Preparing For a Tournament

One question that keeps popping up when I talk to people just getting into or looking at getting in to the sport of Tournament fishing is "How do you prepare for a tournament? The answer always starts the same way, with studding the water way I'm going to be fishing. For instance, I have a Kayak Bass Tournament coming up in two days. This tournament is being held on the New River Here in West Virginia. Now even though this is considered my "Home Waters I still prepare the same way. First ( and this starts at least a month before tournament time by the way) - I start pulling up maps of the river system on line, and start looking for places I believe to be "Hot Spots such as grass beds, and depth changes. Second I check fishing reports by looking on line and by talking to people that fish the water system on a regular basses such as fishing and river guides. Third, I hit the water. "Practice time I take what I observed on the maps and what hints the guides shared and I put them to the test. I'll start by throwing reaction baits such as spinner baits & cranks, this way I can cover a lot of water quickly and dial in on what the bass are looking for, whether they are hitting on a shad pattern or a craw pattern. Once I know what they are going for I'll move on to my soft plastics, in this case Tubes, Craws & critters, or Flukes. Now if for some reason I just can't find what they are looking for then I'll buckle down and bust out the Plano box with a red sticker with the words "CrankBaits. This is my go to when nothing else works. Now that the studying and practice is done its time to make sure that the gear is ready to go. Side note here….. with a family of four and a full time job outside of fishing the gear is always ready to go, because you never know when the opportunity to hit the water will arise, But I take extra care in going over everything starting two days before the tournament. First things first so I start by going over my Kayak. I'll check out the hull for holes or deep scratches, anything that could turn a great day of fishing into a bad day of swimming. Then I move on to top side checking my foot pegs, camera mounts and seat. Next I check hatches and my dry storage bags and boxes, paying close attention to the seals and latches. Next on to safety items such as Life vest, whistle, Knife, Lights, and safety flag, making sure everything is working properly. This is also when I check my paddle and cameras. Not to mention the cameras I use to film my fishing trips, every kayak tournament I fish is Catch Photo Release. Which means you catch your fish, place it on your measuring board with an identifier, photograph, and then release the fish. So it pays to have a good quality WATER PROOF digital camera. Second it's time to work on the tackle system. (This is the part that my children love and my wife hats with all my lures & boxes lying around in the floor.) I use one tackle storage container with multiple Plano boxes.) . I keep my lures separated by types of fish I'm going for, such as Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, and Musky. I also keep my boxes separated by cranks, spinners, soft plastics, Hooks & weights, and top water. Depending on the water system and type of fish I'm going after I set to arranging my tackle system. Next I start working on my Rods & Reels; I tend to get to this point the night before the tournament. I start with checking my Rods. First I look over my rods checking the eyes and the handles. Next I move on to my reels; making sure they are set right and tight in the reel seat of the rods. I also check over all the moving parts; such as the handle, line guard, and gears applying oil when and where needed. Finally I move on to my line. First thing is to make sure there is the right amount and type of line for the specific rod and reel; such as a smooth casting light line for my finesse worm rod, and a strong abrasive resistance line for my crank rod. Next I check for nicks and cuts on all the lines. (This is very important to also do as you change your lures on the water.) A line with a nick or cut will snap or break while you're fighting that monster bass. At this point I'm finished and ready to hit the water right? Wrong!!! At this point it's the night before the tournament and it's time to start loading the vehicle. I tend to be like a kid a Christmas the night before a tournament and can't sleep anyways so I do a last minute check of my gear as I'm loading it. The point is this; Check and Recheck!!! There is nothing worse than unloading and getting you kayak ready to hit the water and realize you left something behind. This story also ends the same way. Everyone has their own mind set when tournament fishing. For me it's getting out on the water and having a good time with some great guys and gals, the competition, and promoting my sponsors. Regardless of your reason have fun with it, because if you can't have fun doing something you love what's the point? John Gills Fish On!!!