Are you looking to test your skills against your fellow anglers? Tournament fishing provides anglers the opportunity to compete against one another to see who can put the best bag of fish together. While catch, photograph, and release tournaments over the internet have become more and more popular, a traditional fishing tournament puts anglers head to head on the same water body at the same time.
Tournament anglers come in a variety of forms. Anglers who enjoy fishing for fun may participate in tournaments amongst friends, family and co-workers or enter into smaller local tournaments, many of which support a specific cause. These tournaments often have minimal entry fees and no requirements to enter and payouts that reflect this.
Anglers who are looking to take their tournament fishing to the next level will often enter larger, marquee events. These events could take place at the regional or national level and they could be part of a larger series or one off events. These one off events could include a respective state’s Governor’s Cup or other events that are considerd marquee at a state level.
Most of these tournaments take place as part of a circuit, with examples including the National Walleye Tour, Masters Walleye Circuit or a statewide club or series. Many of these clubs are part of The Walleye Federation, which gives the opportunity for members to compete in an invite-only event such as the National Team Championship. These clubs or circuits will tally points for each event and ultimately crown a points champion at the end of the season.
Anglers participating in this level of events are often the individuals who are considered professional anglers or looking to make a name in the fishing industry. Fishing is more than a hobby to them and for many it is an income source. While tournament fishing is a risky avenue to look to earn a living, tournaments present an excellent opportunity to build an angler’s resume or bring attention to their guide business.
These tournament anglers are forced to have a completely different mindset than most anglers. A day full of reeling in average sized fish is a great way to enjoy time on the water and would make for a fantastic guide trip, but for tournament anglers this isn’t what they are fishing for. In most walleye tournaments, teams weigh 5 or 6 fish while staying within the frame of statewide regulations.
For example, in South Dakota anglers are only allowed one fish over 20 inches each. Many South Dakota events allow anglers to keep 2 fish over 20 inches and the rest of the fish must be “slot fish”, which are fish greater than 15 inches but less than 20 inches. Anglers may weigh all slot fish if that is what they catch, but the “two” overs are following statewide rules. The exact measurements can vary from state to state or even waterbody to waterbody, but the basic idea is the same.
Depending on statewide rules, culling may or may not be allowed. Culling is the practice of replacing fish that are currently in the livewell with a larger fish. For example, a 15 inch walleye may be replaced by a 19 inch walleye if state and tournament rules allow. Tournaments will often adhere to the rules of the state they are in, but the angler’s strategies will reflect this.
Tournament anglers will understand the rules format and build their strategy from there. For anglers in a tournament that does not require slot fish and allows culling the strategy is easy, catch as big of fish as possible. However, anglers in tournaments that are no-cull and/or include length specifications are faced with a great deal of strategy in what they both fish for and what they put in their livewell.
The mindset of a tournament angler must vary based on the tournament they are competing in, but the concept remains the same. They only need to get some many fish to bite as long as they are the right bites. Catching 100 fish that are 14 inches long does these anglers no good, they are willing to have fewer bites, as long as they are better bites.
Successful tournament anglers understand this and will accept it. These anglers are also extremely versatile. They cover a great deal of water and fish a wide variety of ways. Tournament anglers are forced to fish in a variety of conditions and their skillset must reflect this. They spend a great deal of time outside of their comfort zone practicing their craft.
If you are looking to succeed as a tournament angler, there are a couple tips that will help you begin finding success earlier in your career.
Practice Outside Your Comfort Zone
Successful tournament anglers spend a great deal of their time fishing outside of their comfort zone. This could be a different technique, a different waterbody or even different areas within their normal waterbody. They are constantly experimenting with different baits and different tools. This includes their electronics, their rods, reels, line and the baits they tie on to the business end.
Many anglers will only fish one or two techniques in certain areas and will have success in specific situations, but tournament anglers often need to adjust and adapt. The timing of the event or weather patterns may force them to deploy a different tactic or fish new areas and this is where their practice time is critical. Take time to get out on the water yourself and practice different techniques and areas when there is no money on the line and no clients in the boat. Not only will this work pay dividends on tournament day, it will make you a better overall angler.
Maximize Your Time on the Water
Successful tournament anglers all embody a certain trait, they are highly efficient on the water. They take full advantage of their time to prefish and they also are efficient on tournament day. Every angler is given the same amount of time on tournament day to fish, but the successful ones are often the best at putting that time best to use.
Before the event starts, successful anglers will strategically approach their prefish. They will look to cover the most amount of water as possible to find the best bite they can and they will utilize techniques that allow them to contact active fish in these areas quickly. Before even hitting the water, they have spent a great deal of time looking at maps to help find their highest percentage areas and once they are on the water they will hit as many of these areas as quickly as they can.
In the event itself, they will often fish the fastest and most efficiently. This doesn’t mean they have the fastest boat in the field, but rather have a preconceived plan on the areas they plan to fish and the quickest way to cover all of them if necessary. Once they arrive, they have their lines in the water quickly and keep their baits in the strike zone as often as possible. When they hook up, they quickly land the fish and have their baits back in the water as fast as they can.
Overall, there is very little time wasted when they are on the water. From before the tournament begins to when the weigh in takes place. The ability to fish efficiently is a skill that can only be learned through experience, but doing your homework on the location you’ll be fishing and keeping efficiency in mind at all times when you’re on the water is a great start.
Keep Your Strategy Top of Mind
Unless the event does not have any size requirements and you’re allowed to cull, you need to keep your strategy at the top of mind. In many slot tournaments, a big part of the strategy is maximizing your slot fish. Fish that are an inch or two within the upper end of the slot are key. For example with a 20 inch slot, 19 ¾ inch fish are prime.
You need to be honest with yourself about your prefish and your expectations. If your prefish has been a grind and fish over 18 inches are tough, it’s not a good idea to think tournament day will be the day it all turns around and you should throw out all your 17 inch fish. Be honest about your situation and build your strategy around it.
Once you have your strategy, you can’t let the emotions of the competition throw you off of it. Stick to your plan and stick to your strategy and hope the bites come as they should!
Tournament fishing provides an enticing challenge for many looking to make their mark as a professional angler. While tournament fishing is generally not the place to make your income, it can help you become a better angler overall and build your brand and business within the industry. Regardless of your reason for entering an event, when preparing for and in competition you need to always have the mindset of a tournament angler. Good fishing!
