Which partner would you pick?

[JHoss]

I'm looking towards next year's local tournament trail and debating which route to go as far as a partner. Curious to see who y'all would pick or if there's any factors you'd consider that I'm not. My number #1 priority is winning, but not wanting to throw my partner out of the boat mid-tournament is #2. 

 

Option 1 is the guy I've fished most of the last two years with. He's in his mid-30s and has 8-10 years of bass fishing experience, 5-6 years of which is kayak or jon boat tournaments. He has no other fishing experience before he got into bass fishing. He has a pretty good grasp on bass patterns, tackle, movement, etc but lacks some of the most basic fishing skills such as knowing cardinal directions and being able to use them to describe a spot or being conscious of noise on the water (I have to remind him not to slam hatch lids multiple times every day we fish together). He tends to get spun out when things don't go his way and I have to help keep him in the right head space on the water. A few events this year he contributed 0 fish to our limit and usually blamed this on being in the back of the boat. We don't really keep track of who's fish go to our limit, but I can confidently say that I carry the team far more often than he does. 

 

Option 2 is my dad. He's almost 70 and has been saltwater fishing his entire life. He has some freshwater experience, mostly from his youth and even did some guiding up north in his late teens. Overall, his bass fishing knowledge and experience is extremely limited, but his overall fishing knowledge and skill is quite good from all those years experience. I would certainly be doing a lot of teaching and decision making on his behalf. But, he's also more coachable. He's not experienced with a bait caster, which could limit some bait selections until he gets comfortable. One plus is that he is retired and once I got him coached up to a certain level, he could do some pre-fishing for the team when I'm working. He's always had a good attitude on the boat and I don't think he would be one to get spun out in a local tournament- he'll likely be happy to be fishing regardless of how we place.

 

Option 3 would be to fish solo. I did this the second half of the season after option 1 had life get in the way. There wasn't a drop in average finish without a partner, though there's a few events I think I could've won or finished higher if I had a partner (mostly shallow derbs where a second guy flipping should have resulted in a few more fish. My best overall finishes this year came in events where I fished alone or my partner left halfway through without landing a fish. 

 

 

 

 

[gim]

I'd vote for option 1 or 2.  They both seem like pretty reasonably-even choices.

 

I'm not saying you can't do well by yourself, but 2 lines is always better than one.

[wdp]

This is a no brainier for me. I’d pick my Dad no matter what, even if I didn’t think we could win. 
 

My dad has dementia bad now & I haven’t been able to fish with him for a decade. I miss it terribly!!! I’d do almost anything to be able to fish with him again. You & your Dad will have an opportunity to make many memories together that you’ll cherish the rest of your life. Plus, you say he’s coachable & sounds like a decent fisherman. You’ll prob be competitive enough with him in the boat to give you a shot at winning too. Even if you have to give him a few pointers or tell him what bait to try. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Based on what you've said,  I would definitely go with option 2.  I'm sure many here will disagree but the older I get the more I think bass fishing knowledge is overrated.  Your dad's experience will give him intuition and what I call "rod in hand" skills that are essential.  His lack of bass fishing experience will allow him to think out of the box.  Also,  when fishing with someone you know well,  you don't have to waste time being polite.  If you think their idea is dumb you can say so and discuss the issue without worrying about hurting their feelings.  

[Mike L]

You obviously have a problem and concerns with each choice. 
Regardless of the one you pick you’ll have regrets and 2nd guess yourself for a week if you don’t finish. 
 

So, based on what you listed and why, I’d just fish by myself. 
You know you the best 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Catt]

1 hour ago, wdp said:

This is a no brainier for me. I’d pick my Dad no matter what, even if I didn’t think we could win

 

I would give anything to fish one time with my Dad. 

[padlin]

27 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I would give anything to fish one time with my Dad. 

I’m with you guys, except it’d be with my brother. I’d even take sitting on the shore.

[Mobasser]

Id choose my dad.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

My dad doesn't really like to fish, this is a no brainer for me........what could be better than sharing the love of Bass fishing with you father!    

 

Results wouldn't matter nearly as much as getting to fish with my dad.   

 

[PourMyOwn]

Dad every time. Lost mine this summer and I'd give just about anything for one more memory.  

[gim]

Guys, the OP didn’t ask for everyday family advice. He specifically asked for advice when the number one priority was winning. Simply stating “time fishing fish dad” in your response is not very helpful without offering a reason why you think it would offer him the best chance to win.

