As the clock ticks toward 7 a.m. and the sun stretches over the treetops, 200 boats and their occupants become as anxious as the last minnow in the bait bucket.

Anticipation grips the field of Masters Walleye Circuit anglers as they jockey for their assigned positions, and make last-second preparations for a high-speed chase across what begins the day as calm, fast water. The next eight hours will go by quickly as the contestants make critical decisions, subtle adjustments and calculated moves in an attempt to catch the largest possible limit. Some will succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Others will fall short of their goals.

But by day's end, when they gather around tailgates or at motels to share their triumphs and their failures, they stand on common ground because there is always another day or another tournament to fish. The sun, as the saying goes, doesn't shine on the same boat every day.

There are an estimated 50 million recreational anglers in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by the American Sportfishing Association. More and more are becoming involved in some form of competitive fishing, whether it's a weekend family challenge, a local club tournament or a high-profile bass or walleye event.

So what's the attraction? For some, it's purely the competition -- the opportunity to test your skills and see where you stand. For some, tournaments provide an ideal opportunity to fish with a spouse, child or close friend.

"I think when you mention competitive fishing, a lot of people look at it as fishing a full-blown circuit," says Chip Leer, who serves as director for the Mercury Walleye Classic in Walker, Minn., and hosts the telecasts of the Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour along with Professional Walleye Trail veteran Tommy Skarlis.

"It can be nothing more than two or three boats getting together on a challenge over who's going to buy dinner. It doesn't have to be for $100,000. Look at small local tournaments and club tournaments. Who doesn't love them, and who doesn't learn from them?"

For others, organized competitions offer the chance to learn new bodies of water and new techniques. And for still others, it's the means to an end as they pursue careers as professional anglers. One constant remains. Every tournament is a different classroom, and knowledge is the ultimate reward.

"The way I look at tournament fishing is like a ladder in our lives as anglers," says Leer. "Our abilities as anglers increase with knowledge, and competition is one way we gain knowledge. We fish to a level we wouldn't normally achieve fishing by ourselves, or even with friends. It forces us to look to the outer limits of our angling knowledge and learn a new body of water or technique in ways that are different than what we've seen before. We learn more about water, more about fish and more about ourselves. To me, that's how we grow as anglers."

Skarlis is a perfect example of an angler who has climbed the competitive ladder. He grew up in Iowa fishing the Mississippi River. He thought he was pretty good, but he wanted to find out just how good he was at processing data, formulating game plans, making adjustments on the fly and executing on the water.

"One year, my friend, Chad Kinkade, and I fished a Mariner-sanctioned tournament at Red Wing," Skarlis recalls. "We ended up in eighth place, which was high enough to qualify for the Mariner Spring Classic on Mille Lacs where we got to fish against some really big names. Mike McClelland was there and Gary Roach and Al Lindner.

But mostly, it was the learning process that took place. I had never fished a lake like that before, and it was just fascinating that you could learn so much about a body of water and a bunch of different techniques in such a short amount of time. That's what really got me fired up about it.

It's like putting a puzzle together. The harder you work at it, the better you get and the faster you can put the puzzle together, the more rewarding it becomes. I don't think you ever truly figure everything out, and that's part of the attraction. Sometimes you win, sometimes the fish win."

Skarlis and Kinkade progressed to the Masters Walleye Circuit. After a couple of seasons, they took Team of the Year honors. From there, Skarlis moved on to the PWT where last year he won his first tournament on that circuit and made a run at Angler of the Year honors.

"For me, it was kind of like playing baseball," he relates. "You play catch as a kid, then as you grow up you play in the field next door with the neighborhood kids. Then you move on to high school and maybe to college where your dream might be to make the big leagues.

Becoming a professional angler and making a living in the fishing industry was my dream."

Here in the Midwest, there are multiple opportunities to fish competitively for any number of species ranging from catfish and crappies to muskies and salmon. Bass and walleye tournaments are the most prevalent.

The Mercury Walleye Classic is a good place to start. It's a weekend team event that is not affiliated with a circuit and was designed to promote family fishing with Adult-Child, Male-Female, All-Female, Incredibly Mediocre and You Need Direction awards.

The Masters Walleye Circuit takes that a step farther. The 2002 schedule features four qualifiers. The top 40 teams for the season qualify for the World Walleye Championship. The circuit also awards Husband-Wife and Parent-Child team of the year winners. Many teams pick and choose the MWC events they fish, rather than commit to the entire circuit.

More experienced anglers, or those more comfortable making their own decisions, may prefer circuits like the PWT, RCL or Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour. Those venues also provide excellent opportunities to learn from top anglers by entering as amateurs.

