Well the last tournament of the year for me was yesterday. This was my first full blown year of tournament fishing, and I wanted to recap some things here maybe for people who were like me last year. (Wanted to tournament fish, but did not pull the trigger)

 

10 different lakes this year. Only 1 I had previously fished, but never had caught 5 in the same trip. I started with an older, smaller boat that ran fantastic. Had some upgrades on it for sure, but was very small and tough to fish open water in the wind etc. I did upgrade the rig this year after the 3rd tournament because I knew I needed it, and wanted it. 

 

This year was a huge learning year for me. Especially with 9 new lakes to fish. The club I fish with are fantastic guys some old, some young, but all are out there because they love to fish, and I also think they need to get out of the house a bit lol. No one was a hard-ass competitor that everyone would call "That Guy".

 

I caught fish in every tournament but 1. That will happen. Did not let it bother me too much. Just tried to get better each time. It took until the last 3 tournaments of the year for me to be competitive with the guys. In the last 3, I placed 1st, 2nd, and 4th. It was not the new boat, it was not the conditions really. It was me putting together a plan based on what has worked for me, fishing my strengths, and making a plan and sticking to it.

 

For the guys who are thinking about getting in to tournament fishing. Do not worry about equipment. Fish as a non boater, or co-angler a few times to get an idea of what it is like. It is actually a bit more of a pain in the butt sometimes to be on the trolling motor all day, and cycling through spots, then just fishing. However, it is a bit more rewarding personally to do all of that, and do well. 

 

Try new things, because you will have to- I do not throw a lot of drop shots, or frogs. I had 5 blow ups yesterday in the pads, and it was awesome! I now have a new appreciation for frog fishing, and plan on getting some more frogs for the box! I was never that good at fishing grass. I would always get hung up with stuff, and it was frustrating. Now, when I see grass, I am excited.  I am a die hard chatterbait fisherman and being able to catch some on other things is fantastic. You can win a tournament on a Texas rigged worm, so sometimes simple is the way to go.

 

I believe I am sitting in like 8th place in the club out of 20ish. Not bad for the first year, and 9 new lakes. Next year the lakes will change, but I think I am going to try to pre-fish some of them prior. I made about $200 from winnings, which paid for club dues, and some snacks for the boat this year. 

 

Go fish a tournament if you are wondering what it is like, you may be surprised on how well you like it, and want to keep doing it for fun! Hope everyone is doing well as tournament season is winding down (especially in the north areas)!

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, InfantryMP said:

Well the last tournament of the year for me was yesterday. This was my first full blown year of tournament fishing, and I wanted to recap some things here maybe for people who were like me last year. (Wanted to tournament fish, but did not pull the trigger)

 

10 different lakes this year. Only 1 I had previously fished, but never had caught 5 in the same trip. I started with an older, smaller boat that ran fantastic. Had some upgrades on it for sure, but was very small and tough to fish open water in the wind etc. I did upgrade the rig this year after the 3rd tournament because I knew I needed it, and wanted it. 

 

This year was a huge learning year for me. Especially with 9 new lakes to fish. The club I fish with are fantastic guys some old, some young, but all are out there because they love to fish, and I also think they need to get out of the house a bit lol. No one was a hard-ass competitor that everyone would call "That Guy".

 

I caught fish in every tournament but 1. That will happen. Did not let it bother me too much. Just tried to get better each time. It took until the last 3 tournaments of the year for me to be competitive with the guys. In the last 3, I placed 1st, 2nd, and 4th. It was not the new boat, it was not the conditions really. It was me putting together a plan based on what has worked for me, fishing my strengths, and making a plan and sticking to it.

 

For the guys who are thinking about getting in to tournament fishing. Do not worry about equipment. Fish as a non boater, or co-angler a few times to get an idea of what it is like. It is actually a bit more of a pain in the butt sometimes to be on the trolling motor all day, and cycling through spots, then just fishing. However, it is a bit more rewarding personally to do all of that, and do well. 

 

Try new things, because you will have to- I do not throw a lot of drop shots, or frogs. I had 5 blow ups yesterday in the pads, and it was awesome! I now have a new appreciation for frog fishing, and plan on getting some more frogs for the box! I was never that good at fishing grass. I would always get hung up with stuff, and it was frustrating. Now, when I see grass, I am excited.  I am a die hard chatterbait fisherman and being able to catch some on other things is fantastic. You can win a tournament on a Texas rigged worm, so sometimes simple is the way to go.

 

I believe I am sitting in like 8th place in the club out of 20ish. Not bad for the first year, and 9 new lakes. Next year the lakes will change, but I think I am going to try to pre-fish some of them prior. I made about $200 from winnings, which paid for club dues, and some snacks for the boat this year. 

 

Go fish a tournament if you are wondering what it is like, you may be surprised on how well you like it, and want to keep doing it for fun! Hope everyone is doing well as tournament season is winding down (especially in the north areas)!

 

 

 

 

Glad to hear you had a good year and enjoyed yourself. Keep it up ? 

Congrats on a good season! I finished one tournament this year, it’s expensive ha ha. It was a team tourney, $250/boat. With my skill set it’s purely just handing over cash 

On 10/11/2021 at 11:43 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Congrats on a good season! I finished one tournament this year, it’s expensive ha ha. It was a team tourney, $250/boat. With my skill set it’s purely just handing over cash 

Every time I fish one its 100% chance of rain, thunder and lightning.