If you have fished at least two tournaments in your career you know that plans rarely stay the same on tournament day. We have all been there before, we put in time, effort, and money into researching, prefishng, and scowering Google Maps, and the internet for clues and information regarding a tournament lake or specific spot. Only to arrive and conditions have changed, your boat ramp is closed, or full of kayakers and boaters. What do you do next? Maybe your plan did work, that secluded boat ramp you found on maps was all yours when you pulled up but when you launched your kayak you found out that your main spot is now above water due to the Corps releasing water overnight. The question "what to do next?" is the million dollar question. Anglers who can make game time decisions that help catch that 5th fish, or that kicker fish will ultimately be the successful angler at the weigh-in location. The rest of the article will detail how make decisions based on your skills as an angler.
5. Take notes from a tournament day on the water:
An anglers memory can be pretty sharp remembering bass blowups, water temperatures, and outdoor conditions but as the seasons go by and the different lakes start to pile up its important to takes notes of a given fishing trip. The main goal of note taking is getting a good idea of seasonal patterns, water temperature, water clarity, and where and when a bass was caught and on what lure and presentation. In 2017 I purchased a Lakes of Oklahoma booklet and began writing down all my pertinent data several days after each tournament. A List of things I include and how I write them. I list the date and tournament times, water temperature, clarity, and weather. An X goes wherever I catch a keeper bass. Then I list the lures, presentations that caught those keepers. These notes help for future trips to that lake, or even region.
6. Conclusion:
Another 22.50" bass caught at the Yak4it Tournament of Champions on Lake Fork, TX . Caught on a buzzbait in early November 2018. Stay in the top of the water column in the morning.
1. Fish to your strength(s):
These days there are a myriad of baits, colors, presentations, and techniques to get an angler confused out there on the water. I could only imagine how overwhelming this would be if I were new to the sport. One thing each angler has is there own knowledge of baits that worked back on home waters. Fortunately for us a bass is a bass wherever the tournament trail may bring us. By and large I am a power fisherman, I use larger moving baits and cover a lot of water. Another one of my strengths is clear water, or clear moving water with rocky banks. These lake characteristics are specific areas I like to target when breaking down a body of water. Coupling power fishing techniques with highland reservoirs characteristics would in theory be the best chance I have when competing in an event. Narrowing down your strengths and weaknesses in several aspects will immensely help you come up with a tournament strategy.
2. Make a starting lineup:
One downfall I have in choosing a lure to fish with, is I can be begrudgingly stubborn in my choice. The worst aspect of this stubbornness is having prior history on that body of water. If I caught em' before on a 3/4 OZ. black and blue jig on lay-downs then by God I will chunk that jig for a good part of the day without bites. The best choice to avoid that habit is to have a series of baits and presentations to run through before you scrap the pre-planned strategy. One rule I like to use is going from the top of the water column down. For instance when the water temperature reaches 60 degrees or more the fish will become more active and aggressive and hit a topwater bait. Knowing this I will start throwing topwater then move to a subsurface bait such as a spinnerbait by mid morning to a square bill or mid range diving crankbait on to a jig or Texas rigged bait by afternoon. Once 11AM-12PM hits I start looking for a new bite or try to find new water to emphasize the hints any of the fish I caught previously gave me. One tip that helps me come with a lineup is having several technique specific rods and reels, spooled with the correct line. Having 5-6 lures rigged up certainly cuts down on the time it takes to switch lures and presentations.
Set a starting lineup and stick to it
3. Have a back up spot to trailer to:
Trailering is an aspect of kayak fishing that benefits us greatly but is sometimes seen as a literal waste of time and not worth the hassle of loading and unloading again. While some may choose to make long on the water treks from the boat ramp. The thought of trailering to a spot might not be such a bad idea and here is why. Packing up your kayak and gear might give you the needed refocus that you lost since your last bite 3 hours ago. You might have a chance to eat that sandwich that never actually gets eaten while you're making casts. And finally starting on a brand new spot might be the change of pace needed to get the limit or get that much needed kicker fish. As a rule of thumb the more fish-less my day has been the farther ill drive to a spot and visa-versa. If im looking to upgrade and cull a few fish then it might be short ride up the road a bit or just closer to the weigh in location. Even if you plan to not trailer during tournament hours that second ramp may turn into your primary spot when the first location turnouts to be packed full of kayakers and boaters alike.
Moving spots CAN make a world of difference
4. Up size or down size before lines out:
As lines out nears the quick and frantic race to 5 fish dwindles and frustration and the realization of your tournament standing unfolds. Down sizing your bait or up sizing in the waning hours of a tournament can pay big dividends. For instance if I lack my 5 fish limit I will downsize to a finesse style bait to entice any size bass to bite. Finicky bass love small baits and this can sure help when number 4 and 5 have yet to be caught. When I need a cull then up sizing my bait is the ticket to success. Switching from a 1/2 OZ to a 3/4 OZ might work, but going with the biggest bait in the box will give you the confidence that something completely new and out of the ordinary will entice that kicker fish. The more fish needed to fulfill a limit the smaller the bait needs to be. The more you need to cull the more you need to up size.
Big moving baits can trigger kicker bites such as a 1/2 spinnerbait that enticed this 22.50"
5. Take notes from a tournament day on the water:
An anglers memory can be pretty sharp remembering bass blowups, water temperatures, and outdoor conditions but as the seasons go by and the different lakes start to pile up its important to takes notes of a given fishing trip. The main goal of note taking is getting a good idea of seasonal patterns, water temperature, water clarity, and where and when a bass was caught and on what lure and presentation. In 2017 I purchased a Lakes of Oklahoma booklet and began writing down all my pertinent data several days after each tournament. A List of things I include and how I write them. I list the date and tournament times, water temperature, clarity, and weather. An X goes wherever I catch a keeper bass. Then I list the lures, presentations that caught those keepers. These notes help for future trips to that lake, or even region.
Lakes of Oklahoma Book
6. Conclusion:
Are these techniques the end all be all for your dominance in the sport of kayak fishing? Of course not, it is still named kayak fishing, not kayak catching. You will still have tough, maddening, bleak days that make you wonder why you chose wake up at 2AM and drive 4 hours away to compete. For me knowing I used a strategy and enacted that strategy helps me deal with those inevitable bad days on the water. The drive home is much more enjoyable after a high placing for sure. However, I can drive home in peace knowing that I ran through a series of techniques and it didn't work than just going in blind and without a plan.
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