A hard lesson learned

[Jacob Krahenbil]

Hello all, I am a young angler who is really just getting into fishing tournaments. A friend of mine suggested I try some BFL tournaments as a co-angler. They are a lot of fun and a good way to be able to compete without having a nice boat. Anyways I fished one yesterday and it was a humbiling experience. My boater caught 15 fish through the day with me only catching one even though i was throwing a simliar bait. My biggest problem was not that I didn't have the right color bait, or that I was fishing behind someone. My problem was that after he had caught about 7 in the first hour I lost hope. I let it go to my head and it cost me. I had thoughts of wow I'm such a bad fisherman I can't even get one and he has caught 7! Like I said that was the first hr of the tournament. The rest of the day I had no confidence in myself, or what I was throwing. With every fish he caught got worse. I'm really suprised I got one. I learned how much of a mental game fishing is. I let myself down more than anything. I was focusing on all the fish he was catching instead of what I had to do to catch fish. It was defiantly a lesson learned. 

 

"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."

[Ski]

Jacob, You answered your own questions.

Yes, you are @ a disadvantage being a back seater as the boat operator acts as a fish vacuum going down a bank leaving you no virgin water. However most "draw tourneys" I fished always split the time on the bow, let's say 4 hrs and 4 hrs. This is fair, he takes you to his fish then you take him to yours. I have gotten my head handed to me back in the day. Remember the old pistol grip rods? I had a set, and fished a draw tourney on lake Seminole where the boat owner had 7 ft rods, full length handle grips and threw a Carolina rig with a 1oz lead. He cast about 50 yards to a sand bar and limited out in about 15 casts with 5 lbers and left me standing there with my short rods and reels and 1/4 oz T-Rigs. Tough lesson to learn but I did and you will.

Keep fishing them I promise it will make you a better fisherman.

R/ Chris

[TxHawgs]

I'm going through the same thing being that I'm new to tournaments and a co-angler. To jump into fishing BFL tourneys is a big step for anyone especially a new angler. I have been fishing for 46 yrs and still learning everyday. I joined a club to start fishing tournaments and thought that would be best before fishing something like the BFL. My best advice for u is to think of it as a learning experience and not like your out to compete against these guys. Enjoy your day on the water and soak up the knowledge like a sponge and know that u will come off the water every time with more experience and a better angler. 

[BrianinMD]

Its a learning experience and an invaluable one. Honestly the best advise i can give is to just fish. It does not matter what your boater is throwing, fish what you have confidence in for the conditions. Learn to adjust what you do to take advantage of what oppurtunities you get. You will not get prime shots at fresh targets. A slightly different angle, presentation or color may make a difference. One mistake i see others make from the back is just casting to the same spots as their boater. Look for different chance, for example the back side a stump the boater may not hit. Or if they are power fishing pick something finesse to have a shot at fish not hitting moving baits.

Remain confiident, take in all you are being shown. Sometimes the best lessons are learned by having your butt kicked. It happens to everyone.

[CDMeyer]

That right there is why the pros are pros.  It is so easy to get down on yourself after a bad tournament and say I'm never going to be a professional bass angler if I cannot even boat a fish in a little tournament.  It is in these times that you have to keep positive and know that you will just have to put in that much more work to get you where you want to be. 

I am a young pursing tournament angler myself, and I am not trying to preach but I have learned over the years that the mental game is huge.  I run track and field in the NCAA and can tell you that if you let yourself mentally slip you are done.  Just like you were saying you had no confidence.  There will be days that do not go your way that is fishing and that is life.  Yet, you must stay positive and keep grinding.  Go in to every tournament knowing that you will catch fish, and if things do not go your way trust God that it is all part of His plan.  Your failures are what drives you to put in more work to get where you want to be.

 

[Catt]

Fishing as a co-angler in these types of draw tournaments you are at the mercy of the boater.

