TOURNAMENTS
T pr O e U p RNaMENT
By Tami Curtis
P
rior to my pre fish, I do my homework. This
consists of lake conditions and searching
previous tournaments on the internet,
trying to get a feel for what the fish are expected to be doing and how much weight it would
take to win.
After my last day of pre fish, I start to get my
tackle ready for the tournament. I don’t want any
chance of decreasing my odds by changing anything
from what was working in pre fish.
When I’ve decided which baits I plan to use, I re-
spool my Daiwa rods and reels with fresh line, but
I keep to the exact size line that I used in pre fish.
Using a different size line can change the rate of fall,
affect the action and the visibility of your line to the
fish.
I try to stick with 3-5 setups. There are times
when I will use a rod for two different techniques.
This works well especially if one of the techniques
is a “just in case” for me: just in case I need to
change up because my pre fish baits are not working
anymore.
I check all my hooks, even my brand new ones,
and sharpen the dull ones. I prepare one Plano
stowaway container consisting of a few hooks, sinkers, and the main baits that I plan to use. By accessing one stowaway during the tournament, this is a big timesaver. The rest of my tackle I keep in my Daiwa tackle bag, to access if I run out of baits or need to change up to something different.
One of the challenges is that Co-Anglers are limited to the amount of tackle and rods and reels that we can carry on. Too much and it’s clutter, too little and it can hurt our fishing! There’s a fine line between the two, but with careful preparation you will be able to spend more time fishing instead of searching for tackle. See ya on the water!
Issue 1 April 2011
A patent pending weedless design.
47
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