Tournament Help

[dwendt1978]

Just wanted to pick your guy's brains a bit. When you do a tourny, I know it's get your limit first and then go for the big bite, like with a frog or a jig, but I'm struggling just trying to get my limit in the first place. I am either thinking I've abondaned the basics and stuck with just looking for big fish like I do when pleasure fishing, and if so have you guys run into this as well? And what do you use or do to get your limit???? I've fished my whole life but done tournaments just the last 2 seasons. I'm in a serious rut!!!

[nova]

The simple answer is cover water.

www.novalures.com

[alsworms]

I seldom fish tournaments now, but I used to downsize for my limit. Most of our lakes in California have blacks and spotted bass, with some northern lakes sporting smallies as well. I'd fish early around rock piles with micro tackle to get a limit of small spots, then tie on something like a brush hog or large lizard and fish those in brush/trees with the hopes of a kicker black. A decent weigh-in for me was something like 7 to 9 pounds; 4 spots weighing 4 pounds and hopefully a 3 to 4 pound black.

That was then.......not sure how much things have changed.

[lilcraw]

I don't know what lakes you are talking about or maybe your watching to much TV but I have fished and ran large tournaments for 25 years now and only few times was graced with having to sort a catch except for on Lake Erie and it's Smallies. In all my years of Directing tournaments there are always a few lucky teams that come in with limits but 70% of the field does not, if your watching TV and the touring tournament take a look at the FIELD as a whole lots and lots of big named fishermen never even smell the top of the field and are cut, they only show you the cream of the crop. I SAY if you get a limit, be proud as HELL, there will come a day you get lucky too and then you will cull. I have won and seen tournaments won with just one or two fish before, so just go fish.

If you could pick the DAY, the WEATHER, the WATER CONDITIONS , the TIMES or SEASONS to fish and then couldn't sort a limit THEN I would say you have a problem. You don't get those options when tournament fishing they are pre-picked for you and you have to adapt as well as you can to thier schedule.

[One Sock]

If your not catching fish, your doing something wrong. fish will bite...period. either out of hunger or aggravation.. when tournament fishing, I always have staples in my arsenal. Jigs, big and small, spinnerbaits and a wacky rigged stick bait. This is not to say i don't have buzzbaits, creature baits, rattletraps and poppers, I always have a full bag, usally more than i need, But conditions change and you need to be able to adapt, switch up frequently if your not getting bit, i always like to downsize with small grubs on jigs when the bite is tough. white being my most productive color, and if I can pas one good bit of advice on to you it's this...what works one day, might not work the next. I have seen too many anglers get good fish on one bait or another just to throw that same bait all day long the next day and wind up skunking, a lot of guys will slow down and methodically fish certain spots for long period of times. i'm more of the cover more water and you will get more bites kind of guy again just my 2 cents

[dwendt1978]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's just frusterating to go out for fun and kill 'em and then go out in a tournament and bomb. I've always come in with it seems 2 fish sometimes three. And your right lilcraw, last year in a tourny I brought in a limit and I was proud as hell. Got us 7th place out of like 40 boats but I worked my butt off for those fish. I always fish with my sister-in-law, (weird I know, but she loves tournaments) I think some of it might be when I go and pre-fish the lake were on, I go between 2 and 5 in the afternoon, when I think I should go @ 6am when the tourny starts. Heck I don't know. Back to the sister-in-law she just drags a wacky rig off the back of the boat. Maybe it's my fault for not teaching her more. I do know that I don't spend enough time with different lures. I have 60 crankbaits and 3 crankbait rods that maybe see an hour of water a year.

[hoosier]

i think you need to try fishing with senkos.. like a 4 in or 5 in or try a bait called fish doctor it is made by zoom the work good.. by the way i am from battle creek mi not to far from you have a good day on the water

[Riverrat]

You asked so here are my 2cents. Fish your fish. If you like fishing shallow fish shallow, if you fish deep go deep, if you fish the slop fish the slop. I'm not saying that you don't need to change up once and a while but tourny day is not the time to decide and try a new technique. Odds are you will do better in the long run if you fish your comfort zone. Second simplify your bait selection. I grew up on the CT river in Vermont fishing smallmouth. I owned one spinning rod and a jon boat, I had five lures that I carried in simple colors thats it. Then I grew up bought a bass boat and stuffed it with crap I don't remember buying, untill last year when I went back to basics. Now for smallmouth I have 2 spinning rods, a bass boat, and 5 baits that I can catch smallmouth on all year long, except through the ice. If I can't catch fish on those five lures. MOVE until I find the fish. I follow pretty much the same thing for large mouth. All I can say is when you get frustrated is K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). If any body is wondering here are my five smallmouth baits in no order. 1. small tube in green pump or rootbeer. 2. Twintail grub same colors. 3. Zoom fluke White pearl or black. 4. White spinnerbait small white blades. 5. Rapala popper. I have not got the Largemouth down to five baits but am working on it. Hope this helps good luck.

