There was no doubt that I wanted to fish tournaments and wanted to become a better fisherman, so now what. About two years ago I thought that I had to have a boat to fish tournaments but after reaching out to several bass clubs I found out about the boater/non boater format. Basically, most clubs are draw format which means that there are usually a certain number of boaters and non-boaters. Before the tournaments, there is some kind of lotto and the two are paired. You share the spots you go to (if you have any) and you share the trolling motor time (if you ask for your time up front).
After meeting with two clubs, I found out one was more competitive and a guy in the other club told me when I asked about them "those guys are just out to compete and win money and are affiliated with the Bassmaster Federation." He said that his club was more about getting together and fishing with good guys." I instantly knew where I would fit in. I wanted to win, I wanted to play against and learn from the best. I didn't care about stepping on toes (more about that later). I am a pretty out going person but when I went to The Birmingham Bass Club meetings I was nervous because I really didn't know what to expect. I asked a lot of questions and the guys were actually really great. I had to fish with two of them and then they had to vote me into the club. My first trip was with a guy named Eugene. He was super nice and really told me a lot about how the tournaments and club worked. We went fishing on Logan Martin and didn't catch squat. It was January and I wanted to impress him but that wasn't happening. These reservoirs were totally different from the bayous I grew up fishing so school was in session. My next trip was interesting to say the least, a gentleman (tongue in cheek) named John Nolan was my next ambassador and we were going to practice for a tournament and then fish a club tournament on Lake Jordan, AL. John was amazingly funny and was the perfect person for me to fish with because he told it like it is and shared his knowledge with me since in his mind he could "beat you with his or beat you with yours". He didn't care what anybody thought and did what he thought was best, he also voiced his opinion loudly. He was abrasive, hilarious, cocky and a damn good fisherman- needless to say I really liked him. Everything was happening so fast and now I was about to be in a tournament. I had met several people that told me it was no big deal, but I wanted to set the world on fire. I found out quick I had a lot to learn. The big step was acting on what I wanted to do. I got out of my comfort zone, was joining a club so I could fish tournaments, and before I could blink I was actually going to be in a tournament.
I was a know it all, John Nolan was about to teach me a lesson.
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