CSFL announces its 2013 Season Kick Off

Toronto, Ontario – August 23, 2012 – Competitive Sport Fishing League announced its release of the 2013 Tournament Schedule.

The CSFL released today its 2013 Tournament Schedule which includes guaranteed pay backs, increased pay outs, return of a previous division, the expansion of a new fall tour, an increase in the restricted horsepower tour along with guaranteed positions for the 2013 BM Classic XVII.

Andrew Pallotta, President of the Competitive Sports Fishing League states “I am extremely excited for the future of the CSFL. These positive changes will ensure more opportunities for our anglers and further growth for the CSFL while it continues to thrive to maintain a leading role here in Canada.”

CSFL will be guaranteeing a $5,000.00 first place at each Wildcard event regardless of field size. This will come in effect as early as this fall when the 2013 Southwestern Tour commences in Chippawa! With 5% less hold backs and a minimal increase in entry fee, the CSFL has made it possible to increase the Wildcard first place winning up to $10,000.00, a $5,000.00 increase!

The BM qualifiers will also see a 5% increase in payouts at no additional cost. With 100 boats competing BM anglers can expect to see $6,000.00 as first place.

BM Performance Pack backs have also been altered to a maximum of two Performance Paybacks per event - Performance Paybacks at unrestricted horsepower events will award 0-150 and 151 - 300 horsepower whereas the restricted horsepower events will award 0 - 75 and 76 - 150 horsepower in the amount of their entry fees.

Vita Pallotta went on to say, “It is said that it is harder to maintain a leading role than it is to grow one, and by consistently enhancing its goals the CSFL can provide a professional plateau for competitive anglers that will maintain a leading role in Canada.”

New for 2013, the BM SouthWestern Division which is made of events on Upper Niagara and Lake St. Clair. BM anglers will have an opportunity to qualify for the 2013 CSFL Classic XVII this fall. The CSFL is also proud to welcome back the BM Wildcard Division with guaranteed paybacks!

Victoria Pallotta added “It is said that it is impossible to make everyone happy. A statement with a challenge that only motivates our team to continue to over deliver innovative ideas increasing the CSFL profile in each division and expanding our sponsors market in Ontario.”

With the reintroduction of the BM 100 Division in 2012 and through the mutual agreement amongst its competitors, the CSFL is excited to announce the restricted horsepower rate has now been increased to a maximum of 150 horsepower. In addition to the existing two BM100 only events and the two BM100 crossover events, the CSFL has added a BM100 restricted horsepower Wildcard event. The location of this event will be announced at a later date.

An added feature for the 2013 season, win a qualifier and advance to the 2013 Classic XVII. Teams that are registered for a division and paid in full by September 21, 2012 for the 2013 BM SouthWestern Division and June 14, 2013 for all other BM Divisions will be eligible to automatically advance to the Classic XVII by winning 1st place in their respective BM Tour!

Registration for the 2013 CSFL season will open on Monday, August 27 at 8:00 am. Please note the CSFL will only retain Team of the Year positions. In keeping it fair for all competitors, multiple entries of the same tour received on the same day, start positions will be drawn at the end of each day for the 2013 season.

For further information please contact:

Andrew Pallotta
Cell 416-802-2277
Tel. 905-620-2277
Email andrew@csfl.ca

Wow that is good news!

It sounds like all positive changes. If you look at the history of tournament fishing in Ontario, the most sucess has been when guaranteed payback are involved.

Chev/Mariner series that Michelle ran was very sucessfull and had full fields and infact had a waiting list (i was on it) due to guaranteed payback/boats.The CFT for the first two years had guaranteed payback/Boats and once again had full fields. The third year, no guaranteed paybacks and the field drops drastically. The Reel Fish'n Series had guaranteed paybacks of $2,000 and always had large fields. Take a look at the Can/Us Walleye tournament it had only 30-40 teams over the last 3 years it was run and this year it was a guranteed payback and was virtually a full field.

I think this is a good opportunity to bring back a premier series in our back yard with full fields and great paybacks. This is what a lot of us have been waiting for and hopefully bring back some of the names of the past that have been out of tournament fishing since the CFT shut down.

Speaking with Andy this past weekend, he mentioned that the guaranteed payback would be added to the other divisions (one at a time) if and when the first division (wildcard) reaches 100 boats. He said the next highest prepaid division would be the next guaranteed payback division. It sure is nice to know that $5K is guaranteed for first regardless of field size and that you would be fishing for $10K when field is full.

Hats off to Andy & Vitta for breaking out of the box and giving us what most of us wanted. You can count on Mike & I being in and money is in the mail.

