SPRING 2014
time on the water at new fishery. “The first thing I do, before I ever go anywhere, is turn on my computer,” said Borofka. “There is so much information available to you, before you ever get to the lake.As soon as I find out that I am going to fish a tournament and where it is, I start looking at all the information I can.”
FISHERY SPECIFICS
Borofka begins his investigation looking for the kind of fish that he will be able to target at a specific lake - largemouth, smallies, spots or a combination. He also finds out the predominant types of baitfish and forage that the lake holds. “This helps me narrow down the types of lures that I need,” said Borofka. “For example, if I go to the Columbia River, there is no threadfin shad, so I want to pick something that resembles the baitfish that they do have. Another instance was at the Mobile Delta. It is full of saltwater species that I want to have a lure to mimic.”
When he isn’t acquainted with the baitfish that are native to a new area, he will expand his research to include their appearance and size to again pick the
best representation for his lure presentation. “Once I start looking up species of baitfish online, I can find scientific type websites that will tell me not only the types of baitfish but their population, their migration patterns or other helpful information,” stated Borofka.
He searches for basic lake descriptions, photos and pictures. “I want to know if it is a natural, shallow water lake, a deep reservour or if it has tidal influences,” he explained. “All three of these scenarios have played out for me when traveling to new bodies of water for a tournament and all of these things will change my approach to fishing. I’m looking for details that will help me decide what I will take and what I will mentally prepare to do. I want to know the makeup of the lake and relate that to other places that I’ve fished that are similar. I want to be able to picture it in my head.”
Borofka noted that photographic images can also reveal information about water clarity, vegetation and structure. “If I find out that I’m going to natural lake, right away I am thinking it will have a lot of vegetation and I’m preparing to concentrate on that. With reservours, I’m thinking about gravel points, rockpiles, island pumps and channel swings.”
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