Clear Lake YBB

[Bryfish84]

Just got signed up for my second YBB on Clear Lake. Very fun event and a Great Lake!

[Bentbolt]

Sorry I'm Newton this site and ice fishing but what is ybb?

[Bryfish84]

Yellow Bass Bonanza

[Bentbolt]

Thanks do u have more info on this event?

[Bryfish84]

Go to the yellow bass bonanza on Facebook or their website at yellowbassbonanza.com.

[hotrod]

About 125 teams signed up as of today

I don't know if they have set a limit for 2019, but last year I think it was 300...not positive though

[Bryfish84]

About 125 teams signed up as of today

I don't know if they have set a limit for 2019, but last year I think it was 300...not positive though

I heard it will be about the same amount as last year.

[Crappyfishrman]

It’s a great time! This will be my 5th year going. The banquet has great food that’s included in the entry fee, and they give a ton of prizes out at the banquet! As for the tournament, you will be hard pressed to fine a tournament that has such awesome pay outs! I believe last year they had prizes all the way back to 150th place. My brother and I managed a 4th place win and also won the drawing for a ATV! Clear Lake is a great place to fish, I usually end up taking home around 100-150 yellow bass (invasive species/no limit)

[Bryfish84]

It’s a great time! This will be my 5th year going. The banquet has great food that’s included in the entry fee, and they give a ton of prizes out at the banquet! As for the tournament, you will be hard pressed to fine a tournament that has such awesome pay outs! I believe last year they had prizes all the way back to 150th place. My
brother and I managed a 4th place win and also won the drawing for a ATV! Clear Lake is a great place to fish, I usually end up taking home around 100-150 yellow bass (invasive species/no limit)

Congrats on your 4th place finish! That’s a awesome achievement! Wish I could get lucky enough to win the ATV!

[Buckshots]

Payout is top 25, then 30, 35, 40 or so then every ten spots up to 150th. Ive gone every year but the first. I got a third place finish once. I’ve also got a 26th place finish and didn’t take home a thing for it. Talk about getting screwed. Kevin is a great dude that puts it on and does an awesome job no doubt. But after last year I am done. The one or two four wheelers that they’ve been giving away the last couple years is nice no doubt, but the cost for the tourney just keep going up. Door prizes at the bash used to be easy to win. Youd get a ticket at the door for door prizes and I’d say well over 50 percent of people won something.   Almost never went home empty handed. Now there aren’t near as many door prizes.  Seems like there used to be more raffle prizes also, now there’s only a few and the prices for them are crazy. 25 dollar clam ice pucks for a slim chance, no thanks. Prices to get into the tourney have gone up, the number of participants have gone up, and the prizes and payouts have stayed the same. For the amount it cost to enter, gas, and lodging, I could just buy an fl12 or the cheap clam hut or any other prize that I could win. Other than a four wheeler of course or the first place prize.

[IceAddict87]

People put tournaments on to make money. Do the math, pick the right ones. There is a lot of time and effort that go into them and finding a well run event is tough as well. When they have a banquet and door prizes the night before it needs to be worth your time away from the family. I like doing the west lake tourney in Osceola but when they have a banquet and feed you cold ham sandwiches and chips it makes it hard to justify. Especially when the fishing has been so tough the past couple years down there.

[Crappyfishrman]

Buckshot, the prizes have actually gotten better in the past few years. Use to be you won 1 item for each place. Not a lot of good a auger, or a shack or fish finder when you need to split it with your partner. Now for most spots you get 2 items. As far as the banquet, he is still giving away a lot of stuff, and each person only gets 1 ticket. You are referring to the OPTIONAL drawings that you don’t have to get in if you don’t want to spend $20 on a bait puck. If you don’t like your chances at this tournament for a prize, try some of the large ones in Wisconsin or Minnesota. the chances of winning is far worse at one of those verses the YBB. Part of it also is the fun that is had at the tournament. Each year I end up taking home around 150 yellow bass. Hands down best tournament I go to in the year.

[Buckshots]

There used to be way more prizes given out for the 1 ticket everybody gets. Also, IMO, the OPTIONAL drawings have gotten way out of hand. For the amount that they receive for the optional raffle prizes, the dollars don’t add up to what is given away. Somebody’s making some good money. Maybe the top ten spots double up on prizes but that’s it. Like I stated, for what it cost me to do this tourney, I could just buy one of the prizes and not go. Majority of the prizes are under a 400 dollar value. I’ve had lots of fun doing it over the years but the group I go with have decided to be done with it. It’s getting too expensive. We’d rather go to SD or on some other fishing trip. To each their own.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

There used to be way more prizes given out for the 1 ticket everybody gets. Also, IMO, the OPTIONAL drawings have gotten way out of hand. For the amount that they receive for the optional raffle prizes, the dollars don’t add up to what is given away. Somebody’s making some good money. Maybe the top ten spots double up on prizes but that’s it. Like I stated, for what it cost me to do this tourney, I could just buy one of the prizes and not go. Majority of the prizes are under a 400 dollar value. I’ve had lots of fun doing it over the years but the group I go with have decided to be done with it. It’s getting too expensive. We’d rather go to SD or on some other fishing trip. To each their own.

I get the lure of the tournament. Its great they can get hundreds of people to pull out the invasive yellow bass out of the lake. *Edited*

[hookset81]

Here's the deal on yellows to me.  A lot of people don't care what kind of fish they catch as long as the fight good and they are having fun.  Yellows are fun to catch, you can catch a ton and they eat really good in my opinion.  Unless you are after a specific species for a specific reason yellows are no different than people taking the kids out and laying it to dink gills, fun to catch and good table fare.

As for the guide part, it may be more that he guides full service so people who don't have equipment can go out and fish for a day here and there and not have to spend the money to buy all the equipment.

[hotrod]

I have fished the event for 4 years.  A few observations:
- The banquet give-aways seem to have gone down
- The big prizes (4 wheeler) have gone up, anyone entered has an equal chance
- Prizes for top placing have gone up
- The most organized event in the state

Like someone mentioned it used to be one prize per placing, like 10, 11th etc.  Now they have doubled up a lot of them.
I will also add that the meal is a home-run, you can figure $20-$25 of your entry is to pay for the meal for you and your partner.

Like mentioned, to each their own, I look at it as a way to see a lot of folks that I would never see, and a chance to win some prizes.