I have a tournament coming up Sunday this is my first bass only tournament. Its a 3 man team tournament so me and a guy from work are gona do it with his son 3 lines more chance of hooking something. The problem is the guy from work and his son never bass fish they troll for everything. They want to learn how to bass fish so they always take me out on there boat to show them. We went out and practiced on the lake saterday and wed caught a limit 4 of which were from me flipping a jig all in the 1.5 to 2 lb range. The lake is kinda hard to fish and its got tons and tons of jet skiers on it.

Where should we start though idk if we should run all the way to the mouth where its shallow with submerged weeds and stumps first thing or wait till later to hit that. There's a few small coves as well I pulled some decent fish out of. But for the most part the lake is deep with isolated humps we marked tons of fish on and sharp ledges. I pulled 3 good ones off the ledge draging a footballhead parralel to it the bites came soon as it droped off the ledge they were suspended there waiting.

We found a lot of humps or hills and then holes that marked tons of good sized fish on them but I couldent catch one to save my life. I'm wondering if I should get some cranks this week and try cranking it or should I stroke a heavy jig threw there or c rig. I was reading the c rig is good for the ledges as well when the weight goes over it drags the bait behind it a few feet and generates strikes. I was also thinking a spinner slow rolled but I don't have any big heavy spinners.

Where would u start first ledges or shallow weed beds the things running 5 till 1 so I'm just thinking cover as much as possible as fast as possible or should I just mark some fish and try picking them apart. Its a tough lake so I think with at least 5 we will place even if its a small 5

Consider....

1. Water temperature. The cooler the better.

2. Water clarity. The clearer the better although some stain is OK.

3. Food. What are they eating?

4. Where are they? Shallow? Deep? On the bottom? Moving around?

5. Docks and piers they can hide under if it is sunny? Grass and pads? Any wood in the water?

6. Try to establish a "pattern" starting with the first bass you catch, be it a dink or a monster. This is what the other bass are doing.

7. Any current? All bodies of water have current and you have to find it and how the water relates to the structure in the water.

Trolling is not good for bass fishing and you could have a problem. Be sure the guys know that to bass fish you move fast with hard baits and slow with plastics.

Also, unless they know how to handle a baitcaster I suggest a spinning rig for them.

You now have a starting point. It is up to you to select the baits and techniques that will attract strikes.

Easier said than done.

Good luck.

They have 2 spinning out fits each and tons of cranks and spinners. I figure if they crank and I cover jigs and plastics we should have it covered cuz cranks are my weakest area. There's a lot of trees submerged from when it was flooded in the 20s the temp was 84 saterday I'm sure it will be close to that Sunday the 31st and it was clear till the skiers came out. All the docks are in really shallow and choked with thick mats like the lime greenish moss like crap that my 1 1/2 oz grass jig couldent punch. Current is almost nil now that the power plant is shut down for construction. All the bass seemed to be in bare water with a rocky bottom only 1 was caught around some cover and that was at the mouth around the stumps and grass.