Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 11/21/08: Bass Tournament Strategies Lesson 1.

Fishing for bass for fun is a great way to relax and get some fresh air. Even if you don't catch a thing just being outdoors with the peace and quiet of mother nature is usually all we need to forget last weeks ups and downs at home or work. Somehow all of this changes when fishing a bass tournament. Competitive fishing can often bring stress into an otherwise peaceful setting. The need to be on top often outweighs the need to relax. So if your are fishing a tournament don't expect to be relaxing too much or if you do don't expect a great finish in the standings.

Now that we have defined the distinction between "fishing for fun" and "fishing tournaments" let's look how we can develop a strategy to reduce that tournament stress by being more successful in catching fish. Here's some pointers:

1- Pre Fish when you can! If you have a tournament coming up you need to do your homework on that specific body of water. You'll need to locate the bass as well as find out what they are hitting. Pre fish as much as possible prior to the actual tournament.

2- Know your seasonal patterns for your locale. The north, south, east and west all have different seasonal patterns. The spawn in Florida can start as early as November or can be as late as March depending on the temperatures. In the north the season for spawning is usually much later such as end of May or even June. In the east and west it all depends on air temperatures but the spawn will be somewhere between these months. The summer and fall patterns also vary by region and using the predominate pattern for those seasons are very good in determining where to start your pre fishing to locate those fish.

3- Get a partner to help during pre fishing. A partner can help in finding out what the fish are feeding on by trying different lures than what you are trying. Sometimes even a different color can be tried by your partner which will really aid you on tournament day.

4- In one day events, minimize your running and gunning. This means limit the locations you are going to fish to maximize your fishing time. A lure not in the water will not have much of a chance in getting a fish to strike.

5- Prepare your tackle the night before the tournament. Oil those reels, tie on new line, sharpen those hooks and tie on your lures (except soft plastics). For your soft plastics, tie on your Texas or Carolina rig without the actual lure. This allows the lure to keep their packaged scent as well as prevent corrosion of your hooks due to high salt contents.

These are some basic tournament strategies that if followed can lead you to doing more tournament catching with less fishing!

Largemouth Herald