Tournament Prefishing?

BPACA · 07-01-07, 10:25 PM

How beneficial has prefishing been in your tournaments....its funny but it just seems like people get some big ones in practice and then drop the ball in the tournaments all the time?

Seems to me like fish change so much that prefishin just lets yah test the waters....find maybe some spots but usually the fish will be hitting something different come tournament time.

BassAddict · 07-02-07, 08:23 AM

I'm going tomorrow to practice for a tournament I have on the 14th. My brother and I are going to fish a couple places we've never been before. There is going to be 2 other tournaments (BFL and a Federation tx) at the same time with ours and I'm guessing at least 250 boats on the river. We are going to try to find some out of the way stuff that not many people fish. The big thing for us right now is finding bigger fish. We shouldn't have a problem getting a limit but we need to find the bigger fish and that's one of our goals practicing tomorrow too.
I know what you mean about catching bigger fish in practice and not in the tournament. We did that on Kentucky lake a couple years ago. Caught 4 lbers all over the lake then couldn't catch but one on the second day of the tourney. Just how it goes sometime. Maybe one day I'll figure it out like KVD! LOL

Eric

JB · 07-02-07, 08:33 AM

We almost always used to pre fish if allowed, it gives you a huge boost in confidence, and if you can't figure out the pattern at least just cruising around gives you an idea of what other guys are doing...I always pay attention to the most sunburned guy out there, ya figure he's on fish every day of the week rofl.

bassthumb32 · 07-02-07, 09:08 AM

you have to go prefishing without it you have no idea what the bass are holding on what they are eating what depth. you know nothing except what they should be doing and remember bass dont read the same books we do. or like jb said you find the guy who knows the lake the best and see what he does. lol. but you have to prefish.

BPACA · 07-02-07, 08:51 PM

Yeah I need to get down there.....probably the 4th would be the best day cuz I don't want to sore mouth them too bad before the tournament.....

lizardsrule · 07-02-07, 09:27 PM

Do yourself a favor, and just catch a couple in a area, and move on. Remove hooks from cranks, cut off you points on your hooks. I can't tell you how many times I have been partnered with guys who tell me they were killing the bass, and huge bags, just 2, 3, 4 days ago. Then come tourney time can't figure out why the fish aren't biting or there rotfl. Don't soremouth where you want to fish, and don't allow people to think you are on fish there, they will overun it.

Lizards

bassthumb32 · 07-03-07, 07:50 AM

yeah the best time is the day before. you may be catching them in a grass bed one day and they are gone the next.

Fish2win · 07-06-07, 12:19 PM

I have fished Tx for 30 years and have come to this conclusion. If you fish the same lakes all the time year round practice fishing is not necessarily helpful and at time a disadvantage.
Now before you get irrate listen to my reasons.
I live in East tennessee. We fish the TVA Tennesee river lakes in the Knoxville area.These lakes go up and down seasonally.TVA pulls water at different times daily and the bass respond to the current created in the lake.There are 7 lakes we fish. During the summer months all our tx are at night. The bass are generally schooling and practice can be of some benefit for locateing the areas they are holding and in determining the bait color size or type.On some of our lakes the fish will be from 15 to 30 feet deep at night while at others they may venture to the more shallow areas.
I have kept a diary for the last 15 years and it has taught me that the same locations ,patterns and depths work about the same time every summer. Taking practice time to confirm the fish can be helpful.
During the spring and fall this goes out the window. In the spring the water level changes almost every day. The weather changes fast and the fish move often. If I practice and go to the Tx with a preset mind set it makes me 1 demensional. If the fish have changed as they often do in the spring then my practice time was wasted and deteremental.
In the fall the water is dropping fast. The upper lakes can have a 40 foot draw down in the fall. Again the fish are moving and in the late fall water temps and weather patterns once again come into play.
I have found that in the spring or fall I do much better by just going fishing the day of the TX and during the summer to practice. I know the lakes well and know the potenial patterns well.
Sorry to get so drawn out. Fish2win

zooker · 07-06-07, 03:52 PM

nah fishin you are right.. prefishing for a tourny is ok 2 weeks ahead of time.. as for a couple days nah.. what you need is to fish the body of water. find what baits /colors work best then you know what to use the where to use it is easier to figure out..

zooker

Fish2win · 07-07-07, 03:40 PM

I would be more interested in knowing if and where there was any colored water and what depth the fish were at as well as thermacline in the summer. Ridieng around with a good Graph and looking at the water andlake stage will tell you most of what you need to know.Fish2win

07-01-07, 10:25 PM	#1
BPACA BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 420	Tournament Prefishing? How beneficial has prefishing been in your tournaments....its funny but it just seems like people get some big ones in practice and then drop the ball in the tournaments all the time? Seems to me like fish change so much that prefishin just lets yah test the waters....find maybe some spots but usually the fish will be hitting something different come tournament time.

