at the qualifiers and regional events, all observers and cameramen had to put it on before we fished - no joke,” said Justin Gangel of long Beach State. When college fishermen are trying to find information on a lake, while not interrupting their hectic study schedule, information can get twisted and they have to decide who to trust? take “dock talk” for example, everyone gets caught up in it at some point. i will say, personal knowledge through personal gain is best; however, that is not always an option. Justin says it best when it comes to word of mouth, “i take dock talk with a grain of salt. i can use it to get an idea of what to do first; but it rarely proves to be as legitimate as the person giving the information says it is. in reality if said person was sacking them up on a spot with a certain bait, i can almost guarantee that he’s going to keep that info to himself. if anything he will give false facts to move others further from his pattern.” derrick can agree stating “i think it is more beneficial to fish our strengths and what we truly have confidence in than just hearsay.” Fishing is as much mental and physical as it is catching fish. Making sure your school and workload is all good before you leave for a road trip is vital. last thing you want is to be thinking about that report you really didn’t do enough on or needing more hours at work, because you’ve taken too much time off. When you hit the water, you want to be focused on every cast. Plus, you will enjoy the trip more if you are in a good state of mind outside of fishing. enough mental preparation, let’s get down to the good stuff, catching fish at the college level. even though every lake fishes somewhat differently, one commonality in tournaments is pressure. Fishing pressure is difficult to deal with, so be prepared. Most often, college tournaments occur right after hundreds of pros and co-anglers pound the lake. This makes the fishing even tougher for college anglers. When the fishing gets tough go with your comfort baits. one technique everyone agrees they would not go anywhere without is a drop shot. Gear for a drop shot can be as simple as you want it, i usually say simple is best. Keeping in mind bait choices on a drop shot rig are endless. Justin thinks, “anyone that can master a drop shot will qualify for a regional. For the most part, i feel it is the most effective for our time restraints and lack of pre fish.” Most college circuits limit each angler to five rod and reel combos, which is a hidden benefit. it makes
Issue 5
October 2012
you slow down and use what you have, a drop shot rod (or two) is a must on the deck and secondly, i’d have my comfort lure or choice of technique on another rod ready to go. The rest may be tailored to the specific lake or just color/lure variations of the same setup.
Most importantly, in college fishing, you are ultimately representing your university. So, as a team, make decisions, help each other out. A few schools have two or three teams and the ones who make it the furthest and have the best results come weigh-ins are the schools who act as a team and prepare, travel, question, teach each other, and learn together.
There are also a few forums and websites, like WesternBass.com who devote sections to the college anglers, take advantage of those. Keep in mind, you are the future of the sport, people and your peers want you to succeed. Succeed in the class room as well as on the water!
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http://www.quickdropsweights.com