Secrets of the Bass Tournament Pros
Tips That Will Make You a Better Recreational Angler
By Jerry Curtis
Competitive fishing has made me a better angler. Yeah, tournaments generate some controversy, but I'm a better angler thanks to fishing hundreds of competitive angling events during the past 25 years. That's the simple truth, and I'm sticking to it.
Tournament angling demands efficiency. I participate in tournaments for the camaraderie, excitement, and thrill of competition. But as in any sport - whether it be triathlons, fantasy football, bodybuilding or tournament fishing - you'll research and practice more when you pay an up-front entry fee. It's human nature. Here are some tips I've learned from tournament fishing that will make you a better recreational angler.
Sight-reading. As soon as I know the location of my next fishing contest, I begin researching the water and the weather. You know the drill: lake maps, local bait shops, game and fish department web sites, the Internet. Via simple research from home, the average tournament angler has a remarkably firm grasp on a given body of water before he sees it. Musicians call this sight-reading. They're given a piece of sheet music and told to play it before a panel of judges after studying it for a whole 60 seconds. Talk about pressure! But tournament anglers approach an event the same way. The type of water -- river, lake, or reservoir -- is the clef. Contours and depth are the time signature. The Secchi reading (turbidity or murkiness of the water) is the key. Once you learn to recognize the similarities between different bodies of water, you'll find - like a piece of music - that you can apply a set of rules and techniques for specific types of waters. Like I said, efficiency is the name of the game.
Recreational "prefishing". Tournament prefishing allows me to search and build confidence before game day. Trolling and casting crankbaits is standard operating procedure. A recreational angler should approach a new lake the same way. Cover water and find fish. Use those electronics and that underwater camera to explore that structure you sight-read in the days prior to your trip. Then when you find that big, sweet rock atop a weed flat (what tournament guys call the "spot on a spot") mark it with GPS and a marker buoy to fish it thoroughly. Fish it later under different conditions. And use a black buoy. Other anglers tend to hone in on bright orange or yellow buoys. Go figure.
Soft presentations. Ever hang around a pool hall? Inevitably, a muscle-clad youngster will march in, start slamming the cue ball around the table, and maybe win a game or two. But hang around long enough, and an old-timer with the soft touch will send the punk running for home. Show me a boat with identical twins, one amateur and one pro, and I'll pick out the pro every time. It's the guy with the soft touch, who approaches the shallows quietly, speaks in a low voice, and deftly places his Texas rig in the right spot with barely a ripple. If everyone fished that way, the bass wouldn't have a chance.
Try new techniques. When flipping first hit the bassin' scene a decade ago, thanks to the proliferation of thick vegetation much of which was exotic, a few of us (including yours truly) stole a tournament or two because we were willing to fish the heavy vedge. Flipping remains one of my specialties because it's effective, plus I love the exciting, in-your-face action of this style. Be on the lookout for the next hot new phase of bass fishing. Maybe it's a deepwater technique, though given the power and toughness of the latest rods and superlines, I think we may see renewed emphasis on horsing lunker hawgs from the thick cabbage and lilies in 2004.
Keep it simple. Usually, a winning bass angler captures an event using the old standbys: Texas or Carolina rigging, bouncing a jig, wacky rigging, or crankbaits. Like any sport, understand and practice the fundamentals before focusing too much energy on the latest craze.
Try new lures. Yeah, this runs counter to the previous advice, but it gets back to remaining versatile. At every tournament, I bring one new lure. After a few casts, I'll know if it's a waste of time, but just bringing that "secret weapon" boosts my confidence. And you just never know! At a recent event, I brought a lure that I considered a "fisherman catcher" not a fish catcher. It tore the bass up!
Use good equipment. I'm not suggesting that you buy a truckload of top-of-the-line gear. But I'm amazed at how often an amateur will hoist one of my rods, then burst into surprise at how well it loads and allows precision casting. Once you understand the basics of fishing and start hitting the water regularly, invest in some quality rods and reels. Rig them with good line. I still like mono during the spring and early summer before the weeds get thick, then I switch to a new superline. Trust me, you will know where that extra money went.
Don't blab. It's the oldest fishing rule in the book: Don't give away your hot spots. Yet so many anglers ignore this one. Guess what? Top tournament pros follow this rule, and it's one reason they're successful. Go ahead and talk technique, and weather and water conditions. Just don't advertise prime spots.
Simple fundamentals -- they work for tourney pros, and they'll work for you, too!
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