Cesare:clap

I can honestly say i have never fished for 10k on a 1day tournament in Ontario, except the Casey Cup. I really hope guys take advantage of this and get the field to 100 and like Cesare said i would be shocked if there wasn't a waiting list. Instead of having one oppurtunity to win 10k we would have 5-6 tourneys to win 10k!! Sign me up, best payout i have seen period.

Cheers!

Even Better news, i stand to be corrected. Just got off the phone with Andy, and the Guaranteed $5K payback for first place moves to the next highest divisions when the prepaid field reaches 50 teams and not 100 as i previously stated.... sorry about that but that is even better news.

Recap ; Wildcard division has a $5K guaranteed payback for first place regardless of field size. If 30 teams show up its still $5k for first. If field reaches 100 teams first place is $10K. If the prepaid field reaches 50 teams for the wildcard events, the guaranteed $5k for first gets added to the next highest prepaid division. In essence, if all the divisions reach 50 teams prepaid, the $5K guarantee is for the whole circuit which as what Chris said, the chance to fish five tourny`s all for $10K in one day events. $5K for 50 teams is a good deal for one day event.

Cesare


Cesare

Now we are getting somewhere! Good news!

Being an addict of tourament fishing, I fish for competition and test my abilities against many of the best anglers in Ontario.

Money on the other hand is what keeps everything rolling and is what motivates many anglers!!!

I personally would love to see Money in the Classic for first second and third! This on the other hand sounds like a good step in the right direction in bringing back some of the gamers back into the game!!

It's hard to please everyone!!!

BIG STEP CSFL !!

This is great news and comes at the perfect time.
We walking away from the tournament circuit 8 years ago and now the "itch" is back.
The boat was put away for 6 years without seeing daylight and me not fishing at all.... 2 years ago I joined the York Bassmasters and started doing a few clubbies and getting back into the swing.

I am already registered and look forward to seeing some old faces.. :)

Let the games begin!!!

Wow! That's an awesome announcement. Let's get these fields up and fish for some major dough. I for one think this is exactly what the industry needed.... someone to grow a set of gonads and step up. My hat is off to Mr. Pallotta and the CSFL crew for a giant step forward in the tournament trail. This will only make it better for all of us especially those who are repping sponsors.

My only concern is more teams to beat for that first place position.....Ruscio you need to fish harder lmao.

CSFL thank you!!!!!

Mike Quesnelle :clap

Guaranteed money, less performance paybacks......he's listening!

Again, another great step in the right direction.

Given that the 2013 Schedule has been released, I am now officially looking for a partner to tackle at least one trail (BM100s) and then perhaps more. U2U me

A format anglers have been asking for.We need to support it,balls in our court.

I don't have a 2013 calendar but it looks like the classics don't conflict,is this so.

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Originally posted by caleb culbert
I don't have a 2013 calendar but it looks like the classics don't conflict,is this so.

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Caleb you're correct....they don't conflict. BUT the CSFL rule # 33 may not allow for an angler to compete in two circuits.

Rulle 33 reads:

33.Competitors must be off the water by 5:00 pm the Friday night prior to the weekend events.  Pre-fishing for Twi-Light events ends one-half hour after sunset the night prior to the event. Competitors are not permitted to compete in for-profit organized events taking place on Kawartha Lakes including Lake Simcoe tournament waters one weekend prior to the CSFL event.

Well hopefully other events are scheduled so it could be possible to fish both classics.
Or scrap the rule.

Increased entry fees??? $360 was high enough. I think you can count out more people this coming season. Sky rocketing fuel costs, lodging and ever more pricey tackle make it hard enough to compete, I mean donate, the way it was. My 2cents.

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Originally posted by robmoroziuk
Increased entry fees??? $360 was high enough. I think you can count out more people this coming season. Sky rocketing fuel costs, lodging and ever more pricey tackle make it hard enough to compete, I mean donate, the way it was. My 2cents.

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Still $300 + HST + Optional Big Fish Pool for Qualifiers

$350 + + is for wildcard divsion.

The sentiment last year was people wanted to fish for bigger money . That comes from two things

A) Bigger Fields
b) Bigger Entry Fees

If the $5000 1st place guarantee works out like it did for the Canada/US Walleye did this year for turn out ... $420 per team for a shot at $10,000 seems reasonable.

I'm interested to see how the entries for the Wildcard division goes ... as entries were down this year in the Wildcards. And the reintroduction of the Wildcards as a "tour" ... stellar! $5,000 guarantee at each WC has the potential to draw more teams, creating a deeper pool and fruitful paybacks.

