Why do I suck in Tournaments

[Mike L]

I started tournament fishing about 15yrs ago, all as a co angler. 
After a few years with limited success I “graduated” to regional and then National trails where I really had to up my game. 

 

I’ve had great success at times and others not so much.

I’m fortunate to accumulate some sponsors both local and a few National retail outlets which help but I still have to produce.
But as a co angler my options are limited. 

I have to go where the boater wanted which forced me to expand my horizons and learn on the fly. 
It’s humbling at times but also the best education I could have. 

You got great advice.
I would heed what was posted but at the same time I would advise you to stop and evaluate everything you’ve done. 
From your past decisions on how to “read” the water to the equipment you use. 

I can tell you to slow down, finesse fish first to get a limit early, go big girl hunting early then go fill out your limit. Etc etc

 

The best advice I can give you is to go back to the beginning. 
Take the pressure to succeed off yourself and redirect everything you do to find your niche. 
What do you do best?

Where does your most confidence lay?

Think about your next cast, your next move, your bait and rig choice’s. 
 

Be ready to Improvise, Overcome and Adapt to what the fish are telling you. 
Listen to them and do what they’re telling you, not what you what from them. 

It’ll come back as long as your commitment doesn’t wane. 

 

Best of luck to you moving forward 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

 

 

 

[RHuff]

When you guys have a particular stretch of bank or a particular ledge or spot and you are going to fish it in a tournament how fast do you fish it? How many casts do you make at each target before you move on to the next one? 

[WRB]

Fish where you were successful pre fishing. Most tournament anglers don’t stick bass during ore fishing.

You can use tiny cubing to cover the hook point to prevent hooking bass.

You want to knot the bass are there and how deep they active.

Todays bass anglers have live Scope and FSS to “see” the fish react to lures, eliminates the unknown factor.

If you have confidence in the area, the spot or structure  it’s game of when to holdem or when to foldem, gut decision.

Tom

[Scott804]

On 6/23/2023 at 8:59 AM, RHuff said:

When you guys have a particular stretch of bank or a particular ledge or spot and you are going to fish it in a tournament how fast do you fish it? How many casts do you make at each target before you move on to the next one? 

Late to this thread but I wanted to tack something on anyways. It all depends on the day & what I find. It sounds to me like you haven't figured out your own style yet. There is no "right" way to fish. The game is all about making the right decisions and adjustments. How your day goes basically all depends on the thousands of little choices you make throughout it, so the more good ones you make the better. If you are fishing an entire trail/club/series then inevitably you will be put out of your comfort zone and those tournaments will be difficult, but if you are just picking out tournaments to fish then fish one somewhere you are familiar with and fish an area you like and go from there to build some confidence. 

 

When you practice for a tournament, don't go looking for bites specifically. Look for ideas and options. Does the grass look good? What does the water color look like? Just poke around at stuff and try to piece the puzzle together a little. Don't rely on your practice and especially don't die with it. A lot of guys can only practice a week out so by the time its time to go most things have changed, but putting your eyes on the water is important. If you can fish close to the event you need to be a little cautious about what you go and hook. Shake some off if you gotta. If I hook two decent fish for what the winning bag should be then I will leave them alone entirely in that area. (another important thing to figure out, it is nice to know what weight you should need to win on a normal day)

Don't go in with preconceived notions about what they "should" be biting. Most of the time I "solve" my pattern day of. If the fish you found are gone and you are sure, throw it out the window. Fish free. 

 

Generally I only plan out my starting spot. From there it can go anywhere, whether that be carving out a smaller section and working that all day to finding something really specific like "they are stacked on the shaded side of the isolated cypress trees near the channel" and I will go run every spot like that and pick fish off of each one until I cannot find anymore, and then I might run it again. Some days to win you gotta grind out one stretch all day if it has fish. Some days you can roll down the bank when you have them patterned and make 1-3 cast at every laydown and do great. There ain't no rules, it's fishin! 

 

Time on the water is everything! As much time as possible and you'll be far better for it. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want to pick my brain about anything. 

[Darth-Baiter]

i dont have the Moxie to do tournements.  

 

you got me there, OP.  stay the course.  i truly believe showing up is 80% of the battle in this case. 

 

fun story.  i once met an equipment operator.  he had the baddest-A Ranger bass boat in his barn. he told me he was a tournement fisherman.  i was..."whoa!!".  we went fishing and he was awful.  i was accidentally out fishing him, with my junk equipment.  i ask, "hey, what gives?  i thought you were a bass tournement guy"

 

"oh, i didnt say i was a good one"  hahahhah..   that dude was BAAAADDD.  he was not even good on a trolling motor.  

[Captain Phil]

You are getting some great advice in these posts. I fished my first bass tournament nearly 50 years ago.  Before I fished that tournament, I thought I was a great bass angler.  I discovered I wasn't even close to the winners of that tournament.  Tournament fishing provides a great opportunity to learn from others who have already learned what you want to know.  When you first start out fishing tournaments, you should approach them as a learning experience.  Fishing as a co-angler is great advice.   Put your ego on the shelf, don't talk about yourself and don't beat yourself up when you don't do well.  You are there to learn new things, not do what you think you should do.  There will be plenty of time for winning. 

