I've fished three tournaments with a partner since March. We have caught four keeper fish for our efforts and have never been in the money.

We fish ten to fifteen feet off of the bank, every bank, every lake, every time...

QUESTION? How can I compel my fishing partner to at least try to fish in deeper structured water without throwing him out of his own boat?

Facts: It's his boat, with all the bells and whistles. Every fish he sees on his monitor "are baitfish or schools." States that the next tournament he is going to turn off the fish monitors because they are distractions. One last fact, we are committed to a partner tournament trail until October...

I need advice on how to approach him without offending. Thanks in advance.

Hay, you paid to get into the tournament too! What you should tell him is he gets to fish his water for half of the time and you get to fish your water the other half! And flip a coin to see who gets there water first. Thats as fare as you can get. :-/

sounds fair to me!!!just say you have a suggestion since you guys haven't been doing to well.i have caught big bass in 50 feet of water and shallow.when one doesn't work you have to adjust.

Take him out when you are prefishing and show him that fish live deep. Until you show him he may not take the time to fish it because he don't think there is fish out there or he don't know how to fish for them. Its like this if you go out and put a hurt on the fish 3 weeks before the tournament he might just change his mind and fish the deeper stuff.

Just split up the hours he takes about an hour at his spot and you take a hour on your spot and then that would be even.

If you want to push the issue...just show him the results from the other tournaments, sounds like they should validate some of your ideas...GL CPR ;D

You just need to lay it out for him.....be honest about it.Point it out and remind him that yall aint catchin fish on the bank so he needs to move off the bank!If he don't like it,you wont have to fish with him the rest of the year,casting at banks that hold no fish.Be straight up with him if it's bothering you that bad.Or buy your own boat,fish the deep stuff and smoke him at the weigh in!

just tell him that you arent catching any fish and you think you should move, and you are paying money also

You just need to lay it out for him.....be honest about it.Point it out and remind him that yall aint catchin fish on the bank so he needs to move off the bank!If he don't like it,you wont have to fish with him the rest of the year,casting at banks that hold no fish.Be straight up with him if it's bothering you that bad.Or buy your own boat,fish the deep stuff and smoke him at the weigh in!

I agree be honest with him, suggest that the shallow fishing hasnt been working you believe if you pull off the bank some you can catch bigger limits.  Adaptation is the  key to catching large fish.

Approaching someone in a NICE tone is key.

Plus all the other above posts.

You better believe I would say something, since I am paying $, but it would be said very nice, firm, and not toned.

You are all way to nice!! Throw is no-fish catching butt in the lake and tell him you'll pick him out when he agrees to try other areas.

No really now... if you are equal partners in the entry fee... you should have the right to fish the whole lake, not just the outer 20 feet of it! Sounds like this guy needs to grow as a fisherman.

If that fails, try my first suggestion. ;D

poppa, in our part of the country if youre still beatin the banks you had better be bed fishing because all of the fish i've cuaght in the last week or so have been in deeper water, what I mean by deeper water is 8-12 ft. they are not in 2 foot anymore.You may catch a bankrunner now and then but they will almost always be aggressive little males,I would say that for the next  few months you need to talk your partner into doing some deep carolina riggin,I think the best post spawn tactic is a c-rig!---------poppa, checkyour instant messages

I've fished with people like this before too...I feel your pain, ha.  One time, I had one who was "very reluctant" to leave the shore line and I couldn't convince him otherwise.  So I started fishing out the other side of the boat, casting into about 7 - 8 ft of water.....about a half an hour later we were fishing deep.  Just show him that there are fish to be caught in other areas.

Men,

Thanks for all of your suggestions and comments. The truth is, I will be more assertive in my future requests with my partner if fish, big fish aren't to be found in the shallows or on the bank.

 Thought: I know of a great missionary in a foreign country purposefully doing what he thinks is right. I asked him one day how he came to the conclusion or vision for his life.

His reply was simplistic but yet profound,"I surround myself with like-minded men."

Thanks men,

2 Poppa