The opening of bass season June 12 may have passed with just a nod from many anglers, but Pennsylvanians who tournament fish consider it a season unlike any other.

"Every morning I get up at 3:30 or 4, I ask myself, 'What the heck am I doing?' But once I'm on the launch ramp, my heart's pounding, I'm so excited," said Dave Ciarletta of Downingtown, membership director of Pennsylvania Bass Federation, an FLW-sponsored umbrella for 40 clubs and 625 members statewide.

Ciarletta began competing six years ago with the Chester County Bass Masters as a rider who fished from the back of the boat. Last year, he bought an 18-foot 3-inch Crestliner.

"I still compete as a rider on occasion because, if you get with a guy who's fished a long time, you'll learn a lot from him," he said.

"Fishing from the back of the boat is like getting a free guide," said Patrick Vetter of Plum, a member of Holiday Park Bass Busters and membership director for the other big statewide tournament group, the 500-member BASS-affiliated Pennsylvania B.A.S.S. Federation.

Ciarletta said he hasn't won much money, but "put a rod in my hand, and I'm the eternal optimist." He is driven, he said, and slips into a competitive mode even on the annual Canadian fishing trip he takes with his wife. "We fish together, and she'll look at me, like, 'Do you have to fish so hard?' "

Vetter knows the feeling. As the owner of a Monroeville coin shop, he angles with an agenda.

"I'd never close my store just to fish for fun," he said. "If I'm fishing, I'm in a pre-tournament, practice mentality."

For weekend warriors like Vetter, vying for an elusive purse is worth every dollar invested in a boat, fuel, event fees and travel expenses.

"You can spend hundreds, even thousands, [in] fishing tournaments every year, and you absolutely lose money," Vetter said. "But I compare it with going on vacation. If you visit Disneyworld, you're going to come back with less money but a lot of memories. It's the same with fishing a tournament."

And there are other perks, Ciarletta said. "Tournaments give you an excuse to be on the water, when you might otherwise not fish. If you do well, you have bragging rights for a while. Men do like to brag."

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission estimates that 25 percent of Pennsylvania anglers fish in tournaments, and issues permits for 1,200 events a year, most held mid-June through late September.

Bass tournaments are typically catch-and-release events. Limited Fish and Boat studies of tournament mortality -- in which tournament-caught fish die in livewells or after release -- show the loss of bass in contests is proportionate to participation, said the agency's chief warmwater biologist Bob Lorantas.

"Interestingly, loss of legal-size bass was about 27 percent, compared with 73 percent by the general angling population."

The mortality statistic for general angling includes the deliberate harvest of bass.

Tournament anglers say their culture is increasingly focused on conservation, with newer boats featuring bigger livewells, reduced creel limits on hot days, and club participation in habitat improvement projects.

"It's not just lip service," said Ciarletta. "We want to have good fisheries to come back to, and not just for tournaments."

While the conservation ethic is also aimed at attracting new anglers to competitive fishing, recruiting efforts compete with other factors. Vetter and Ciarletta say their groups took a slight hit from the economic downturn, and didn't get a measurable boost from the 2005 Bassmaster Classic or last year's FLW Forrest L. Wood Cup, hosted by Pittsburgh. Vetter said fewer young folks are signing up to compete. Ciarletta said his organization's demographics are fluid.

"We see guys drop out when they get married or raise a family, but then they may come back when they get on their feet again," he said.

Western Pennsylvania's largest independent club tournament group, the 500-member Keystone Bass Buddy Circuit, "is holding its own," said assistant tournament director Don Wagner of Shaler, "which is surprising, given [job] lay offs, the cost of gas and the economy in general."

Although Wagner's circuit cut its tournament season from 11 to eight events per year, teams that consistently compete are laying out a lot of cash, he said.

"Winning one tournament, you may recoup some of your expenses, but there are only eight winners a year."

Still, Wagner said tournament fishing has been in his blood for the past 20 years for reasons that surpass big earnings.

"I've never made any real money fishing, but I've made a lot of good friends," he said. "We're competitive. But we also have fun. I know a lot of guys who haven't won or placed in years, but they keep coming back for the camaraderie."

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.