Being on top of your game!!!!

[1911crazy]

I'm into bass fishing really heavy the last few years and when I go fishing I block out all what is happening around me and mainly focus on what I'm doing "patterns and presentations is the key to success" and staying motivated. I read the water and see whats happening and chose my baits if its quiet with no action I throw a ritual of baits i start off with a panther martin inline slow reeled first, then a rapala, then a manns crankbait, then a mepps inline, then repeat reel/pause, then change size go smaller or larger what i'm getting is we are like a baseball pitcher we have to keep on changing up baits till something hits but we must stay focused and motivated and don't give up stay trying by changing presentations too with each bait "speed" is another key to the puzzle you just have to remember what you were doing when that fish hit so you can repeat it. Sometimes the slightest change in presentation will cause a strike. All these lures do work in the right situation if used correctly!!!!!!                                                      BigBill

We don't eat the exact same thing all the time??

[Skipper]

That's a good strategy for prefishing but a fast way to get behind in a tournament.  

When pre-fishing, I generally have 7 to 8 sticks handy rigged with various things, mostly without hooks.  Fishing fast to cover a lot of water in a short time.  On the other hand, come tournament day, If I have more than 4 rods on deck, you might as well figure I had a long day.  The winners usually have no more than 3 baits out.  I have found over the years that I fish better if I have a game plan from the start of the day.  Normally, the night before the tournament, I sit down with a pad and plan out what and where I intend to fish.  First I will select when where I am going to fish.  That involves pooling my prefishing data, past experience data, weather, lake level and generation schedules and maybe even a tip from a trusted source.

My schedule may look something like this:

1st stop:  Morning topwater time:  Uncle Joe's point  7:30 to 9 am

Alternate morning 1st stop:  Mouth of Beaver creek, long points.

2nd stop:  Mid morning spinnerbait/crank bait  Creek bed in front of Bass Creek camp site   9:00 to Noon

Alternate 2nd stop:  Back side of island in front of Rock Creek
Alternate 2nd stop:  Gravel bank in Flat Creek near big house.

Etc:

As you move up in the day, I pick out more alternates, simply for the fact that on tournament day by then, chances are pretty good there will be a boat already on one of them.  

For each stop, I generally have my lures planned out and tied on.  All I have to do is pull out the rods I plan to use there.

EX:

Stop 1:   Pop R on T-40AS with Chronarch
Fluke on Browning w-Left handed Ch
Buzz bait on SBII w ABU C4

Stop 2:  White on white willow blade  3600 ABU and SBII
White with red skirt ABU 3600 and SBII
Rattle Trap on CB AS w'ABU5500
Mann's 30+ on CB w' ABU5500 3.8:1 Gear

Etc:

Its not much different than a football team getting knocked out of their game plan.  If it doesn't work, you are probably not going to do well, but if it does, you are probably in the money.  The alternative is going with no idea what to do and no plan.  In that case, you are depending a whole lot more on luck.

Skipper

[1911crazy]

I posted this because I meet alot of fisherman who never catch anything on lures?? Its just matter of how to use them and picking the right one or just going thru a ritual(starting point) and using a few baits till something hits. I'm fishing from shore most places no boats are allowed at some no motors small ponds are the hottest because nobody fishes there. The only competition is myself each trip to do better and learn more. All these lures do work old stuff or new stuff its all good we just have to be flexable.
                                                                      BigBill

You don't need a boat to catch bass or be successful.

[Skipper]

Try this sometime when money's not on the line:

Take a lure, 1 kind really doesn't matter.  Say a Fluke for example.  Thats it, just 1 lure.  Take a rigging box where you could add weight or remove weight or modify the lure and fish it for about 6 or so hours.

I guarantee you will figure more ways to fish that 1 lure that will work than you think.  I know when flukes first came out, I like most people fished it like a floating worm, then I got to improvising.  Dye on the tail to add a little color, piece of a nail in the head to make it suspend at just the right depth, Carolina Rigged.

