Limits of Bass

[kvillebasser]

I was reviewing how I've done in the past in the BFL tournaments in this area, and I have not done all that well, as I usually do not catch a limit. Which brought me to a question.......when you guys go out for a typical day on the lake bass fishing, how often do you catch a limit?

I often catch 8 or 10 bass in a trip, but I rarely catch (5) that are greater than 14" (limit here in N.C.) in one trip. Am I in the minority or the majority?

[The Drop Shot Store]

I would think it would be safe to say we all have days when we blank or dont catch keepers. Last night tournament of the season last Saturday night I caught 25-26 fish but only two were keepers. That tells me I was in the wrong spot with the right bait. Knowledge of your lake, fishing experience, and bait thrown all affect your catch rate. For a long time on my local lake I would always hit the same spots each day. Earlier this year I decided to learn how to fish. Now I go hunting for the fish each day. I usually can bag a limit in the first few hours. But believe me, there are days when I cant catch a cold, let alone fish.

Tournament fishing is a different animal all together. If you get nervous or tighten up, you'll fish different. If you dont catch a fish by 11:00, most people start to get discouraged and mentally quit.

I have heard alot of good fisherman say make a plan and stick to it. I cant tell you how true this is. Find them prefishing, find the bait they want the most, and then during the tournament, just go fishing using your plan. If you dont do well or dont catch fish, you had the wrong plan. But you can be satisfied that you made a plan and stuck to it. Next time you just need a better plan. That being said, there will be tournaments when you will have to find them and figure them out during tournament hours. Sometimes you'll get on 'em, sometimes you wont. You have to fall back on your knowledge and experience when this happens.

If I sound contradictory, thats because these are bass. They dont like to go along with our plans. Best thing I can tell you is to try different baits, different presentations, and different locations. Time on the water is the name of the game.

[Markell]

I would say that you are in the majority. One thing that has helped me is to look at tournament results seperate from other outings. I am willing to bet that you do much better when the clock is not ticking. I keep a detailed log of each day on the water. I have found that non tournament days I catch a limit about 50% of the time. This number may sound low but if I take out all the practice days (days that I force myself to try new baits or techniques for confidence) I am about 60%. I have only weighed in 1 limit this year in a tournament. I have found that in a tournament I get nervous and mentally lose it. When I get nervous, I fish fast.(I prefer to fish slow baits... plastics & Jigs) Last month I put this to the test. I did not concern myself with what I was throwing, the size of the bait or the color of the bait. I tied on what I felt would work and all day I forced myself to fish slow. If it was a bad cast, I fished it slow any way. I finished 3rd. It was an extremely slow day for every body and I am willing to bet that had I not concentrated on fishing slow I would have zeroed. I am not saying that this is your problem but what I am saying is that there are things you are doing differently in a tournament. You need to figure out what these things are and then fix them. Good luck.

[Celticav]

Your in the majority for sure, there are all kinds of tournaments won around here by people who didn't catch a limit, or used the 12 inch spots to fill thier limit out. I have had days on lakes with people who really knew the water and not caught fish. I have had a pretty good year this year and landed both my biggest largemouth and spotted bass to date, my secret to success has just been tons of time on the water... even a blind squirrel finds an acorn, LOL. I totally agree that you should just worry about catching fish and not the clock ticking or making it back with a limit. Fish your strengths, know your weaknesses, never stop learning, and do your best, most you can do. Keep your head up and watch your line, JIM

[Skeeter]

kvillebasser,

Bass tournaments are tough if you are serious about them. The BFL is even tougher. 5000 guys nationwide that are trying for money, advancement, and fame. In the area that you and I live in there are alot of dedicated and very very good fishermen. It is a tough bunch to go after. Celticav probably gave the best input. Time on the water. Alot of the guys that do well spend alot of time working on the lake before tournaments. Some are lucky enough to have the time to do so. Many are looking for a way to seriously supplement their income. These kind of guys are the bulk of my business. It is very hard to spend maybe one day on the water practicing (if you get to) and then go out and tear them up for the tournament on the next day or weekend. The only thing that you can do is to develope your discipline and your gut instinct the best you can and "go get em." It would blow your mind if you knew the clicks that were sharing information during the tournaments. I know that the first BFL All American winner got his spot from a very close friend that was also competing in the same tournament. The guy that gave him the spot got a cash kickback from the winner. These guys are in it for the money!!!!!!! They are very good and very serious. They either have or make the time to practice. The information that is shared between these guys is tremendous and it is very exact. In the past 3 years I have increased my weight on fish by alot. The secret is that I am getting off of the banks and fishing more open and deeper water. My normal working depth is 8 to 12 ft. If I am catching alot of smaller fish then I know that the larger ones have moved out deeper. This is what is allowing all of those dinks to be in there molesting my bait. I normally do not catch a limit. But in the last tournament that I fish on High Rock I had 4 fish that went 18.2 lbs. As large as that sack was to me, it only got me 12th place.

The winner had over 24 lbs. Don't worry about the number of fish in your sack. You are going to have to target larger fish. Get off of the bank and get where alot of folks are missing them. It takes time to find these spots, but it is worth your time. This is where the dicipline comes in. You have to keep at it to find them.

Skeeter