Westernbass Magazine February 2012, Page 41

Westernbass Magazine February 2012, Page 41

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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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