Fist tournament next weekend.... Nervous and very anxious!

[fishin' fool]

I have my very first tournament next saturday on a lake I actually worked at with the Iowa DNR for two years. I know this lake like the back of my hand, and have a very good idea where the fish will be positioned and what they will be doing.

For some reason I think when I get there next weekend I'm just going to flop on my face and forget everything I know about bass and bass fishing. I think its just the anxiety. I know it just for fun and all, but I feel this is the time to prove myself. My dream ever since I've been 12 is to become a professional bass fisherman, and now this could be the start of turning my dreams and goals into reality. I feel like this will be a very big stepping stone in my career of fishing.
Enough venting.. but I'm just curious about any little tips you guys and gals have that have fished tournaments. From ettiquet, fishing, culling fish, weighing in or just anything, its completley new to me.
Thanks for any tips or help and good fishin'!

[Bender]

Get everything ready the afternoon before. I always seem to end up at 1 or 2 A.M. still messing around when I have to get up at 5! No sleep isn't good.

Are you a boater or non?

[bamabassman]

relax.............just another day on da pond ok? soak it all in and let it out slowly. enjoy you day on the water. and remember........good luck.

[fishin spro]

just have fun. there is nothing like your first tournament. pay attention to what everyone else says about how they have done before and after the tournament. you can sometimes pick up very subtle hints that will help you out.

[Bassboss]

I don't fish 'em yet, but am gonna try to get into a club next year! One thing that you should do is first got for a limit! Once you have your limit, start using big fish baits, jigs, swimbaits, big worms, etc., to get your weight up there.

For example, if I know that the fish where on lay downs, than I would start out with say a baby brush hog, and flip them on the out side of the laydowns first, hopefully getting the majority of fish on it. Once i get a limit on the brush hog, I would go to jig and flip to the inside of the laydown where the bigger fish tent to be!

[Fishnngolfn]

Originally Posted by fishin' fool

I have my very first tournament next saturday on a lake I actually worked at with the Iowa DNR for two years. I know this lake like the back of my hand, and have a very good idea where the fish will be positioned and what they will be doing.

For some reason I think when I get there next weekend I'm just going to flop on my face and forget everything I know about bass and bass fishing. I think its just the anxiety. I know it just for fun and all, but I feel this is the time to prove myself. My dream ever since I've been 12 is to become a professional bass fisherman, and now this could be the start of turning my dreams and goals into reality. I feel like this will be a very big stepping stone in my career of fishing.
Enough venting.. but I'm just curious about any little tips you guys and gals have that have fished tournaments. From ettiquet, fishing, culling fish, weighing in or just anything, its completley new to me.
Thanks for any tips or help and good fishin'!

While this may be true, you don't need to pressure yourself so much. Relax and have fun. One of my favorite anglers is Chip Reese. He seems like he is having so much fun out there whether he catching fish or not.

[cassidyta]

Everyone already nailed it. Tourney fishing can be fun if you allow it to be. Otherwise there is no real reason to fish.

My best advice

1) Have a plan. Hopefully you or your partner have had a chance to prefish and as such develop a plan. If you didn't prefish then go off of your gut instinct.
Remember that plans are flexible and may need to be altered if the conditions don't match your plan.

2) Unless he is catching fish, don't mirror what your partner is doing. There is no reason for two fishermen in the smae boat to be using the smae technique until one of them is working. Time and time again I see two guys flipping the same baits without results.

3) You have more time than you think. I see too many people set a deadline on when they MUST have their limit. Just like rec fishing, you can limit out in just a few casts, so don't stress an hour of slow fishing. The first fish is always the toughest.


As far as etiquette:


If you are a backseater, remember that it is not your boat. You need to keep it cleaned while you are fishing. Don't just toss your old plastics or any other trash onto the deck to get later.

The guy in the boat gets the first cast at a spot. Do not cast to the front of the boat while he is fishing. If he is changing out lures, then ask if he minds if you toss to that spot.

If you don't have a weigh bag, either get one or ask your partner if he has an extra. You can get one for under $20. Same goes for a culling system. I use an old stringer, the type with clips. I just gut them off of the sting.

In my area, there is a launch fee at all of the lakes. It is about $8. Since I am a backseater, I always pay the launch fee. I figure that my partner has absorbed the cost of a boat and gas. Paying the launch fee is the least I can do.

[Fishnngolfn]

I have a question based on what cassy posted. If there are two angler's on a boat, do they combine their efforts or is it every man for himself come weigh in time?

[cassidyta]

It depends on the tourney format. I fish some where they are a team effort, but in my club, each man is for himself and the two anglers are competing against one another.

