Co Angler Advise

[dam0007]

This is my first year doing tournaments and getting ticked off. Had a tournament Sunday and really wanted to hit to focus on spooks in the am and ledges in the PM. Instead due to me having no say of where the boat goes I got stuck fishing shallow cover and only got 2 11" for the day. This run was on a river and had to deal with low and incoming tide.. I can only fish what I'm confident in so I can't just copy what the boater is doing if he's having luck. He managed his 5 for the day with a 6 and change total lbs. Idk where I'm going with this just frustrated. One of my buddies who was a boater for this tourney bagged 15lbs doing exactly what I wanted to do and fish ledges.... is there a better way to get a boater to subdue to your agenda????

[dam0007]

Advice! Stupid auto correct typo smh

[kylek]

You could always bring it up and see how they respond, but until you fish the boater side of it you are stuck with what they fish. Just be glad it wasn't a sight fishing tourney.....

[keith71]

Its their world,your just fishing in it   Dont get discouraged from the bad days, take something away from every experience.I have learned more from the back of a boat even if its what not to do than running the trolling motor.Your time will come if you stick with it,some good seasons some not as good. Just remember when you are running your boat how it felt to be seated in the back,maybe take a suggestion or two.

[slonezp]

If you don't like it, save up for a boat. That way you can fish wherever you want and not blame someone else because you were unable to catch a limit.

 

 I can only fish what I'm confident in so I can't just copy what the boater is doing if he's having luck.

 

[ClackerBuzz]

sounds like you got 2 choices:

1 buy a boat

or

2 learn how to shallow water fish

[dam0007]

Lol I plan on getting a boat next year. In process of buying a house now money too tight this year...... with Sundays performance if he was putting me on fish and I wasn't catching Em then it's my fault. I completely understand I'm at the mercy of the boater. My main question which I failed to state clearly, was/is what's the best way to persuade the boater to switch it up? Or am I just stuck at his mercy.

[ClackerBuzz]

you better be one heck of a salesman. pro's say "never leave fish to go find fish".  and ur basically asking someone else to leave fish so you can find fish. i just don't see it happening unless you bring ur wallet

[ToddP]

To be a successful co-angler you have to be versatile. 99% of the time you are stuck fishing what the boater decides, so you have to be able to adjust. I suggest going out and "fun fish" lures you are not confident with. Get confident with them. If you are a deep water guy, go out and force yourself to fish shallow. That way the next time it comes up, you will be ready to fish shallow cover, etc.

[Felix77]

I am going into my 2nd year as a co-angler.  I went in with a little different attitude in my first year.  Some tidbits from my 1st year which might help.

 

#1 - You are not a proven co-angler yet.  You are new to the members of the league and thus have no "street cred" yet.  Even if they like you they will trust their spots before trusting someone they don't know.  In my league there are members who have been in the league as long as I have been alive.  I was born in 1974 so then have been fishing these waters competitively for over 30 years in some cases.

 

#2 - If you know a "spot" talk to the angler prior to the tournament and discuss it.  Explain the spot, why it's so good and prove you did your homework.  If you have the opportunity to pre fish and show it to him even better.  Boaters are generally not adverse to trying something out if they don't feel like it's being thrown on them in the midst of the actual tournament.  As someone else mentioned they are not going to leave fish is his spot was producing.  Even after talking about it there is no guarantee you are going there if his spot is producing.

 

#3 - Be prepared for anything!!!  People laugh at the amount of stuff (variety) I have in my tacklebox.  I can cover almost any condition I could imagine from that box.  When I know the conditions I am being faced with for that moment I adapt and do my best to fish "my waters".  A prime example is what happened at my 1st few tournament this year ... 

 

Here comes the story ... 

 

I was paired up with a boater fishing Rouses Point in 2012 (last year).  The conditions we were facing I was NOT prepared for.  I did my best but could only muster 3 fish out of that day.  My boater cleaned house and got his limit and then some.  I learned from that event and as luck would have it I was paired up with him again this year on the same body of water.  Not only did I catch my limit but I outfished my boater.  We had a HUGE laugh about it because he remembered last year and saw that I had learned to adapt BIG TIME.

 

Humbling sport because on the very next day I fished a completely different place (different boater) and could only catch 3 fish in a full day fishing.  I did not know how to truly handle these new conditions.  After some research (and numerous posts on this forum) It turns out that I had the stuff in my tacklebox but lacked the experience to recognize them as viable options under the conditions.  

