Does tournament angling make you a better angler? 2024

Catt reply :

First let me clarify that this is not a post to bad mouth tournament anglers but rather a post giving inexperienced anglers an opportunity to understand bass fishing a little better.

While some may contend that tournament angling helps you to improve your skills faster by placing the angler under various conditions and often times on various lakes. My contention has always been if this were true why are there so many anglers who are constantly on the bottom at every tournament.

To be a successful angler you first must have the basic skills, these skills however are not how to wiggle your worm, the size of your boat, or the number of rods on the deck.

To be a successful angler you must have the following skills; finding/reading & understanding why bass relate to structure, understanding bait fish from the cradle to the grave, understanding the impact weather condition play on a daily basis, these are just a few.

I can quickly tell which anglers truly understand bass fishing by listening to them talk, if the conversation is centered on I should have bought KVD's lure or I should have bought this Ike's reel then I would have been more successful.

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got; many times I have been told to quit saying this because they believe it to be a negative statement; in my angling career it is a positive.

Sam reply :

Catt,

Yes and no.

Yes - You get to learn a body of water from the viewpoint of another angler and also various baits and techniques to fish. Plus other places to locate fish.

Club tournaments and small private tournament are the best to gain knowledge.

After the tournament, just listening to the other guys will also give you some additional tips.

No - If you are a non-boater and have a jerk as a boater you will not only not catch fish but you will have a miserable time.

Oveall, tournament fishing is a wonderful way for fellowship and to learn more about what the other guys throw and how they fish. ;D

Garnet reply :

The ones that really want to better angler move up.

Every year you see somebody make a big splash I call it the Hummer effect new 22ft bassboat, 20 highend rods and reels all the bling thats just some peoples nature they will be flying kites or boat racing next year.

It's the bottom 2/3 of the field that make tournaments, theres people working their way up and people working their way down.

It's almost impossible to fish tournaments and not be a better angler, some are driven to the top and others are happy at their level.

Garnet

CJ reply :

I believe it will pending on the mindset of the person trying to become a better angler.

As Sam mentioned, an angler will get exposed to different techniques. First hand experience is the best.

Some the best learning experiences I have had weren't during a tournament. There can be a lot of stress that can hinder learning on tournament days. They were on days fishing with anglers I met through tournament fishing or some of the guys here on Bass Resource. Everybody has something they can teach you if you are willing to let them.

Muddy reply :

Catt it is hard for me to answer this as I have always sterred clear of competative fishing. I only go by my actual experience, for me it is getting an open mind and learning from all the fellas here who bring things to the table I do not see or pay attenion to.

Actual water time , once I knew the basics is what does it fro me. I can not answer this question from the other perspective.

I have fished with a couple of fellas this way, who fish in various club tournys and out fished them, who knows what that means.

As for your syaing. I am 100% with it, Ike said something I add onto it, because Catt I use your saying a lot when I fish.

Ike talked about not always fishing what you know, ( Your history) but fishing right whats in front of you. Both of your observations were just as important as lure selection this year 8-)

ring fry reply :

I think it makes you a better angler for the above reasons. It very much immulates golf. You have your local guy that wins all the tournaments on his home course and takes all the money on daily games. Yet he goes to another course and is just so-so.

You also have the guy that wins a lot of tournaments around the area but when he goes to the state amateur or regional event, he can't break an egg, let alone break par. A lot depends on how one handles pressure. Some people thrive on it and some people choke on it. (see Memphis in last year's NCAA basketball final).

Some people are made for tournament competition and some people just enjoy relaxed fishing, golf, bowling, etc.

bassnleo reply :

Being a tournament angler does not make you better IMHO.

Being around good tournament anglers MAY make you better.

Like Catt said, an angler that has the basic skills can learn vast amounts from more seasoned anglers, but that too works in reverse.

Sticking with one or two techniques all the time, no matter the conditions, will almost certainly lead to overall failure.

Branching out and learning new techniques, learning how to FIND fish, then how to present a bait to them so they will eat it, those are the key.

-HAWK- reply :

Since were on this topic.... Who would you consider to be the better "ANGLER." The guy that goes out and consistently finds and lands "tournament" size bass. Or the guy that goes out and lands Large fish Sporadically. Also if tournament fishing isnt the best way to become a better angler, What is?

fishizzle reply :

its made me worse in the short term.

now I over analyize everything and throw stuff I wouldn't normally throw because someone else is catching fish on it.

and it makes me scramble though my box and think about the next lure and why I shouldn't throw what I'm now throwing.

