Westernbass Magazine - Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - December 2012, Page 8

Westernbass Magazine - Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - December 2012, Page 8

PaGe Pre -fIsh tItle

a wide variety of tackle during pre-fish, and my Yukon with spares of everything. i also pack my “just in case” tackle, such as largemouth tackle when fishing predominantly smallmouth waters, or finesse tackle when expecting a flippin’ bite. Unexpected situations often occur in fishing and you will want to be prepared. The last pre-fish planning task performed at home is a check on the extended weather forecast. always take time to compare the forecast with what has already occurred. a change in weather is important in helping you decide how to spend your practice (and on the water note how weather change affected the bite and pattern). Be sure to document in your log the weather, weather changes and how it affected the fishing.

now here is the tip i promised you earlier. after every trip i log my results in my Fish-n- log database and in the notes portion i always start off with what i caught and how; but most importantly i state what i should have done differently. Federation nationals 197 entering this 5 information forces you to think and document what is likely the best information that will improve your next performance. it could be a statement like “next time search for main river weed beds with current” or “Fish topwaters for bigger bass during the first hour.” decision-making skills are learned; so by taking time to think about how you can improve, you will learn to make better decisions and achieve better results. in addition to entering your logbook information, the last step is to prepare and organize your fishing tackle. Make sure the most important tackle is accessible. restock your boat with the tackle that pre-fish determined was best. time is money; so do everything possible to spend your tournament time placing your lure in front of the bass, instead of spending your time searching through your boat. Pre-fish is all about your preparation intersecting with opportunity, so go out there with a plan and make your own luck! Marc Marcantonio has won angler of the Year titles in six different states and has fished tournaments for more than 40 years. He is an outdoor writer, designer and manufacturer of Quickdrops dropshot weights, former fisheries biologist and retired army lieutenant Colonel. He is sponsored by ranger Boats, evinrude, Yakima Bait Co., Quickdrops, lowrance, lamiglas, Yamamoto, lucky Craft, Gamakatsu, Snag Proof, transducer Shield and Saver, taysys, Stealth 1, McCoy, Solar Bat, Pacific Boatland, and Basstrix.

AFTER THE PRE-FISH

a valuable lesson i learned in the army was the importance of conducting an “after action report.” likewise, probably the most important aspect of pre- fish strategy is the analysis of what occurred. taking time to think about your pre-fish is time well spent. in 1975, i belonged to a bass club in del. called the Millpond Bassmasters. our bass club liked to visit new waters and fish in pairs from first light until noon. Then the entire club would meet for lunch, and share what had worked. We had a chalkboard we brought with us and each angler came up and wrote on the board how they caught their bass. Then we would change partners and go out again. at the end of the day we met and compared notes once again. our club became the best in the State (and i made it to the Federation nationals that year) because we made time to analyze what worked. to this day, i follow the same principle and force myself to switch from action mode to thinking mode.

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