Skipper

[1911crazy]

This is funny you say "flukes" I seen Bob Dillow using Flukes last weekend with great success I just ordered super flukes in white and regular flukes in white also to try using them this spring. The only thing i regret the first two years of heavy bass fishing I was catching so many bass on crankbaits, topwater and inline spinners I didn't try to master anything else I was so busy catching fish it didn't matter which was a big mistake on my part we have to learn every pattern and presentation is to our advantage when fishing gets tough.  My bass fishing experience back in the 70's was just Creme worms 6" black split shot rigged. I bass fished twice a year. I trout fished only. I never caught anything on lures and hardley ever bass fished till one day 4 years ago I was reeling in a live nightcrawler and had a hit while it was moving. I tried a culprit 10" shad color worm with baitmate bass scent first I caught one pickerel then I put on a Mepps Anglia #3 silver/gray tail and caught three bass right away I thru a red/white w/gray tail to my son and I lost count how many bass we caught that night it was a frenzy for about an hour this was my first experience with lures. That night actually set the stage for my interest in bass fishing I was turned on for sure. One of the guys I worked with told me two more lures to get a Panther Martin spinfly and a rapala orginal floater 2 3/4" blue. I tried them and was so impressed it was time to start reading about bass fishing my quest for knowledge began. I watched every InFisherman and Bill Dance show from that day on and have even bought their VCR tapes and Kevin Van Dam spinnerbait tape to learn how to catch fish on spinnerbaits too. So crankbaits, inline spinners, minnowbaits, topwater poppers were under my belt but i kept on trying spinnerbaits every trip but finally figured it out too along with Jigs and grubs lastyear and this year I'm looking forward to try more new patterns and presentations the more we know the less chance of hitting a slump so to learn bass fishing its good to switch baits and try different stuff to learn while fishing like the guys say on InFisherman try all the stuff in your tacklebox till something works thats the fun of fishing!!!!!!! Just stay motivated and focused on what you are doing and you will catch fish!!  I fish 5 to 6 days a week now(when its warm) and bass fishing has to be the one of the most awesome things I have ever done. I love to fish the small places that most drive by and pass up and they seem to be the hottest to fish were no one has ever fished they are great spots to learn too.
                                                                     BigBill

What got me into bass fishing 4 years ago my son broke his leg doing motocross he got bored sitting around so we went fishing his leg in a cast and all the funny thing is he never liked fishing after that he loves fishing now. He girl friend loved fishing too that helps too. Know we all have been bass fishing ever since. Now that i'm retired early I have more time to fish too.

[Skipper]

I was reading an article in Bass Club Digest last night that was talking about tournament game plans.  In the article's case it discussed limit v's big fish game plans as the primary thing.  It did say a lot of things I thought interesting, and really stuff I always sort of knew.

When we go to fish a tournament, we generally have an idea on what it will take to get a check and win.  I guess experience and knowledge of who's fishing it leads to those conclusions for me, and from what I gathered, the other people they interviewed.  For example, you know by lake and time of year what you can expect out of a paticular lake to be a good day.  You also have to figure someone in the tournament field is going to have that "Good Day".  We usually go a bit further than that.  Most tournament fishermen know one another, and know one another's strengths and weaknesses.  For example in our group, I know Robert's a spinnerbait expert and Finley's a guru with a Carolina Rig.  If in practice, we have an idea that fish are going to come by riggin long points, I figure Finley's going to be in the top group, and with that tactic 5 fish should average 3.5 lb on lake X.  I know 1 tournament a few years ago that I place real good in, I caught most of my fish on spinnerbaits.  I figured going into weigh in that I didn't have enough to beat Robert since they were hitting spinnerbaits the way they were.  To say the least, I was shocked when I got to the weigh-in and learned Robert blanked.  I went over to him and asked what happened?  He said, I knew better.  I knew there would be fish caught on a spinner, but I had this hot tip, and to be honest didn't fish one early when the fish were biting before the front blew in.  So it goes.

Long and short:  There is no way that any bass fisherman even in the pro ranks can master every tactic.  Most of them will tell you they have 2 or so tactics that they are masters of, the rest they just know how to do, not much different from the rest of us.  The thing is, in a given group, everyone knows everyone else's strong suit.  Our group knows that I am very good fishing deep at night with big 10" worms, they also know I'm less than average flipping.  

Skipper

[ibfestus]

I have fished in somewhere near 300 bass tournaments and although I didn't win that many, I did learn a few things. 1) In a 1 day tournament the odds are a decision made on the water will make the difference in winning or loosing. 2)Never say never. 3)The big bass of the tournament will be caught between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.  4) Proficiency with a particular lure will not determine the winner. 5)It wasn't "too" for the winner.

Number 1) The winner of most every tournament did something that he hadn't planned or thought about.  It might be a decision as simple as a change in size or speed of lure or presentation but flexibility is essential.

Number 2) This is another way of saying don't rule anything out. For example, I've heard guys say "This hot weather sure has put 'em deep."  By doing that they have put an obstacle between them and the winnrs circle.

Number 3) I kept records for 20+ years of every big bass prise winner of every tournament I fished.  It is absolutely amazing how many of these fish were taken at lunch time.  Way too many tournament fishermen loose concentration about noon.

