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You can never be too prepared for any type of competition. High School fishing tournaments are no different. Back in my high school days before we had fishing teams, I can remember playing for the basketball team and going through many levels of preparation for an upcoming opponent. For instance we would watch tape of another team and then talk about certain players and their individual strengths or weaknesses to try and gain an edge.
You can never be too prepared for any type of competition. High School fishing tournaments are no different. Back in my high school days before we had fishing teams, I can remember playing for the basketball team and going through many levels of preparation for an upcoming opponent. For instance we would watch tape of another team and then talk about certain players and their individual strengths or weaknesses to try and gain an edge.Fishing is really no different. In my opinion it might be a little more difficult to prepare for fishing because of the many variables that you can’t control. Regardless you can still benefit from some preparation. There is a good chance that high school students will encounter lakes that they have never been to. That’s what brings me to one of the more important preparations you can make – Map Study.
Fishing is really no different. In my opinion it might be a little more difficult to prepare for fishing because of the many variables that you can’t control. Regardless you can still benefit from some preparation. There is a good chance that high school students will encounter lakes that they have never been to. That’s what brings me to one of the more important preparations you can make – Map Study.The most intimidating thing as an angler is trying to figure out where to begin your search on the water. Regardless if the lake is 60,000 acres or 2,000 you can eliminate water and give yourself shortcuts to finding fish. Even with all of our fancy technology these days it is hard to beat a good paper map. Start with a paper map then use Google Maps/Earth, iPhones, and any other sources you can for mapping. I’m one that likes to be strategic in my thinking.The most intimidating thing as an angler is trying to figure out where to begin your search on the water. Regardless if the lake is 60,000 acres or 2,000 you can eliminate water and give yourself shortcuts to finding fish. Even with all of our fancy technology these days it is hard to beat a good paper map. Start with a paper map then use Google Maps/Earth,
The most intimidating thing as an angler is trying to figure out where to begin your search on the water. Regardless if the lake is 60,000 acres or 2,000 you can eliminate water and give yourself shortcuts to finding fish. Even with all of our fancy technology these days it is hard to beat a good paper map. Start with a paper map then use Google Maps/Earth, IPhones, and any other sources you can for mapping. I’m one that likes to be strategic in my thinking.Knowing that most high school tournament rules limit teams to 35mph for safety, long runs are out of the question. There’s nothing wrong with that just use it in your game plan, find the launching site for the tournament and keep your search for bass in a relatively close area to that. If that area is unproductive then consider expanding but this is a great way to start your search.
Knowing that most high school tournament rules limit teams to 35mph for safety, long runs are out of the question. There’s nothing wrong with that just use it in your game plan, find the launching site for the tournament and keep your search for bass in a relatively close area to that. If that area is unproductive then consider expanding but this is a great way to start your search.Understanding what each lake has to offer can be a huge help as well. I still classify this as map study but you may have to research on the internet for specifics. These are the questions I ask myself.
Understanding what each lake has to offer can be a huge help as well. I still classify this as map study but you may have to research on the internet for specifics. These are the questions I ask myself.What species are in the lake?
- What species are in the lake?
- Is it mainly largemouth or can smallmouth be a factor?
- Is the lake deep and rocky or shallow and muddy?
- What is the predominant cover?
Each lake is different and that’s what makes this game so awesome. If you didn’t know that the lake was full of grass until you get there then you might be a little behind the competition. Start by searching the lake on Google, see what information pops up. Then dig even deeper. Good places to look that aren’t so obvious is local fishing forums. Guys will often post some detailed reports on forums and sometimes they will be very detailed. Also look for tournament results on that lake. Sometimes they will have a post report that tells you what they caught their fish on but beyond that you will get an idea of what size fish live in that particular body of water.
Each lake is different and that’s what makes this game so awesome. If you didn’t know that the lake was full of grass until you get there then you might be a little behind the competition. Start by searching the lake on Google, see what information pops up. Then dig even deeper. Good places to look that aren’t so obvious is local fishing forums. Guys will often post some detailed reports on forums and sometimes they will be very detailed. Also look for tournament results on that lake. Sometimes they will have a post report that tells you what they caught their fish on but beyond that, you will get an idea of what size fish live in that particular body of water.Time of year is another big factor to think about when looking at your map. Just a general rule of thumb spring and fall fish will be shallower and then during the winter and summer, you need to be looking in the deeper portions of the lakes.
Time of year is another big factor to think about when looking at your map. Just a general rule of thumb spring and fall fish will be shallower and then during the winter and summer, you need to be looking in the deeper portions of the lakes.For
For instance, let’s say you are preparing for a spring tournament. Most bass will be either in the shallower areas or at least close to them. While looking at your maps look for the shallow areas of the lake that offer the most options. From research maybe you learn that big bass like to hang around the docks in that particular lake. Your best bet would be to find an area of the lake that is shallow for the bass to spawn but has a good number of docks close.This is just one small example but they will use those docks to move in and out of those spawning areas during the spring. As you get better at this you will see how easy it is to eliminate water and you can actually take a huge lake and break it down fairly small. Sure there will be fish in the portions that you eliminate but you are going
This is just one small example but they will use those docks to move in and out of those spawning areas during the spring. As you get better at this you will see how easy it is to eliminate water and you can actually take a huge lake and break it down fairly small. Sure there will be fish in the portions that you eliminate but you are going for a higher percentage game plan. Learn this and you will be ahead of the competition before the first cast is made.Any information you can find out ahead of time will help and the more familiar you get with how a body of water lays out the
Any information you can find out ahead of time will help and the more familiar you get with how a body of water lays out the faster-finding fish will come. As bad as it sounds, fishing requires homework too, but it’s very rewarding if you do it correctly.Bradley Roy
Bradley Roy
Bradley Roy