High Tech vs. Low Tech, my last tournament

[Catt]

Traditionally speaking August nights on Toledo Bend are balmy to hot with southerly winds 5 to 8 mph, clear skies, & temperatures in the upper 80s at night. This past week tempetures in the Dallas / Fort Worth area averaged 105 degrees with heat the index reaching 115. But this weekend was completely different with a northern front moving in on Friday, winds shifted north to northeast 15 to 20 with gust to 30.

Pat Miller and I arrived at the Sportsman's Marina & Caf é, checked into our room, and then made our way to the caf é for an early supper. The guys sitting across from us were discussing different high tech tactics of boats, tackle, and the like. One leaned our way asking if we were going to night fish, we shook our heads yes and continued to eat. I over heard words of needing more entries fees and us being easy marks, so the same guy asks if we would like to fish their club tournament. After finishing supper and ordering to go bags for later, we joined the others at their table. When they were through trying to pick our brains, we decided to meet them at the Six-Mile boat ramp. When we arrived at exactly 7:00, there were some very strange looks and mumbling under their breath. It seems I forgot to mention my 16' modified "V" aluminum boat.

With this strange weather, the bass had a classic case of lockjaw but we managed to land 3 keepers on Friday night. Although we were discouraged, we headed to the weigh in, only to find no one else had a weighable fish. Now all the strange looks were for a different reason, these guys in the tin boat could catch fish. Saturday night's results were even worse with us catching only 1 keeper and a 4 bass total weighing 10 lb. 2 oz., enough for first place overall.

The point is every thing is not what it appears! The guys we met were all cut from the same mold; you know the type, fairly new pickup, new boat with all the right high tech gear, dressed in Columbia Sports Wear, talking the bassin game. As for Pat & me a 99 Nissan 4 cyl pickup, aluminum boat with only a 40 hp Tohatsu, trolling motor & depth finder, hardly talking at all.

If you met the two groups who would you think could catch fish?

These guys thought Pat & I could not catch simply because of appearance!

After the weigh in they were talking to the owner of the marina who promptly informed them they were just whipped by probably the best tag team to fish this lake.

[roadwarrior]

Let's see, "My house, my cards and my rules. So, exactly how much do you want to bet?"

[Siebert Outdoors]

Few of my sayings fit this topic

Dont judge a fisherman by his boat

$100,000 doesnt make a fisherman but might make him look fancy and go fast

The best one for tournement guys is

Watch out for the guys in the jon boats.  They are not in a hurry but always weigh good bags.

BTW congrats on the beaten you delt. 8-)

[cravenfish]

Go do that a few more times then come back bragging

[Catt]

cravenfish, That was one of many and will not be the last  

[Cigarlover 1]

Great story. I haven't been fishing long and am not that old but big fish we're still being caught before all the high tech equipment. You can have all the equipment in the world but it doesn't do any good if you don't know how to use it.

[Hawg_Hunter]

Go do that a few more times then come back bragging

What exactly do you mean by that?

Darrin

[cravenfish]

What I ment by that is anyone can go and have a good day fishing, but if you are going to put up a post like that you need to do it more then once, whats that ol' saying"even a blind squrril can find a nut once in a while"

[Catt]

What

Huh

Does someone want to challenge the Catt?

Let's see, "My house, my cards and my rules. So, exactly how much do you want to bet?"

[Matt Fly]

I believe the term would be "jackpotters".  

Matt.

[Catt]

I believe the term jack potters applies to local anglers who register on tournament day with only one thought in mind easy winnings.

We on the other hand were invited to fish their tournament with the sole intention of being an easy prey.

[Tom Bass]

Ya done good Catt.  

I have a 12' V-bottom with a 9.9HP Merc on the back with no trolling motor and no fish-finder (Christmas is coming though) and you should see some of the looks I get sometimes. ;D I actually had a guy tell me to my tin can out of his way so a real bass boat could get into the water at the ramp one day. Sheesh, what a butthead. Later that day my wife and I returned to the lake with my Regal 2120 deck boat to do a little pleasure cruising. Mr. Butthead was back at the ramp. I couldn't help myself, I yelled over to the guy and asked him to get his skiff out of the way so a real boat could get into the water. Yeah, it was mean and vindictive but it felt sooooo gooood! 8-)

[Catt]

I've never owned a big boat, even when I tournament fished every week during the 70's and 80's it was out of a 16' bass boat with a 70 hp Evinrude. We had what was called Shot Gun Starts where every one launched their boat and some one at the marina fired a starter's pistol. Talk about a sight 40 or 50 boats roaring up Lowe's Creek headed for the main lake, all but 1 that is, I would flip my trolling motor into the water and start fishing at the marina.

Pat and I won many tournaments out of Fin & Feather, Fox's, and Vaughn's K & K marinas out his 15' Alumaweld flat with a 25 hp Suzuki or my 16' Alweld with a 40 hp Tohatsu.  

[K_Mac]

Catt

Good story. I've fished out of "tin" boats most of my life . Sometimes a small boat will get you into spots a big rig can't, or more often won't go. I also know that "high tech" aint a bad thing. If you're fishing a big lake like Bull Shoals in MO. and Ark. a big stable rig with a lot of gittyup and high end electronics is a very good thing. I have had some of the best fishing experiences of my life on this lake from a 14' deep V with an 18 HP Johnson, but if money were not an issue it would not have been my first choice. If you can afford high end, "high tech" equipment, that is a wonderful thing. Good equipment makes the entire experience more fun IMHO. If you're like most of the rest of us, buying the best quality you can afford will get the job done just fine. At the end of the day knowledge, skill, and experience are what really count. Just my nickels worth.

[Catt]

K_Mac, I not saying there is anything bad with high tech while my boats were small the electronics and my equipment are high tech.

The guys who invited us to fish their tournament thought based on appearance we were easy marks, even more so after seeing my boat.

This post was not meant as a cut on tournament anglers but there are those who believe that if you don't fit a certain preconceived mold you can't catch fish. For instance if they were to see Fish Chris or Low_Budget_Hookers they would based solely on their appearance these guys can not catch bass let along big bass.

It goes back to that old saying Never judge a book by it's cover even if the book is low or high tech.

[K_Mac]

Catt

I completely agree with you. If I came off sounding like I didn't I'm sorry. The guys we used to fish with a week or two each year on Bull Shoals used to give me a lot of grief about my little boat and all the tackle we carried, but after getting thumped a few times they did it with a smile. I have to admit seeing two big guys with 6 or 8 rods in that boat was a little funny, but we sure had a great time and caught a lot of fish. 8-)

[5bass]

K_Mac, I not saying there is anything bad with high tech while my boats were small the electronics and my equipment are high tech.

High tech vs. low tech? It sounds like it was high tech vs. high tech....you just didnt run as far as everyone else.  Lots of tournaments are won fishing at or near marinas,happens all the time.

Good job!