Finding Tournament Success - 4 Steps For Preparing Well
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When it comes to tournament bass fishing, preparation is key. Finding the right patterns based on constantly changing conditions is always a challenge and it's especially tough when you are traveling to a waterbody that you're not already familiar with.
I'm active on the American Bass Anglers tournament circuit, which features lakes in many different regions. Over time I have refined my approach to preparing for an event and have seen steady improvement in my results including qualifying for their national championship event in 2024.
The ABA Nationals will be held at Lake Murray in South Carolina this year and although I have never been able to fish this lake before, I can still get a 'home field advantage' feeling by running through my research routine before I ever put the boat in the water. Here are 4 steps to take when doing your own tournament preparation ahead of an event.
Step 1: Start by viewing fishing reports for the water body you'll be fishing, focusing on reports for the time of year that you will be there. I like to look at hot baits, structure, and what the bass have been foraging on to start to build a pattern.
Step 2: Get to know the lake's structure. I use Omnia PRO Maps to view Navionics depth charts, C-MAP social bottom hardness and C-MAP social vegetation to find ideal habitat. I will look for structures that have been reporting in local fishing reports for bass and then set waypoints directly on the Omnia app.
Step 3: Review the hot baits and what bass typically forage on during the time of year and stock up on baits that imitate the forage, and that work for your water clarity. Omnia helps me there too by making it easy to find the right baits based on a specific lake and the fact that they ship out the same day I order.
Step 4: Pre-fish as much as you can. When I am going to pre-fish for the tournament I check for the latest wind speed readings and direction and use that information to decide which waypoints I want to check out first and from which boat ramp.
When you are willing to put in the work and do your research, it's amazing how much your tournament results will improve!
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