFN members to the club.
Welcome aboard!!
Was away this weekend so I will be getting back to those that messaged me.
Pete

hey pete, is there any where to see your results? the website is back dated, i sent an email to whoever gets them but no response in a week or so. i know you have them on bfb but unless you are a member, no access
Thanks,
John

Hey John
How are things?
I wasn't aware that they were ever put on our club website. Maybe they were before but I can't be sure. If you are interested in a particular date or body of water the event was on let me know and I can send the results.
Also I will look into seeing if we can put them on our website. I know we have an updated tournament schedule there we just need some links to the results.
Thanks,
Pete

Thanks Pete I've had the pleasure of fishing with a few members of the club in the past both current and old. I look forward to fishing with you all

Folks don't think that because these guys fish all the time that they won't listen to suggestions or that you are not in the same class cause that's not the case. I have had the pleasure of fishing with a few members from here and I'll tell you right now they are a class act. Why else do you think I'd join a club across the border

Hi pete,i hope to come to the next meeting to join up as a non-boater as i could not make it to your timmies meeting last friday.If you have any gatherings for signups in the evening or on the weekend before that please let me know or i will see you 2nd friday of aug.Thanks Jesse

Hey Jesse
I will be away this weekend but might be available to meet up with you on the holiday monday. I will message you sunday night when I get home and maybe we can schedule something for late monday.
Pete

when is the charity tourny?

Saturday Sept 25 HACS Charity Tourney

Hey Denis
We are looking at moving one week earlier so that we don't conflict with Bassmania since they moved their date to the same weekend. I will post when everything is settled.
Pete

Hey guys,
Just a reminder that our club meeting is Friday Aug 13th (today) at 7:30pm at the Royal Canadian Legion 5603 Spring Street, Niagara Falls.
If I wasn't able to meet up with you personally please come down and join the meeting. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have as well if you wish to join you can join on the spot!
Thanks,
Pete

I've wanted to join for a while but school gets in the way.
This thread definitely reassured me and I hope to join when I'm done with school, which should be in a year. Looking forward to it

We look forward to having you Andrew! Good luck with school!

I have been a member for many years 1996 or 1997.
I consider most of the members true friends.
There are many reasons why I enjoy the club, here are a few:
Comraderie.
Catching big smallmouth and largemouth bass.
Friendly competition and the chance to win a little bit of money and trophies to show off to my kids.
Learning new techniques.
The guys in the club are always willing to help when you have a problem with your boat, motor, gear, etc. and point you in the right direction.

If your thinking about joining, don't hesitate, I was a non-boater up until last year and now looking for my second bigger, faster boat.