 

I enjoy nearly every minute fishing with my Father too, but he doesn’t provide the best chance for me to win.

[Catt]

@gimruis Can't speak for anyone else but another day with my Dad is a win. 

 

From @JHoss comment his Dad has quite a bit of experience & is highly coachable. 

[Jigfishn10]

15 minutes ago, Catt said:

@gimruis Can't speak for anyone else but another day with my Dad is a win.  

I hope you do, I missed my window of opportunity and I’m kicking myself in the butt everyday! Good luck my friend …  

keep 

 

@wdp, mom and dad are in the same point in their lives as your dad. I can sympathize …  

 

Right now it’s my son.

[DogBone_384]

Dad, no questions.

[WRB]

My son I would give anything to fish with him.

Tom

[crypt]

DAD all day long..........you will never regret that....trust me.

[Tackleholic]

99% of the time I choose my Border Collie as the perfect partner.

[SC53]

Your dad.
And that’s from a guy who is in his early 70’s.
Being a saltwater fisherman it should be an easy transition to bass fishing. 

Almost all bass lures can be throw on spinning tackle, some better than baitcasters such as certain topwaters, flukes and finesse baits.  Just let him fish those while you try others on the bc until y’all figure something out.

And he won’t come with bad habits like #1 ( dropping lids, getting frustrated) .

 

[JHoss]

Appreciate everyone's feedback. I feel like I should've mentioned that I'm fortunate enough to spend a lot of quality time with my dad already. We fish saltwater and hunt together regularly on top of the normal family stuff. 

 

That being said, he'll likely get the nod this year. My wife reminded me how many times I came home from derbies and complained about option #1 this past year. Between that and doing OK without a partner, I'm probably best off to take the easy-going, coachable option and keep my expectations low from a production standpoint. If he contributes a fish or two to the stringer, that's a plus. 

 

Couple other things came to mind that go in the "Pros" column for the old man:

 

It would be nice having a second rod to "scratch the itch" when I think of something I should try, but don't want to put down what's currently in my hand. It's a lot easier to tell the novice which bait to throw and where than a guy who's been doing it a while and is set in his ways. 

 

He'll predominantly be sharing my gear which means less overall weight in the boat and less likely to duplicate techniques. One of my peeves with option 1 has been that he'll see me do well on a certain confidence technique, so he'll tie the exact same thing on and start fishing with that. 

 

I don't use FFS a ton, but when I had to use it last year, option 1 would get kind of whiny about him not being able to fish effectively. Dad is usually tickled to just watch this new fangled technology whether he has a rod in his hands or not.

 

 

Guess it's time to start sending him some articles and YouTube videos to learn some of the basics of seasonal patterns and what not. 

[WRB]

No it’s time you enjoy what time you have with your Dad.

Tom

[dodgeguy]

7 hours ago, SC53 said:

Your dad.
And that’s from a guy who is in his early 70’s.
Being a saltwater fisherman it should be an easy transition to bass fishing. 

Almost all bass lures can be throw on spinning tackle, some better than baitcasters such as certain topwaters, flukes and finesse baits.  Just let him fish those while you try others on the bc until y’all figure something out.

And he won’t come with bad habits like #1 ( dropping lids, getting frustrated) .

 

Agree 100 percent 

[r83srock]

I would always want to fish with my dad!

[T-Billy]

Easy decision. Dad for the win!!!

[Susky River Rat]

On 12/2/2024 at 1:36 PM, JHoss said:

He tends to get spun out when things don't go his way and I have to help keep him in the right head space on the water. A few events this year he contributed 0 fish to our limit and usually blamed this on being in the back of the boat

This right here is why I would not pick him. You do not need someone spinning out and playing guidance councilor to them.  You need someone who will not make excuses and always be contributing. 
 

On 12/2/2024 at 1:36 PM, JHoss said:

He's always had a good attitude on the boat and I don't think he would be one to get spun out in a local tournament

This and coach ability are the biggest reason why I would pick your dad.  I wouldn’t worry about him patterning the fish. You as the boater should be getting on the fish. Not saying his input isn’t valuable but, he needs to worry about fishing the spots you give him. 

[wdp]

@JHoss Hey, keep us posted on how the tournament season goes fishing with your Dad. I don’t think you’ll regret your decision & will have fun. And to be honest, I’m pretty jealous of this opportunity you’re getting to fish with your old man! 😁