At the end of April I will be fishing my first tournament. I'm excited, but also realize that I could use a lot of advice from guys who have fished them before. It's not a high pressure tournament (it is put on by my collegiate bass club), but I do want to enjoy myself and have a shot at winning .

It will be on a lake in Central Iowa and since most of the guys in the club don't have boats, I will be teamed with an angler with a boat before the launch.

Any advice for this tourny newbie?  

Sincerely

Justin

id search for other clubs who are fishing the lake before your tourney and ask how they did. id also try to find out how past tourneys went around the same time of the year.

Be polite.

Be careful in the boat and don't break anything or litter.  

Bring own food and drink.

Listen to what the boater has to say and his suggestions. Take his advice while fishing.

Strike up a conversation and be friendly.

Don't cuss when you miss a hit or the fish gets unbuttoned.

Try to fish the front of the boat with the boater if possible.

Don't overload yourself with rods, reels and tackle. Travel as light as possible.

Take two or three extra baitcasters and two extra spinning reels as it is easier to change reels than take the time to take out backlashes and twists.

Call the boater before you go and ask him for his advice on baits and techniques.

Just be your sweet self and have fun.  

At the end of April I will be fishing my first tournament. I'm excited, but also realize that I could use a lot of advice from guys who have fished them before. It's not a high pressure tournament (it is put on by my collegiate bass club), but I do want to enjoy myself and have a shot at winning .

It will be on a lake in Central Iowa and since most of the guys in the club don't have boats, I will be teamed with an angler with a boat before the launch.

Any advice for this tourny newbie?

Sincerely

Justin

I'd make sure to ask about the net situation. Some guys want you to be crazy fast on a net and others don't want you to use one at all. I had one guy who wanted all my rods on one side so I could get to the net like a cat on tuna fish. While others would prefer to simply lip the fish instead of taking a chance with a net.

Also be rigged up and ready to go when you arrive at the boat ramp and DON'T BE LATE!!

In response to carrying extra reels. I only have one baitcasting rod and 2 or 3 spinning rods.

I don't have a lot of tackle just one Plano 777 full (going to be going to Cabela's next week to stock it yet again).

In the past, I've recieved good reviews from my actions fishing with others. I always try to be polite and I hope the angler I am with has good advice for me. I always want to learn new tactics.

I believe I will know who I am boating with before hand, so I hope to be able to give him a call and maybe head out to a lake with him the weekend before or something in order to figure out each other's strong points.