07-02-07, 09:08 AM	#4
bassthumb32 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fort Loudon, PA Posts: 682	you have to go prefishing without it you have no idea what the bass are holding on what they are eating what depth. you know nothing except what they should be doing and remember bass dont read the same books we do. or like jb said you find the guy who knows the lake the best and see what he does. lol. but you have to prefish. __________________ MY LIFETIME GOAL IS TO KEEP AT LEAST A SMALL CASE OF BASSTHUMB FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

07-02-07, 09:27 PM	#6
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	Do yourself a favor, and just catch a couple in a area, and move on. Remove hooks from cranks, cut off you points on your hooks. I can't tell you how many times I have been partnered with guys who tell me they were killing the bass, and huge bags, just 2, 3, 4 days ago. Then come tourney time can't figure out why the fish aren't biting or there rotfl. Don't soremouth where you want to fish, and don't allow people to think you are on fish there, they will overun it. Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too!

07-03-07, 07:50 AM	#7
bassthumb32 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fort Loudon, PA Posts: 682	yeah the best time is the day before. you may be catching them in a grass bed one day and they are gone the next. __________________ MY LIFETIME GOAL IS TO KEEP AT LEAST A SMALL CASE OF BASSTHUMB FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

07-06-07, 12:19 PM	#8
Fish2win BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Norris Tennessee Posts: 469	I have fished Tx for 30 years and have come to this conclusion. If you fish the same lakes all the time year round practice fishing is not necessarily helpful and at time a disadvantage. Now before you get irrate listen to my reasons. I live in East tennessee. We fish the TVA Tennesee river lakes in the Knoxville area.These lakes go up and down seasonally.TVA pulls water at different times daily and the bass respond to the current created in the lake.There are 7 lakes we fish. During the summer months all our tx are at night. The bass are generally schooling and practice can be of some benefit for locateing the areas they are holding and in determining the bait color size or type.On some of our lakes the fish will be from 15 to 30 feet deep at night while at others they may venture to the more shallow areas. I have kept a diary for the last 15 years and it has taught me that the same locations ,patterns and depths work about the same time every summer. Taking practice time to confirm the fish can be helpful. During the spring and fall this goes out the window. In the spring the water level changes almost every day. The weather changes fast and the fish move often. If I practice and go to the Tx with a preset mind set it makes me 1 demensional. If the fish have changed as they often do in the spring then my practice time was wasted and deteremental. In the fall the water is dropping fast. The upper lakes can have a 40 foot draw down in the fall. Again the fish are moving and in the late fall water temps and weather patterns once again come into play. I have found that in the spring or fall I do much better by just going fishing the day of the TX and during the summer to practice. I know the lakes well and know the potenial patterns well. Sorry to get so drawn out. Fish2win __________________ Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands.

07-02-07, 08:23 AM	#2
BassAddict BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Richmond, Virginia Posts: 805	I'm going tomorrow to practice for a tournament I have on the 14th. My brother and I are going to fish a couple places we've never been before. There is going to be 2 other tournaments (BFL and a Federation tx) at the same time with ours and I'm guessing at least 250 boats on the river. We are going to try to find some out of the way stuff that not many people fish. The big thing for us right now is finding bigger fish. We shouldn't have a problem getting a limit but we need to find the bigger fish and that's one of our goals practicing tomorrow too. I know what you mean about catching bigger fish in practice and not in the tournament. We did that on Kentucky lake a couple years ago. Caught 4 lbers all over the lake then couldn't catch but one on the second day of the tourney. Just how it goes sometime. Maybe one day I'll figure it out like KVD! LOL Eric

07-02-07, 08:33 AM	#3
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	We almost always used to pre fish if allowed, it gives you a huge boost in confidence, and if you can't figure out the pattern at least just cruising around gives you an idea of what other guys are doing...I always pay attention to the most sunburned guy out there, ya figure he's on fish every day of the week rofl.

07-02-07, 08:51 PM	#5
BPACA BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 420	Yeah I need to get down there.....probably the 4th would be the best day cuz I don't want to sore mouth them too bad before the tournament.....

07-06-07, 03:52 PM	#9
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	nah fishin you are right.. prefishing for a tourny is ok 2 weeks ahead of time.. as for a couple days nah.. what you need is to fish the body of water. find what baits /colors work best then you know what to use the where to use it is easier to figure out.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

07-07-07, 03:40 PM	#10
Fish2win BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Norris Tennessee Posts: 469	I would be more interested in knowing if and where there was any colored water and what depth the fish were at as well as thermacline in the summer. Ridieng around with a good Graph and looking at the water andlake stage will tell you most of what you need to know.Fish2win __________________ Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands.

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