®
W
ith kayak bass fishing
tournaments
growing in
popularity, several
western and
national circuits
are offering two-
and three-day
tournaments.
Preparing for
and managing
fish across
a multi-day
tournament can
be challenging for
big boat anglers
who have access
to far more water
than a kayak
angler on a given
tournament day. In a kayak, you are limited by range and
have to adapt accordingly to be successful.
John Myers of Atwater, Calif. has had great success on
the western kayak tournament trails in the last few years
and has developed a record of top finishes on multi-day
tournaments to include the ABA Ironman Kayak Series,
California Kayak Bass Nation, and the Wild West Bass Trail
Kayak Series. Meyer has quickly become an ambassador
of the sport and is eager to share his knowledge with other
anglers.
WB: How do you prepare yourself for a multi-day tournament in regards to off limits periods and official practice days?
JM: There are so many factors that are uncontrollable like weather, water temperatures and fish migrations just to name a few. I focus on the variables that I can control. First, the time of year is a huge factor. You need to know the migration routes bass take given water temperature, time of year, and depending on a shallow water lake, deep water reservoir or a river system. Each lake or river is different so experience or time on the water is a huge factor for success. I gather up as much information that is available online, refer back to my experience fishing that lake or river system and I keep
a close eye on the weather.
WB: Do you think pre-fish is helpful or harmful?
JM: Definitely helpful! Those bass move all the time and the more practice you put in the better your odds are of staying on fish. You can get lucky once in a great while, but the angler who puts more time on the water makes their own luck and has a better idea what changes they need to make to keep catching fish and adjusting.
WB: How do you manage your fish / spots for multiple days in the kayak? How is this different from big boat tournaments?
JM: In a boat, you can move miles in a very short time in hopes to find biting fish. However, in a kayak you have to figure out how to catch the fish in that specific area which makes them a better anger overall because they have to keep adjusting to conditions. To manage fish in a kayak is definitely one of the most challenging problems an angler has to overcome. My best advice, the fish you caught yesterday, those fish will not bite today nor will they bite on the same lure as yesterday. A consistent angler has to make changes to keep catching fish. The quicker an angler makes the correct changes and discovers what the fish want, the faster they will have a limit.
WB: Do you prefer to get away from the crowd or does it not matter?
JM: When
possible, I’d
definitely rather
be away from
crowds. You have
a better chance
at catching those
fish that have set
up in their ambush
position ready to
eat, first come,
first serve kind of
thing. Nowadays,
it is more common
to fish in a crowd
because of
the number of
Summer 2022
page 35