Strategy

[roadwarrior]

Well, I'm not a tournament guy very often, a charity event maybe once a year.

At any rate, a friend of mine had to bail on another friend so I have agreed to

play. I'm set with the gear that has been working on the Tennessee River and

the bite is on fire. This is a two man, best 5, so we are partners.

 

My question is this: My buddy fishes tournaments all the time, wins a few and

almost always finishes in the money. His strategy is to start with five "keeper"

bass. as quickly as possible and then go after better fish. It will probably take 

25 pounds to place and 30+ to win. My thinking is let him do his thing, but for

me , go big right out of the chute.

 

What do you guys think? 

[rowyourboat]

my first couple years of tournament fishing i always went for the "get 5 then upgrade approach"

 

the last 2 years I started devoting the first 3 hours of every tournament to getting a kicker. Then spending the rest of the day filling up the livewell.

 

I have had a lot more success going big early. if you dont have a limit by around 1 then its time to get out the shakey heads, senkos, and drop shot haha.

 

but i would say go BIG. i mean it is a team event. you both only have to catch 5 fish all day. should be hard to get a limit. size will be the ticket

[jbsoonerfan]

So, are you thinking a BIG swimbait

[roadwarrior]

No, it's more about The Rig vs. everything else.  My buddy plans to start with what's red hot:

jerkbaits, square bills and Red Eye Shad. He will catch some nice fish, but I think we need a

couple of monsters. If we can boat four 6lb - 8lb fish and one big bass we will have a good

shot at winning. If I were fun fishing I would target smalljaws only. A tournament was won last

Saturday with 27lbs of brown fish. We may accidentally catch a few, but we are going after

bigger green fish.

[Wbeadlescomb]

No, it's more about The Rig vs. everything else. My buddy plans to start with what's red hot:

jerkbaits, square bills and Red Eye Shad. He will catch some nice fish, but I think we need a

couple of monsters. If we can boat four 6lb - 8lb fish and one big bass we will have a good

shot at winning. If I were fun fishing I would target smalljaws only. A tournament was won last

Saturday with 27lbs of brown fish. We may accidentally catch a few, but we are going after

bigger green fish.

Don't you fish pickwick? If so is Leon templeton still around?

[roadwarrior]

Do you mean Leon Tidwell? If so, he is a friend of mine and took 2nd place in last Saturday's event.

I'm fishing this weekend with his son-in-law, Chuck. Leon is coming over to the house tomorrow night

in Sheffield to help us with a couple of ideas.

[tbone1993]

Depends on how it is down there. We found out that we had an hour in the afternoon where the fish were on fire. With that knowledge we went swinging for the fences because we knew we had a spot to catch 5 keepers. Caught a 3lb smallie and 5.5lb  smallie in the morning and the 5.5 ended up being big bass. 

[Wbeadlescomb]

Do you mean Leon Tidwell? If so, he is a friend of mine and took 2nd place in last Saturday's event.

I'm fishing this weekend with his son-in-law, Chuck. Leon is coming over to the house tomorrow night

in Sheffield to help us with a couple of ideas.

My phone must have auto corrected to templeton. I remember watching him on an old bassmasters tournament on lake pickwick when I was a kid. He just seemed like a cool guy and he was catching huge smallies when everyone else was struggling.

[Wbeadlescomb]

I think that tournament is actually on YouTube. It was in 91 I think.

[FlipnLimits]

Roadwarrior

 

Your tournament water carries quality fish and a limit may come easy, so going for quality out of the chute is probably just fine   I always hunt my limit first as the quality of my local water isn't as good.  Your strategy of your partner filling a limit while you hunt hogs is a good one, for your scenario. 

 

Best of luck!

FL

[grizzly1654]

How did yall do in the tournament?  Was the lipless crank, squarebill, jerkbait bite still on?

[senko_77]

Kent, I agree with your strategy.  Besides, you are fishing one event, so you aren't in a points race.  Go big or go home.  I hate the "I got 5 so now I can go for my kicker."  Why waste time with a 7-10lb limit when you can work hard those first few hours when the bigger fish are typically caught and then spend your day with an easier job of filling out the well with the cookie cutters.  I can tell you I fish a whole lot better and with more confidence when I have a 5lb+ in the boat first than 3 fish that weigh 5lbs.  

 

I don't know your waters too well, but chunk a big crankbait, big Rage Tail bait, or anything else that suits your local big bass' fancy.  Except for live shiners...don't throw those.  Lol.

[Catt]

Who will be in control of where y'all fish?

[roadwarrior]

This was a charity tournament for the local high school team, helping with

traveling costs. The turnout was pretty good and the locals kicked butt! As

it turned out this was a "trailer" event, so most of the better sticks put in

below Joe Wheeler Dam. My partner has been on big fish down river from

Wilson Dam, so that was our plan. Unfortunately our best spots were

dependent on current and TVA gave us nothing.

 

We started the morning with a double which was pretty cool. We caught fish

throughout the day on just about everything we threw. We just could not find

bigger fish. Our take was 20+ cookie-cutters 2- 2 1/2 pounds.

 

First place was just under 25 lbs with the big fish, 6 1/2 lb smallmouth. Second

was 24+ and third was just behind that. All three bags were caught below Wheeler.

Leon Tidwell did well fishing near me with just under 22 lbs. My partner is his

son in-law and they fish together a lot. We should have done better.

[Brian Needham]

I got money saying RW is heading to wheeler dam this weekend.......any takers?

[Mike L]

Roadwarrior

 

Your tournament water carries quality fish and a limit may come easy, so going for quality out of the chute is probably just fine   I always hunt my limit first as the quality of my local water isn't as good.  Your strategy of your partner filling a limit while you hunt hogs is a good one, for your scenario. 

 

Best of luck!

FL

  

Kent, I agree with your strategy.  Besides, you are fishing one event, so you aren't in a points race.  Go big or go home.  I hate the "I got 5 so now I can go for my kicker."  Why waste time with a 7-10lb limit when you can work hard those first few hours when the bigger fish are typically caught and then spend your day with an easier job of filling out the well with the cookie cutters.  I can tell you I fish a whole lot better and with more confidence when I have a 5lb+ in the boat first than 3 fish that weigh 5lbs.  

I agree.

If he's on fish right out of the box and his pattern holds, absolutely go big.

Who knows it may switch as the day goes on.

Good Luck

Mike

 

I don't know your waters too well, but chunk a big crankbait, big Rage Tail bait, or anything else that suits your local big bass' fancy.  Except for live shiners...don't throw those.  Lol.

[J Francho]

I live and die by the go big or go home plan. Many tournaments that I've finished high or won, it took all day to get five. To me, a kicker is not bonus big fish. A kicker is a shot at the lunker pool. I feel real good when all my fish are big. I can't stand getting beat by a dude with four 12" dinks and one slob, lol. Last year I didn't come close on lunker, but I finished in the too three in all my tournaments save one, where I got fifth. That limit fishing thing really only works when no one pre fished, and your going to a new lake cold. To me, that takes the skill out of winning, and reduces it to the luckiest guy winning, not the guy that always catches bigger fish.