Tournaments

[LubbockFisher]

Do you guys go for your limit first or just the bigones and why. Thanks much

[aikenyounggun]

ok here is my thing..... my local club where no money is one the line (all goes to the church) there is 5 bonus points to a limit..... and when it starts at 100 and every place in minus one point 5 points is a lot..... so last year i caught a lot of limits and won the AOY

now that my dad and i are fishin FOM..... we go for 5 big fish...... this didnt work out our first one and we ended up throwin a shaky head for a while to cathc our limit (it was a tough day)..... we do this b/c you can catch a limit and not be rewarded with the money

[bamabassman]

i just TRY to catch a bass,hahahahahahahaha. i don't go for any "certain" size if that is what you mean. i go for the bass period. yes i try to catch a huge one, i think that is why we all fish in general. i don't fish tournies, i fish for food and fun (no comments on the fact that i eat bass,ok?). if i catch a bass at all i am having fun. if i DON'T catch a bass i am having fun. i just LOVE to bass fish in general.

[Jigger]

I'm fishing for 5 to 7 quality bites in an 8 hour day. Usually fishing big fish baits. Jigs, big spinnerbaits, buzzbaits or big plastics (10" worms or big lizards or maybe a big flippin' style tube). I'm fishing for first place and the big bass pot.

If you're fishing a buddy tournament, it's often a good idea to have your partner fishing smaller baits to pick up a few small keepers though. But that's not my style.

[flfireman]

5 fish, legal size. Then start worrying about bigger fish.

[jasonfish320]

Five fish is always the first concern, atleast in my boat, once (or sometimes if) I have my five I move out to flats, creeks, deep-water looking for a kicker fish....Tournaments are very time restrictive and trust me 8 hours seems like 1 when you're in a tourney

I usually start out fishing the top of the water column, then middle, then deep....I also move from shallow to deep, and look for humps, flats or other potential areas that are known to hold fish...I fish fast and furious, I am always on the move and rarely stay in one area for more than 20mins. at a time

[aikenyounggun]

now im not someone who moves a lot.... if im on fish im gonna stay there till i got my limit...... then if they a bunch of dinks i goin kicker fish huntin.... but yeah in big tournaments 7 or 8 bites

[swimbaitkid]

Sometimes, I'll win tournaments because I have 2-3 fish that weigh more than a limit of small fish, and it has cost me fishing the big bites when I should have a put the jig down(I do catch small fish on a jig)

[carolina-rig-01]

to me it has a lot to do with the weather fronts that have been moving through or are going to moving through shortly after tourney day, and it also depends on the time of year and how well the fish are biting. if fronts have been moving through, or the fish aren't biting too good i will go for a limit first. this is because at times just having a limit is worth a lot. but if the fish are biting well and fronts have been moving through and have the fish turned on then i generally go for big fish all day. there have been a lot of tourneys where this has really bit me in the butt but the payoff can be big too. also one more thing that determines how i attack a tourney is how familiar i am with the lake and how many places i have. if i don't have very many spots then i usually just fish them out and if it goes well i run around looking for more spots just like them, if it doens't go well at my spots then i just back up 10 and punt.

[LubbockFisher]

Ok. Heres my situation. I fish a nice sized club here in Lubbock ( about 50 each tourny). Top eight in points go to state tourny. I have in the past years fished for limits to get the points. Im always around 5-10 in points at the end of the year. I have yet to win a tourny. Third was my highest. Problem> Top three cash checks. Now spending 3-4 grand a year to maybe get top 8 and go to state tourny does not pay well. But im afraid ill go down in points fishing for the win. Most guys that win here win one then get 30th next one. I usally never finish below about 15th in each tourny. I guess Ill just have to decide if winning the money or going to state tourny is more important. Lakes we fish> Amistad 2 times a year Alen Henry 3 times O H Ivie 2 times Hubbard and Oak creek and Brownwood ussally round out the feild. Thanks for all your help and Opinions.

[carolina-rig-01]

my advice would be pre-fish very hard for a day or 2 right before the tourney. if you get on big fish then i say as long as the weather doesn't screw it up you should go for 5 big ones. if you have trouble getting on big fish then i say that is when you should just go get 5 keepers, and if you have time after filling a limit then go looking for big fish.

[BassAddict]

I agree with C-rig... if I'm on some quality fish then I'll try to stick with them and get 5 bites. Otherwise I'm fishing for a limit and then looking for a kicker!

[OrygunBasser]

Originally Posted by Jigger

I'm fishing for 5 to 7 quality bites in an 8 hour day. Usually fishing big fish baits. Jigs, big spinnerbaits, buzzbaits or big plastics (10" worms or big lizards or maybe a big flippin' style tube). I'm fishing for first place and the big bass pot.

If you're fishing a buddy tournament, it's often a good idea to have your partner fishing smaller baits to pick up a few small keepers though. But that's not my style.

I think that this will be my stratagy this year as the one and only tournament I fish is a team tournament. My partner is a novice and really doesn't have the jig thing down yet, but he is good with a Brush hog or Senko!