? for Mac

[Rob LaMoy]

Mac,
How are the Angler's Choice tourneys? I have a chance to fish one on Lake George this weekend but have never heard of them until yesterday. Then I read your report today. I do not have a partner yet, it is my understanding it is a 5 fish limit so singles can fish it. True? How is the overall format?
Rob

 

[Mark Weichold]

 

[Bill McElroy]

Angler's Choice is a Nat'l Tournament organization that's run very similarly to the BASS Federation. Each state can organize as many A/C Divisions as they want, and MI currently has 2....covering the East and West side of the state,...If someone up north wanted to start a division, they could providing they met the Nat'l criteria, etc....I'm not exactly sure what's involved from the Directors stand point, however there are dues and entry fees and paperwork that need to be submitted to Texas after every tournament. Each division in each state can send teams to the A/C Regional tournament provoding they qualify, etc, and thay are fishing for Bass Cat boats since they are the Nat'l Boat sponsor. The MI-East division is 3 or 4 years old and our tournament director Doug Phillips is doing a GREAT job,....the 1st year the avg. draw was 30boats.....this year it's 60...our tournaments are held on Saginaw Bay, Lk St.Clair, and Lk.Erie,....awesome smallie water!! It's a team set-up with a 5 fish limit so fishing by yourself is allowed. We have a point system that allows us to keep a cumulative running and the Top 15 teams from our division will get to fish in the A/C Northern Regionals held this sept, on the almighty 'Clair! YEOW, I'd love to make that team!! That's my goal and that's how the A/C circuit is....atleast in Eastern Michigan. Check around and see if there's a A/C circuit in your state and ask for the rules and tournament dates,....it's a great circuit!!
Thanks for asking and good luck!!
Mac

 

[Bill McElroy]

One other thing i'd like to mention about A/C tournaments. Each director can pretty much do what he/she wants in order to draw the most boats they can get. Doug and his wife work their !@#!'s off to make our circuit a winner and it is!! They solicit all kinds of local sponsorship help from anglers themselves who have "connections" and they provide our Trophies, door prizes, hotdogs/chips/pop after each tournament (donations encouraged of course) and usually one of the angler's will use their company's business to make donations for a year-end banquet held right after the final weigh-in......bbq'd chicken and burgers etc.....all run byvolunteers.....anglers, wives, husbands, etc..etc.....it's a very family oriented structure and there are a LOT of families at the weigh-ins watching...it's a Blast!! I also do something very cool and totally unique that has become the "MUST HAVE" of this circuit. I have agreed to provide customized matted and framed 11x14 cartoons using my "Scales and Tales" characters for the winners of EACH tournament. I interview the winners and get a funny story or the kind and color of bait they were using and then i go to work!! I use the winners' names in the captions and then add their names/lake/date, etc on the matte with a gold pen, and I sign it and present it to each of them at the next tournament. It has been by far, the most sought after prize on the trail.....You wouldn't believe the comments I have recv'd from the past winners,...very cool and very appreciative....they've all said..."Dude, this is the coolest trophy I've EVER won in ANY fishing tournament,...I'd rather have this than the money!!":...Neat aye?!..I started that last year and I will do that for as long as A/C wants to....I love doing it and the winner's love getting them!!
It's a blast to give them something personalized like that knowing they truly love it,.....it's a GREAT way to "give back to the sport"....love it!!
Take care,....Oh and BTW.....I will do a couple for the winners of next years rally too......1st place and Big Bass!!
Mac