[bamabassman]

cass....that makes it bad for the back seater don't it?

[cassidyta]

Not always. The front seater can not cast to every spot on the water. It does mean that you will not always get a chance to fish your strengths, but you learn to adapt. I think that being a back seater forces you to be more rounded.

One of the best things is that you know what bait the fish don't want by the time you cast to that spot. If I am in a place where I know an 6" T-rigged worm is the way to go, I will toss a color opposite of the front seater.

[Jigger]

One of the main differences in tournament fishing as opposed to just fun fishing is that often when you're fun fishing you have the lake pretty much to yourself and you can "hot spot" a lot of different places at your leisure without a lot of competition. When you're tournament fishing and say, 20 or 30 boats blast off, you'll likely find someone else has already beat you to some of your hot spots. So, you need a plan, a backup plan and a plan to back that one up. You also have to learn when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. IE, do I stay in this spot or do I run up the lake? If you've got a good spot and you leave to rest it, it may be taken when you get back. Sometimes you have to fish defensively in tournaments by staying in a spot so no one else can take it. On the other hand you don't want to die in one spot. It's a judgment call that only experience brings.

I somewhat disagree with the poster above that says to listen to the "dock talk" before the tournament. I never do that. I consider anything said before blast off as purely BS. I don't consider it at all. I would never give someone a good tip before a tournament and I would not expect a competitor to give me one. On the other hand, after the tournament, some guys will help you, others wont. You just have to learn the ones who will.

ALWAYS, fish your strengths and what you know during a tournament. Try something new and experiment during practice, never during a tournament. Fish what YOU have confidence in, not what someone else has confidence in.

In the hot summer, I fish very fast from blast off to say, 10:30 or so during the peak feeding period. I'm looking for an agressive fish. After that I'll slow down and pick a place apart but when they're active, I'm moving.

Just a few tips, good luck, let us know how you did.

[dave]

I wasn't sure at first about opening this thread. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what a fist tournament was.

[riverfisher]

Get a good night's sleep, relax, fish what you know and have fun.What ever you do, do NOT eat Chinese Buffet the night before!!

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by riverfisher

Get a good night's sleep, relax, fish what you know and have fun.What ever you do, do NOT eat Chinese Buffet the night before!!

And lay off the Chorizo con Huevos breakfast burritos!

L6
PeeYess: Apply several drops of Beano(TM) to anything you eat that AM, even the Pop Tarts!

[fishin' fool]

Thanks guys for all of your advice! I will be the boater in this tourney, and a friend of mine is going to be the non-boater.

I have a pretty good idea what the fish will be doing, but am waiting for cool weather to really trigger them. Right now it seems they are stuck in transition because its still warm here. I'm going to scout and do a litttle prefishing monday night after work. I really just want to drive around and watch the sonar for shad and mark way points. I'll only wet a line for a bit. I'll keep you guys updated on my results! Thanks and good fishin!!

[wargoth]

I am just curious... what is a "fist tournament"? Is this a new format where one must punch the fish???

[Jigger]

Originally Posted by fishin' fool

I'm going to scout and do a litttle prefishing monday night after work.

Good idea but if your club blasts off at daylight, make sure you pre-fish in the morning also. The am and pm bite can be really different on some lakes. Also, if you get in an area holding the fish you're looking for, don't stick too many of them or show them your baits. Catch one or two to determine they're what you're looking for then get out. Some folks cut their hooks off when prefishing but I like to stick one or two good fish to make sure they're the quality I need to win.

Originally Posted by bamabassman

cass....that makes it bad for the back seater don't it?

I been fishing, both tourny and non-tourny, from the back of the boat and outfished my ol' man plenty of times!! It goes back to what was said about about always fishing two different baits until you find something that works. I mean, even down to the color even. Example, fishing the Ohio River is always very tough, so you just have to find what works on any given day. My Dad is flipping a t-rigged critter craw in watermelon seed, and I was throwing the slighty darker green pumpkin. I pitched to several spots my Dad has just thrown, and still caught fish that he "missed" (LoL).

That being said...good luck in your first tourny, and don't forget to go out and have fun!!!

[Cavs1123]

Originally Posted by wargoth

I am just curious... what is a "fist tournament"? Is this a new format where one must punch the fish???

rofl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fishin spro]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

cass....that makes it bad for the back seater don't it?

bama, our club fishes this way also, and it really just depends on what kind of boater you draw. if you draw someone who is willing to leave you some stuff to throw at, then it is pretty fair. but on the other hand, i have drawn people who will throw at every thing before they give you a chance at it, which can make it kind of tough.