Lest anyone think I'm some kind of snob; I need to say that I don't think I'm some kind of hot stick. I've just been trying to evaluate my tournament results since I've started kayak fishing and try to do better. Because, learning to catch more big fish is what fishing tournaments should be about right?.....

So, I fished 2 Tourneys recently (KFC III and Southwind). Because, I did so poorly at both I didn't think reports would be worth reading. But, I do think that what I learned from these two events might provide an opportunity for someone else learn from my mistakes.

So...I found myself wondering how it is I did so poorly at these two events, and in kayak tournaments in general? Before yakfishing, I was a floattuber for 3+yrs and fished small (around 20 entrants) tournaments for 2 of those 3yrs. I did well in those, with many 2nd and 3rd places and a few 1st places. Why the struggle now? I know the fields are much bigger in yak tourneys, but I was still expecting to at least be in the top 40% most of the time and be in the top 10 a few times. With no obvious answers, I began to compare my past with my current performances. Game plan was the place my mind kept going to. I tried to take an honest look at my strategies for the last 2 tourneys. In fact as I tried to find any issue that was hindering me, I kept going back to my game plans. What I discovered this week was stupidly simple. I was using the same strategy I used at floattube tourneys; I'd develop a plan and (almost always) stuck to it until the end. The big difference between now and then was that back then I had the time and schedule to pre-fish at least twice the week of a tourney. Now, I get the Sat. before to pre-fish, if I'm really lucky I might get the Sat. before that too. Well I forgot to consider this factor, and acted like whatever info I had was current. A week or 2 is far from it. SO? I need to be way more flexible in my planning? I guess I'll see over the next year if this insight pays off.

BTW, I want to thank Plastic Navy and Southwind Kayak Center for putting on great events. I had a blast at both, even if I did blow it.

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!

Hi Ed, that is a very humble post and quite informative. I have found in my tourney experience, which is strictly from a boat, is that prefishing hasn't really helped me on toruney day as the pattern is almost always different. I also have found that I have done better at "foreign" locations and really sucked at my "local" spots. Perhaps the latter is due to psyching out or succumbing to pressure to do well. Still, there's something I love about the pressure to put together the pieces on tourney day.

Big Hammer Swimbaits-Hammerhead Jigheads
www.swimbait.com
Pro-Cure Scents
www.pro-cure.com

Thanks David. I love the fact that tourney fishing can really push your skills. Myself, I can get psyched out, for sure. But, I try to be very methodical to avoid that problem.

In the Southwind tourney at Newport I did have a much more flexible game plan. Fish area A, if it wasn't happening go to area B, then finish at C. Problem was I just couldn't stick the fish, or they were short. A lot people got a lot of shorts that day. If I had been even more flexible and less pridefull, I would've moved to the area where I knew some people were getting a few legals. Those short-biters were just killing me; you know, "Never leave biting fish".

Are you Saturdays still non-fishing? What about a night trip?

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!

I feel ya on this one Ed. My first season of tourney tube fishing was nothing but 1st thru 3rd place finishes. Took the AOY title. Then this year I started out blanking at the first event of the season. Second event took second and the others I didn't do well at all. Just skipped some altogether. Guess I just wasn't into it. I think a good recipe for success is to just go fish. Don't think about it too much. I know that's hard to do. Maybe next season I can take my own advice and do really well.

Yeah thinking has led me into a lot of trouble in my life. Seriously though, you're right. Need to relax and fish like I free-fish, let the chips fall as they may.

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!

Hi Ed,
I have fished 5 of the SD Anglers open bay Bass tourneys and have placed in the top 10 in 4 of them and got 15th in the other one. From my experience in Sd bay prefishing is every thing! Out of the 150 teams 25 of them could win it any given day. the diference is who finds the schools of bigger sandies. By the time the actual tourney starts we are sick of bay fishing but we know were to find the bigger fish and at what times and what size and color lures they are hitting. Its a process of alimination. That is the key. the sandies travel around the bay in schools of the same size fish. If you can find them in the week prior to T day you have a chance at winning. One more thing if you are fishing Sd bay stay away from the spotties, you cant win with them. Go out and fish the channels.
Good luck in your next Tourney
Matt

www.mattlures.com

Thanks for the input, and congrats on your record. The channel was defintely IT for the KFC III. Forget the generally smaller size of spots, they just weren't biting. The sandies were deep too, nothing shallower than 35'. I have a spot that can kick out some nice fish on a regular basis, but it's only 25'. The fish weren't there and I spent way too much time trying to make them be there.

Oh well, I'm learning a lot and I know that I'm better off learning and slowly working my up. Makes for a much better skill set in the end. My hatred for Mission Bay (and my lack of fish there) forced me to learn to use blades and drop-shotting and both have brought my overall fishing to new levels.

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!

Hi Ed,

Your post was actually a topic of C.K. and I during the Southwind Tourney. First off, it was not a "bashing" on you or your skills -you are a talented fisherman. In fact, it was a positive discussion from our observations of fishing with you both during tourneys as well as free fishing.

I'm obveiously not going to tell you everything (I still want to beat you at the next tourney) but I will share some. First the good news -you have a game plan and follow it religously. Now the bad news -you have a game plan and follow it religously. Chances are that you will win a tournament with your plan. But having the same plan every time also increase your chances of not taking advantage of the "winning pattern" that day.

Now here is where I'll probably push a few buttons out there. I do not think you can treat tournament fishing the same a "free" fishing. For me, the objectives are totally different. Beacause the objectives are so different, the approach and attitude too is different.

Keep at it Ed. I think you will win one of these tourneys (hopefully not one that I am fishing).

Dave

BTW - one of the formerly best kept secrets is in a prior post.

Seems a few people have been discussing me lately. Good thing I'm not to parnoid.Hehehe. Anyways, yeah I need to be way more flexible, and tourney and free fishing are not the same. But, while free fishing I am more loose with my plans and I'm just plain more relaxed. Those to aspects, I need to work on for tourneys. That and not dropping the kicker over the rail, DOH.

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!