So as expected, I’m getting a lot of questions about Fishing Chaos. As mentioned in our last post, there is an update coming to the app, so I’m not going to go over any of the mechanics just yet because things are going to change, and for the better.

But I can go over the main things people are asking about now…

SUBSCRIPTION PLANS

First, you do need a Fishing Chaos account. You can’t fish without one. Simple as that.

Second, you do not need to opt in to either their monthly or annual subscription plan. That said, not doing so would be beneficial to you only if you’re not planning to fish many events this year.

The benefit of buying into their monthly or annual subscription is simple: no tournament fees.

With either plan, you can fish unlimited events without incurring a fee. If you choose the annual subscription for $43.89, you’ll pay no additional fees for the entire year, no matter how many events you fish through Fishing Chaos. If you choose the monthly plan for $3.99, the same applies for that particular month.

The third alternative is to choose neither subscription and simply pay a small fee per event—3.5% of the entry fee, plus $1.50 per ticket (we’ll get into tickets in a minute). So for a $50 entry fee, you’ll pay a $3 fee on top of that.

Obviously the annual plan works for me since I’ll be traveling all around the country fishing KBF events, MAKB events, MYA events, and fishing our new regional trail events (official announcement coming this Sunday, January 3).

So whether you choose a subscription plan or choose to simply pay the additional fee per event really comes down to how many tournaments you plan to fish next year.

Now, some have argued that you’re not really saving anything, the fees taken out of the pot before aren’t going back into your pocket now unless you happen to win. All true, but here’s some perspective:

Last year, $245 of my money went toward fees, not including PayPal fees. If we’d been using Fishing Chaos last year, $201.11 of that money would have stayed in the pot.

So yes, you’re not “saving” that money unless you win, but it is staying with the anglers, which is a win in my book.

TICKETS

Fishing Chaos uses the term “tickets” when registering for events. It’s different from what we’re used to, but it’s simply a different way to describe something we’ve been doing all along: registering for events and buying into optional lunker pools.

I won’t go over the specific process because that may change, but when you register for an event, you will purchase at least one (virtual) ticket. That’s your registration.

There may be other tickets attached to that main ticket. For instance, our events will always have an additional ticket included at no cost. This is for the main lunker pool, which is included in the main entry fee. Our optional lunker pools will be additional tickets that you’ll need to purchase.

Also keep in mind, if you opt out of both subscription plans, every ticket is an additional $1.50. So if you register for one of our events at $50, you’re gonna pay an additional $3 (3.5% plus $1.50 for the ticket). If you then opt into smallmouth and pickerel lunker pools, you’re going to pay $1.50 for each of those, so that $3 fee becomes $6.

And that’s it, really. A little confusing at first, but you’ll get used to it. If you have any questions, let me know.