BFL rules state:

10. BOAT OPERATION • Boaters will fish from the front deck of the boat only. Co-anglers will fish from the back deck or seating area of the boat only. Boaters will have complete control of boat operation and waters to be fished. For safety concerns in rough water or swift current, in the event of an outboard or trolling motor breakdown or during an emergency, co-anglers may operate the trolling motor or the outboard but may not fish anytime from the front deck. Boaters may not request that the co-angler not fish. Any boater that, in the judgment of the tournament director, operates the boat in such a manner that unfairly handicaps his/her co-angler and any co-angler who unfairly handicaps his/her boater may be disqualified for that day. Boaters paired with boaters will receive equal time in the front of the boat to operate the trolling motor and equal time, including travel, to fish their selected waters. 

Define unfairly?

Some boaters will try to be far, some will not!

A Hard Lession Learned!

I would suggest starting in club tournaments 

[Jacob Krahenbil]

On 4/3/2016 at 9:31 AM, Ski said:

Jacob, You answered your own questions.

Yes, you are @ a disadvantage being a back seater as the boat operator acts as a fish vacuum going down a bank leaving you no virgin water. However most "draw tourneys" I fished always split the time on the bow, let's say 4 hrs and 4 hrs. This is fair, he takes you to his fish then you take him to yours. I have gotten my head handed to me back in the day. Remember the old pistol grip rods? I had a set, and fished a draw tourney on lake Seminole where the boat owner had 7 ft rods, full length handle grips and threw a Carolina rig with a 1oz lead. He cast about 50 yards to a sand bar and limited out in about 15 casts with 5 lbers and left me standing there with my short rods and reels and 1/4 oz T-Rigs. Tough lesson to learn but I did and you will.

Keep fishing them I promise it will make you a better fisherman.

R/ Chris

Thank you! And that is a really cool idea splitting the time on the bow. Yes I will keep fishing them. I feel like every time I go I am learning something. 

23 hours ago, TxHawgs said:

I'm going through the same thing being that I'm new to tournaments and a co-angler. To jump into fishing BFL tourneys is a big step for anyone especially a new angler. I have been fishing for 46 yrs and still learning everyday. I joined a club to start fishing tournaments and thought that would be best before fishing something like the BFL. My best advice for u is to think of it as a learning experience and not like your out to compete against these guys. Enjoy your day on the water and soak up the knowledge like a sponge and know that u will come off the water every time with more experience and a better angler. 

Yeah thats how I try to go into them I know all the guys I'm fishing against are way better than me right now. But I learn a lot watching the boater and why he goes where and throws what.

19 hours ago, BrianinMD said:

Its a learning experience and an invaluable one. Honestly the best advise i can give is to just fish. It does not matter what your boater is throwing, fish what you have confidence in for the conditions. Learn to adjust what you do to take advantage of what oppurtunities you get. You will not get prime shots at fresh targets. A slightly different angle, presentation or color may make a difference. One mistake i see others make from the back is just casting to the same spots as their boater. Look for different chance, for example the back side a stump the boater may not hit. Or if they are power fishing pick something finesse to have a shot at fish not hitting moving baits.

Remain confiident, take in all you are being shown. Sometimes the best lessons are learned by having your butt kicked. It happens to everyone.

Thanks a lot for the advice! I know if I keep fishing them I will learn more, and become a better angler.

19 hours ago, CDMeyer said:

That right there is why the pros are pros.  It is so easy to get down on yourself after a bad tournament and say I'm never going to be a professional bass angler if I cannot even boat a fish in a little tournament.  It is in these times that you have to keep positive and know that you will just have to put in that much more work to get you where you want to be. 

I am a young pursing tournament angler myself, and I am not trying to preach but I have learned over the years that the mental game is huge.  I run track and field in the NCAA and can tell you that if you let yourself mentally slip you are done.  Just like you were saying you had no confidence.  There will be days that do not go your way that is fishing and that is life.  Yet, you must stay positive and keep grinding.  Go in to every tournament knowing that you will catch fish, and if things do not go your way trust God that it is all part of His plan.  Your failures are what drives you to put in more work to get where you want to be.

