Now that you have an idea of what tournament fishing involves,
it is time to look for a venue that suits your style. Tournaments can be as short as one day or a span an entire season. Almost all tournaments involve a financial contribution and in turn there is a “payback” to the winners. Again, I am referring to bass fishing tournaments. It is assumed that you have had some experience with bass fishing, but many groups are willing to teach you the basics.
For the new lady angler on the scene, the best place to get started with tournament fishing would be a local Affiliated W.B.F.A. Women’s Bass Fishing Association club. These clubs have members with varying age and skill levels. The women are friendly and are anxious to teach and encourage you with your fishing endeavors. The tournament season can span anywhere from 6-12 months with tournaments usually held on a monthly basis. The four ladies with the highest points (earned throughout the season) have the opportunity to represent their club as a team at the Affiliated Club Championship. Not all areas of the country have affiliated clubs at the present time, but don’t be discouraged because there are new clubs forming all of the time.
Another option would be to seek out a local bass fishing club. These clubs usually operate their 
tournaments similar to the affiliated clubs, but you will find both men and women; however there will probably be fewer women than men. Almost all club tournaments are conducted on the “draw” format with the boat owner being paired with a non-boat owner. The clubs often have membership fliers available in local sporting goods and tackle stores. You can also inquire at the local marina and check the newspaper for articles about local clubs. Most clubs have an annual membership fee and usually an entry fee for the tournaments.
“Tournament Trails” are another type of tournament fishing. These formats are usually conducted by national organizations operating in local regions or sponsored by a local entity. Quite often there will be regional and national championship tournaments for those earning the highest number of points throughout the season. Some tournament trails are a conducted with the draw format and others allow two member teams to enter together. There are even tournament formats for “couples” where a man and women enter the tournaments as a team. Like the clubs, there is
an annual membership fee in addition to tournament entry fees.
Last, but not least are the one or two day local tournaments. These tournaments are usually conducted as a fund raising activity for various purposes. It could be for a civic or environmental project, to help a sick individual or a myriad of other purposes. The entry fee varies with each tournament. The format can be either “draw” or team”. Information about these types of tournaments can usually be found in sporting goods and tackle stores, the newspaper and bass fishing magazines. Quite often you will hear about them on TV or the radio. If you cannot commit to an entire season, the one or two day tournaments will give you an opportunity for 
some competitive fishing and a lot of fun.
The Internet is a great resource to search for “Bass Tournaments”. You will find many URL’s for local, regional and national tournaments. A few of the links are listed below:
