Bay of Quinte Fishing

Ontario Fishing Trips

Tournament Tips: Part Two
By Tim Allard

Last month I shared a series of tournament tips I’ve learned from some of Ontario’s best competitive anglers. This article’s the second part of this instalment and dishes-out more angling nuggets you can use, whether you’re angling in a competition or just looking to increase the size and numbers of fish you catch.

Master a Fishing Style
Many successful tournament anglers have mastered at least one fishing style. The greats, of course, have perfected several and refined these presentations so they can fish a range of diverse scenarios. This is the ultimate goal, but you need to start somewhere.
A good strategy is to focus on developing a foundation of skills. Aim to be highly proficient at one, and then eventually several techniques. Pick at least one presentation to get better at each season..

Many tournament anglers I know have accomplished this by practicing with only one rod in their boat. It forces you to become intimately familiar with the presentation's range and limitations. It's amazing what you'll learn when you only have one type of bait to try and catch fish with.

Keep Your Bait Wet
Persistence pays off and keeping your bait wet is the only way to get your next bite. This saying's a helpful on-the-water reminder to stay focused and keep fishing. To go a step further, it also refers to casting efficiency. In part-one of this instalment I advocated the importance of practice. Well, this is when it pays off because you'll be able to quickly and accurately cast baits to high-percentage spots. You're not fiddling with line tangles or misplaced casts, you're working a bait through the exact spot you want to fish.

Keeping your bait wet also refers to eliminating those idle times when you're distracted and not fishing. A common culprit's wasting time debating what lure to tie on. Paul Shibata, Renegade Bass 2000 Classic V Champion and another tournament friend, has an immaculately kept Princecraft that contains the most organized and plentiful assortment of tackle I've ever seen in a vessel. It's impressive. Come tournament day; however, his tackle compartments rarely get opened. The baits he needs are in one, deep tackle tray. The box contains all the lures he's confident will catch fish based on his pre-fishing and overall experience. Everything he needs is within reach. He believes this habit dramatically improves the amount of time he has a bait in the water during the entire day. Having multiple rods pre-tied with baits can have a similar effect.

Don't Fish From Memories
Fishing from memories is a common mistake. The concept is as follows. You had a great day fishing a hump once in July. The next time you return you expect it to produce the same stellar results, whether it's two weeks later or two years. Well the mind play tricks, my friends. We forget the bad stuff (e.g., six hours of running-and-gunning to find fish) and we reminisce about the good times (e.g., the one hour torrent of terrific fishing). Relying on memories is a fantasy game. What you need to do is focus on the facts.

Analyze what's happening on the water when you're fishing, don't daydream about the glory days. Use this information to make systematic decisions. Consider your target species and their seasonal habits. Then, divide the lake into sections and start fishing areas likely to hold fish. Once you find fish, consider how they're behaving. Are they aggressive, neutral, or inactive? Tailor your fishing strategies accordingly. Keep moving and changing tactics until you're successful. This is a much better strategy than tying on Lure X and setting up on Papa's Point because you and dad caught some really good walleye off it in 1995.

Communicate and Be a Team
Ongoing communication with your fishing partner is essential to success. Many anglers have good intuition but I don't know any psychics, so be sure to chat on the water. Share what baits you're fishing with so you both can use your lines strategically. Until you establish a pattern, experiment and offer fish a range of choice.

Talk tactics. Decide who's taking the first cast on the upcoming spot. Veteran partners will already have a rhythm for these things, but it's wise to have battle strategies with your co-angler for fishing spots. Executing these successfully and catching fish builds your confidence as a team.

Pipe up too when things aren't working. If you don't like the speed or location you're fishing, say it. It'll help you understand why you're partner wants to fish there (they likely has some very solid reasons). Alternatively, being vocal might be just what the boat needs to shake off complacency and refocus.

Record Data
Linked to the above, keeping a fishing log will further enhance your on-the-water prowess. Yes, it's painstaking but recording data helps you plan your outings more productively, such as fishing lakes at their peak times based on your records. Your log should include things like: where you fished when, the type of structure you fished, what worked and what didn't, weather patterns, what fish were eating, overall seasonal observations such as water levels, and so on. Reviewing your log notes and learning from your outings will also help you make better on-the-water assessments.

Set Goals and Enjoy Your Successes
Tournament fishing's intense. The thrill of competing against other anglers and coming out on top is testament to countless hours of practice, pre-fishing, and stellar angling skills. Cherish it when it happens. But tournament anglers don't always need to win for a day to be an accomplishment. A Top-10 on a new body of water could represent success.

You don't need to be a competitor to set goals and enjoy the rush of accomplishing them. I encourage you to consider fishing success in the broadest of terms, thinking of both quantitative and qualitative goals. A few examples could be: landing a fish of a certain size or a species you've never caught before, using your GPS/Sonar unit to find new spots on your favourite lake, or helping a new angler have a great outdoor experience. This season, try setting a variety of fishing goals. Not only will it boost your overall confidence when you succeed, but your fishing experiences will be richer for it..