Thoughts and Ramblings - October 1997

Tournament Fishing - Scattershots

There's no central theme to this month's Thoughts and Ramblings. Just a compendium of, well, thoughts and ramblings.

Moving Into the Fall Season

As we move into October, the year for most weekend tournament trails is just finishing up, the water temperatures have begun to decline, and you really notice that the days have gotten shorter. While many sportsmen have put down their rods and reels and picked up a bow or gun, now is a prime time to be out on the water.

The tournament year for the BASS and FLW professional trails has started recently, and many other tournament organizations are hosting a couple of tournaments during the annual bass fall feeding fest. I'd suggest that you look around to find a tournament or two to enter during the fall. These often prove to be some of the most enjoyable (and productive) tournaments that you'll ever enter.

The fish will be active early in the fall and will readily hit fast moving or top water baits. If you search out concentrations of fish, you can often fill your livewell in a very short time. Look for schools of baitfish and be aware of the things going on in your environment. The bass will often show you where they are by chasing prey to (or on) the surface.

Sponsors

This is a great time to work on your sponsorships. While many of your fellow tournament anglers are wrapped up in hunting season, they're not thinking of fishing, tournaments, or their sponsors. Establish some contacts now and cultivate them over the next few months. Write letters, build your resume, work on a press kit. Seek out speaking engagements at shows and seminars that will be scheduled for late winter or early spring. You're competing with other guys who are also trying to make it as a tournament professional, so by starting early, you'll get the jump on them.

Look Around

With the advent of the fall season, water levels in many impoundments will begin to drop to winter pool levels. If you compete on these lakes during the year, now is a great time to find and document new structure, or to figure out why that "honey hole" that you used during the year held so many fish. You will probably be surprised at what you find. Often, areas that consistently hold fish have only subtle aspects that differentiate them from less productive areas. While the differences are often difficult to detect, by finding and understanding the differences, you'll be able to better evaluate water, locate fish and establish patterns in the future.

Take Someone Fishing

With the good fall fishing, the mild weather of early fall, and the drop off in tournaments, now is a great time to take someone fishing. If you're like me, there are plenty of folks during the spring and summer that would just like to go and do some fishing. Unfortunately, with pre-fishing and competition days taking up most fishing opportunities, it's a rare thing to go out for the fun of it, just to catch whatever may bite. Now is an opportune time to introduce a kid to the wonderful sport of angling. Many parents would like to take their kids fishing but don't really know how to start and will ask your assistance.

When taking kids out, strive to make the event enjoyable for them. One way you can do this is to ensure that the action is fast. "Catching" is much more fun than "fishing" to a child. Size is relatively unimportant as long as the activity level is high enough to keep their attention. Most kids would rather catch twenty small bream or white bass than one big bass. (I find that hard to understand also, but it's a fact.) Patience is a virtue when woking with kids, so plan on being as virtuous as you can get and expect little patience from them. If things are slow and the kids want to leave after only an hour or two, don't force the issue. It won't hurt to cut your trip short. (Especially when the trip is for their benefit anyhow.) The rewards of a successful trip for a parent and child are as satisfying as a tournament win.

Good luck in your tournament endeavors,
The Bassman

Thoughts and Ramblings - September 1997

Tournament Fishing - Keeping Costs Under Control

Even if you're not a pro, the following lesson is important if you want to keep Momma happy. For many tournament anglers, fishing is not just a fun activity, it is a business venture. As in any business, profit is the ultimate goal, and only comes when revenues exceed expenses. Very few anglers can consistently win enough money from tournament winnings alone to offset all expenses, and especially not if those expenses are uncontrolled.

Expenses

The expenses that a tournament angler incurs vary widely. The cost of rods, reels, lures and line is obvious, as are the costs for tournament entry fees and state fishing licenses. Transportation to and from tournament sites, lodging, food, gas and oil add up quickly. Depreciation of your boat, motor and trailer can be significant, as can the costs for maintenance and insurance. Many expenses are unavoidable, but some can be minimized or even eliminated entirely with a little bit of planning and/or work.

Sharing Expenses

One of the easiest ways to lower your expenses is to share them with someone else. If you're fishing a tournament trail, you'll often be competing against the same set of individuals at each event. Hotel bills can be cut in half just by sharing your room with another fisherman. If you choose your roommate carefully and wisely (and you should), your relationship will not only be beneficial financially, but you'll find it very easy to cooperate in other ways. You'll have another set of eyes keeping your equipment secure, you'll have a good source of lake information, and you'll have somebody else for company at dinner.