All the above is why I love tournaments.

I am a better person because of it in the long run

fishfordollars reply :

It may hurt an angler more than it helps them.

Without the basic understanding that you discussed an angler would be better off hiring a guide to put him on the fish. The old saying "Catching is easy" holds true. It is the finding and developing of patterns that seperate the men from the boys.

Probably half of the participants in larger bass tournaments have no business being there. They fish memories, and that is a killer. These bottom dwelers as such will never be a player and only when hell freezes over do they ever have a shot at drawing a good check muchless win one of the things.

Most of them cannot win consistantly in their own bass clubs, but still they throw their money down dreaming of winning the big ones. They have no idea how hard it is to travel, fish lakes they have never seen, and still they wonder what happened. All they need to do is take a look at themselves for the answer.

roadwarrior reply :

Location trumps everything else...75% of success

is finding where the bass are, then lure selection

and presentation come into play. The wrong lure

in the right place will (usually) produce a few bites;

the right lure at the wrong location is a losing proposition.

8-)

bassnleo reply :

IN additional to what I said above, I have to add that I LOVE tournament angling even though it MAY not make you better.

I also gotta agree with RW and like I mentioned, locating/finding, then getting them to bite is the key to successful bass angling no matter if your fishing a tournament or for fun.

fishfordollars reply :

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its made me worse in the short term.
now I over analyize everything and throw stuff I wouldn't normally throw because someone else is catching fish on it.

and it makes me scramble though my box and think about the next lure and why I shouldn't throw what I'm now throwing.

All the above is why I love tournaments.

I am a better person because of it in the long run

You just answered your on question. It is the location, not the lure. If you draw a partner that is on fish you should be asking the question why here, now, and what next instead of lure choises. Lures are nothing but tools. I see here plentyof people asking what is their favorite lure or technique. I have no favorites, what ever the fish want that minute is my favorite and it can change quickly and often.

fishfordollars reply :

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Since were on this topic.... Who would you consider to be the better "ANGLER." The guy that goes out and consistently finds and lands "tournament" size bass. Or the guy that goes out and lands Large fish Sporadically. Also if tournament fishing isnt the best way to become a better angler, What is?

I'll take a limit of keeper bass every day of the year and wear out the guy that catches a big fish every now and then.

What makes you better is hours of map study combined with on the water observations, learning to detect patterns, knowing when they are changing, being able to break and run 15 miles on a whim to fish for one fish, and having the time and money to stay on the water.(Just a few).

fishizzle reply :

As Fishfordollars said

"Probably half of the participants in larger bass tournaments have no business being there. They fish memories, and that is a killer. These bottom dwelers as such will never be a player and only when hell freezes over do they ever have a shot at drawing a good check muchless win one of the things."

this is what makes tournaments so good

you only have to beat half of the participants the other half are already beat

they just add money to the pot

although its not for the money for me

fishfordollars reply :

Quote

As Fishfordollars said

"Probably half of the participants in larger bass tournaments have no business being there. They fish memories, and that is a killer. These bottom dwelers as such will never be a player and only when hell freezes over do they ever have a shot at drawing a good check muchless win one of the things."

this is what makes tournaments so good

you only have to beat half of the participants the other half are already beat

they just add money to the pot

although its not for the money for me

Yep, they do bump up the winnings.

roadwarrior reply :

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I'll take a limit of keeper bass every day of the year and wear out the guy that catches a big fish every now and then.

Well, I think that's just personal preference, I'm completely opposite.

I'd rather catch one 8 lb fish than a boatload of "tournament bass".

8-)

Garnet reply :

I agree that it's location and lots of guys get the location.

Then it's the better anglers that win on the location. Even your local winners will produce more fish on any location. They will make minor adjustments and just allways catch that few more fish.

And if they move on to other lakes they will catchup quick.

Garnet

Catt reply :

As I mentioned in my opening statement this is not a cut against tournament anglers or tournaments.

Yes you can learn from the top anglers but not everyone can fish with the top anglers; if you fish with someone who knows all the proper techniques, all the best baits, and yet does not know what to do with them these anglers will teach you nothing but make you feel like they did. If the blind lead the blind they both fall in the ditch!

