Frequently Asked Questions

Michigan Bass Anglers

A lot of times people want to ask simple questions about our club. We have compiled a list of questions that may answer most of those inquiries...

Does the club have a vision or mission statement?

Is the Club accepting new members?

How do I go about joining?

Can a novice Bass Angler join the club?

Is this a strict club or will we learn from this club and become a better angler?

Do you have to own a Bass Boat to join?

Do our Youth Members fish for Panfish?

How much does it cost to join?

Is there a cost to participate in the Club?

Does the club have a vision or mission statement?

Yes we do. Michigan Bass Anglers is an organization that was created to allow any interested angler to come together as a group to better serve his or her needs. Our main focus is to allow anglers of all skill levels a chance to compete in tournaments, develop camaraderie with other members, get involved with the community, gain a heightened awareness and serve the State of Michigan in regards to conservation issues and the environment, and to create a youth club to allow young people the chance to not only develop their angling skills but to become responsible, productive, and caring individuals with a sense of community involvement and altruistic qualities.

Is the Club accepting new members?

Yes usually we are. We try to accommodate as many Youth members as possible but we have some limitations. We are accepting new Adult Members, but again with some lilitations. We try to keep the Boater / Non Boater ratio about even so that we can get everyone on the water when it comes to fishing season. We welcome most any level of anglers into the club. Younger people (11 to 18 years old) are encouraged to join the Youth part of our club. You do not have to own a Bass Boat to join. About half of our members do not currently own a Bass Boat.

How do I go about joining?

First thing to do is fill out a club application. Someone from the club will contact you. Then we want to see you at a meeting. Come meet everyone and see if what we offer is for you.

Can a novice Bass Angler join the club?

Yes. This club is being designed around Bass Anglers, from novice bass anglers up to very proficient Bass Anglers. One of our main goals is to have fun and try to help expose more people to bass fishing and some tournament fishing.

Is this a strict club or will we learn from this club and become a better angler?

The club is pretty structured, but not what we would call strict, we will have flexibility. Our plan is to help everyone learn as much as possible. We have tried to design guidelines for the club that allows anyone interested in joining an overview on how we plan on doing things over the season. You should be able to read through the Tournament Guidelines and get a pretty good idea of how we plan on doing the tournaments throughout the season. Some clubs "fly by the seat of their pants" through out the season, but by setting up how we will be doing things we believe it will eliminate problems that experience has shown arise over a season. It should not take someone an entire season to figure out how to get to "Angler of the Year". We are a fairly new club and we have full intentions of adjusting the guidelines at the end of the season if they don't work out like we thought they would.

Do you have to own a Bass boat to join?

No. But we are limited on how many Non-Boaters we can take. We need a Boater for each Non-Boater we take on. If there is space, we are happy to have Non-Boaters join up. We do allow Bass Boats in at 17 feet to fish club events.

Do our Youth Members fish for Panfish?

No. Our Youth members are taught Bass Fishing. We are just starting the "Junior Members" portion of the club, which may very well just go fishing for fun, and will do so from the banks and for any fish.

How much does it cost to join?

For Adult Members, initially it cost $75 per member. That covers our Club Dues ($20), Michigan Bass Nation Dues ($25) and BASS Nation Dues ($30). You are also required to be a B.A.S.S Member (Which is $25 annually). Youth and Junior Members do not pay club dues or Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation dues, and their dues are only $20, $10 goes to the B.A.S.S. Nation and $10 goes to the club. There are no Michigan BASS Nation dues at this time. Our club strives to try to keep out expenses as low as we can. We do several fund raising events through out the year to help off set the cost.

Is there a cost to participate in the Club?

The main cost to be in our club is PARTICIPATION in events. We work hard to set up several Fund Raisers through out the year to raise money to help off set our costs. Obviously if you are an adult member, and plan on fishing a lot of the tournaments, there may be other costs, like vehicle and boat gas cost sharing, fishing licenses and probably lodging cost if you go out of town with the club. We do require the Youth members to help pay boat gas and some tournament costs through out the season, it helps teach them that fishing is not a cheap sport.

Do you have to fish all the tournaments?

No. We usually up 7 or 8 Adult tournament days and 4-5 Youth club tournament days. You are required to drop 2 days, and only allowed to count 6 out of the 8 days, in any combination. So if you miss one or just have a bad day on the lake, you can drop that day. The youth club does not drop days.