 

  

[gim]

To you tournament anglers, just wondering.  Do you generally find that a better strategy is to:

1) Fill a legal limit as quickly as possible and then try to upgrade, or

2) Immediately fish for big bites and bigger fish

 

Obviously a limit of smaller but legal fish is better than nothing, but targeting plus sized fish is more difficult.  Maybe its the risk vs reward strategy.

 

I do not fish in organized bass tournaments.  I fish in a couple of contests against 1 or 2 other boats twice a year on a local lake, and one of those is tomorrow morning for 4 hours.  The losing team is required to buy lunch and beer at a restaurant afterwards so I am hoping the beer goes down smooth, not sour.

[Captain Phil]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

To you tournament anglers, just wondering.  Do you generally find that a better strategy is to:

1) Fill a legal limit as quickly as possible and then try to upgrade, or

2) Immediately fish for big bites and bigger fish

 

Obviously a limit of smaller but legal fish is better than nothing, but targeting plus sized fish is more difficult.  Maybe its the risk vs reward strategy.

 

I do not fish in organized bass tournaments.  I fish in a couple of contests against 1 or 2 other boats twice a year on a local lake, and one of those is tomorrow morning for 4 hours.  The losing team is required to buy lunch and beer at a restaurant afterwards so I am hoping the beer goes down smooth, not sour.

 

Depends.  I believe it's a good idea to go for a limit before you hunt large fish.  This doesn't always work, but it's a good plan nevertheless.   Obviously your tactics will be different on your backyard waters than on water that is new to you.  The secret (if there is one) to tournament success is prefishing.   I once won a tournament with three small fish.  I prefished 40 hours to find those fish.  Learning how to prefish is just as important as learning to win.  The fact is they go together hand in hand.  With all the fishing pressure these days, it pays to find fish where others aren't fishing.   This may mean a long run or it may be right at the boat ramp.   Most anglers keep fishing the same spots everyone else is fishing.  Find your own fish and you will be on the right road to success.

[Tennessee Boy]

16 hours ago, gimruis said:

To you tournament anglers, just wondering.  Do you generally find that a better strategy is to:

1) Fill a legal limit as quickly as possible and then try to upgrade, or

2) Immediately fish for big bites and bigger fish

I always had a goal weight in mind for the tournament.   That depends on many factors.   How many boats are in the tournament and how many positions are they paying.  What is the lake capable of producing.  What is my confidence level going in.   Is the tournament part of a trail that I’m competing in.  Most importantly,  how did pre fishing go.  I’ve gone in thinking it would take 20 lbs to win and I could do it.  In that case it’s a waste of time to catch a limit of small ones first.   Other tournaments I’ve gone in just hoping to weigh a few pounds to stay in the angler of the year race.   In those tournaments I usually just kept a Texas rig in the water as much as possible hoping for a few bites.

[813basstard]

Tournament Anglers Flow Chart:

1. Catch a fish.

2. Catch 5 fish.

3. One of those 5 be a big.

4. One be a giant, 4 good ones.

5. 3 better than good ones, 2 decent.

6. 5 giants by 10:30, put boat on trailer, drink beer until weigh in, ridicule and point at other anglers who struggled, all the while knowing with prize $ you’ll buy lures you don’t know how to use to arrive back at #1. 
 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

I dont fish tournaments.  I may one day just to see what that is about.

 

I know my goal would be simple. not come in LAST.  

[Scott804]

On 8/3/2023 at 1:12 PM, gimruis said:

To you tournament anglers, just wondering.  Do you generally find that a better strategy is to:

1) Fill a legal limit as quickly as possible and then try to upgrade, or

2) Immediately fish for big bites and bigger fish

 

I like to have 5 by 9. It puts you in a real good spot, especially if it is one of those tournaments where there is a morning bite window and the rest of the day sucks. But it is definitely case by case basis, some fisheries that is almost definitely not the consistent way to build a winning bag. 

[Lendiesel22]

What I normally see is pressure related. When 75 to 100 boats blast off and start running in same areas I have been catching fish they 100% know it. Logan may have seen this as well on the Potomac, Deep Creek lake, or lake Anna. 

[TnRiver46]

I know exactly why I suck in tournaments, which is why I only enter if a buddy asks and also pays ? 

[gim]

@TnRiver46 I'd like to inform you that I did in fact win the derby last Friday.  My friend and I took on another team and we won a free lunch and beers for our efforts.  Weights were not impressive at all and it was a tough bite.  We basically won with a limit of 2 pounders.  The other team had one bigger bass but the rest of their fish were dinks.  Beer tastes a lot better when its free.

[Scott804]

5 hours ago, Lendiesel22 said:

What I normally see is pressure related. When 75 to 100 boats blast off and start running in same areas I have been catching fish they 100% know it. Logan may have seen this as well on the Potomac, Deep Creek lake, or lake Anna. 

Potomac is the worst for pressure. Simply cannot get away from people there. 

[TnRiver46]

@gimruis, ?!!  

[Lendiesel22]

10 hours ago, Scott804 said:

Potomac is the worst for pressure. Simply cannot get away from people there. 

It can be very congested. I always look for my own but most areas are no secret. It's always about the spot on the spot