Tournament Fishing - advice, feedback, and comments appreciated

[TimH]

I hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend.  This past Sunday, my buddy and I began our third year of tournament fishing by fishing the Kent Lake Open at Kensington Metropark.  We both love tournament fishing, and dedicated alto of time and effort to bass fishing over the past three years.  We spend time "prefishing" the lakes we have tournaments on.  We look at lake maps to find areas that should be productive, and we always make sure we are prepared as possible before each tournament.  During our prefishing we always do well, but come tournament time we don't do well.
Obviously I know that there are many factors such as the lake, conditions, time of year, etc, that play into this, so I am not looking for specific advice.  I am just extremely frustrated with almost consistently having bad results, and am looking for whatever suggestions or comments any of you might have.  I am expecting to much for only my third year of tournaments, or does it just boil down to my inability to fish when it counts?

[Genie]

How close to tournament day are you pre-fishing?  Are you actually hooking the fish?

[Dan]

Sometimes, even in back to back days, the fishing can change. Try not to get caught up in the history and as Ike says, "Fish the moment" like you do prefishing. I have spent way too much time fishing an area that seemed good in practice only to have it go dead on tournament time. I've even had areas I prefished during the day for evening tournaments be hot in the morning and early afternoon then shut down at 6:00 pm when the tournament started. Be ready to run if your area isn't producing. Run your pattern in a new spot with similar structure. This time of year is probably more run and gun than any other.

[TimH]

I prefish usual a week before the tournament, but never any closer.  I really try not to fish history and fish the moment, but the day of the tournament, I really seem to struggle identifying "new water" especially when everwhere I want to go, I find multiple boats already there.
I really think alot of my issue is confidence and keeping my head in the game once something goes wrong.  I realize that the mental part of tournaments is key, and I fear that until I can get this part figured out, I am destined for mediocre at best results.

[Skulley]

Tim, don't beat yourself before you even start the day.  Approach tournament day with a positive attitude and maintain that attitude throughout the day.  Sometimes the winning stringer will be caught 15 minute before the weigh-in.  I don't prefish much anymore.  I have been fishing so long that each day I fish whether tournament or not, I do better "just going fishing."  I have had better results since doing it that way.  Prefishing should be a year round thing.  Fish many different lakes that you will be fishing tournaments on.  Do it from day to day, month to month, and year to year. 

Keep a log.  While your out fishing, take notes for the log.  To me this is the most important thing when trying to learn a lake. Keep things in the log like water temp, air temp, water color, lure, time of year, barometer, of course body of water, area on that body of water, etc.  I have been keeping a log for over 20 years.  That's why I probably don't prefish much anymore.  I got data on Kent, Orion, Pontiac, Union, White, St. Clair, Erie, and the list goes on.  A log is extremely important to success in my opinion.  Some guys don't keep a log and are successful anyway.  Those guys have a better memory than I got.  I got to write stuff down to remember any more.  I guess that comes with approaching the twilight years of your life.  Hopefully you got many more years left than I have. 

Good luck.  If you need any more insight, please ask.  There are a lot of guys on this sight that have their own ways of doing things.  None of them are wrong.  If they were, then they would have the success that they do.



BD                             

[TimH]

Thanks for the advice, I very much appreciate it.  BigDog, you are spot on with the staying postive part, but that is one of my biggest issues at the moment.  I always hear stories about big catches within the last few minutes, but I just cannot keep that thought.  If I have bad morning, by about noon I have all but taken myself out of it mentally.  I need to figure out a way to keep a postive mindset from blast off until check in.  I also need to work on being confident with my decisions with location and lure selction.  I know I can fish, I do well anytime it is not a tournament.  Once that tournament starts, all it takes is one or two bad spots, line problems, crowded areas, or other small set backs and I am starting a backwards slide mentally.  And whats wierd is, I don't have this issue with work or life in general.  I can stay postive and working hard in any situation, but once im in a torunament, i lose this ability fast.

[Waterfoul]

There are days you just need to "go fishing."   Early in the season the fish move the most and you need to find them over and over again.  Once the water warms up and they have settled into a summertime pattern they get easier to find with consistency.  At least that's what I've found over the years.  Come fall when they put the feed bag on it gets easy!

[kram1982]

The biggest thing I always tell myself before a tournament is to just have fun. The rest will come along. I enjoy tournament fishing for the competition aspect of it, but it all comes down to you and the fish. I try not to worry about other boats or what they are doing. If they are fishing the spot I want to fish I find some place close by and move in after they leave. I feel confident that whatever baits the other boat is using I can come in with my baits and clean up after them.  In the end you are fishing against the other boats but in reality the only thing you can control out on the water is your own boat. So fish against the fish and don't worry about the other boats. In my opinion you are right on that it is a mental thing, but a positive attitude goes a long way as well as confidence. Have fun out there, you will break through soon! Just keep working hard!

Good luck and good fishing!