Many bass anglers have equipment problems or just aren't lucky enough to have their own boat. These guys would love to have the opportunity to fish, and will happily pay gas money for the privelege. If you're scouting a lake and are going alone, look around for a non-boater. They'll be happy to be there, and your expenses will be reduced. (As a bonus, you may even learn a thing or two from them.)

Sponsorships

For the professional angler, sponsorships are the most significant avenues that exist for cost reduction. While a few of the best anglers are able to realize income from their sponsorship relationships, most fishermen are able to reduce their expenses through "product" sponsors. A product sponsor will provide an amount of some product for a fisherman to use and promote. For example, a bait manufacturer will provide an amount of its product free of charge (or at a reduced price) for a fisherman to use during tournaments. The fisherman is expected to use and promote that product at every opportunity.

Sponsors are generally business organizations. They enter into sponsorships with anglers because of the things that the fishermen can do to improve the sponsor's bottom line. If you use sponsors, expect to provide as much as you can in return. You may be expected to work at outdoor/boat shows, to get articles published in outdoor magazines, or to make appearances at various venues.

If you have ever thought that sponsorships are like a free lunch to a winning angler, think again. Sponsorships require a significant amount of work that has little to do with tournament success. You must first convince the sponsor that you have something significant to offer, then you need to deliver on your promises. As a sponsored angler, you must always remember that you are a representative of the sponsor, and should conduct yourself at all times in a manner that puts your sponsor in a positive light. You should always be appropriately groomed and should work to be as personable and articulate as possible. To put these ideas into a different light, consider Hank Parker and Bill Dance. Neither of these men have won a tournament in many years, but they are two of the most sponsored fishermen anywhere. They're sponsored because they are good at promoting their sponsors.

While product sponsorships are the most common, you might be able to wrangle payment of your tournament entry fees or even a cash stipend. To do this, you must become a master at self promotion and a business wizard. Also, don't lock yourself in on just fishing equipment. Trucks, tires, batteries, sunglasses, drinks, mufflers, snack foods, and gasoline are all products that are currently sponsoring fishermen.

Conclusion

Thoughts and Ramblings - August 1997

Your Lake Map - An Essential Prefishing Tool

When you're tournament fishing, its not enough just to go catch fish. To be successful, you need to be able to consistently catch fish on strange waters. This is especially true if you participate in one of the many tournament trails that span a state, region, or the entire country. In these trails, each angler must compete on water that is generally unfamiliar and upon which he or she is able to spend little practice time prior to a tournament. Access to a quality topographic map is an essential tool to help you target structure that you want to fish.

The Topographic Map

A map that shows the elevation (above sea level) of the lake bottom and surrounding terrain is called a topographic map. Particular elevations are charted as lines, called contour lines, with the difference in the elevation of the lines called the contour interval. The smaller the contour interval, the more accurate and detailed the map. Most maps use a contour interval of five or ten feet.

Contour lines can tell you a lot about the configuration of the terrain in an area. Places like bluffs and river channels that are heavily sloped will have contour lines close together. Conversely, gently sloped terrain (flats) will have widely spaced contour lines. Areas of terrain like hills or humps will appear as a series of circles or ellipses. With a little practice, you can mentally picture the bottom of a body of water without ever being on the water.

Maps are widely available for major bodies of water. Most maps of man-made lakes were made from surveys that were performed prior to impoundment. Check out your local tackle retailer or look for "Maps" in your yellow pages. Atlantic Mapping (404) 426-5768 or Carto-Craft Maps (205)822-2103 are two popular producers of maps in the Southeastern U.S.

Map Reconnaissance

Prior to going to a strange lake, a study of the map will reveal prime areas for closer examination. This will help you to efficiently utilize your practice days. Likewise, once successful patterns are established, you can quickly locate areas with similar structure.

I should point out that the map is no replacement for time spent on the water. Maps may contain inaccuracies, and they're not perfect representations of a lake. Specific fish-holding areas are probably not visible given a five or ten foot contour interval. A map is just a tool to utilize in conjunction with your other fish locating activities.

On Water Map Use

Once you get onto the water, the map is a wonderful aid to learning how to run the lake. If you've ever gotten turned around or lost on a lake, a map is great for helping you find your way back to civilization. A map will also help to keep you in the main channel and away from shallow areas.

A map is great for recording notes about things that you discover on the water. Just keep a waterproof pen handy. If you do keep detailed notes, you need to be sure to take precautions to keep prying eyes from stealing information about your "honey holes".

