“IHTSOIUSWITE”
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Story & Photos
BY MARC MARCANTONIO
t has been said that the definition of luck is
when preparation intersects with opportunity.
Whether you compete in a tournament, or enjoy
a day on the water fishing for fun, how much thought goes into the rods you place on your deck?
Many have one or two favorite techniques, and they
place only those rods within reach. Maybe your con-
fidence is in pitching and flipping jigs or you prefer to
throw crankbaits. When bass eat the lure you want
them to, it is fun. But, you can’t always make them
eat what you throw.
Certainly, many tournaments are won by anglers
who fish their confidence technique. When one
technique dominates, you can often predict who will
do well in that event. While reliance on confidence
techniques will result in occasional
success, day in and day out it will not
prove lucky. The anglers that enjoy
consistent luck prepare by learning a
suite of techniques that excel in different
opportunities.
The intent of this article is to
stimulate your thought process. The
goal is to prepare a suite of technique-
specific rods and have them at the
ready to methodically approach every
opportunity. This is how you make your
own luck.
Success in bass fishing is all about
being prepared for many different
opportunities. Think of opportunities in
terms of bass-holding habitat. Productive
bass habitat includes structure and
cover. Laydowns, weed beds, rock piles,
creek channels, drop-offs, humps,
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