How Long Before You Started Finishing In The Top?

[martintheduck]

Just started fishing tournaments this year in a local circuit and it sure is tough. I'm from out of town and started fishing lakes and rivers in my area about 3 years ago.... i'm fishing against guys that have lived here their whole lives. Anyhow - What is important is that I have been consistent in my fishing... I am proud of that. I have fished my strengths and weaknesses and put fish in the boat.

 

 

I'm curious though - how long into fishing tournaments until you started placing?

[Lund Explorer]

Just started fishing tournaments this year in a local circuit and it sure is tough. I'm from out of town and started fishing lakes and rivers in my area about 3 years ago.... i'm fishing against guys that have lived here their whole lives. Anyhow - What is important is that I have been consistent in my fishing... I am proud of that. I have fished my strengths and weaknesses and put fish in the boat.

 

 

I'm curious though - how long into fishing tournaments until you started placing?

 

Save this thread for one more year, then make us proud as well when it reads something like this:

 

"What is important is that I've learned what it takes to compete against these guys, I've worked hard to improve my strengths, added new techniques to my arsenal, and I'm catching more and bigger fish than when I started."

 

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times.  When you start tournament fishing, the money you pay isn't an entry fee, IT'S TUITION!  For me, I didn't pay an entry fee for the first entire year.  And after more than 25 years in the game, there were days when I ended up paying tuition again.

[CDMeyer]

I did my first tourney, you gotta put in the time researching and believe in yourself. Then it will happen, it could be you next tourney, next year or ten years from now till you start doing it consistently. It's tough and nobody does all the time look at Vandam. Just put your tryst in God, practice hard, do your research and then perform on game day

[martintheduck]

Save this thread for one more year, then make us proud as well when it reads something like this:

 

"What is important is that I've learned what it takes to compete against these guys, I've worked hard to improve my strengths, added new techniques to my arsenal, and I'm catching more and bigger fish than when I started."

 

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times.  When you start tournament fishing, the money you pay isn't an entry fee, IT'S TUITION!  For me, I didn't pay an entry fee for the first entire year.  And after more than 25 years in the game, there were days when I ended up paying tuition again.

 

 

That hit me really hard just now. Profound. Thank you. 

[Catt]

I started seriously tournament fishing during the early 70s on Toledo Bend & Sam Rayburn with some of the best anglers B.A.S.S. has ever seen. Even today their names would intimidate anyone but back then they were simply guys I fished with weekly.

The best advice ever...K.I.S.S.!

[Lund Explorer]

That hit me really hard just now. Profound. Thank you. 

 

Sorry if it hit too hard, but I wanted to make the point that the key to success is to never be satisfied with the level you're at.  Always strive to keep improving your abilities, and to learning as much as possible about the waters you're going to be competing on. 

 

As you get better, the first of these old timers that you'll pass are going to be the ones that think there was nothing else to learn.  With time and effort, you'll become of the top anglers in your group.  How long that takes is wholly up to you.

 

I think you'll make it.

[Bluebasser86]

Lund said it well. Don't worry about winning yet, just learn as much as you can and the higher finishes will come your way. My first year, the first tournament I fished, I didn't catch a fish, never had a bite. It was demoralizing, I wanted to hide my face at weigh in. Then I found out, 29 of the 30 guys had blanked too! It was then I realized that they were all human, just like me. I turned around and finished 4th at Table Rock the next month. 3 months later, I won at Pomme De Terre and then again the following month at Mozingo. I won those tournaments doing something I'd learned to do watching my boater in previous tournaments and by using the knowledge I'd gained from those guys about what I should be doing to catch fish at certain times and in certain conditions. 

 

This was in a small club, the results surely would not have been the same in a larger circuit with more serious anglers and more money on the line, but I still would have learned a ton for a fraction of the cost of hiring a guide.

[scaleface]

There wasnt a major reservoir near by until the early 1980's. I started fishing tournaments as soon as they started and did real well but I was an experienced angler having fished a lot of different waters , rivers , reservoirs... half of the competition was just learning .

