Never fished a tournament, but i see that a co angler for local bfl's are $150 entry. It seems like i get to 'rent' a boater and just fish off the back of his boat all day. 

 

Can anyone who's done this give me any insight on if it's worth it, do's and donts and what to expect. Seems like a good deal of fun, slim chance I do good and make $100 bucks, but it's cool to have that option. 

A few observations from my friends who have fished the B.A.S.S. Northern  Opens in Richmond:  

 

1.  The Pros don't fool around. They are fishing for their livelihood. They will not be nice; they will back boat you; they will not share any baits. All they want to do is fish, move, fish, move, fish, move. They could care less about you other than to help land their fish. They are fantastic at concentrating on the task at hand and do not want to make conversation.

 

2.  You are rolling the dice as a nonboater in any big tournament. You may not be paired with a pro. You could be paired with someone like yourself who is learning how to bass fish. One of my friends got paired with a great guy from Minnesota who towed his boat to Richmond for the tournament. The guy had no idea about tidal waters and my friend, the nonboater, had to educate the boater about tides, where to go, what to throw, techniques to employ, and other information about the Historic James River and it's tributaries.

 

So give it a try and maybe you will fish with KVD, Ike, Ish, G-Man, etc. And if not you will still have a wonderful learning experience and some great memories.

The answer Sam gave is totally spot on. You could draw a guy who is a stick that is helpful, generous, and you have a great day and learn a ton. You could draw a complete jabroni who all they want to do is race their boat from one end of the lake to the other.  A $150 crap shoot. Do bring life jacket, rain gear, lunch, and gas money. Do fish baits your boater is not, in water they are not fishing, as best as you are able. Do not get discouraged if you are not catching many. It only takes 1 to win big fish!

Both of the above are right. Fished BFL and opens as a co. Ask about the type of fishing your boater plans on, flippin, deep cranking or whatever. If they have a specific plan, you can bring the proper equipment, and have some idea how you may be able to fish. You are in their boat, and will have limited space. I would suggest no more than five rods, and a smallish soft side tackle bag.

Watch the boater, some. If they are on fish, you can learn how and what they are doing. If not, you will always learn something from fishing with someone new. Most importantly, have fun. 

thanks for the repiles. I have been doing a lot of reading about being a co angler. I think im going to give it a shot of the BFL northeastern division on the Chesapeake this may. for $150 i will atleast get a story out of it. Seems the biggest thing is who/how your boater is. I wouldnt mind getting a super serious person(i say that now with no experience) but i think that would be a great learning opportunity. 

 

Im not looking to make a career out of it, just change up the fishing a little bit. 

I've gone as a co in both the Bassmaster Opens and more recently, the BFLs.  Most of my experiences were fine.  I fished with Ish and John Murray at the Oneida Open back in '11.  John was the nicest guy ever and Ish was cool too.  All my other boaters were just regular dudes.  Some were friendly, some were super serious, and some were really quiet.  I've been fortunate to never have gotten paired with a real turd (not at that level anyway).  I would say that the BFLs  are worth it if a) you are interested in tournaments or b) you don't get to fish from a bass boat that often.  Even after paying your FLW membership fee, entry fee, and fuel to your boater, it's still going to cost less than hiring a guide for a day.  And there's always the chance of winning a little cash and a cool trophy too.