TOURNAMENT TIPS

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I have fished over 250 tournaments. I have never seen an article on preparing for a bass tournament in detail. The purpose of this seminar is to put forth as much information as possible with respect to preparing for and fishing a bass tournament. I think you will find things helpful for the novice as well as the experienced angler. 

If you are a seasoned angler or fished a number of tournaments, I am hoping you can pick up a few ideas. I learn something almost every time out on the water and hopefully you will also. 

I find that 80% of the tournaments I fish come down to a win or loss based upon one fish. It could be one fish that is your limit, one big fish or one big fish lost. For those who fish bass tournaments, they already know that this is a more complex sport that people believe. You start with the preparation on the water, you make decision after decision as to where to fish, how long to stay, water temperature, water clarity, cover meaning grass, bull rushes, buggy whips of wood etc. what baits to use, what colors etc. It is a constant rethinking of everything that goes on while you are on the water. 

With respect to boat preparation, I always do several things prior to leaving for the tournament. Some of these are basic, but I think its necessary to run through them: 

• Charge the battery several days in advance and leave the on board charger plugged in until you roll out of your driveway. 
• Check the trolling motor to make certain that it works properly and that the blade is tight and there are no issues. 
• Make certain that you have appropriate clothes, including rain gear. 
• Drinks, snacks, etc need to be on the boat and ready to go. 
• If your motor is a two stroke, check the oil reservoir. 
• Make certain that you have money for any entry fees the day before and you are not looking for an ATM the morning of the tournament. 
• Make certain you have your license on you. 
• Make certain that your kill switch is in the boat and you have a spare trolling motor prop. 
• Check to see that you have your weigh in bag as well as culling clips and a digital scale. I use a scale that weighs digital, 1/100 of a lb.
• My culling strips I put clips where they are readily available, not in one of the boxes. I always use white and yellow for the smallest fish. As an example, if you are fishing for bass over 12 inches and you catch a 12.5 inch bass, you would want to put that fish on white. If you catch another small fish you put that fish on yellow. Once you get to 5 fish, you do not have to weigh the fish as when you catch the 6th fish, you will pull the white culling strip fish out and eliminate that fish. The same with yellow. Once you reach 7 fish and 2 have been culled, that's when I weigh all 5 fish in the live well. 
• I have a measuring board and it is velcro'd in the bottom of the boat where it is easy to place the fish on the board. 
• Make sure that you have pliers and boca grips, etc. 

I usually rig 8 or 9 rods for every tournament. I have several baits that are my number 1 and number 2 as to catching fish. I usually double up on those baits. If it is a tournament in which I am throwing a Chug Bug, I will rig two rods with that lure. I will also rig two rods with a jerk bait. The reason is if I have a problem with the rod or reel or line issues, I can simply set the rod down and grab another rod that is rigged with the identical lure. 

YOU DO NOT WANT TO WASTE TIME DURING THE TOURNAMENT TYING AND RE-TYING LURES. THE IDEA IS TO RIG A COUPLE OF RODS WITH DUPLICATES SO THAT YOU CAN MERELY SET THE ROD DOWN AND PICK UP ANOTHER ROD. WHEN THE FISH ARE BITING AND THE ACTION IS HOT YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPEND 10 MINUTES IN THE BOAT TYING AND RE-TYING LURES. 

I personally do not like bait casters so I do not use them. I rig every rod exactly the same. Usually for bass fishing it is 20lb or 30lb braid. I put a two foot fluorocarbon leader tied to the braid with a double uni knot. When I tie to a lure with the fluorocarbon, I use a triline knot. Anytime you tie fluorocarbon, you need to wet it down with saliva so that it slides properly and does not heat up. 

As to lures, any hard lure, I put a split ring on it. The reason is that it gives it much more action than tying directly to the lure. I use only one scent, Gulp in the Earth Worm scent. 

When the tournament starts I immediately run to my number 1 spot but I do not fish more than 30 minutes unless it is producing. I will try a variety of baits. If I do not get a strike at the number 1 spot then I immediately pick up and run to 2, 3 and 4. At one of the spots I will probably start catching fish. The question is always, do you stay or do you go if you have caught one or two fish. That is the decision you have to make based upon your gut. 

Sometimes in running various spots, some will be productive at different times of the day. I always try to fish the topwater spots first. If it is a day without clouds, topwater works best early. If you have cloud cover, you can catch fish on topwater all day long so it makes no difference. 

Some spots are better in the afternoon, particularly if there is a warming trend. 

Once you hit all your spots, you will know where the fish are or that you have bigger problems, namely that your spots are not producing. At that point you analyze the highest probability bait and where you have the best chance of catching something. 

There are times that it is beneficial to wait out the fish. This means that although they are not biting now, you know that at some point it will turn on. 

I net all fish during the tournament. The one fish that you try to grab or sling over the side of the boat will be the fish that comes off and will cost you the tournament. Maybe not this tournament but it will cost you a tournament at some point. Always net all fish. 

I hope that some of these tips will enable you to be more productive in your next tournament. If you have any questions, please call or email me. 

Thanks 

Charles