The PWT is divided into two divisions that each feature three tournaments, along with tremendous media exposure. It also attracts most of the biggest names in walleye fishing. The RCL is the newest walleye circuit on the block, and consists of four qualifiers, plus a championship event with the largest purse in professional walleye fishing. Last October, Wisconsin angler Dean Arnoldussen won a $400,000 first prize.

"Money can be a factor, but bigger factors are education, camaraderie, the friendships you develop and the neat places you get to fish," says Skarlis.

There are other ways to learn without competing, although nothing can replace the time spent on the water.

"More and more people are becoming tournament fans," notes Skarlis. "They don't want to participate for whatever reason, but they show up at the weigh-ins to hear what the anglers have to say, and they take away some valuable information that way.

The next time they fish that body of water, they may try something they never considered before or fish an area they never believed held quality fish."

Not everyone views tournaments as beneficial, citing reasons such as high mortality rates, damage to the fishery, congestion at ramps and excessive boat traffic.

"I understand some of their concerns," says Skarlis, "but I also believe the good far outweighs the bad.

First of all, I think the top circuits conduct themselves responsibly and show great concern and compassion for the fishery by promoting catch-and-release and putting money back into the resource. The tournaments that don't do that don't survive.

The Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour has state-of-the-art holding tanks where they keep the fish, and most boats today have excellent livewell systems. About 99 percent of the fish caught in the Minnesota Pro/Am tournaments are returned to the water alive."

Most tournaments use conservative limits so that even if every fish died, the impact on a body of water would be no more than that of a busy weekend. Communities that host fishing tournaments reap major benefits both economically and in terms of the exposure provided by the media.

"One of the reasons the Mercury Walleye Classic was started was to fill beds at a time of the year when fishing is good but beds are difficult to fill," explains Leer. "Now we're up to 250 teams, and many bring family and friends. That's 300-350 rooms filled for the three or four or five nights surrounding the event. Plus you've got the meals, fuel, bait and all that."

Sometimes, it takes a major tournament or two to unlock some of the well-kept secrets or expose the quality and quantity of fish on a particular body of water. Meanwhile, every angler benefits from tournaments because of the fishing industry's involvement. Rods, reels, lures, motors and boats are more advanced today because of the input from professional anglers who help develop new products and suggest improvements to old products. When top tournament anglers use a product, an audience of more casual anglers will follow. Finally, manufacturers recognize the following many pro anglers develop.

"It's a good way for them to promote their products," says Skarlis. "It's a wholesome lifestyle and a wholesome industry."

Here's a brief look at the tournament opportunities mentioned in this article:

Mercury Walleye Classic Dates: June 1-2 Site: Leech Lake, Walker Minn. Entry fee: $450 per team Web site: www.up-north.com Phone contact: (218) 547-4714

Minnesota Pro-Am Bass Trail Qualifying events: June 8, Red Wing, Minn.; June 22, TBA; July 13 - Alexandria Chain, Alexandria, Minn.; Aug. 3 - Lake Vermillion, Tower, Minn.; Aug. 17 - Mississippi River, Winona, Minn. Entry fees: $300 pros, $150 amateurs Web site: www.mnbasstour.com Phone contact: (651) 251-2264

Professional Walleye Trail Qualifying events: East Division - April 17-19, Lake Erie, Port Clinton, Ohio; June 19-21, Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, Wis.; July 31-Aug 1-2, Saginaw Bay, AuGres, Mich. West Division - May 8-10, Missouri River/Lake Francis Case, Chamberlain, S.D.; May 22-24, Leech Lake, Walker, Minn.; July 10-12, Devils Lake, N.D. Entry fees: $1,075 pros, $575 amateurs Web site: www.in-fisherman.com Phone contact: (218) 829-0620

RCL Qualifying events: April 3-6, Detroit River, Brownstown, Mich.; May 1-4, Lake Sharpe, Pierre, S.D.; May 29-June 1, Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, Wis.; June 26-29, Devils Lake, Spirit Lake, N.D. Entry fees: $1,250 pros, $500 amateurs Web site: www.flwoutdoors.com Phone contact: (270) 362-4880

Masters Walleye Circuit Qualifying events: March 23-24, Illinois River, Spring Valley, Ill.; May 18-19, Lake Mille Lacs, Onamia, Minn.; Aug. 24-25, Bay de Noc, Escanaba, Mich.; Sept. 21-21, Lake Pepin/Mississippi River, Lake City, Minn. Entry fees: $600 per team Web site: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com Phone contact: (877) 893-7947

Doug Newhoff for Fishing the WildSide