 

Yes we hear all the time from the pros talking about confidence. It's so true!! But it's just hard to have confidence on a day like that. However I will work on it and hopefully be able to develop confidence in myself more. Good luck to you man! 

[Catt]

Ya can only split time if a boater is paired with a boater not a co-angler

[BrianinMD]

I knew I would learn when I joined the club, was amazed how much in the first year and still learning.

If you want someone to go over your game plan before any tourney's feel free to message me.

[Jacob Krahenbil]

50 minutes ago, BrianinMD said:

I knew I would learn when I joined the club, was amazed how much in the first year and still learning.

If you want someone to go over your game plan before any tourney's feel free to message me.

Will do man I would love some advice 

[J._Bricker]

Hang in there Jacob, as you're in the beginning of a very steep learning curve for which you'll be better for in the end.  Everyone has had this experience be it in a tournament or fishing with a friend who may be better a one technique or another.  And yes you are right it is a mental game.  It might be water you may have never thought of fishing or weren't prepared to fish, tight/small casting windows, a boater who's a vacuum/picks things apart or power fishes with the trolling motor seemingly always engaged....

Jacob, 5 good bites every day and if it's a multi day tournament hopefully you're fishing on the final day.  Much future success, JB

[Ratherbfishing]

ONE thing I've learned over MANY years of fishing is that SOMETIMES, no matter WHAT your try, your partner will simply outfish you.  It could sometimes be obvious things like using fluorocarbon instead of braid (or vice versa) or it could be simply how he is holding his mouth.  It is never as much fun to be on the "losing" end of things but it just happens and there is no avoiding it.  Oh and yes, the guy in front has first dibs at the fish.

When it gets tough, use the time to practice your accuracy.  Maybe, for instance, the boater is catching all the active fish whereas if you toss CLOSER to the cover, you might find fish that aren't chasing his baits.  This is one of countless scenarios.

[TxHawgs]

Some great advice here. I commented earlier and wanted to come back and give another important pc of advice. BrianinMD touched on this, Angles! At home or wherever u practice casting u want to practice and practice your backhand cast until u r as proficient w it as your forward or strong arm cast. This will alow u to hit the backside or opposite side of targets as the boat goes by. This is so so important, I started in small club tournaments at the end of 2015. The guys I'm fishing w are not pros and more than half of them cant or are not confident enough to backhand cast and it leaves the door wide open for me. Obviously the pros are going to be able to do this but they will not always hit both or all sides of a target. That's where u need to pay attention and pick up the scraps, cuz one of those scraps could be a t-bone with a lot of meat left on it lol. Hope this helps.

[Bluebasser86]

I remember my first tournament. I not only didn't catch a fish, I never had a bite, all day. I felt like I should go home and quit the club I'd just worked to join (I was 16 so there was some hoops to jump through for a minor to join an adult bass club). I stuck with it though. Next tournament I came back and got 4th, then a 6th, then in my 4th tournament I won! Next tournament? First again! I ended up 3rd place overall, backseater of the year, and rookie of the year in a pretty big and competitive club. 

Fishing is such a mental sport. You really have to be able to keep getting up after you get knocked down, because it's going to happen and there's nothing you can do about it. 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Fishing is such a mental sport. You really have to be able to keep getting up after you get knocked down, because it's going to happen and there's nothing you can do about it. 

[Tim Kelly]

Pretty sure I'd hate fishing as a co angler in a tournament. I get to fish not nearly enough and the fishing itself can be challenging without being stuck behind someone who's not considering you in how they fish an area. All that and you're fishing on a day when there are a load of other anglers out, so there's a good chance you won't get to fish a lot of the better areas. 

 

I love my fishing and I go to catch fish. Fishing tournaments is likely to reduce your personal catch even if you're at the front of the boat, but stuck at the back...  

