One the most interesting questions Sheldon and I get at our walleye schools and seminars is “what makes a tournament angler better than the weekend warrior”. I always chuckle when I hear this question. I’m sure if you asked anyone who fishes tournaments they don’t consider themselves better anglers, they are just more prepared for their day of fishing and have the ability to quickly change techniques on the fly.
Each year I’m sure you have seen guys on your local lake going to the same community hole fishing the same technique year after year after year. Now I’m sure they are having success otherwise while would they keep going back to that spot, but what happens when that spot isn’t paying off? This is where tournament anglers have an bigger advantage. They don’t bet the farm fishing one spot for a tournament, instead they have several spots. They do this in case the wind kicks up or the weather is bad or even worse if someone beats them to their spot. Tournament anglers will have spots for the morning and the afternoon, the point is they will have several spots they can go to catch fish not just that one community hole.
There are a number of things you can do to put yourself into a better position to have a successful day fishing. Let’s start off a few days in advance using the internet as your first resource tool.
Weather & Wind: Check the weather and the winds a few days in advance to see how this will impact the body of water you’re fishing. There are several good sites out there to use from Wind Guru (www.windguru.com), Intellicast (www.intellicast.com), environment Canada (www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html) and even the weather network (www.theweathernetwork.com). There is now a great feature on the new Lowrance HDS units where you can get Sirus Satelite Weather information right on your HDS unit, so you can get up to the minute weather right out on the water. These will give you an idea of what the weather is leading up to your day of fishing (High pressure front, low pressure front, etc.) and what the winds are doing. If you have several days of a strong wind blowing in the same direction there is a good chance that the bait has been blown in that direction and in turn the walleye will follow.
Fishing Sites: When I was younger I would get my fishing reports from family and friends or pull into the local tackle shop to get the latest info, now you can do some of this from the comfort of your own home. Fishing discussion boards have exploded over the last five years and there is ton’s of great information out there, from tips and tricks and even fishing reports on the body of water you plan on fishing. In most of the reports there are pictures where you can see shorelines, other points of interest and in some cases the bait they were using. You would be surprised how this will help you plan your day on the water.
Check your Maps: Now that you know what the weather and winds are, and you’ve checked the fishing boards for that extra information the next step is to review a map of the lake and start to put together your game plan for the day. Depending on the time of year you can eliminate water by just looking at a map. For example in the spring you would look for post spawn walleye near creek or river mouths that feed into the lake. Chances are you will see a nice flat or a deep hole in front or nearby where those walleye will go to recover and prepare to put the feed bag on. Take the time to look at a map and plan the spots you would like to check out so you’re not going out there blind.
Have your gear ready to go: I know this seems obvious, but take the time to prepare your gear and your boat. More time is wasted when your messing around with tackle or your boat. If you plan on spending the day bottom bouncing or jigging make sure you have you jigs or bouncers already tied on. This is also a good time to make sure you have enough live bait or your favorite artificial baits on board. I’ve fished with people in the past and when I reached into their rod lockers, I pulled out a rod and the line wasn’t threaded through eyes. I then spent good fishing time rigging a rod instead of fishing. One last thing to remember, please make sure your batteries are charged, nothing sucks more than launching the boat and the motor won’t turn over or the trolling motor battery is dead.
Trust your Electronics: The latest and greatest sonar and GPS combos out there are giving us more and more information but for some reason some angler’s ignore it. Walleye tournament anglers will pull up to a spot, mark nothing on the sonar and leave right away to the next spot. They won’t waste their time fishing in a spot where there are no fish, they trust their electronics that much.
Switch it up: If you are marking fish on your sonar and can’t get them to go, then it’s time for a change. A change doesn’t necessarily mean changing techniques, it could be as simple as speeding up or slowing down, or changing the color of your bait. A good rule of thumb is change it up every 15 – 30 minutes until you figure out what the walleye want. Don’t run the same bait all day in the same area hoping that technique will work. Once again I know this sounds obvious, but I have seen it several times while fishing where someone gets locked into a bad pattern and just won’t change.
More Research: Anglers are always looking for the next best thing in fishing, whether it’s a new bait, technique, or just a new twist on an old technique. Take the time to read all the great articles in the numerous fishing magazines, or blogs, tackle suppliers websites and you tube. If there is a seminar in your area go and spend some time listening to the speakers, even if you think you know it all trust me you don’t. You will always be able to pick up something from a seminar.
Local fishing club/Guides: There are a number of local hunting and fishing clubs out there with some great members in them. Most of these clubs have very cheap membership dues and offer you the chance to be around like minded anglers like yourself. Not only will you pick up some great information but who knows you may find yourself several new fishing buddies who you can learn from. If you fish with the same person over and over chances are you aren’t going to pick up anything new, invite someone new to come out with you and your fishing buddy or go in their boat, you’ll pick up little thing from each person you fish with and it will help you become a better angler. Another option is to hire a guide to take you out for the day. Most guides spend several hours on the water each week and know several techniques. This is great chance to not only find some new spots but to also learn from a pro.
Get out on the Water: The best advice I’ve gotten over the years is you have to put in your time on the water. If you want to get better at something you need to put your time in. Tiger Woods didn’t become one of the best golfer’s out there by golfing once a week. Get out on the water as much as you can (or as much as your better half will let you get away with). The more time you spend on perfecting your techniques or finding new spots the more fun fishing will become.
Well hopefully you will start to see why tournament anglers are more prepared when they are on the water. They put themselves into a position to catch fish and hopefully cash a big cheque. By doing all of this (and more)it will increase your chances to catch more fish. Remember these guys aren’t lucky, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Best of luck and tight Lines!
I tried something that I’ve never done before for Lakers and that was jigging. We were using 1 1/2oz snakie jigging spoons and the hot colour for the day was silver. We managed 4 for the day biggest was 23″. All we did were long drifts, letting out line until we hit bottom, jigged 3 – 4 times, reeled in a bit, jigging 3 – 4 times, rinse, repeat until it was at the boat and then dropped down again. It was tons of fun when they hit and they hit like a ton of bricks. It was also a nice chance to try my new live bait rod out.
Well the winter wait is over and the walleye season has finally come. Once again I spent my opener on the Bay of Quinte with my fishing partner Sheldon for our annual spring walleye school. We had another great school this year with a bunch of great guys from all over Ontario, New York and Indiana. It’s really great to see guys who have heard of a technique, but never tried it before become very comfortable by the end of the school. The good news this year was the weather and more importantly the winds held off so it made for an easy time on the water.