Questions For The Tournament Guys

[JEC]

1. do you feel tournament fishing has made you a better angler than you would have been without fishing them?

2. were you good before you started fishing tournaments or were you a novice hoping to get better?

[Dave P]

I'll bite:

 

1. do you feel tournament fishing has made you a better angler than you would have been without fishing them? Yes because it teaches you the difference between fishing for fun and fishing for money. I am a lot more efficient as an angler and I also have learned a lot about where, when, why and how. Most importantly I learned that they'll be where they want to be and they'll eat what they want to eat.

 

2. were you good before you started fishing tournaments or were you a novice hoping to get better? Good is a relative term. Could I catch bass? Certainly. Could I catch big bass? Of course, once and a while, just like everyone else. I did tournaments initially just for fun with little weeknight and weekend 20 dollar opens. Now I do it because I enjoy it and I like the competition. I also learn something every time I'm out.

[gripnrip]

1.   Yes.  The reason being, I will never stop learning.  My Grandfather gave me the best advice when I was a kid.  "No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone better."  Every time I am paired with one of my clubs boaters, I learn something.  A few of the guys I have fished with quite a few times.  They also learn from me as well.

 

2.   I was decent but rusty.  This past year I got back into bass fishing.  I just didn't have the time with family and other hobbies.

 

 

I am a self taught bass fisherman. I read and read and read every magazine I could get my hands on.  I read books.  When the internet came along I dove into that.  Then I found this site.  I am now officially obsessed with bass fishing. Stick to this site and you'll be just fine!

[slonezp]

1. Yes

2. If you are fishing tournaments to become a better angler, that is an easy way to go broke BUT IMO unless one is naturally gifted, competing against others that are superior to you will, in most cases, make you a better angler.

[keith71]

1. 1.Yes,you learn a ton from other experienced anglers.See things from another perspective.  

I thought I was a whole lot better angler than I am.It can be humbling to struggle all day to see someone show up a the scales with a huge bag.At the end of the day I just want to compete,be respected for something that I love to do.                                                                                                                                                                   

[BrianinMD]

1. A big resounding yes

 

2. I was okay, I grew up fishing but doing so wading creeks and rivers for smallies. Getting into tourneys I had to learn larger rivers and lake fishing from a boat. Before joining my club I had never been in a bass boat, only some small jon boats on electric only. Rather interesting experience the first few times. But fishing with guys way better than me, talking with them, and watching what they do has made me a long better angler. Still have a lot to learn though.

[Teal]

1. Yes. Absolutely. Fishing is alot like working out and body building. You can read and study all you want on your own and then starting working out and conforming to a proper diet on your own, and your results will be good, but not up to your potential. Going to the gym with other guys that will make you silly iin thr weight room really pushes you. You also learn alot of little tips and tricks to give you a true edge. Being around other men with the same hobby will consume your mind with that hobbby, you will begin to perform alot more effiecently. With that said, i learned the most, when i fish with another, more experienced tourney angler as often as i fish solo and i always spend time at the ramp LISTENING and not affraid to ask a question.

2. I thought I was good. I was proven wrong.

[Nave]

1. YES! Tournament fishing forces you to adapt, if you don't adapt you won't place well. Every lake is different, you will have to go out of your comfort zone and learn new things. Not only that you'll learn a lot from other anglers you fish with. 

 

2. Eh, I thought I was pretty well off. But I learn something new every time I am out on the water!

[JEC]

thanks for the replies kinda figured what the answer to the 1st question was gonna be. The 2nd question was the main one, thinking of trying to join a bass club but not sure how the members would respond to my lack of skills when having to fish with me not that i completely suck but dont think I'm by no means ready to be a tournament force

[BuckMaxx]

1. Yes... I learn everyday I am on the water weather there is money on the line or not. For me its a success thing, or another way to measure it. I look at a tournament as just another day on the water. I am confident in my abilities just have to make the fish do what I want them too. Sometimes that works sometimes.. it doesn't.

2. The older I get the DUMBER I get. When I was 20 there was nothing I didn't know. Everyday now I am shown that I really don't know that much. I take the few things I do know and work on them. Occassionally picking up a new tactic or presentation.

[Dave P]

thanks for the replies kinda figured what the answer to the 1st question was gonna be. The 2nd question was the main one, thinking of trying to join a bass club but not sure how the members would respond to my lack of skills when having to fish with me not that i completely suck but dont think I'm by no means ready to be a tournament force

Find someone experienced who is willing to take you under their wing and teach you the ropes. That is absolutely the best way to learn. And pay attention!

[Sam]

1. do you feel tournament fishing has made you a better angler than you would have been without fishing them? - YES

2. were you good before you started fishing tournaments or were you a novice hoping to get better? - GOOD AND LOOKING TO GET BETTER.

 

However, it was the friendship and fun of meeting and fishing with others in the industry that got me into a bass club and fishing tournaments.

 

 

[slonezp]

The majority of guys in clubs are just like anyone else. There are always a handful of snobs who think they are Gods gift to fishing. Most are willing to lend a hand. Some are not. It's easy to figure out the difference. Money makes people do strange things.

[derekxec]

The majority of guys in clubs are just like anyone else. There are always a handful of snobs who think they are Gods gift to fishing. Most are willing to lend a hand. Some are not. It's easy to figure out the difference. Money makes people do strange things.