 

I don't mind fishing an occasional tournament, but really don't need to add another level of competition to the challenge of catching the fish in the first place. If you can make friends and fish with a variety of better anglers outside of a tournament you're likely to improve as a fisherman more than if you're stuck behind a hoover watching him swing the bass in.

["hamma"]

Being a co-angler has its advantages too. you dont have to control the boat, so while the "pro" is setting up his position you can be casting away,...and DO SO! watch where he casts and dont cast there,.. go between his targets,....if he's hitting docks,.. watch where he places his cast and place one elsewhere.,... fish "your" strengths dont get caught up in fishing the lures and colors he's using. a tournament is no place to learn a new technique or lure. Use what you usually use in the situation presented. you get to relax and just fish,...he is thinking of where to go next, what patterns are prevelant, what he has to do to win,....you get to chill and fish,..do it ! Once you do the success will come.

 the scenerio you were faced with is actually a good thing to get past, you faced it already, learn from it,.. move on, but,..be aware of the possibility for it to happen again and refrain from falling into the same outcome.,.. Best lesson learned is one applied..

 I used to say that the best pattern ever is "the fish are in the water",   so keep ya line wet!

 good luck,

[Jacob Krahenbil]

On 4/4/2016 at 4:34 PM, J._Bricker said:

Hang in there Jacob, as you're in the beginning of a very steep learning curve for which you'll be better for in the end.  Everyone has had this experience be it in a tournament or fishing with a friend who may be better a one technique or another.  And yes you are right it is a mental game.  It might be water you may have never thought of fishing or weren't prepared to fish, tight/small casting windows, a boater who's a vacuum/picks things apart or power fishes with the trolling motor seemingly always engaged....

Jacob, 5 good bites every day and if it's a multi day tournament hopefully you're fishing on the final day.  Much future success, JB

Thank you! Yes I just need to focus more and realize that like you say it only takes 5 fish. Just 5 cast can change the game.

On 4/4/2016 at 4:45 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

ONE thing I've learned over MANY years of fishing is that SOMETIMES, no matter WHAT your try, your partner will simply outfish you.  It could sometimes be obvious things like using fluorocarbon instead of braid (or vice versa) or it could be simply how he is holding his mouth.  It is never as much fun to be on the "losing" end of things but it just happens and there is no avoiding it.  Oh and yes, the guy in front has first dibs at the fish.

When it gets tough, use the time to practice your accuracy.  Maybe, for instance, the boater is catching all the active fish whereas if you toss CLOSER to the cover, you might find fish that aren't chasing his baits.  This is one of countless scenarios.

Thanks for the advice! 

On 4/5/2016 at 8:54 PM, TxHawgs said:

Some great advice here. I commented earlier and wanted to come back and give another important pc of advice. BrianinMD touched on this, Angles! At home or wherever u practice casting u want to practice and practice your backhand cast until u r as proficient w it as your forward or strong arm cast. This will alow u to hit the backside or opposite side of targets as the boat goes by. This is so so important, I started in small club tournaments at the end of 2015. The guys I'm fishing w are not pros and more than half of them cant or are not confident enough to backhand cast and it leaves the door wide open for me. Obviously the pros are going to be able to do this but they will not always hit both or all sides of a target. That's where u need to pay attention and pick up the scraps, cuz one of those scraps could be a t-bone with a lot of meat left on it lol. Hope this helps.

Yes it does thanks again for the advice. Just crazy that little things like angles can make all the difference. 

14 hours ago, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

Being a co-angler has its advantages too. you dont have to control the boat, so while the "pro" is setting up his position you can be casting away,...and DO SO! watch where he casts and dont cast there,.. go between his targets,....if he's hitting docks,.. watch where he places his cast and place one elsewhere.,... fish "your" strengths dont get caught up in fishing the lures and colors he's using. a tournament is no place to learn a new technique or lure. Use what you usually use in the situation presented. you get to relax and just fish,...he is thinking of where to go next, what patterns are prevelant, what he has to do to win,....you get to chill and fish,..do it ! Once you do the success will come.

 the scenerio you were faced with is actually a good thing to get past, you faced it already, learn from it,.. move on, but,..be aware of the possibility for it to happen again and refrain from falling into the same outcome.,.. Best lesson learned is one applied..

