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!