Keith

[motocross269]

Don't pre-fish for awhile....... ..... Seriously..I have had my best tournaments when my main plan takes a dump and I don't really have a secondary plan and I just react...It seems like on LSC and lakes I am more familiar with I stick to what has worked in the past too much and I don't react to changing conditions or wait to long for the bite to turn on...Last year was tough for me and looking back I stayed with my game plan too long. Some of my best fishing days last year where when I had my family with me and had to fish different water and different plans to make sure they had fun and stay in American water...


I have erased all of my GPS coordinates off from my graph this year and downloaded them to an SD card....When I hit the water this year I am starting from Scratch.. I am also opening my mind on tackle choices a little more than just the normal tournament choices...

If you read Bass Times and look at the winning strategies of some of these guys very rarely is it something they found in practice that carries them for 3-4 days...It is the way they react to changing conditions and their lack of fear of trying something new that gets them the big checks.

[PineLk 49]

I always try and due something a little different than everyone else. Whether it"s throwing a lighter jig than you threw before, or heavier, lighter line,snapping your bait through the weeds. Throwing out instead of in. Going deeper or going shallower.

What you used to prefish, might still be the right bait but the fish may want to see it differently that day.

Try to let the fish tell you how they want it. I always vary my retrieves until I catch one, then try to duplicate it again.

Be confident first then be patient.

Good luck
Dave

[TimH]

Thanks for all of the advice and comments.  I very much appreciate it.  In all of my life, I have never been as passionite about anything as I am about bass fishing.  I have never felt the drive to compete as much as I do with bass fishing.  Even from a young age, I wanted to fish competetivly, but it has only been the last few years that I have been able to purcahse a good used boat, purchase decent equipment, and be able to afford the entry fees.  Now that I have gotten to this point, I want to do well.  I have never for a second thought that I would one day go pro, or even compete at a higher level, but I do want to reach my goal of being competive at a local tournament level.
Even though the tournament was on Sunday, I am still furstrated today at the outcome.  After reading all of the posts above, I am really going to try and put a lot of things out of my mind and just fish.  I have another tournament in two weeks, and I will see how this goes.  Thanks again for all the feedback.

[Manxfishing]

There's some very good advice above

It's all about haveing fun. It's not life threatening
I myself try to avoid the caffeine. I find I'm more relaxed and fish slower

For the weather. Remember everyone is fishing the same weather
So it's a non factor.

Keep a log it might not help this year or next, but you will notice a pattern
in the spring, summer and fall

Go for 5
They might not be the big fish, but most of the time you need 5 to be in the money
And after you have 5 go for the kicker. Cull your way up

Don't beat yourself up
The ODM has some darn good sticks that have fished Kent more then most
Learn from it and move on.

Remember on any givin day
You can win. Fish swim so it's just a matter of who finds them first or figures it out faster then the next guy

Remember
Even if you make the call to fish the opposite side of the lake and it's not working
There's no rule that say's you can't run back to the old spot or move agian
Fish were there's fish. You can't catch what's not there

So who who won the OBM
winning weights? SM or LM

[Skulley]

Thanks for the advice, I very much appreciate it.  BigDog, you are spot on with the staying postive part, but that is one of my biggest issues at the moment.  I always hear stories about big catches within the last few minutes, but I just cannot keep that thought.  If I have bad morning, by about noon I have all but taken myself out of it mentally.  I need to figure out a way to keep a postive mindset from blast off until check in.  I also need to work on being confident with my decisions with location and lure selction.  I know I can fish, I do well anytime it is not a tournament.  Once that tournament starts, all it takes is one or two bad spots, line problems, crowded areas, or other small set backs and I am starting a backwards slide mentally.  And whats wierd is, I don't have this issue with work or life in general.  I can stay postive and working hard in any situation, but once im in a torunament, i lose this ability fast.

Tournament fishing can be a real mental thing.  I partnered with a guy many years ago that always had an excuse as to why the fish weren't biting.  It was too sunny.  It wasn't windy enough.  It was too windy.  It was always something.  After awhile I just couldn't partner with this guy anymore.  We were beat before we even started.  Not exactly the attitude or mentality that puts fish in the boat. 

I agree that there are a lot of good tips above.  Throughout a day, conditions change.  Adapt.  Adapt. Adapt.  It's like buying a house.  Location, location, location.  Locate them and you can catch them.  Don't worry about the others around you.  I have always adjusted when those adverse conditions happen.  I'm not going to win every tournament, but I'm not going to lose every tournament either.  All these guys on this forum are great fishermen.  They practice their craft with enthusiasm, knowledge, and sometimes we just take a wild guess.  That's why it's called fishing and not catching.


BD                                 

[bigjc]

You may be overthinking the tourney thing a bit.  I did that for years. 

Moto had a good point: try not prefishing, so that you are forced to just fish the moment. 
Study your maps to have an idea what type of structure you should be fishing, then just go fishing.

Don't worry about beating the competition, just catch fish!

