adjust
the inevitable
exPeCt ADJUstmENts
A
s bass anglers, we all are faced with the inevitable adjustment. The small deci- sions that are so important during a day on the water. on weigh in stages across the country this word is repeated event after event. Sometimes it’s the winner explaining how daily ad- justments helped them stay on the winning fish. The small alteration he made from his initial game plan that propelled him to victory. other times, and most often, it’s the adjustments a competitor mentions that he would of and should have made during the course of the event. often it’s a missed opportunity or a window of changing conditions that were inex- plicably missed. Whichever side of the fence you are on, adjustments impact your fishing success. This being said, anglers can only adjust if they are prepared to do so and that is what this article is about! Being prepared to adjust and some good reasons for it. No matter how strong any pattern or group of fish may seem during
tournament practice, fish are tricky little creatures and the weather is never static. to stay on top of things there are two rules i try to always follow.
First rule: Expect change! Second rule: Never be unprepared!
This may sound over simplified, but it is really important and is the foundation of my fishing success. There is no magic secret and no angler is immune to failure. decisions and adjustments separate the winners from the others. The first rule, when i’m smart enough to follow it, keeps me thinking and paying attention to the small details like the angle of the sun on a specific dock holding fish and where they may be in the morning versus the afternoon. The second rule means i have maybe up to 15 rods stowed in the rod lockers and a small tackle store in the compartments. i may expect to catch them on a top-water, but i
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