Number 4) No matter how good you are at one favorite technique, there's always somebody equal to or better than you.  It is the where and when part that wins tournaments.  Even a mediocre flipper can win if he is in the right place at the right time.  Don't get hung up on technique.

Number5) The one most important thing about tournament fishing is the "too" factor.  You can always come up with a reason NOT to win.  It's too hot, too cold, too deep, too shallow, too clear, too windy, too sunny, too early, too late, too calm, or too anything.  Remember it wasn't "too" for the winner!

[Skipper]

Those are 5 very valid points.

The mainest local tournament here each year, sponsored by a local marina is annually a 350+ boat tournament.  This means blastoff is in flights of usually 50 boats and even at that, blast off is by number.  Your weigh in time and blastoff time increases by 30 minutes each flight.  There is always a rush to try to register early to get in first flight.  Never in the history of that tournament has the winner came from first flight.  Fact is, most of the top 5 will be from 3 or 4th flight, and you are talking about leaving the dock an hour and a half after first light.  

I have also known people who won the tournament in the last hour.  One year, I ran across a boat that had 0 at 3:30.  At weigh in for him around 4:30 he had the winning string.  5 fish just over 15 lbs.

One other truth about a tournament, they don't red flag the event because of weather.  If a front moves in or moves out during the event, you had better be ready to go to plan B, and if it doesn't work, plan C.
Little minute changes may be enough.  Something as simple as changing the size of slip sinker on your worm.  I once had a night tournament where I was missing fish on worms right and left.  Train of thought was, I'm where the fish are, they are biting, so they like my bait but they aren't holding on.  What's wrong?  The answer happened to be going to the next size smaller weight.  

Skipper

[1911crazy]

I have fished in somewhere near 300 bass tournaments and although I didn't win that many, I did learn a few things. 1) In a 1 day tournament the odds are a decision made on the water will make the difference in winning or loosing. 2)Never say never. 3)The big bass of the tournament will be caught between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.  4) Proficiency with a particular lure will not determine the winner. 5)It wasn't "too" for the winner.

Number 1) The winner of most every tournament did something that he hadn't planned or thought about.  It might be a decision as simple as a change in size or speed of lure or presentation but flexibility is essential.

Number 2) This is another way of saying don't rule anything out. For example, I've heard guys say "This hot weather sure has put 'em deep."  By doing that they have put an obstacle between them and the winnrs circle.

Number 3) I kept records for 20+ years of every big bass prise winner of every tournament I fished.  It is absolutely amazing how many of these fish were taken at lunch time.  Way too many tournament fishermen loose concentration about noon.

Number 4) No matter how good you are at one favorite technique, there's always somebody equal to or better than you.  It is the where and when part that wins tournaments.  Even a mediocre flipper can win if he is in the right place at the right time.  Don't get hung up on technique.

Number5) The one most important thing about tournament fishing is the "too" factor.  You can always come up with a reason NOT to win.  It's too hot, too cold, too deep, too shallow, too clear, too windy, too sunny, too early, too late, too calm, or too anything.  Remember it wasn't "too" for the winner!

I have to say there is a guy(Fish Chris) who is fishing for a world record on the westcoast(california) and he swears by "noon fishing" he catches all big fish at noon. His website is "TrophyBassOnly.com" check this site out his picture section has some pretty big hogs. I have to say for the common fisherman fishing from shore its early mornings(dark to first light) and late evenings(6:30 to dark). My biggest bass so far is 9lbs caught at 5:00am in the shallows 3' of water and 2' off shore at first light on a Rebel Big Claw Crawfish lure in green. I have seen bigger bass but just haven't had the luck to get them to hit. The state record here in Connecticut is 12lb14oz I'm hoping this year I can beat that. At one place here I had a sunfish hooked and had a big bass like the biggest one I have ever seen chase it in but missed it. I can see big bass off in the distance maybe bigger than a state record I haven't been back there for a year now to hone my skills. The place is hidden in the woods and you have to hike there but if you don't know its there you can walk right by it, its hidden really good. I'll have to try the "NOON" thing when the weather breaks here. I think I'm good enough with most stuff now Topwater, Crankbaits, Minnowbaits, inline spinners, spinnerbaits, jigs some plastics like worms and grubs/lizzards. Its just a matter of throwing baits till something happens and using different presentations with the same bait till changing to something else this is what makes fishing "fishing" for sure(quote the guys at infisherman) being flexable, staying focused and staying motivated will bring you closer to success. To be on the top of your game knowing different patterns and presentations is the key to success and wether you catch fish or catch nothing is in your hands and up to you remember FOCUS and MOTIVATION!!!!!!           BigBill