 

and this is the reason i dont do tournament fishing...when money is involved some people will do anything to win no matter how unethical it is

[Swamp Johnny]

#1. Yes

 

#2. Everyone was "a novice at one point looking to get better". You've got to start somewhere! I started fishing (seriously) when I was 12 years old. I was lucky to have a family that was fishing oriented. Tournament fishing isn't as hard as you think. Here are some tips to help you excel quickly through the ranks of ANY Club atmosphere: 

 

A. Learn the water your going to tournament fish- (Sounds simple- it isn't!) You've got to be able to eliminate water, NOT find great hotspots. Sometimes the best fishing is 100 yards from the ramp, sometimes 30 miles away. If you don't want to Pre-fish, (or learn how to Pre-fish) then you need to ask yourself WHY your tournament fishing. Most Club fishermen who come in the top 1-3 at any given Club tourney spent the time to properly Pre-fish- they didn't goof off or "just go fishing". They worked! 

 

The easiest way to find out "what it takes" to win on any lake is to look at past weights for that Club and lake/water. If, for the past 3 years you needed approx 18LB's to win on Lake A, well, thats your target.

 

And remember- If you can't pull (at least) 12-14LB's on ANY given lake, then, you need to work harder. (Don't get me wrong- some days are extremely tough. BUT, ANYONE that is serious about tournament fishing and can't consistently pull 12-14LB's from their local lakes needs to rethink their strategies and techniques.)   

 

B. Have reliable gear- To Club fish you really only need 4-5 outfit's. Anybody that tells you they "need" all 12-15 outfit's on tourney day didn't do their homework. Come tournament day you should know EXACTLY what you will use and have a few (2-3) alternate outfit's ready, JIC.

 

Remember- Having reliable gear doesn't always mean expensive new gear. For Club or local tourney fishing, having a shiny boat that goes 75 MPH, a deck full of $250 a piece outfit's and owning every single lure known to man (in triplicate) doesn't mean.....well.....anything. At the end of the day, it's the fisherman that wins, not the boats, outfits or lures.        

 

C. Learn 4 lures- DON'T get bogged down in lure selections. Learn 4 main "bread and butter" lures. Make sure those lures can cover the three main water columns- shallow, mid-depth, deep. (Typically these lures are a Jig, Texas-rigged/Wacky-rigged Soft Plastic, Tube, Super-Shallow and 10 FT or more Crank- you could add a Spook Jr and/or Sammy) 

 

LEARN those lures and how they interact and react with different diameter line, wind, fall rates, ETC. And remember- there is (really) only 2 color's- "Dark" and "Light".  You don't (really) need 700 colors of worms to win a tournament. Having the "hard-to-find methylate, green glitter, purple-tailed worm with painted on eyes" probably won't put any more fish in your boat than a basic Red Shad worm.  BUT, learn to make ON THE WATER lure modifications when having those "painted eyes" DOES make a difference. How to tell when to modify? Let the fish tell you by how they strike the lure.   

 

D. Don't let other fishermen influence your instincts- First, you must attain instincts. To get instincts see "A". 

 

E. Try new techniques- Constant learning is vital to any endeavor.  Once you start relying on that one "special lure" you love to catch all your fish on,  you've diminished yourself as a fisherman. Don't "romantisize" your lures, outfit's, boat, ETC. Does a knowledgeable carpenter sit around fretting which hammer to use???? Heck NO! He just "knows" because he's spent enough time actually USING his tools-  it becomes "muscle memory" or instinct.

 

If you follow these guidelines you'll have a good grasp of what must be done to excel at any Club tourney.  (Pro level fishing is slightly different- but similar!) 

 

I hope this helps you??? 

[BrianinMD]

derekxec, those people will be around no matter what you do. They are completely unavoidable and should not keep you doing things. Plus it makes it way more fun when you beat them. I have honestly had very little experiences since joining a club, think what helps is this club is not BASS affiliated.

[JEC]

Swamp Johnny  Great read alotta info thank you for taking the time to type all that, and thanks to all the others for taking the time to respond

[DADAKOTA]

Yes.  Tourney angling will help you hone your skills and make you prepare/study much better due to being competitive.  However, the biggest single thing that made me a better angler was buying my own boat and spending more time on the water.  The key is being able to find fish.  When you are in charge of your own boat and need to find fish yourself, you become a much better angler.  Spending time fishing with  good fisherman will aso teach you an awful lot about how to catch a bass.

 

I was a recreational fisherman that normally fished to put fillets in the freezer.  I started really learning how to bass fish in the late 80's by going with one of my buddies that was into it.  I didn't even own a baitcaster in those days, but that quickly changed.  We fished our first tourney in about 1995 and are still fishing tourneys today (20+ per year).  I am on the water 4-5 days per week and sometimes more from February through the end of October.  Then I turn to hunting.  Time on the water, fishing with knowledgeable anglers, and reading every I can, has made me a better bass fisherman.

[PABASS]

1. do you feel tournament fishing has made you a better angler than you would have been without fishing them?  Been fishing for little over 25 years and this year is the first year that I have joined a bass club, so far since I don't own a boat this has put me where the fish are.  I suspect that it will make me a better angler but at this point has not.  What has certainly made me a better angler is the internet, specifically you tube and this website, in the past I had no one to ask what knot to use, what lure to use, where to find fish and list goes on, I learned this on my own, read about in a magazine or tv show, now with the internet my level has gone up and I can find any information I need from my smartphone while fishing.  I hope I can gain knowledge from this club and time will tell.

 

2. were you good before you started fishing tournaments or were you a novice hoping to get better?  Since I mostly fished alone I cant say that I was good, but I typically caught fish, I mainly joined the club to find fellow anglers and be a rider on a bass boat.