The Riverrat

[sb220]

Gotta have confidence in what your doing. If you go out prefishing and slay em often enough you should be able to duplicate it in a tourney...sometimes its just not your day. Now dont go out the day or two before a tourney and clean out your holes but your success relies on time fishing that body of water.

Ive never really understood the "fishing for the big bite" unless your throwing enormous baits. For every 3lb+ fish me and my partner catch on jigs, frogs etc we catch 10 that are just over 12 inches.

Definately practice more during tourney hours. During the summer, the morning bite is the key to most limits.

[bassmaster1974]

Lot of good advice already but heres my penny.I have been fishing tournaments/guiding full time for about 4 years now and I can tell you bass change on weekends.I cant recall the issue number but I have an older Bassmaster issue where they tag bass with eletronic tracking equip and I was amazed to see how they totally changed their habits on weekends.It seems to be a combo of water craft(pleasure boaters) and fishing pressure.I have had to learn to adapt over the years when fishing the final days of tournaments that fall on weekends.You might load the boat every day of the event and then once Sat and Sun hit...they seem to vanish.On most of the southern lakes I fish,If you can locate bass ON the weekend before your off limits practice time or the week before a tournament,you will usually be able to return to that same pattern and catch a good bag on the tournament weekend.Not always the same spot,but many times very close to the same area and others like it.

As far as going after a limit and then going after the kickers....I have had much much more success over the years by going after the big ones first and then filling a limit.I started doing that a long time before turning it into a career and I have stuck with it.My logic was always this....if early morning hours are when bass are active in the summer....if mid day hours are when bass are more active in cold months...then ALL bass are more active so why not improve your chances of catching big bass by going after them when they are active? I have many pictures of bass from 6-8lbs caught in tournaments that came during these peak hours(depending on what time of year it is).A lot of my tournaments in the past I have not won,but I have got checks with 2 and 3 bass + big bass check. Im not saying that you cant catch big bass other times of the day.You can.But I have stuck with this method through the good and bad and overall I have stayed consistent.

Different lakes are going to offer different "big bass" .Here on Lake Guntersville if you have a 20lb limit,you will usually get your heart broken when you dont get a check.But on other lakes,I have got top 10 checks with 8-12lbs.But I still try to go after the bigger bass first on any lake.I am not saying this is the right way, Im just telling you what has worked for me over the years.

And as far as lures/techniques,go with what you know in tournaments.Don't get out there in a tournament when things get tough and start enni meeni miney moe'ing ...Use your strengths.If you are not having success in areas you were catching bass from during practice while in a tournament,you have to make a decision.THis is the hardest part.Are they still here and just shut down are have they moved on? Usually if they are structure related bass(creek channel,point,ledge,cranking hole)they will stay there or close.So change up your lures.If you have been catching them on deep cranks,throw one that has a different action or no rattle.Smaller baits that get down to the same depth are also a great choice.Sometimes you just need to refine your approach,not change it.If you had been catching bass in shallow water or schooling bass before the tournament then those will more than likely have moved.I have been on a school of bass one day and the next day they were 100 yards farther down than the day before.In this case you just have to keep your trolling motor down and casting till you get bit.Then slow down,see what there is that would hold bass in that area(depth change,grass,shell bar etc.)and fish it .If you dont get bit keep going down.Now Im not telling you to waste all day looking for the same bass you caught the day or days before,but many times more bass will move in that same area during schooling months.And sometimes you WILL locate the same school near the same areas.

Keep your mind on current also.If you had been catching bass during the week and they were pulling current and they do not pull on the tournament day,you have some bass that are not going to be easy to catch.If it was a ledge or hump,they will not usually be positioned on that structure the same as they were when there was current.Look at your sonar and see if they have suspended or if you can find them along the deeper areas of the structure.And anytime you see baitfish on your sonar,spend a little time fishing there.Bass like to stay close to the kitchen.Hope some of this helps you.Sorry it got so long