Many maps are just made of regular paper and are not well suited for wet or windy conditions. Most companies produce the same maps on waterproof or water resistant papers. A waterproof map will cost a few dollars more, but will be significantly more durable and worth the investment.

Get yourself a good topographic map before your next fishing trip and learn how to use it. Not only will you understand more about your lake, you'll probably become a much more successful fisherman because of it.

Good luck in your tournament endeavors,
The Bassman

Thoughts and Ramblings - July 1997

Nighttime is the Right Time (for Big Bass)

For most fishermen, dark is either: a) when you get up to go fishing so you can be on the water at daybreak, or b) when you head for the house after a good day on the water. For some smart anglers, dark is when the fishing really gets good. One of my hardest lessons to learn was how to catch fish at night. Even though the lessons were difficult for me, what I finally was able to learn can help you catch lots of big fish on a consistent basis if you'll apply a few simple rules.

Understand the Environment

At night, it's dark, and most humans aren't used to doing things in the dark because we can't see. Our perception of the environment around us changes. If you'll understand that your perception is skewed and concentrate on not changing the mechanics of you fishing, you can still fish effectively at night.

Fish are not inhibited by our human senses and tend to be very active in the dark. While our world gets small and we get insecure, fish tend to have less worry about predation and will be less wary. The physical structure of a bass' eye is very different from that of a human. While our eyesight is severely hampered by the dark, bass have excellent night vision. While it seems counter-intuitive, dark colored lures are generally the most effective lures at night. Now, I'm not talking "sort of" dark, I'm talking black, black and red, black and blue, etc. At night on the water, black is beautiful.

Rule 1: Don't change your mechanics.

Rule 2: Fish dark colors.

Get the Right Equipment

Because humans are not particularly capable when fishing in complete darkness, there are some things that can give you an edge over the fish. Many fishermen used to (and some still do) use a lantern or white light on their boats to give them some amount of sight. The advent of flourescent lines (like Berkeley Tournament Grade) gave rise to the practice of mounting black lights on the side of the boat with the belief that the white light might spook some fish. (The white lights also tend to attract lots of bugs.) The black lights make the line practically shine in the darkness and are highly effective in allowing the angler to detect even the slightest twitch that signifies a bite.

Running the boat on plane can be a rather sporty proposition. Carrying a hand-held spotlight is a smart thing to do, but is difficult when driving a boat. Floating stuff is hard to see at night. A common practice in Alabama and Tennessee is to mount aircraft landing lights on the bow of the boat for use when navigating. These lights certainly light up the darkness and help to keep you navigating safely in a hands-free manner.

Rule 3: Get a black light and fish flourescent lines.

Rule 4: Carry a spotlight and be careful.

Fish Where the Fish Are

This next set of rules are open to debate, so I'll call them suggestions instead. I tend to be a shallow-water fisherman. Most of my fish are caught in less than 10 feet of water. You'll found that many fish will move into extremely shallow water (less than one or two feet) at night. If your lure hits on top of the fish, you'll spook most of them. If you can put your lure into water shallower than the fish, you'll stand a much better chance of getting a strike. This means that if a fish is right by the shore, you may need to put your bait onto the shore before starting your retrieve. Try it.

Fish will tend to scatter at night and can often be caught on flats. A spinnerbait is an excellent choice for this type of angling. I fish a black Hoppy's 3/8 ounce short arm spinnerbait with a single #4 1/2 anodized (black) Colorado blade. The bait is tipped by a black #11 Uncle Josh pork frog.

Suggestion 1: When fishing shallow, put your lure onto the bank

Suggestion 2: Try a spinnerbait at night.

Suggestion 3: A Hoppy's spinnerbait is a good choice.

Night fishing is a great way to catch fish and is a delightful way to escape the summer heat. Give it a try and I think you'll be pleased.

Good luck in your tournament endeavors,
The Bassman

Thoughts and Ramblings - June 1997

Ah, the Wisdom of Experience

During the years that I've been a tournament angler, I've actually learned a few lessons from the experiences that I've had on the water. As embarassing as some of these are, I thought that I'd share a couple of them with you in hopes that you don't do the same.

My Nickname "Spare Tire"

One of my first used boats came with just about everything but a spare tire. Not to worry, I bought a can of fix-a-flat (just in case) and set out for a club tournament on a distant lake. Just a few miles out of town, I stopped for a some fast food, and discovered the hiss from a leak in one of my trailer tires. Undaunted, I used the can of fix-a-flat and headed out. Just a few miles down the road, my tire went flat. Unperturbed, I borrowed another angler's spare with a similar bolt pattern. Unfortunately, his rim was cast aluminum (and used long lug nuts) while my rim was steel (and used regular - short lug nuts). I had one long lug nut that tightened without any problem. The short lug nuts I could get a wrench on just enough to get snug, but not real tight.