[Quack]

I feel your pain brother, went through the same thing when I started playing this game.  I was never really into fishing for anything until my dad talked me into fishing a tournament with him about 9 years ago.  Now tournament season is what I look forward to.  Excellent advice from everyone above.  Here's the way things went for me:

Year 1 - Sling a spinnerbait around, that's what KVD does - not quite that easy
Year 2 - Learned some spots, bad spots had to have been the problem last year.  Sling some spinnerbaits around on the "new spots" like KVD - not quite that easy, but I did win big bass once
Year 3 - There are these things called plastic baits, let's give em a try - first year to weigh a limit
Year 4 - OK, different baits for different seasons.  That's interesting.  And some of the guys actually want to give me good advice and see me succeed.  Maybe I should listen.  Quit being bull headed and take some advice.  Maybe had two limits this year.
Year 5 - Start to do what the other guys are telling me, recognize water temperature and weather patterns matter and figure out there's nothing easy about this "game".  I love it even more.  Catch a few more limits this year and get a win under my belt.
Year 6 - Start to fish with some different people and learn from them.  Figure out water deeper than 4 feet holds fish.  Start to expect to catch fish and end up with a few wins.  Learn that late fall and winter is the most fun of all.
Year 7 - Feel confident that I can find fish and weigh a limit each time out.  Finish in the top half of most events and win a few small events.  Start to feel like I at least belong in the tournaments.
Year 8 - Improved a little.  Maybe top 3rd of some events.  Win a few more small events, but feel more confident in recognizing seasonal patterns and realize the importance of water temperature for each seasonal move.
Year 9 - Off to a decent start.  Weighed decent at a couple of events and watched others with one or two fish and remembered how I felt when I was in that spot, which prompted me to write this.

It sounds like you are much further along than I was 9 years ago, and I'm confident your timeline will be shorter than mine was.  Just hope this offers some perspective from an old man who felt the same way not long ago.

Quack

[Manxfishing]

It also helps if your a little crazy and bad at math

[Redbone]

Quack is pretty darn close. 

[djkimmel]

Rule 1 - Learn something every time and from everyone (even the guy who keeps thinking he has a strike and reels the spinnerbait so fast it flies from the water and hits him in the chest!! More than once!! )

Rule 2 - Try to have fun. Even when it isn't easy. Take 30 minutes off and forget you're in a tournament. Set an alarm if you have to to remind you to be 'serious' again after times up. Talk like a pirate (I actually preferred Austin Powers characters myself). Put a pork frog on one eye and tell your partner you think you have a leech problem (this actually is funny if you catch your partner off guard - it was for me when my partner did it! Funnier than when he tried to flip my hat off my head with a flipping jig - not funny!!! Though... the look on the riparian's face on shore who clued me in to something being up was pretty funny... the word riparian is actually pretty funny).

Rule 3 - Don't hook the marker buoy string! Unless it is during your 30 minute time out fun period and you don't need the spot marked anymore maybe... and you don't mind being made fun of! EVERYONE makes fun of the person who hooks the marker buoy string! Well... except me. I look away and politely pretend I didn't notice (unless you're my team partner! Then I will continue to make the pllllllllrrrr nice at random times throughout the day to remind you I actually did notice! I might even imitate you yelling, 'GET THE NET!' too just like you did right before you realized you hooked the marker buoy string!). If you haven't had this experience yet, I recommend you buy a marker buoy and start using it. This often cheered up an otherwise frustrating and slow day for me over the years.

Rule 4 - Move on. Remember what you learned - good and bad - but concentrate on the next event next, not the previous event. The previous event is over and you can't change it. You can only do something about the outcome of the next event. Don't repeat what you think you may have done wrong but try to concentrate on what you think you need to do right to win the next event. I was given the advice to just set my goal to catch the next keeper only. Pretty good advice sometimes. You can only do so much.

Good things to remember:

• Someone always catches them. The worst tournament I was ever in, someone still caught 1 keeper. Might as well be you.
• On many of those days when you are having a good practice someone else is probably fishing a tournament on that same lake that same day wondering why he/she always does better in practice...?? Spend some of your downtime pondering why that is? The closer you get to answers to that question, the less often you will find yourself frustrated after a tournament. This point is actually related to the previous point.
• Bass have a tiny little bitty brain. Your brain is a LOT bigger. How hard can it be? Really?
• Smile a lot. It's good for you. It also makes some people nervous... jumpy... Nervous, jumpy people usually don't fish as well as calm people. (It also makes some people smile back! Good things can come from that... ) Eventually, you can add saying, 'good job' to the persons who catch them real good. Can't hurt...

That's about all you ever need to know about bass tournament fishing. I mean, there's some technical details and such. But you can pick those up along the way.

[Got Fish??]

I agree with Dan. One more point, get in a tournament  on the same day, every week. You will fish with the same group of guy's. After awhile you will start to enjoy fishing, and make freinds with most of the guy's. Then you start to trade stories . Finding a good club  or group to fish with is the best way . You wouldn't play team ball . If you  did not like the guy's on the team. Win or loses!