 

I went on to fish my next tournament on Chautauqua and was faced with similar conditions.  Guess what.  I reacted much better, got my limit and was proud to have adjusted accordingly.

 

 

Long winded way to say ... be prepared for anything ...

keep a positive attitude ,,,

and fish the conditions you are dealt.  

 

You will be a better angler for it in the long run.

 

Good luck buddy!

[dam0007]

Good info. Thanks. - without beating a dead horse now if both are being very unproductive and recommend moving and he doesn't agree what does one say. My whole thing too is I don't know everything and don't want to sound like I do and do not want to be perceived as a jerk. . None the less thanks for the feedback.

[Felix77]

Have you tried asking your boater what his thoughts are?  How he feels about the situation?  I find that opening up a dialogue with the boater who clearly isn't catching fish either allows both of you to discuss possible options.  Another example from my experiences.  

 

I was fishing a tournament and the boater had a spot picked out.  On that day it was pretty windy and a struggle to fish the spot.  Neither of us were catching fish.  I asked about this spot and we began talking about why he liked it so much.  I mentioned that the conditions called for something a little more protected from the wind and waves and asked if there was a pocket or cove nearby we could try.  It triggered a thought in his head about another spot.  We went there and immediately started catching fish.

 

If you discussed "your spot" before then maybe suggesting it at that time might not be as bad.  It really is all about the presentation.

 

You will find that most are open to talking about the situation but not open to being told what to do.  See the difference.

[ClackerBuzz]

 

 

You will find that most are open to talking about the situation but not open to being told what to do.  See the difference.

Haha Like keeping ur woman happy...you have to let her think everything was HER idea!   

[PoorBoyBassin]

10  years now I've been fishing off the back of others boats... and its wasnt always easy... an even now its still hard... only now.. I have the experience under my belt and i feel as though I can compete on any body of water.. front or back of the boat.

 

The key I learned was this ... everyone fishes differently, and we all at some point have to adapt to the given situation in order to catch fish.

Lots of good advice in this thread for you to take with you on your next trip... the best of it I beleive is.. "talking to your boater" prior too, days before the tounry.

Ive found that a bit of friendly conversation will go a long way with them, listen to what they have planned, an put your two cents in after wards.. most of the boaters I've fished with.. will listen to what you have to say.. and will most times be willing to fish new waters of your choice provided their waters arent producing.

You will run accross those that have no time to listen, an will fish only what they want to fish an thats that.. To me thats your worst case type deal right there,

but even then, you can take something positive away from it, even if its only how to NOT treat your co angler when you get your boat.

 

The game of bass fishing isnt easy by no means, an one must be very versitile in their arsinal of weapons. When you come against conditions like that you have to move with the flow an fish like there's no tomm. Im not afraid of tying on something the boater is using.. if its working... teach me somethin new

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[slonezp]

Throw him a couple sawbucks

[Felix77]

Haha Like keeping ur woman happy...you have to let her think everything was HER idea!   

 

This made me laugh so hard ... I just hope my wife didn't hear me.  LOL 

[Dinky]

I have fished as a non-boater for the last 3 years-all the BASS Southern Opens and one or two Central opens. (I also Marshal 3 or 4 times a year, often taking my boat and fishing the tournament lake the week after the Elite Tournament is over. (Hey, I know a bunch of great honey holes and the locals are at work!)

I own a boat but will probably not compete as a boater because I am not interested in spending the time and $ necessary to do so....plus I am 68 years old.

I have only fished one tournament on my 'home' lake, so knowledge of the lake is not an issue when I compete. On the one tournament on my 'home' lake I fished wherever the boater went on the first day-he never asked me anything. I out-weighed him.

On the second day I was paired with Ish Monroe-he didn't ask me anything. Neither of us went to the weigh in.(I have Marshaled for Ish since then and seen him at numerous tournaments--I never mention this...he lifts weights and is in great shape!)

I seldom pre- fish. I don't make a lot of $$ on the tournaments. I fish a lot of different lakes in this great country and meet a lot of nice folks ---and learn a lot about fishing. I always offer my boater $$ for gas etc. Some Take it all, some take some of it , the Elite Pros won't take any---all are grateful and appreciative.

I love it and will try to enter some Northern Opens next year in addition to the Southern Opens.

The boaters pay $1500 to fish and use their own boat--I pay $425 and don't have to haul my boat to the site.

And I should complain??