How do you Know?

[OUTLAW]

In the past couple of years I have seen alot of guys from this area go out and fish the bigger tournaments, Specifically the higher level events down south. needless to say most do not do very well. So the question is how do you know if you are goinh to be able to compete.

Is being the big gun in your local area a good gage of your talent to compete against the best on the souths best lakes?

Should you fish as a co angler for a year to see how you stack up with the top level pros?

[bshaner]

I cant speak for experience because until this April I will not have fished any southern tournaments.

I will speak from the opinions, threads and articles I've absorbed over the years...

Lakes outside of the local area are a completely different animal.  Fishing in Michigan (although very rewarding and enjoyable) is not like fishing down south or on the west coast.  Most of our lakes are natural lakes, with a few impoundments but nothing on the grand scale of the southern impoundments.  I would venture to say that most of the southern lakes are impoundments.   This fact in and of itself means to me that being versatile and successful in Michigan or any state for that matter where you have only fished your state and local waters does not mean you can easily adapt to foreign waters. 

How about the guy who considers himself versatile but really has only become versatile and successful on his home waters because he's fished them so much and knows them like the back of his hand.  He is naive in thinking he'll be just as successful and versatile in unknown waters.

What about the bass anglers who are well known for cleaning house on Clair and Erie in every tournament and fish only those lakes exclusively but get their butts handed to them when the tours come to town?

I was just having a similar discussion with someone this weekend where the subject of line weight and lure size came up.  From what I understand the type of fishing alot of us would consider to be heavy line weight like 10 to 14 lb mono would be considered "finesse" fishing by the southern pro tour anglers.  I heard a pro talking about how he was slop fishing with 80 lb power pro.  How many of us feel the need to use 80 lb power pro?

There are exceptions to the rule and those exceptions are on the pro tours succeeding.  To bring the subject home, KVD is a prime example.  The exceptions are not that many in the grand scheme of things.

How many of the guys you are referring to actually fished the higher level tournaments as a pro?  I would say that you can exclude the co-anglers from the discussion for the simple reason that you could be the best co-angler in the nation and if you draw 2 pro's who dont take you to fish or make it impossible for you limit, then you will not be making day 3.


So let me quit babbling.  Here's my answers to your questions.  (Just one man's inexperienced opinion)

So the question is how do you know if you are going to be able to compete.

I dont think you really know until you arrive.  You can be confident and feel good about competing but you just dont really know.

Is being the big gun in your local area a good gage of your talent to compete against the best on the souths best lakes?

Absolutely not...but...  there's always an exception.

Should you fish as a co angler for a year to see how you stack up with the top level pros?

For me personally, I am going to start right out in the BFL's as a boater for a year or two.  After that I'll jump right into Stren as a boater.  From there... I guess we'll see if I suck or if I've got what it takes.  I think there are benefits to being a co-angler but I personally dont think that being successful as a co-angler is a good measure of can you compete when the decisions are solely on your shoulders.  I would rather jump right in because I am a "trial by fire" type guy.  I will be able to afford the boater entry fees for the bigger tournaments so it wont be as big of a risk if I dont win.  If it gets to the point where my kids dont eat if I dont win, I'll go back to fishing $100.00 tournies.

my $0.04

B

[Skip Johnson]

fishing as a co angler in pro tornaments will in no way give you an indication of where you fish at a competitive level, you have to be the one with the game plan.
I have been out fished by several guys in my back seat fishing my game plan but that very same guy has and most likeley will finnish below me when in his boat fishing his plan becouse in most cases he doesnt have as much time on the water and know how to adapt from one day to the next.
being from the west coast I have never fished a pro tournament by todays standards becouse there was none offered but I fished alot of big tournaments and traveled to alot of different lakes in different states and being that I have fished so many different places I will give you my .02 about michigan and the guys that havent been to the big lakes down south or out west.
there are guys here that are truely gifted at fishing michigan water and in most cases there untouchable here becouse they have it so dialed in BUT I will be the first to bet against them on any lake out of state.
st clair erie and sag bay fish totaly different than most any other lakes in the country and a local guy here realy has a huge home field advantage becouse the fish here are out in the middle of the lakes on one little rock pile that most pros dont have the knowlege of or the time to find them but I havent found an inland lake yet in michigan with the size and diversity that the big south and west lakes have, using kentucky/barkley for example when I was there last year most of the northern guys were either intimidated lost or both and these guys are great fisherman but 500 miles of perfect looking shoreline creek channels ledges boulders brush etc was just too much too fast it all looks good and at one time or another it is all good but learning when where and why is not something you can learn fishing in michigan its just too different here.
michigans inland lakes can be a challenge and do take knowlege and skill to figure out but its like comparing ponds to lakes, in a pond they have to be somewhere close by becouse they have no place to go but in a big lake you might not have a single bass for several miles of shoreline.
Im not saying michigans guys are not just as good as any other guy or pro just that the great lakes are completely different and the patterns are completely different, if there were more pro tournaments up here than down south the story would be that northern anglers dominate becouse the guys from the south would be lost but the shoes on the other foot.
I do believe that a northern guy with enough time on southern water can take it home but its all about time on that type of water and michigan just does not have even a close comparison to practise on.

[SethV]

I have moved all over the country, and fished events from the Potomac, to Florida to Oklahoma.

There are several differences between southern lakes and northern waters.  Water clarity is a big one.  The structure is also very different.  Many of the big southern impoundments have huge water level fluctuations and very little weed cover. 

Fishing pressure is also much differenent.  Lakes arround here just don't have much pressure compared with the ones down south.  Those fish get beat up every day of the week, 52 weeks a year.  Up here we have the silly off season, so the fish natrually get a break.  We also don't have as many tournaments or as crowded of lakes around here (I know, hard to belive, but it is true).

Bottom line, nothern guys can compete, but it is a learning curve.

Seth V

[Skip Johnson]

I must add that michigan has about the best bass fishing in the country as far as numbers of fish per day, I have had more 25 fish + days in michigan over the last 2 years than I had anywhere else in the last 20 years, we realy are blessed with an awesome bass fishery.
Im used to fishing 1000 acres resevoirs with over 200 boats, just imagine 4th of july weekend every day, thats what its like to fish western lakes and thats why so many pro's come from the west and do well with finesse tactics.