Tournament Fishing

[RobbyZ5001]

When I am fishing a tournament I usually go into it with 5 rods all rigged with what I think will work and also cover most depths and cover since I am a coangler. I usually will have a Jig, senko, T rig, Crankbait, Topwater. How often do you guys switch between say a Trig and a jig or something. I find myself switching like every few casts is this wrong?

[Tin]

 Prefishing will eliminate a lot of baits and such. As for changing, go into the tourney knowing where and what your boater is going to be fishing. Never go in unprepared.

 If I know that I will be fishing laydowns all day long, I wont think twice of having 8 rods on my deck and 6 of them have jigs tied on. If I know I'm gonna be running and gunning all day I will have 8 rods with 8 different baits tied on. Just go in with a game plan.  

[RobbyZ5001]

So on average of a given tournament not counting snap offs. How many times will you change a lure? You are a boater though so this will be off. Since you probably have 20+ rods on board.

[Tin]

Most amount of rods I will have on my boat is 10. Like I said I always go in with a game plan that suits what I'm comfortable fishing. So I don't change very much. Unless something has drastically changed since the time I prefished I wont change much. Prefishing is the best thing you can do. If I cannot prefish a lake chances are I will be power fishing and covering water with jigs, traps, and spinnerbaits, till I find an area or pattern. Then I will settle down and go from there.

Truthfully, I might change baits 2 or 3 times at the most if I change at all.

[RobbyZ5001]

Ah ok good advice. Do you have a FLW angler profile?

[Tin]

Can't say I do. Only FLW stuff I have done is the National Guard Junior World Championship, gone try to fish a BFL event or two in 2008.

[Sam]

Hey Robbie,

As a non-boater you are at a distinct disadvantage regarding your tackle.

First, there may not be enough space for 10 rods, your drinks, your lunch and snacks and your tackle bag.  So it is necessary to make some plans when you are a non-boater.

Here are my suggestions:

1.  Contact the boater and find out what he is going to throw. He will tell you a few of the rigs he will use but all of them.  Just be ready to throw a topwater, spinnerbait, crankbait, jig, Senko, wacky rig and shaky head.

2.  Take some extra reels along so you can change out line strength and if you get a bad baitcaster backlash.  Easier to change a reel than to put down a rod and reel which can get in the way.  Remember, the back of the boat has a smaller fishing platform than the front of the boat so storage of your rods and reels, etc. can be difficult.

3.  Do your homework on the body of water.  Check out the maps of the lake or river so you can have a basic understanding of the shoreline and depths.

4.  Ask for help from others on this forum.  You will recieve a lot of good advice from the guys who fish where the tournament will be held.

Please contact your boater so you can fish parallel with him.  For instance, if you want to pitch a Senko around docks and the boater wants to fish crankbaits, guess who is going to go fast by the docks? Guess who is at a distinct disadvantage if he is throwing a Senko as he goes by the docks?

So maybe you throw a crankbait or a spinnerbait since you will be going fast looking for the fish and hold off on the Senko until later in the day.

Being a non-boater can be frustrating but it is a learning experience.

Good luck and as always, let us know how you do.

[5bass]

Prefishing means nothing to a co-angler if the boater and the co-angler are not on the same page. The co-angler does one thing in practice, the boater does something else in practice and come tournament time, the boater goes with his plan 99% of the time.

Try to get in touch with your boater before the tournament. That is really the only thing you can do to ensure yourself of being on top of things when it starts. (unless you have a crystal ball or ESP)

[flippincrazy]

Ive fished as a co in the BFL the past two years and have done alright, but more importantly I've learned a lot. I used to switch between say a jig and a t-rig every few cast, but I think that hurt me. Stick with what your confident in and give it a chance. Also you have to follow the speed of the boater , if there spinnerbaiting or cranking you have to fish fast also. I think the best thing a co can do is stay positive, a couple fish can usually go along way on the co-angler side and practice casting, very accurate casting can catch fish some boaters may miss, stay focused, relax, and bump every piece of cover you can and the fish will come.

[HPBB]

In some tournaments you can't contact your boater, they draw the morning of the tournament. that makes it hard. I mainly go as a boater, but sometimes I do go as a rider. I try to pack my "goto Lures" the lures know I am good with. Also know what water you are going to fish is a good thing. Like up here we fish rivers and lakes, I know when I fish Lake I carry different stuff than river fishing. For example. If I am fishing a lake that has lots of laydown, weed beds. I will pack my flippinstick, however if I am going up to Lake Erie, the FS stays home

How often do I change lure? Well, that depends on the fish. there are day I use just one rod and one lure, but sometime the fish say no to your lure and it takes time to figure out what they want.  Let say your using a crank bait and they are just bumping it and not eating it. I know they are on this spot. so then I will change the size and color till I start catching them. Maybe 15-20 cast before I change or work the area with each lure. Lets also say I the fish are shallow so I am using a shallow diver, then the fish stop, but I know they are still there. I will change to a deeper diver, maybe even a deeper than that. if I hit them for a while and they stop. I'll try deeper and the shallower. till I find them. Also lets say I am flipping trees with a 4 inch tube and I am catching 2-2 1/2 pound fish. I get a limit and still catch the same size fish. I need bigger. so I will try another type of lure (Jig and pig) and see if I start catching bigger fish, if that doesn't work I may switch to a brush hog, or sweet beaver. Or maybe change everything and use a spinnerbaits.

Some days I may not change any, sometime change often let the fish tell you what they want

[Bass Hole]

Can't say I do. Only FLW stuff I have done is the National Guard Junior World Championship, gone try to fish a BFL event or two in 2008.

you don't becuse you fished the first JWC and thy wernt doing profiles on them then. But thy are now. Here's a link to your sisters.

http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/ap/bio.cfm?mid=296080

[Bass Hole]

Most amount of rods I will have on my boat is 10. Like I said I always go in with a game plan that suits what I'm comfortable fishing. So I don't change very much. Unless something has drastically changed since the time I prefished I wont change much. Prefishing is the best thing you can do. If I cannot prefish a lake chances are I will be power fishing and covering water with jigs, traps, and spinnerbaits, till I find an area or pattern. Then I will settle down and go from there.

Truthfully, I might change baits 2 or 3 times at the most if I change at all.

Mike It sounds like we thought you well.  

[Tin]

Can't say I do. Only FLW stuff I have done is the National Guard Junior World Championship, gone try to fish a BFL event or two in 2008.

you don't becuse you fished the first JWC and thy wernt doing profiles on them then. But thy are now. Here's a link to your sisters.

http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/ap/bio.cfm?mid=296080

Lol, I'm jealous.  >

[Bass Hole]

Can't say I do. Only FLW stuff I have done is the National Guard Junior World Championship, gone try to fish a BFL event or two in 2008.

you don't becuse you fished the first JWC and thy wernt doing profiles on them then. But thy are now. Here's a link to your sisters.

http://tbf.flwoutdoors.com/ap/bio.cfm?mid=296080

Lol, I'm jealous. >

I think you really might be.  ;D  LOL

[ga_hawghauler]

when going into a tourney I will have rods set up for certian things such a c-rig or jig, I also might have some set up for drop shot or finese setup. also will have  rods with either a crankbait or spinner bait tied on. I usually have and idea of the color choices before going. By having rod rigged in different ways I can switch tactics as the pattern changes. Wheter it is the fish, weather or the type structure i am fishing.