It's not just about tournament anglers but all anglers; if y'all don't understand the basics of finding structure or finding bait fish all the rest doesn't matter. Look at the topics posted here, how many members ask questions concerning finding/reading structure or understanding the predominate bait fish on a given body of water? Oh I enjoy talking techniques, lures, & such but are we really helping someone become a better angler? When I'm asked why are you so successful, I try to explain it bit it goes straight over most guy's heads and immediately they start on the lures, rods, reels ECT.

Hawk to answer your questions; who I would consider a better angler the tournament guy or the big bass guy, I would have to say the guy who consistently achieves his goal. Second if tournament fishing isn't the best way to become a better angler, what is? I'm not saying you can't become a better angler by fishing tournaments but if you don't understand the basics you will never become a better angler.

I also here don't fish your history fish what's in front of you; this to an extent is true but you history is what gives you the confidence to make the proper adjustments on game day.

fishfordollars reply :

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Quote
I'll take a limit of keeper bass every day of the year and wear out the guy that catches a big fish every now and then.

Well, I think that's just personal preference, I'm completely opposite.

I'd rather catch one 8 lb fish than a boatload of "tournament bass".

8-)

Me too if I am just fishing. Tournaments for me are a different deal entirely. I go for a limit and then try to upgrade.

fishfordollars reply :

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I agree that it's location and lots of guys get the location.
Then it's the better anglers that win on the location. Even your local winners will produce more fish on any location. They will make minor adjustments and just allways catch that few more fish.

And if they move on to other lakes they will catchup quick.

Garnet

It is usually the locals that will pop a large sack the first day of a tournament. History shows that they fade down the strech on days two and three. Again, they fish memories and wear out their fish, have not done their home work, and do not have enough fish to sustain them for three days. Exceptions are rare.

I'm am in no way refering to the Tommy Martins or David Whartons, these are traveling tournament pros. I am refering to the local jackpoters that jump in and only fish a large tournament when it comes to their home lake. If you notice even the local guides seldom finish up high in these.

fishizzle reply :

Also you can't get better fishing big tourneys when the top 10 anglers don't share their secrets.

All you see is bass and you can't get better looking at a bag of bass

bassnleo reply :

Quote

Quote

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I'll take a limit of keeper bass every day of the year and wear out the guy that catches a big fish every now and then.

Well, I think that's just personal preference, I'm completely opposite.

I'd rather catch one 8 lb fish than a boatload of "tournament bass".

8-)

Me too if I am just fishing. Tournaments for me are a different deal entirely. I go for a limit and then try to upgrade.

My tournament philosophy used to be the same, get a limit then try to find a kicker.

Not any longer.

I fish to win every tournament. I target winning fish because I know EVERY tournament has good sticks and someone is going to catch them.

Personally, I'm not satisifed with just acheiving a limit if a paycheck does not go with it.

It has worked for me, may not be for everyone, to each his own I guess

Garnet reply :

Yes thats very true locals fade, and then they come to Erie and locals lay a beating on the touring pros (Steve Clapper) and most of the top 10.

So the pro's wimper and take out the local jack potters that they were happy to take there money from.

It still remains that the local stick is a very good angler and will extract more fish they most locals and when the touring pro jack pots a local tourney they get wacked just as often.

Garnet

Paul Roberts reply :

Catt wrote:

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To be a successful angler you must have the following skills; finding/reading & understanding why bass relate to structure, understanding bait fish from the cradle to the grave, understanding the impact weather condition play on a daily basis, these are just a few.

This is a great thread.

Interestingly, KVD won AOY (I believe) in his rookie year. He won or placed high in tournaments on lakes he'd never fished before at 23 years of age. How'd he do that? (Hint: He comes from a serious angling family, and he's a sharp decision maker).

I assume (having never fished a T) that tournament fishing can make an good angler better, through exposure to diff waters and anglers. But, in and of itself, Ts won't likely make the angler.

roadwarrior reply :

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Interestingly, KVD won AOY (I believe) in his rookie year.

Although he was the youngest pro to win AOY at age 24, it was his second year as a professional fisherman on tour.

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/gad/profile/vandam.html

8-)

Matt 825 reply :

Fishing in tournamnets has made me a much better fisherman, but only because I have had the oppertunity to fish with some guys who were really good fisherman. I watched and learned different ways to catch fish and different methods to find fish. It basically made me more versitile. That being said I dont consider myself a 'tournament angler" I like fishing in my quiet, hard to get to spots with the little aluminum boat far more than a big tournament.

