Tournament Fishing 101

[oldhabits]

Tournament Fishing 101
Tournament fishing is a great way to learn from some of the best angler’s around. This doesn’t necessarily mean “Pro” angler either in many cases. Although, the Pro angler does have a knowledge base far greater than the average angler. Local anglers, specific lake Guides, and touring Pro’s often compete against each other in my home state of Minnesota. A quick Google search will provide you all of the tournaments you wish to research. On the walleye side, here in Minnesota you have the MTT, AIM, Full Throttle, and several local tournaments to fill your summer schedule. Many of the local tournaments are lower key, a little more cost effective, and are often tied to a specific fundraiser. One that I absolutely love is the Daniel Drevnick Hero’s at Home Tournament on the LeHomme Dieu Chain. Do not shy away from these types of tournaments! It is here as an angler you can cut so to speak in tournament angling. It is here that you can talk to tournament Pro’s, fishing guides, and soak up some pointers too. Pro angler’s like Jimmy Bell, Mike Lillemo, Walleye Dan, Zach Dagel, Scott St. Sauver, and Greg Clusiau to name a few. Several of these tournaments have HUGE payouts too! I have fished the City Auto Glass Walleye Classic on Lake Vermillion. As well as, Walleye Dan’s Fishing to End Hunger tournaments and they put up a whopping $10,000 payday to the winner!!!
If bass fishing is more your thing, there are lots of opportunities for those as well in Minnesota. Use your Google search and find a tournament series that works for you. Full Throttle and the Upper Midwest Bass Challenge are popular options in Central Minnesota. Many of these are area specific and do not require much travel expense.
Often over looked are spring Crappie tournaments. I start out my tournament fishing season fishing a local Crappie Tournament on Clearwater Lake that is hosted by BJ’s Resort & Bait. It’s a fun, low key way to kick off the season. There are some HUGE Crappie’s in Clearwater Lake, and it usually takes around 14lbs to Win (10 fish limit).
Pre-Fishing
With any tournament, the key to success is finding a pattern while pre-fishing. Anytime you can get out on a specific body of water is great, however realize, conditions change often. I don’t consider anything “pre-fishing” until 5-days before the tournament. Heck, sometimes specific patterns don’t develop until a day or two before your event.
One thing to consider with regards to pre-fishing is time. It does no good to catch fish in the evening hours, when most tournaments are usually in the neighborhood of 7am-4pm. You need to be fishing during “tournament hours” to figure out your game day plan. When pre-fishing, try not to overlook any specific method of fishing. You just might stumble on to a HOT pattern.
Once I find fish, I just want to catch a few of them to know what size I’m working with. I don’t want to sit on the fish and beat them up prior to my event.
A couple of strategies that have worked for me are consulting with a few trusted anglers that are fishing the tournament. While most often we do not share specific GPS coordinates, we do talk about patterns and areas we have caught fish in.
Another is splitting up with my tournament partner and pre-fishing at least once separately. We will then compare notes at the end of the day. Sometimes you just need a fresh look at things from another co-angler’s perspective. This is especially helpful on large bodies of water, or water you haven’t fished very often.

Finding a Pattern
What is a pattern you might ask? A pattern is something you can identify, and repeat on several similar spots on the body of water you are fishing. Walleye fishing for example: trolling a 2oz bottom bouncer, with a perch colored Northland Tackle crawler harness on a gravel/sand transition, tipped with a night crawler, going 1.4mph. Or trolling a #5 Salmo Hornet with 4 ½ colors of leadcore out on the edge of wind swept mud flats at 2.0mph. Do not overlook the small details when you are trying to establish a pattern. Something as small as a bead color, what #test line you are using, even the specific action of your rod can all make a big difference.
Keep notes! I have a little note pad I write down information in at the end of the day and I can look back on. The size of fish I caught, the location, the weather conditions, the wind direction, and the barometric pressure are key’s to your pattern. Yet, often are over looked.
Every spot I catch a fish on I try to mark with a waypoint on my locator. At the end of the day, I review these locations to see if there is a rhyme or reason I caught a fish there. Often times, it will reveal a subtle inside turn, underwater point, or pocket in the weeds. I will then look over the map to see if there are other similar spots I might have missed that I need to look at.
Organization
Be organized. I thought I was an organized angler until I spent the day pre-fishing with Pro Walleye angler Jimmy Bell last year. It is here I realized how super organized successful Pro anglers really are. Everything has its place. Everything is labeled for easy identification at a glance. During a tournament you need to maximize the time you are fishing. If your spinner fishing, have a few extra rigs tied up and ready on a Northland Tackle, Tackle Tamer. If it’s a crankbait bite, have a couple of the key colors you have caught fish on pre-fishing laid out and ready if you need to make a quick change.
Have a clippers, scissors, needle-nose pliers, net, and ruler all at the ready in know locations. It might sound simple, but I will tell you it’s often overlooked little details that cost you time.
Gear
Besides your favorite rods/reels, tackle, and US Coast Guard required items here are 5 things I always have in my boat.
1). A first aid kit that includes; hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and a wire cutter. You never know when you will put a hook through your hand or get a bad cut from something.
2). Spare boat fuses.
3). Quality rain gear. Weather conditions change and you need to be prepared.
4). If your fishing with minnows, invest in a high quality live bait bucket. I use the Frabill bait bucket with aerator. For leeches nothing is better than a leech tamer that uses Velcro to seal a mesh bag. You can put your leeches inside your live well then. This allows them to get tempered to the water and the mesh bag actually helps the leeches clean themselves. They will be lively and happy, trust me. If you’re using crawlers, a small cooler with ice will help keep them fresh for hours.
5). Spray on Bull Frog sunscreen in SPF30 or greater. Having had a skin cancer scare recently, it’s no joke. Protect your skin.
Tournament Time
Be courteous to your fellow tournament angler’s as well as the weekend angler’s you might find yourself fishing near. If you’re a tournament angler with company jersey and wrapped boat, and you’re a total jerk to someone on the water, it WILL get back to your sponsors. Conduct yourself as a professional both on and off the water.
Try not to change your routine just because it’s tournament day. Eat a good breakfast; pack a lunch and snacks because you will need the energy throughout the day. Stay hydrated with water or Gatorade.
Have a plan going into the tournament, and work your plan. Don’t worry about what other anglers are doing that you can see nearby. You have done your homework, be confident in it. If you find yourself struggling, sometimes an old hunch about how you caught fish another time can save the day. You are never out of it until you are required to be in—keep fishing.

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[Gunder2]

Excellent write up!

[0ly1]

[micorps]

I would add to always tie your own boat up at the dock at small tournaments. My boat has dock rash from being tied up to tight. Eventually i will get new paint on it as it bothers me everytime i see it.

[Author]

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