I have copied the CSFL 2013 schedule but haven't really had a chance to read through it.. but as I scan through comments made I realize that things are finally going in the right direction. Way to go Andy & Vita. You are absolutely right it is hard to maintain being on top but you guys always seem to do the best to improve the events. Looking forward to another season.:

I love what I'm seeing, Great job guy's! And now that there will be no FLW tour opens next year and the Everstarts are not coming north I have to fill my schedule up with something and I can't think of anything better than the CSFL. And now with the pay backs changing there's no reason not to fish it. If you are looking to become a professional angler in Canada there is no better place to build your brand than with the CSFL!

How do you know Everstarts are not coming North,is the schedule out.
I looked yesterday and found no Everstart dates for 2013.

Well you got to know who to talk to. They'll go back to Champlain and the rest will be south east of that. Thier not getting the turn outs on the great lakes. Sad but true. Everyone who talks about there not being any big tournament up here never show up when there are. LOL!

Thanks

Well Said Ken & Mike!... where else can you fish five one day events for $10K each in a field of 100 and still be guaranteed $5K for first if only 25 teams show up.

Cesare

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Originally posted by MikeBrownTFB
I love what I'm seeing, Great job guy's! And now that there will be no FLW tour opens next year and the Everstarts are not coming north I have to fill my schedule up with something and I can't think of anything better than the CSFL. And now with the pay backs changing there's no reason not to fish it. If you are looking to become a professional angler in Canada there is no better place to build your brand than with the CSFL!

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Mike dont tell me you going to quit on the best series in Ontario already?

I personally think that the CSFL is making a step in the right direction and with the guaranteed paybacks it should make for a really great year in 2013!!!

Great job CSFL!!!!

:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap

Big step for Andy and Vita to take, guaranteeing not just one purse one time but for a complete division for the season.
Kudos for taking Ontario tourney fishing to the next level. ?fish:clap:clap

The additonal cost to fish that divsion is only $250 per team ($125 each), so is definitely doable given the guaranteed paybacks.

Andy spoke at our meeting last night and the guarenteed payback for the wild cards are only the start if the boats show up for these events he will be expanding guarenteed paybacks to other divisions one at a time. The best part to the pay back the more boats the higher it gets it, every boat passed 50 counts the $5000 is the starting piont.
:)2013 should be a great year for the CSFL. :)

Classic is on Labour Day weekend ... good ? bad ? pros ? cons ?

Just looking at the paybacks alone, based on 100 teams in the wildcard events the anglers are getting back just under 70% per event. That is an excellent percentage for Ontario tournaments. The qualifiers are paying back 65%...again very good. I think a percentage of the entries also goes towards the Classic as well as Teams of the Year in each division. It sure would be nice to see the anglers support these paybacks.

What do the sponsors contribute? Mercury and Lund obviously contribute to the Classic prizes. Shimano...the live release boat. How about G. Loomis, Power Pro, Everstart, Rapala and Ogilvy and Ogilvy? Their logos are in bold print on the website. I'm just wondering what they do for the anglers and the tournaments. Although this inquiry appears to have a negative tone, it is not meant to be negative, I'm just curious.

Finally, I wanted to thank the CSFL for their live release boat at the OBF Qualifier on Sturgeon last week. The live release boat is key to every tournaments success.

Garrett Andy will not answer your Question here and only he knows the right answer so call him. I do know that at the Classic Andy accounts for every dollar paid to him by the anglers and with a little math you can see what the sponsors contribute.

Definitely a move forward!

I wonder if there would be the same interest in a two day $10,000 guarantee instead of individual one day shootouts.

Im in on the 2 days Phil

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Originally posted by figueira

Quote:

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Originally posted by MikeBrownTFB
I love what I'm seeing, Great job guy's! And now that there will be no FLW tour opens next year and the Everstarts are not coming north I have to fill my schedule up with something and I can't think of anything better than the CSFL. And now with the pay backs changing there's no reason not to fish it. If you are looking to become a professional angler in Canada there is no better place to build your brand than with the CSFL!

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Mike dont tell me you going to quit on the best series in Ontario already?

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Hell no! I'm just getting started brother! I give up on nothing!

It is disappointing to hear the FLW is not coming north next year. However, this should only solidify what we have and allow better planning for other events that the top anglers in the province will attend.

You only ever have to be in an FLW event to understand the quality of what we have here. The CSFL weigh-in and live release system is superior and goes much further to ensure a healthy fishery.

Maybe now all the fragmentation that has happened over the past few years that has detracted from what tournament anglers really want, bigger fields and payouts will be a reality.

Hats off to the CSFL for ensuring a bigger, better, and more stable future in the sport we all love. :clap:clap

Well said John!

John & Mike,

Are you saying that the Everstarts will no longer have a Northern division ? Is the schedule out ?

No Dave, what I'm saying is that they won't be coming back to the great lakes anytime soon.

Working on my schedule now for next year. At home this is all I'm fishing next year. Plus the Kingston and as always not the Simcoe Open.