Willzx225 reply :

I believe it is all in your mind set. If you have a desire to get better you will find a way. I think that tournaments will make you better if that is what you want. Some people fish a lot of tournaments for the fellowship (mostly smaller "fruit jar" tournaments) and hope to get "lucky" and catch a good fish to win some money. Others use tournaments as a learning tool. I always compare my chosen pattern against what the winners did and try to use this to make better decisions the next time I am in that situation.

A great example of how tournaments will force you to become a better angler is how I approach larger events on my home lake. I am very comfortable on Smith Mountain Lake. When I have a BFL or other larger event I always end up looking at stuff I normally don't fish mixed with my normal patterns. I try to disect the lake like it was a foreign body of water to me and practice how the seasonal patterns should dictate. By practicing this way I teach myself how to recognize developing patterns and once I find them I have more water than I can often run. I think it is very important to fish the moment on lakes you are very familiar with instead of running the same old milk run (unless that is the primary pattern of course)

flechero reply :

I don't think there is a right answer here... for some yes and others no.

For me, fishing tournaments only made me less patient on the water, running back to the smaller easier to find and catch bass. That strategy may add more numbers of smaller keepers to my livewell but did not make me a better angler.

Although, one could argue the time spent pre-fishing (if more than you would have in fun fishing) could improve your skills.

fishfordollars reply :

Quote

Quote

Quote

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I'll take a limit of keeper bass every day of the year and wear out the guy that catches a big fish every now and then.

Well, I think that's just personal preference, I'm completely opposite.

I'd rather catch one 8 lb fish than a boatload of "tournament bass".

8-)

Me too if I am just fishing. Tournaments for me are a different deal entirely. I go for a limit and then try to upgrade.

My tournament philosophy used to be the same, get a limit then try to find a kicker.

Not any longer.

I fish to win every tournament. I target winning fish because I know EVERY tournament has good sticks and someone is going to catch them.

Personally, I'm not satisifed with just acheiving a limit if a paycheck does not go with it.

It has worked for me, may not be for everyone, to each his own I guess

If you do your homework the kicker usually comes with the limit. Long Mike was in the boat with me last month as I was trying to squeeze out a limit. I did not get it; however, my two largest weighed over 8 and over 10.

Garnet reply :

Everbody goes thru that get a limit. And lots have rode that to great careers.

Then lots switch to swinging for the fence and accept the beatings.

Others adjust to the game and the lake. Some lakes are limit type lakes others are big fish lakes and you can easily go get a small limit and never cash a check.

If you are not fishing for a spot on your state team or the classic or club championship then you try to win or cash a check.

All these thing make you a better angler and others get stalled somewhere inbetween.

Garnet

DaRy03621 reply :

Fishing new water is an absolute must to becoming a better angler. If by fishing tournaments your forcing yourself to fish new water, then absolutely tournament angling makes you a better angler. I haven't started fishing tournaments till this year (Purdue bass club), but I've had the chance to recreationally fish in many different places-NY, WV, PA and now IN. My ability to read new water has helped me in these tournaments because I've never seen any of Indiana's lakes, but still have managed to fish well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if tournament fishing forces you to fish new water, you can definitely improve your fish finding/fishing abilities. Of course you could do this recreationally like I have done, but some people may get into the habit of just fishing their home waters because they know they can catch fish there.

thetr20one reply :

Practice for tourneys and honing skills makes you a better angler. Period! IMHO.

Catt reply :

This is still going straight over the heads of many of many of y'all

Y'all can fish all the tournaments y'all can enter within a years time but if y'all aint paying attention to basics y'all will not become a better angler. Y'all can fish a different lake every week not paying attention to the basics y'all will still be the same angler y'all already are. Y'all can not spend your entire life fishing with someone else sooner or later you got to figure out on your own.

What do y'all think makes Tom Redington, Randall or George Welcome the productive guides they have become, the tackle they use, the techniques the employ, or the boats they drive? No absolutely not! They all understand the relationship structures, bait fish, weather conditions, seasonal patterns, timber or vegetation play concerning locating bass.

Garnet reply :

Catt what makes you think we are not very good anglers and understand location, seasons, different lakes for different tactics.

Then we try do better.

Garnet

wagn reply :

Fishing tournaments made me a worse angler. I was to "new" to bass fishing and didn't have the basics down. I'd fish a tournament and not understand why we were fishing were we were, or what bait to use.

Because I was in someones boat I went where they went.

If I didn't have the technique to fish deep and they wanted to fish deep, then I was left with no confidence and didn't know what to do. Being a beginner I had a couple of techniques I was confident in and could fish those very well and usually catch a few bass....as long as I could fish were I wanted.

