booniedog Posted May 16, 2019 Posted May 16, 2019 At the end of this month I will be fishing my first tournament. I am 15 and this will be the first time I fish in a bass boat. Is there anything I should know or tips on proper fishing etiquette? 1 Quote
Super User WRB Posted May 16, 2019 Super User Posted May 16, 2019 Search the site "CoAngler" read several posts and come back with any unanswered questions. Tom Quote
Super User J Francho Posted May 16, 2019 Super User Posted May 16, 2019 Get reading! https://www.bassresource.com/fishing-tournament-tips/ My main tip, is to have fun. Don't pressure yourself to do well. Quote
Smokinal Posted May 16, 2019 Posted May 16, 2019 12 minutes ago, J Francho said: Get reading! https://www.bassresource.com/fishing-tournament-tips/ My main tip, is to have fun. Don't pressure yourself to do well. Absolutely! Just go have fun and fish your strengths. If you overthink it, you'll make knee-jerk reactions which usually aren't the best decisions. Do you know your partner/boater? Quote
booniedog Posted May 16, 2019 Author Posted May 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Smokinal said: Absolutely! Just go have fun and fish your strengths. If you overthink it, you'll make knee-jerk reactions which usually aren't the best decisions. Do you know your partner/boater? I will be fishing with my dads friend from work 3 hours ago, J Francho said: Get reading! https://www.bassresource.com/fishing-tournament-tips/ My main tip, is to have fun. Don't pressure yourself to do well. I love to read these during school when I have extra time 4 hours ago, WRB said: Search the site "CoAngler" read several posts and come back with any unanswered questions. Tom Thanks for the site. I will check it out 1 Quote
EWREX Posted May 24, 2019 Posted May 24, 2019 you will learn to love and appreciate any keeper size fish. enjoy the challenge and learn as much as you can! Quote
Chance_Taker4 Posted May 24, 2019 Posted May 24, 2019 One thing to take into account that I wish I knew when I first started fishing out of a boat is, remember when the fish bites it will run towards you. When bank fishing he will run away from you. It took me a few outings missing fish and losing fish to bad hooksets to realize what was wrong. 2 Quote
Jim- Indiana Posted May 27, 2019 Posted May 27, 2019 Congrats! ...you are heading in the right direction, by first asking about it! The very first step, would be to find out what is expected from you financially. Since you are fishing with a friend of your Dad's, I assume it must be a team tournament. The type of tournament plays a huge role in what you need to plan for. Team tournaments typically require the co-angler to help the boater, as the scoring is normally a combined weight. In other tournaments like the BFL, the co-angler is in it only for himself, so it makes a big difference on the type. If you are helping your boater and acting as a team, ask him about the type of tackle you will need to bring. I would probably give most consideration to what he prefers you to do, which would typically be something different than he is doing, until a pattern is figured out. If he is throwing something horizontal like a spinnerbait or crankbait, do a vertical method like using a jig or worm. You might let him know your strengths, so he can plan around it. If a limit of fish is achieved, throw something that typically attracts bigger fish jig) rather than something that is getting the most bites. If your catch is completely scored on it's own, then that's a different approach! .... good luck! 2 Quote
Super User WRB Posted June 11, 2019 Super User Posted June 11, 2019 By now you have had time to read what is availble on the BR site and fished your 1st tournament, how did it go? My 1st tournament was a club event a long time ago and I remember thinking you had to win and that put a lot of stress on me. I knew how to catch bass but not under a specific start/finish time and day learning quickly how important decisions are where to fish and when. Everyone knows where the best spots are located and you are fishing public lakes with both weekend and tournament anglers, getting on a spot you want or winning isn't always possible, in fact finishing in the top 10 is a big accomplishment under tournament conditions. Fish lures and presentations during a tournament you are comfortable with. Don't set your goals too high, a top 10 finish is good. Enjoy everything about the event, each one is a different experience on a long journey. Good luck, Tom 1 Quote
Brew City Bass Posted June 13, 2019 Posted June 13, 2019 On 6/11/2019 at 1:10 PM, WRB said: By now you have had time to read what is availble on the BR site and fished your 1st tournament, how did it go? My 1st tournament was a club event a long time ago and I remember thinking you had to win and that put a lot of stress on me. I knew how to catch bass but not under a specific start/finish time and day learning quickly how important decisions are where to fish and when. Everyone knows where the best spots are located and you are fishing public lakes with both weekend and tournament anglers, getting on a spot you want or winning isn't always possible, in fact finishing in the top 10 is a big accomplishment under tournament conditions. Fish lures and presentations during a tournament you are comfortable with. Don't set your goals too high, a top 10 finish is good. Enjoy everything about the event, each one is a different experience on a long journey. Good luck, Tom Agreed. The only times I've ever placed in the money or won a tournament was when I went with the mentality of having fun. Any time I've treated a tournament like money was on the line, it just put unneeded pressure on myself and I ended up trying hard and flopped. Quote
riverbasser Posted June 13, 2019 Posted June 13, 2019 First tournament I ever fished as a coangler my friend the boater caught a 9.27 lber. As I watch him fight he looks back and say "WHAT THE HECK YOU WAITING ON? GET THE d**n NET" ? Up until that day I never used nets but it is something I will never forget. Tournament fishing is fun, especially team tournaments. Hope yours made some memories as well. They are worth more than the payouts. 1 Quote
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