I felt stupid when the four short lug nuts got loose and spun off and the fifth lug got tired and broke on an Interstate at sixty five miles-per-hour. I felt stupider as my trailer put up a huge display of sparks as it drug on the ground as I wrestled the rig onto the shoulder. I felt even stupider when the loose wheel was run over by a semi. I felt even stupider when the remnants of borrowed spare severed the fuel line on the semi that evens out the fuel in the huge (just filled) saddle tanks and disabled the tractor trailer rig. Oh, by the way, when that fuel line is severed, the one hundred twenty or so gallons of fuel in the two tanks are going to drain onto the ground. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and I have managed to live with the name for a few years now.

LESSON 1: Have the right equipment for contingencies.

LESSON 2: If you are forced to jury rig, be real careful. Two half-assed fixes don't make up for the correct repair.

The Rules

Last year, I went to an all night, smallmouth-only buddy tournament with plenty of time to check in, get ready, and participate in the usual pre-tournament meeting. I didn't worry about the rules because they're always reiterated for everyone's benefit...except this time. When we checked in, we found out that the trail was trying something new for this tournament - blast off when you want, just don't start fishing until the legal start time. When we found this out, we hurried to put the boat in the water with the single aim to get to our favorite spot before the start time.

We dutifully waited for the legal start time and began to fish. It got really dark and the fish were active. Around midnight we had a couple of really nice smallies in the boat and I knew that we were going to contend for top honors in this contest. I asked my partner if the tournament limit was five or six fish. His reply of "I don't know" wasn't particularly reassuring there in the dark. "Well," I asked, "are you required to cull immediately on this trail?" This question was met with another response of ignorance.

Thoughts and Ramblings - May 1997

On the Weekend Tournament Trail

The focus of the April Thoughts and Ramblings was the role that confidence can play in your tournament success. This month we'll discuss other mental aspect of tournament fishing that can have a tremendous effect on whether you're a winner or just another angler. While almost all tournament anglers thrive on competition with the other tournament participants, the most successful tournament fishermen focus their attention not on the competition and other boats, but instead concentrate on the fish and the fishing.

Dirty Water

In nearly every tournament you fish, you'll be fishing in an area of the lake that has already been fished by someone else. (That someone may be your partner, a competitor in another boat, or just a fisherman.) This is known as fishing "dirty" or "used" water. Many inexperienced anglers believe that there are few fish to be caught in dirty water and will often mistakenly pack up and move to somewhere else. In truth, on any given day fishermen catch a relatively small percentage of the fish that inhabit an area. If an area has the right structure, cover, forage, and water conditions, chances are that large numbers of catchable fish will be moving in and out of the vicinity. A good angler will focus on the fish and fishing and work to locate and catch the remaining keepers in the area.

Try Something Different

When faced with used water, you may want to try to change something in your presentation to entice the fish with something different. This can be a change in lure color, bait size, modification of the retrieve or something equally subtle. Conversely, it can be something quite different like changing from a soft plastic bait to a top-water bait. Focus on the fish and the fishing and try to determine what the fish are keying on, not the other fishermen.

Respect Other Boats

One of the most difficult things for many competitive fishermen to do is to not let the presence of other boats affect their activities. It can be very frustrating when you've got some fish located in an area but find another boat already on your spot when you arrive. You should respect the other anglers, keep your distance, and let them fish the area unimpeded. If the area is large enough for you to fish without hindering the other anglers, go ahead and start fishing. If the area is small, go somewhere else until the other boat leaves. In any case, you should remain a respectful distance from the other boat and be courteous always. Focus on the fish and fishing. If the other fishermen become confrontational, you're probably too close. In this case you should apologize and either back off or pick up and go somewhere else.

Ignore Other Boats

When you're fishing an area and you spot a competitor coming in to fish near you, ignore them as long as they're not impeding your ability to fish (no matter how many of "your" fish that they catch). A cheerful greeting will get you a lot more respect than a confrontation. If they get too close, a friendly request for them to honor your space will often be sufficient for them to back off. If you become angry or agitated with the other anglers, you're not focusing on the fish and fishing.

Remember, focus on the fish and fishing. (Or in other words, "Fish hard and keep your lure in the water.") If you do, I promise that you'll catch more fish.

Good luck in your tournament endeavors,
The Bassman