Mr. Aquarium Posted May 18, 2017 Posted May 18, 2017 got my first tournie on sunday. its a small tournie i dont think guys are hardcore bass fishermen like i am. its through my uncles elks club, he said last year the biggest fish weighed in was a 3lbs pickerel. he also said there hasnt been a bass over 3lbs. so im confident in my skills but since this is my first id like some useful tips. the lake is big and shallow. deepest is 10 or so feet. water is clear. also has a good run of herring. this place gets alot of pressure. the water temps are around 60, either early spawn or late pre spawn. weather has been cold recently but this week its been hot. Quote
jr231 Posted May 18, 2017 Posted May 18, 2017 I don't fish tournaments... But If I did... Id fish the same way I was going to if I was just having fun. You know how to catch bass. So just do what ya do. 3 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted May 18, 2017 Super User Posted May 18, 2017 10 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said: I don't fish tournaments... But If I did... Id fish the same way I was going to if I was just having fun. You know how to catch bass. So just do what ya do. I do fish them. This is it to a "T." HAVE FUN!!!! 2 Quote
Mr. Aquarium Posted May 18, 2017 Author Posted May 18, 2017 solid advice, im overthinking this. Quote
Janderson45 Posted May 18, 2017 Posted May 18, 2017 Small world, my first tourney is on Saturday and I'm feeling the same way... excited/nervous/anxious and want to be as prepared as possible.. Sounds like mine might be a bit more competitive than yours with some money on the line and they definitely don't weigh pickerel... haha . Of course I'd love to win it, I'm very competitive by nature, but I don't think it's a reasonable expectation for me yet. Some of these guys look like pretty good fisherman. I'm just hoping I can catch a limit... have a respectable showing my first time out so I look and feel like I belong. I'm sure you were disappointed like me when you looked at the weather outlook... 90 degrees for a 3 days in a row and then BAM back down to 60 with bluebird skies and North East winds just in time for the weekend tournaments... Everyone has to fish the same lake and the same conditions though, so I'm trying to not psych myself out too much with the cold front. What lake is it by the way? I'm struggling to come up with a lake around here with a good herring run, clear water and 10' deep... I thought maybe Snipatuit but I don't remember the water being very clear there. Do you have an opportunity to prefish the lake? I'm fishing Mashpee and haven't been there since last summer, so that's not quite ideal... I may try to get down there for a few hours tomorrow and do some scouting.. this is a little foreign to me too though, I don't usually meander around a lake looking for good spots to fish for too long, usually I just start fishing the first decent spot I come across! For me one of the biggest things I'm struggling with is what gear to bring and what gear to leave at home... How many set-ups is appropriate, and where do you make the sacrifices in your line-up for better versatility? I think I'll bring 5 or 6 rods but I really want 8 lol... I'm also curious to see how it works being a Co-Angler, typically when I fish I'm the one making all of my own decisions and calling the shots.. but I suppose as a co-angler in a tournament you're a little bit at the mercy of the boater you're paired with... they might have an entirely different plan as to how they want to fish than you do, and you are stuck adjusting and fishing off the back of their boat wherever they decide to position it. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted May 18, 2017 Super User Posted May 18, 2017 Remember, it's you against the lake. Free your mind of all the other clutter, and figure out the lake. 1 Quote
Super User WRB Posted May 18, 2017 Super User Posted May 18, 2017 Most anglers new to tournament bass fishing try too hard and try too many different presentations. Your only goal is catch bass the best way you know how to do it within tournament rules. Fish your strengths and catch bass. If the bass are in the spawn cycle target them. Tom 2 Quote
Megastink Posted May 18, 2017 Posted May 18, 2017 My first tournament I ever fished, I thought I had everything planned out. I even had a written timeline of what lures I was going to throw between what hours. I zeroed. My second tournament, I lived in the moment and fished what was in front of me. I won. just go fishing, and throw what you're most confident in. Don't overthink. Just fish. 1 Quote
Ski213 Posted May 18, 2017 Posted May 18, 2017 Like everybody is saying, just fish. It is easy to overthink and try to do too much. I've been there, I still struggle with it at times. Fish the way you fish. Try to ignore the dock talk. Quote
Super User scaleface Posted May 19, 2017 Super User Posted May 19, 2017 2 hours ago, Megastink said: My first tournament I ever fished, I thought I had everything planned out. I even had a written timeline of what lures I was going to throw between what hours. I zeroed. My second tournament, I lived in the moment and fished what was in front of me. I won. just go fishing, and throw what you're most confident in. Don't overthink. Just fish. Thats exactly how my first two tourneys went . Worst to first . Quote
Mr. Aquarium Posted May 20, 2017 Author Posted May 20, 2017 i usually fish jigs and swimbaits mostly looking for a big bite. but im going to fish mostly plastics and just regular bass gear. Quote
Megastink Posted May 21, 2017 Posted May 21, 2017 On 5/19/2017 at 10:42 PM, swamp hawgs said: i usually fish jigs and swimbaits mostly looking for a big bite. but im going to fish mostly plastics and just regular bass gear. Well, how'd you do????? 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.