Hey everyone,

  I am new to posting on the board(been a reader for a long time) so I think it'd only be fair for me to start w/ my story.  I am a 20 year old tech school grad, and I am the proud owner of a lifetime sportsman license in the great state of TN(All i got for my 12th birthday).  I grew up in a tree stand and on a boat for the most part.  My dad is your poster outdoorsman with one set back, he refuses to bass fish. For the past 4 years or so I have been very interested in bass fishing but no matter what I could not get him to go with me, at all.  If its not crappie fishing, or noodling he wants nothing to do w/ it.  So I do what any aspiring bass fisherman would do , and I went out and bought myself a 14ft jon boat w/ an 8 horse johnson behind it and took myself bass fishing.  I fished and fished and fished and caught nothing.  So i then turn to the internet and its humongous wealth of knowledge and slowly but surely over these 4 years I have taught myself to consistantly catch bass, not usually very big bass but I always catch fish.  Now that Ive graduated tech school, got myself a good job I bought myself a REAL bass boat(felt great b.t.w), a 2004 Pro Craft Pro 175.  I have since been on the water nearly as many hours a week as I have been at work.  I have been invited to fish a tournament  this sunday on fairly unfamiliar waters, I have maps but have not been there in the last couple years.  My question for you experienced guys out there is what am I to expect from this tournament, and what is going to be the best way for me to find fish in these rough conditions (85 degree water), in unfamiliar waters?  Is there anything in particular I need to know about how a tournament will work from start to finish?  These are just a few of my unanswered questions, but moreso than anything I wanted to introduce myself to everyone here and thank you all for the wealth of knowledge that has been passed to me since I have been viewing this board.  Thanks in advance for any advice you all may have for me.

Be on time and just fish the very same as any other day. Nothing has changed with the fish so if your trolling motor would be on 20% at home it's the same today.

Garnet

Welcome to the forum

Fish your strengths.

Tune out the other boats

Tune out any dock talk

Cover water until you get bit. then fish it carefully

That's about all I can help you with due to the limited information you give . Good luck

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Start out using your search baits to cover a lot of water plus use your f.f. to look for structure.

Welcome aboard!

And Good Luck! I hope you have fun and do well.

8-)

Good luck.

As is my custom, I would suggest looking into bass club fishing.  It's not for everyone, but it can help with the learning process.  You can learn more in one year from people that have been fishing for 20 plus years than you can by fishing by yourself for 5 years.

For your tournament, I would suggest to keep your bait in the water and don't spend a lot of time riding around the lake from spot to spot.  I would just block off one small section of the lake and concentrate on figuring out fish in that area.  I would probably concentrate on shallow water early and then move on to deep structure as it warmed up.

Good luck.