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Bass Tournament
"Shortcuts"
by "The Bass Coach", Roger Lee Brown
Have you ever noticed whether it be Club Tournaments, Divisional
Tournaments (B.A.S.S. Federation, Red Man, Anglers Choice, etc.)
and even the Pro Tournaments, usually you will see a hand full
of the same anglers consistently "In-The-Money" most
of the time. Then while you’re driving home after fishing
some of these tournaments without much success you ask yourself
"What are these anglers doing so different than I am."
There are many different reasons for these same anglers to
consistently "Cash-In" or "Place in the money"
fishing Bass Tournaments, and I hope that I can help you with
some "In-Site" on what keeps some of these anglers
successful when it comes to tournament fishing.
Bass Tournament fishing is a very competitive sport in a multi-billion
dollar industry where more and more anglers every day are joining
the ranks of the Tournament competitors. With all these new competitors
as well as the already established ones, the competition seems
to be getting tougher and tougher thus making it harder to stay
on top, or consistently in the money. Now, there are several
"Tricks-Of-The-Trade" or "Shortcuts" you
can use to give you the edge you need to eliminate a good portion
of the field of participants. These can seem to "Stack-The-Cards"
in your favor when it comes to Tournament Preparation.
The first one we will talk about is:
1. UNDERSTANDING BASS The better that a angler can understand
his or her opponent the better or more successful he or she will
be against it. One of the most important factors when bass fishing
is understanding what a bass does during different situations
and how the senses make a difference (taste, feel, sight, smell,
etc.). There is much to learn about bass especially when you
have to consider some of the following:
A. Water Clarity
B. Water Temperature
C. Water Oxygen Content
D. Vegetation
E. Seasons
F. Daily Conditions
G. Pressure Changes
H. Weather Fronts
I. Natural Forage
J. Colors
K. Water Depth
L. Structures
and there’s more!....... The first rule of thumb ALWAYS
to keep in mind is that a Bass needs "3" elements to
survive which are: 1. FOOD 2. OXYGEN 3. COVER
By understanding these three elements and by using these 3
key elements related to some of the situations or conditions
listed above should help you begin the preparation for the "Pre-Fishing"
period of a Tournament and the start of putting a "Game-Plan"
together. Next:
2. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE TOURNAMENT WATERS This can
be done properly by first obtaining a map of the waters that
you will be fishing. By understanding how to read a map related
to bass fishing you can just about "Pre-Fish" that
body of water just by knowing the; Channels, Drops, Humps, Shallows,
Flats, Depth, Points, Structures, etc. and by understanding the
Seasons, Daily Conditions, Water Temperatures, etc. you should
be able to eliminate large amounts of water and key on the areas
that would relate to the bass based on many different factors
listed above. Another way to get familiarized with the water
is to "Hire" Guides or Charters that fish these waters
frequently. Now, depending on expenses it would be recommended
to hire at least 2 different guides or charters on any given
body of water. The reason for this would be to take the "Best
of the two" days to help find areas, patterns, etc. Being
a licensed guide as well as a bass angling instructor, I need
to let the truth be known that there are very poor and very good
guides on just about every body of water that holds larger scale
bass tournaments. Another way to help to learn the water is to
"Fly-The-Water." Go to the municipal or county airport
in the area and find a pilot to take you up and fly over the
tournament waters. This doesn’t cost very much (normally),
but you’d be amazed of what you can see from the air that
you can’t see while sitting on the water.
3. COLOR & BAIT PATTERNS Probably one of the best ways
to learn the color and bait patterns of any given body of water
would be to visit as many "Bait & Tackle" retailers
in the area as possible. Not so much to talk to anyone, but to
look and see what baits and colors are being sold the most off
the shelves. If you visit several of these retailers you should
be able to get a very good idea of what colors and baits to use
pre-fishing based on the averages of all these different places
combined.
4. WATCH THE LOCALS One of the best ways I’ve found some
great "Honey Holes" in the past is just by observing
the locals. While you are on the water and see a boat sitting
in one spot for a while, just move off in a distance and watch.
Remember, some of these locals have fished these waters all their
life and are not sitting in areas just to eat lunch! And, especially
in the morning before you hit the water, try to find the local
diner where most of the locals go eat breakfast. Many times in
the past I’ve got some great information just by eating
at the same place at the same time, and by sitting as close as
possible. Many anglers like to brag! Just by sitting and minding
my own, you can’t help to over hear these locals talking
between themselves about the 10 pounder they caught off of Trumans
Point using a Spook, etc.
5. PUTTING A GAME PLAN TOGETHER Putting a game plan together
for a Tournament and especially "STICKING TO IT!" can
make of break most of the anglers in the field. The biggest problem
of "Most Anglers" when tournament fishing is not sticking
to a game plan. Several years ago, I had the great pleasure and
company of Shaw Grisby Jr. and his Father (Pops) over at my home
for dinner. That evening, I asked Shaw’s father (A truly
great and knowledgeable man) what he thought was the biggest
problem of why most anglers can’t seem to stay consistent,
to which he replied; "They always leave the fish!"
What he was saying was, that if you are in an area where there
are fish, WHY LEAVE? Give a spot time... The biggest part of
pre-fishing is locating fish right? So don’t just give a
spot a few minutes then leave..... I’ve sat on certain spots
for a couple of hours without as much as a bite, then all of
a sudden they turn on and I’ve caught limits just by waiting
them out. Also, when making your game plan, select an area where
you won’t have to run miles and miles to secondary spots.
Try to keep at least 3 or 4 alternate spots within a few minutes
of each other.
As I mentioned before, being a Pro Bass Instructor, I’ve
had several students in the past who attended my 3-day Bass Fishing
School that just wanted to learn how to "Pre-Fish"
for tournaments. By teaching them a better understanding of the
bass, why it does things, when it does things under the different
circumstances, how to put game plans together, showing them different
techniques and patterns, teaching them colors, what proper equipment
to use, how to locate bass, etc. these former students are some
of these "Constant Money Winners." I hope that this
article will help you in all your future tournaments and make
you a more consistent angler. If you may have any questions on
any of the material I’ve covered, please don’t hesitate
to contact me at my Email address at: rlbrown@capital.net or
at any of my websites at:
www.capital.net/~rlbrown
or www.fishing-boating.com/basscoach
Until next time!...... Take Care & God Bless!....."The
Bass Coach" Roger Lee Brown
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