Fishing tournaments have really changed the world of fishing as of late. There are more anglers on the water than ever before and competition is fierce. Let’s discuss how fishing tournaments can either make or break you as an angler.

After my first tournament I was a little spoiled. I was fortunate enough to win the event and take home big fish honors. I was on cloud nine for some time but that does not always happen in fact winning a bass tournament can be a huge accomplishment for an angler. I made myself understand at an early age that winning was not everything. Fishing is learning and being able to put together what you have learned is what makes a great angler. Please do not misunderstand me, I love to win but I also do not let the lesser finishes get me down.

I know alot of fisherman who have tried tournament fishing only to get discouraged and quit. This can really affect the outlook you have on the sport. Remember this is one of the greatest gifts God has given us so don’t let competition take you away from something you love. Fishing tournaments is only one way to enjoy the sport of fishing and is not for everyone. If you are interested in trying tournament fishing I recommend fishing a tournament were everyone is new to the lake you are fishing. This will set a more even playing field. You may join a local club but prepare to get spanked by the locals who know every rock pile, drop off and grass patch in the lake. This is what turns off most new tournament fisherman so do not let this discourage you, these local anglers are pros on their home water. I have found if you take them to a lake or body of water they do not know about they are far less impressive.

If you have your mind set on becoming a good tournament angler the work starts at home. You need to know everything about the body of water you will be fishing. I recommend getting good topo maps that show you in detail the lay of the lake and it’s structure content. This will help you eliminate water that will probably not hold quality fish. You should know exactly where you are going to start fishing before you leave the house. This takes patients and good map reading skills to perfect. You also want to factor in the weather for each location you have chose to fish. This can and will play a vital role in the area holding fish. As an example I have a tournament coming up on Lake Kissimmee and I have not once visited the lake but I already have three areas I will be starting from. This comes from map study.

Once you have your plan of attack mapped out you need to then prepare your tackle. I like taking 8 to 9 rods rigged differently for various fishing techniques. This will save you valuable time on the water. Remember to fish your strengths and fish your confidence baits first. I always have a spinnerbait tied on at least one rod because that’s my confidence bait. It’s my go to technique for boating a fish and sometimes confidence can outweigh skill. Try and use good search baits also like a rat-l-trap or carolina rig. This will give you a good understanding of the lakes underwater layout. If you do catch fish by what I call “prospecting” then you can slow down and fish the area harder.

Here’s one final tip on fishing tournaments always have your tackle handy and at your side the last thing you need to be doing is searching your boat for the one bait you need. If you are fishing with a partner sit down and discuss how you can best work together to get the job done. Make things easy on yourself those long tournament days can take their toll! So if you decide to hit the tournament trail good luck and keep your confidence high.

Keywords:  fishing tournaments  |  tournament fishing 

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Fishing Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.