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first woma in n f e o v @ er p to hi d l o sp s r o o , I p m .c ig o h m t
add)who prefers“clearanddeep
water from the backseat.” However, the overall Angler of
the Year, Mason, admitted a preference to power fishing. If
you’re the pro in control, knowing this kind of information
could be useful.
While covering the U.S. Open over the years, I have
heard pros complain that they rarely get any “help”
from their AAA partners, and yet, in this modern era,
most of the “amateur partners” are well advanced
over the days of once-a-month anglers launching
“rainbow” casts. However, a couple of things happen
during a tournament day that might not be clear from
a catch-your-own perspective.
While it might be true that some days, one’s AAA
partner will not contribute a keeper to the sack that
eventually gets on the scoreboard, but when utilized
in the best fashion these top AAA’s did. In fact, they
generally averaged two bass a day over their respective
seasons, making them a critical component to the
ultimate finish of both partners. But, of course, had their
pro draws not had the fish located or put their boats into
position, neither would have benefitted.
But in a shared-weight tournament, there is more
than a final weigh-in to be considered. Any pro who
has suffered through those dry periods in a day when
things are not clicking, the timing being off, or the boat
traffic in your area has got into your head, the clock
starts to speed up and you press. What a relief it can
be then, when a patient co-angler, concentrating
on each cast without worrying about what’s not
happening, suddenly hooks that 14-incher. Indeed,
maybe he or she hooks a couple of keepers, and
ISSUE 1 February 2012
suddenly the cannonball
in your backpack isn’t so
heavy. You relax and the
game comes to you.
OneofthethingsIasked
the top AAA’s was how many of
yourfishovertheseasonmade
itintothelivewell,evenifthey
werenottherefortheweigh-in.
Suddenlyyoucanthrowaway
thatmere2-fishperdayaverage:
Masonreported18 to20fishthat
madeittothebox, Curtisrecalled
14 “culls” andNelson,inthefewest
events,hadatleast16suchbass.
Inthemomentthey wentinto
thewell, eachof thesefishwasa
majorcontributiontothedayand
it’sirrelevantthatsomewerenot ultimatelyweighed. Theyhelpedproduceasuccessful day—becausetheproanglersutilized/managedthe availableanglingstrengthsof theirpartners.
As a pro angler, you should view that as a skill, never a weakness.
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