Bigfish,
I am not putting you in the losers bracket! As a matter of fact, when you think about striper fishing on September 12 (on average), most stripers will be in a much smaller body of water and anybody with a little luck and some healthy herring will have an equal chance with the pros, guides, etc. My software records for mid-September indicate good catch results at Lake Markers One through Five, Saddle Dike, and Shoal Creek One and Two. That's not a whole lot of water to cover for a seven hour event. So, pull out that rabbit's foot on Sept 12 and be ready for the Bigfish.
Regarding the tournament, I have a list of 36 teams on a handwritten sheet from emails, call-ins, etc. On my formal tournament forms, I have recorded 30 teams and I have a stack to work on tomorrow. I received two registrations via the internet in the past two hours.
Outside of the prizes, shirts, cellphone, meals, and tournament winnings, there is one more thing I want everyone to think about - Networking. That's right, on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, you will have a chance to meet some of the best amateurs and guides on the lake. You will also meet many of the good folks on this website. So, work the crowd, connect with the Forum guys, and expand your network. The value of a good network is worth much more than $200.
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The Truth - Rarely Pure & Never Simple