Winter 2024
T
ough tournaments test the skills and
constitutions of anglers at every level of
competition. However, defining “tough” isn’t always easy.
Historically, it has meant stingy fisheries that lead
to few bites and low weights, resulting in grind ‘em out
affairs like the 2005 Bassmaster Classic on Pittsburgh’s
Three Rivers. Kevin Van Dam won with 12 pounds, 15
ounces over 3 days. At least six anglers, none of whom
caught a limit each day, were within one keeper of
claiming the title.
Eleven-time Bassmaster Classic competitor Bill
Lowen loves those types of events. He was raised on a
section of the Ohio River far from Pittsburgh but knows
the importance of grinding out five bites a day, every day,
on most circuits. He’s almost always competitive when
bites are tough to come by, yet when he finally claimed
his first B.A.S.S. victory in 2021 at Pickwick Lake, it was a
slugfest. He averaged over 21 pounds a day.
Part of learning to overcome tough conditions or
tough fisheries is learning what “tough” really means for
you.
HOW THREE BASS PROS DEFINE “TOUGH”
Overcoming the mental hurdles that consistently arise in difficult tournaments requires a personalized definition of “tough.” As noted above, the tournament that might give a South Texas power angler a case of
the shakes might be right up the alley of
someone raised on the Ohio River. Buying into the idea that the same conditions are stressful for everyone – and therefore should be stressful for you -- might give away a strategic advantage.
For two-time Elite Series winner and 13-time Classic qualifier John Crews , the most difficult tournaments are at “the extremes – either when the fishing is really tough or when it’s a blowout, when it’s hard to catch a limit.”
Louisiana pro Clark Reehm , who has competed in two Classics and four FLW Title events, wears his journeyman label proudly, thankful that he’s been able to make a career in the sport for nearly two decades. He has a different set of stressors: “A lot of the toughest tournaments for me are when I absolutely need to get a check, or when I need a certain number of points to qualify for a championship or to requalify. That’s when your mind starts playing tricks on you thanks to the added stress.”
Elite Series rising sophomore Will Davis Jr. , who won an Elite event in his rookie season and qualified for his second consecutive Classic, said that it’s not the low-weight derbies that cause him concern, but rather the slugfests, “because guys seem to key in on certain techniques and figure out the pattern quicker.” His two worst finishes of his rookie season were high-weight smallmouth events at Lake St. Clair and Lake Champlain, while he mustered a decent check at the low-weight Sabine River and won on his home waters of Lay Lake
with 62-12.
PhoJtooh: nB.CAr.eSw.Ss.
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