 I used to say that the best pattern ever is "the fish are in the water",   so keep ya line wet!

 good luck,

Thank you for the advice yeah I was defiantly focusing too much on what he was doing. If I would have just been more confident in what I was throwing I know without a doubt I would have caught more. 

[scaleface]

I would suggest not using the same thing the other boater is using .I cant answer what that would be , just try to use different things that fit the conditions and strive for accurate cast .One tourney  .I won   from the back of the boat was  with Texas rigs . The guy in front was throwing spinnerbaits and moving quickly . I  had to make the cast count  and move it through the sticks and lay downs fast then get ready for the next opportunity . It was a two day tourney and I was the leader neither day but had enough at the end .

[Sam]

Jacob, sorry to read about your negative experience  but it has happened to all of us who do or have fished tournaments as a nonboater.

You did nothing wrong. The guy in the front of the boat has a tremendous advantage over the nonboater as penned above, due to the fact that the up front guy hits the bass first and gets the most aggressive or feeding ones to strike, leaving the less aggressive or ones that are not feeding for you.

Your major problem is finding a local bass club on One Fish Anna who is accepting nonboaters. Forget the FLW and BASS tournaments and try to locate a bass club that will allow you to fish tournaments as a nonboater and set your sights on how the boaters fish so each outing is a learning experience.

We still have to try to get together to fish One Fish Anna. Once the weather cooperates and you are out of school we can plan an outing.

In the meantime, go to the Links link at the top of the Forum pages and click on the bass clubs to find the local Virginia bass clubs listed plus the FLW and BASS state organizations. Contact the state organizations for information on local bass clubs that are accepting nonboaters.

You did not mention the body of water you were fishing. We need this data so we can give you our input on its behavior if we have fished it.

Don't give up. Bass fishing is an everlasting educational battle between you and a little green monster that is studied and studied and studied but still has the ability to humble the biggest of men.

 

[Jacob Krahenbil]

On 4/21/2016 at 2:38 AM, Sam said:

Jacob, sorry to read about your negative experience  but it has happened to all of us who do or have fished tournaments as a nonboater.

You did nothing wrong. The guy in the front of the boat has a tremendous advantage over the nonboater as penned above, due to the fact that the up front guy hits the bass first and gets the most aggressive or feeding ones to strike, leaving the less aggressive or ones that are not feeding for you.

Your major problem is finding a local bass club on One Fish Anna who is accepting nonboaters. Forget the FLW and BASS tournaments and try to locate a bass club that will allow you to fish tournaments as a nonboater and set your sights on how the boaters fish so each outing is a learning experience.

We still have to try to get together to fish One Fish Anna. Once the weather cooperates and you are out of school we can plan an outing.

In the meantime, go to the Links link at the top of the Forum pages and click on the bass clubs to find the local Virginia bass clubs listed plus the FLW and BASS state organizations. Contact the state organizations for information on local bass clubs that are accepting nonboaters.

You did not mention the body of water you were fishing. We need this data so we can give you our input on its behavior if we have fished it.

Don't give up. Bass fishing is an everlasting educational battle between you and a little green monster that is studied and studied and studied but still has the ability to humble the biggest of men.

 

Thanks man well that one was at buggs island but I do have good news. I fished another one on lake Gaston and came in 24th out of 160 coanglers! But yes we do need to get together on anna. I am done with school and im just working now so you let me know. I have found some electronic tournaments at a local club. But I won't ever give up I love to fish and have a passion to become better. 

[Sam]

OK. Sounds like a plan.

Will get with you or you get with me in May.