[SenkoGuru]

 I won my 4th tournament but the best thing I ever did was join a Bass club and started fishing with different people. I learned a whole lot from them, I'm still learning new things every trip out.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Contrary to those who are on the outside looking in (those who don't fish) you can eliminate nearly all of the luck in fishing. It's about preparation and execution. When properly done only about 10% remains.

Gotta be on fish to catch fish. And it is important to differentiate between fish and tournament sized fish. Honestly this is the hardest part of the game, you won't even get the chance to prove your other skills are at a winning level if you aren't in the right location. You could be the most mechanically insane angler but who cares if you are only catching average or below average fish.

Conversely, put a mediocre angler on good fish and he will do at least decent. Find the fish.

Mechanical skills are important, but even at an average baseline you can be successful. More importantly mental toughness and awareness are critical. If you miss bites due to a lack of focus or don't adapt to fishing conditions because of confidence issues or stubbornness, good finishes will be tough at any level.

Lastly, to comment on mechanical, landing fish can be one of the most impactful elements. You can be on the winning five fish but only land two of them. Yes it is bass fishing, there is nothing to can do for some lost fish, but be sure that if given the opportunity, a lost fish isn't because of failure to correctly execute.

I didn't really answer your question, I am still new to tournament fishing myself, so my biggest take away would be this:

If it takes 10lbs to place, pretty much treat any fish less than 2lbs as small (even if 2lbs is above average for the lake). This goes back to tournament sized fish. If your honey hole generally spits out 1.5lbers, you need to find different fish for the tournament. It is important to note that fishing this way tends to be more polar, fishing for the above average fish can leave you high and dry some days where a limit of average fish was easy, yet fishing for these above average fish will give you the opportunity to finish higher than you could ever with the average fish.

It's the difference between taking the risk to place low a few times to place high a few, or just finish average most of the time.

[corn-on-the-rob]

So for some reason my post turned nearly off topic haha, it's not meant to seem so patronizing, but merely a collection of my thoughts on what it takes to be successful in an oversimplified way.

[everythingthatswims]

Lund said it well. Don't worry about winning yet, just learn as much as you can and the higher finishes will come your way. My first year, the first tournament I fished, I didn't catch a fish, never had a bite. It was demoralizing, I wanted to hide my face at weigh in. Then I found out, 29 of the 30 guys had blanked too! It was then I realized that they were all human, just like me. I turned around and finished 4th at Table Rock the next month. 3 months later, I won at Pomme De Terre and then again the following month at Mozingo. I won those tournaments doing something I'd learned to do watching my boater in previous tournaments and by using the knowledge I'd gained from those guys about what I should be doing to catch fish at certain times and in certain conditions. 

 

This was in a small club, the results surely would not have been the same in a larger circuit with more serious anglers and more money on the line, but I still would have learned a ton for a fraction of the cost of hiring a guide.

Potato Lake 

[WPCfishing]

When I fished BASS way back it was a team entry. My fishing partner and I were top 5 or 10 most of the time. Our best was a second.

Locally I had my share of wins and Lunker.

Didn't take me long but I've always fished so it's not a fair assessment. The tourneys did make me better. I loved it. Couldn't wait for the next one.

[Scorchx1245]

I started horribly barely able to use casting gear. Got in some pretty god boats, one day we fishing cayuga with a friend who won the open on Oneida last year, and we hit some black muddy water and he was catching sizeable fish. I couldn't catch anything, 2 inches of visibility max. I literally put my rod down and watched, learned and asked questions between structure and cover. He actually got me to catch one when he was culling telling me to keen on reaction bites. Totally new idea to me at the time, tbis year though I'm doing great! Just stick it out, as soon as your day makes you mad you're not catching fish, or doing well you gotta sit back and relax and go hey, atleast I'm not working today

[blongfishing]

I finished well my first few tournaments. It really comes down to knowledge before you start fishing tournaments. If you start fishing tournamnets shortly after you start fishing you dont have that much background knowledge of fishing. Of course you have to know the tournament layouts and get adjusted to finding 5 good fish but for me it all boiled down to my knowledge before starting tournaments.