Tournament Preparation |
| It's your tournament day your really looking forward to a good days fishing, you get to the tournament and you see all the so cold "Big Names" there and you immediately start feeling intimidated by their presence. Getting to the weigh station after the days fishing you find out that you once again didn't do as well as you thought you did and yet again the "Big Name" is on the podium. What makes them so much better than what I am you might think??
Bass fishing is probably one of the fastest growing sport in South Africa and with it growing so fast the amount of pressure is increasing rapidly. There are several shortcuts that can give you the edge on other anglers so here are a few points you might want to consider before going to the next tournament to help you have a better chance of getting that long awaited podium finish. Understand Bass behaviorOn really need to understand bass to make sure that you can fill a limit on a regular basis. One of the most important factors when bass fishing is understanding what a bass does during different situations, and seasons. Things to consider when trying to understand bass is:
Don't get too carried away with the above mentioned it's just side factors but ALWAYS keep in mind the following 3 elements, bass needs it to survive!
By understanding these three variables and by using these 3 key elements related to some of the situations or conditions listed above should help you begin the preparation for the "Pre-Fishing" period of a Tournament and the start of putting a "Game-Plan" together Know the waterAlways try and get as much info you can about the venue, nowadays one can use Google Earth or Google Maps to get visual reference of what the dam looks like. In some cases you can get lucky and get a topo map of the dam which can be used to your advantage. By understanding how to read a map related to bass fishing you can just about "Pre-Fish" that body of water just by knowing the where to look for channels, drops offs, humps, shallow flats, points, structures, etc. By understanding the seasonal movements of bass, weather conditions and water temperatures, etc. you should be able to eliminate "dead" water and key in on the areas that would hold fish for the variables listed above. To fully understand the impact of these variables once need to spend as much time on the water as possible. It's also VERY important to use a log book for future reverence!  Loskopdam viewed in Google Earth Baits and Colors to considerProbably one of the easiest ways to learn what color baits and bait patterns work is to visit as many tackle shops in your area as possible. Why you might ask no not to send lots and lots of money like we all like to do but to look and see what baits and colors are being sold the most off the shelves. If you visit several of these shops you should be able to get a very good idea of what colors and baits to use based on the averages of all these different places combined. Please don't do this on the day of the competition rather try is when pre fishing. One thing to remember is that confidence is probably the best bait in your tackle box so don't be scared to try it! Remember to always try and match the available forage  Watch and learnsDid you ever fish a dam / river where you struggling to get fish and then only you notice you the only one in that area? One of the best ways to find fish is to observe where the "Big Names" is fishing. I'm not saying you have to follow then around for the day but rather key in on the areas they fishing, look for something that you can duplicate in your areas. Always keep your eyes and ears open, steeling with your eyes is not going to get you locked up. There are a lot of guys that likes to brag about that big fish the caught the week before and in most cases you can easily pickup the location of where and on what that fish was caught on what so be awake! Get a Game PlanAfter pre-fishing putt a game plan together for your Tournament and the most important part is to try and "STICK TO IT!" Try to cut out areas that's not holding fish out and only concentrate on the areas you feel will give you a very good chance of getting a good limit. Use areas that can give you a quick limit and then try and work your way up to a big bag. Also select an area where you won't have to run far between spots this will only waste valuable fishing time!  The 3 area's on the right was my main spots where as the spot on the left bottom was a backup spot GeneralMake sure that you ready for the tournament, go through your rods and make sure that they all ready the same goes for your boat. Make sure all your electronics are working so when you start nothing stands between you and the fish! Remember don't feel intimidated by the so called "Big Names", they also have to go through the same variables as you. Focus on what you need to do, don't sit and wonder how the rest of the field is doing. Once the comp is over and done it's always a very good idea to make notes and go fish it as soon as possible again to go and find out what you done wrong the week of the comp! Some of the pictures came from www.fishbase.com VX70 Discuss this article: Tournament Prep |