Shoop05

It's cool. I am a very competitive person too, there are just times when I have to step back and breathe a little or else I start to get in my own way.

When I say "F" it, that doesn't mean I am screwing around all day. I just mean that I am going fishing. Trying to relax myself while catching fish. If I gave the impression that I am partying in the back of the boat with a keg, I didn't mean to. It's just a way of approaching it. Letting things come to me as opposed to forcing them.

I didn't say I fish them strictly for fun. I said I decided to have fun in the last one. I fish for the money. I didn't mean in my post that I started fishing tournaments for fun, I meant I started fishing in general for fun. You can be very serious and focused in a tournament but still enjoy it. Too many guys are trying to be "hard A$$es" out there and they end up miserable all day. Don't get me wrong, it's game on when that horn blows. I just meant that I actually enjoyed fishing my last tournament. Sorry if my post was misleading.

Good stuff. I had one last weekend and said, "F" it. I was a co angler and just went fishin. Smoked the boater. We had a good time just laughing and joking around. The water got incredibly nasty and we were giggling like school girls while crashing through waves all the way into the ramp. It was a tough day, but we managed some keepers, I caught a bunch of short fish, but did manage to bring a couple to the scales. Overall it was a really fun day. Made me remember why I do this in the first place.

When flippin' or pitchin' be sure to hit the "not so obvious" stuff. So many guys hit the great looking stuff as they should, but I have seen numerous times when bass are caught in an area where there was much better looking cover around. Also, stay sharp on every cast. Treat it like your last cast and make em' all count. At the end of the day you'll be mentally drained, but it's always worth it!

Hey guys, just wondered what is the most memorable experience you've had while fishing. This usually brings up some cool stories, I am interested in hearing them.

It sounds great to me. I will go with 4#. Up here by Lake Erie I could donate a lot hopefully.

I have pre fished, I guess I should crank it up a notch. Some of the tournaments are difficult to prefish much due to distance and my schedule. I know how important prefishing is, so I stress it when I can get to the lake and really dissect it. It's not like I am zeroing, but there are those days when it feels like every bite I get I am scratching out. Im just going to keep my head down and charging along. Keep working hard and hopefully things begin to fall better into place. Thanks guys

Hey guys, just kinda wondering, what do you guys do about tournament slumps? I am currently in one. I am catching bass, but not getting the finishes I would like. I have made some mistakes and lost a fish here and there, but it seems like the more I press, the more it happens. Anyways, any advice??? I have fished tournaments as both a boater and non boater, same results. Usually 1 fish out of the money, or a big bite away from winning. Thoughts?

I agree with Felix too. Id say do some research, and have a pretty good array of lures tied on that you have confidence in. Be able to cover different situations. If it's a pre draw tournament and you're a co angler, ask your boater what he plans to do vaguely. If he plans to fish horizontal baits, have some tied on, if he's going vertical flipping and pitching be ready for that. You should still carry a couple of both though, that way if he or she changes their mind and switches their technique, you won't be retying. Above all else, ENJOY IT! Good luck, let us know how you do!

I voted for the big uns'. Simply because I think tournaments. I love to catch bass, but give me a big sack of 5 with a chance of beating my personal best.

Hey guys, Just wondering, why did you all choose bass fishing? There's a ton of stuff out there to do, and I am interested in hearing why you do this and how you got hooked!

I like KVD, Ike, and Shaw Grigsby. However the guy I pull for the most is Dave Lefebre. He's from my neck of the woods, and he's helped me with different things when I ask. A genuinely nice guy. Ike for his passion, KVD for his methodical approach to everything, and Shaw Grigsby because when I first met him I was about 12 or 13, and he literally talked to me for almost 45 minutes. Really great memory!

I always throw back. Even if he got my plastic. An example I have is a team tournament, I had a hit and set the hook. Due to my neglect, my line broke. (That's why you should retie often!) My partner threw right back to the same spot, and BAM, hooked a bass. He got it to the boat and low and behold my bait and hook were in it's mouth. My hook hadn't penetrated but was sideways in it's mouth. We added it to the livewell, and I got my bait and hook back.

Great point there.

That's perfect!

I really think that if an angler can read and adjust to conditions and follow bass as they move will be better off. You can be versatile with only 4 or 5 baits if you learn to use them. If you gain confidence in soft plastics and spinnerbaits, being good with topwaters and a drop shot will complement you, and you can cover most scenarios. I really believe that if you can find bass, and where they are holding better than other guys, and find a way to get your lure to them, you will catch bass. My deal is I am not out to learn how to use 500 different baits. I just want to be well versed in some bottom, suspending, topwater, and vertical presentations. To sum it up, I focus more on where the fish are and how they move under different conditions. I want to find them before I catch them.

This is a pretty popular question around fishing groups. How many bites in a given situation do you like to have in order to start trying to pattern bass? I usually like 2 or 3. 3 gives me good confidence that Im on to something consistent, while 2 tells me Im headed in the right direction. How about you guys?

I used to be all about the limit first idea. You are right, a bunch of the tournaments I fish all that gets me is a good job and middle of the pack if not worse. Occasionally I would finish up at the top, even won a couple with just a limit, but those were really tough tournaments and not very often. Now I have begun fishing for 5 good bites. That doesn't necessarily mean I put on 12 inch lures, but two 4 pound bass go a long way towards big bass and overall weight. The only way I switch are if the big bites aren't happening and Im trying to scratch out some points.

Hey guys, most of us who fish up north are beginning our tournament seasons FINALLY!!! Good luck to everyone! Where do you guys start this year??? I start at Presque Isle Bay Lake Erie

Great! Good luck!

If you can get some time, Id search for a few other areas that could provide the same quality fish, if you can't find any, I agree with ww2farmer, just get in the merry go round, and let the chips fall where they may!

Someone once told me that you shouldn't make a jump to the next level (opens) until you are winning 80 percent of the tournaments you fish locally and finishing in the top 3 90 percent of the time. Once you can do that in regionals, then jump again. Im not saying that it can't be done, but in every tournament I fish I see a bunch of guys who were local "studs" who end up zeroing, or finishing out of the money. Nothing against you kid, but you have to develop thick skin. In all honesty, it shouldn't matter what people tell you. Get an education, then go pro. If you want it bad enough, and get some breaks along the way you'll get there. Just think of it this way, you can go out and "fish perfect". Catch every bite, never break off, stay efficient the entire tournament, then go to the weigh in and finish 88th. It happens. I just hope you can stand the ups and downs. When you come up against some of us though, don't expect a break. We pay our money like everyone else, and we'll take it like the rest of em'. Good luck to you, and I hope to see you out there!

Hey guys! Just wanted to hear what your goals are for 2013!!! My goals are to catch a PB smallie, anything over 5 pounds. Top 40 in Buckeye Division BFL points to qualify for regionals! How about you?

I fished my 1st tournament when I was 13. It was a buddy tournament in an electric motor only circuit. My partner was 14. It was cold, rainy/and snowing. I think water temperature was around 40. Real tough. We caught 3 as a team and I had 2 of them. We were a little discouraged coming back to the ramp without a limit. However, it was tough for everyone. We finished 3rd, just an ounce behind 2nd and less than a pound out of 1st. It was pretty cool, we got a little more than our entry fee back. Ive been fishing different tournaments ever since. I would've started earlier, but no one was really keen on a 10 or 11 year old fishing solo in a bass tournament. I happened to know most of the guys who fished the electric circuit trail, and had been running a boat with my dad and gpa for a long time. My dad pulled the boat to the lake, he went with his partner, and I went with mine. ( He actually won that day with his partner). It was a fun time though!