I am in no way an expert now but fishing tourneys today I think would be benefit me. I have a much better understanding of location and structure. I have developed and am comfortable with different techniques for many different situations.

However as Catt said learning the basics is the only thing that will make you a better angler. Tourney's alone do not make you better...I'm living proof.

As an aside, i really enjoyed my limited time tourney fishing and had fun doing it. However it was not nearly as productive a learning experiance as my fishing since leaving tourney's has been.

5bass reply :

I agree with Keith on this one, there is no correct answer here. I can say 'yes' and 'no'.

It's my belief that knowledge and understanding of how the forage moves, weather effects, seasonal patterns, etc...is a HUGE advantage when trying to get on fish. Getting to that point where you understand all of the variables and knowing how they affect a basses daily life is crucial to actually finding and catching bass consistently....and finding and catching bass consistently will make you a good angler all the way around. It's all a process.

Catt reply :

No one doubts there are a small percentage of tournament anglers who understand what is necessary to consistently catch bass and if those percentages of anglers are in fact teaching others why is there no change in the bottom percentage? My point is often times when someone asks how to become better at locating and catching bass the answer is join a local club or enter local tournaments. My answer is to find a mentor and fish with him as often as possible; this can even be taught via the internet example Muddy.

We are sending inexperienced anglers off to be tutored by whom?

Shouldn't we be teaching them?

Example: how many topics have been started recently about cold water fishing and the majority of the answers are down size you lures and fish slow; what has that told the newbie?

We are willing to get our panties in a wad when what we perceive is questioning of the ability of tournament anglers but refuse to offer proper information required to send the newbie on his way well armed.

SDoolittle reply :

Tournament fishing opened my eyes to how much I didn't know about fishing. It instilled in me the drive to learn more and resulted in me becoming a better fisherman.

tyrius. reply :

In my opinion tournament angling is a way to keep score on how good of an angler one is. The actual tourney isn't the time to improve. That's done pre-fishing or before one becomes a tourney angler.

Liken this to any "real" sport and those athletes don't necessarily become better athletes during the games they play, they improve by doing their homework, learning the fundamentals, practicing the fundamentals until they become second nature, and then repeating the above as often as possible. The actual game time is a showcase of the work they've already done. If you haven't done the work then don't be surprised if you get smoked.

Long Mike reply :

Those of you who know me know that I am a relative newbie to the sport. I have fished only two tournaments. Ironically, they were both held at Lake Fork. As a newbie I take advantage of every opportunity I can to learn from others. During the first tournament I learned nothing. My host seemed to know no more that I did. In the second tournament I fished with Fishfordollars, and I learned a ton.

Truth be told, whether or not I was fishing a tournament is immaterial. It's WHO I was fishing with that made me a better angler.

Jack (Fishfordollars) taught me more than he will ever know. One of the more significant lessons I learned is that, thanks to my incessant reading, I know more than I think I did. I just couldn't put the pieces together on the water. Jack very patiently taught me how to start solving the puzzle. Many thanks Jack.

Brian_Reeves reply :

I agree 100% that it's who you're fishing with that can make all the difference in the world.

Tournament angling gives you a chance to fish with a bunch of people. Especially events with the FLW co-angler format. You can learn a lot in a few days just by switching up and fishing with different pros. I'm hitting the co-angler trail next year and I hope to not only become a better angler through knowledge, challenges and experience, but also become a successful one as well. I can't wait to see how my unorthodox approaches to situations hold up on a trail. Learning that, in iteself, will make me a better angler.

Paul Roberts reply :

Sounds like two topics intertwined here...

-What should be considered basic knowledge (nature, tackle).

-Whether tournaments can make you a better angler.

As to Ts, I think the opportunity to learn is certainly there, but the knowledge you bring with you will affect what you learn tremendously. Educators call this "transfer" -What you already have that will allow you to recognize something valuable when it appears. I like Thoreau's (or was it Emerson's) comment: "There is only as much beauty available to us in the visual ray as we are prepared to appreciate, and not a grain more."

I know anglers who have learned by leaps and bounds by getting involved in clubs, but I see Catt's point: That the easy stuff, tackle and technique, is secondary to basic knowledge about how aquatic systems work. This is much more complicated, over the range of waters bass inhabit, and not all the information is in (at least in my lexicon LOL).

It's much easier, and may be more fun for many, to talk tackle and technique. But as every angler gets pounded in, no one technique is THE ANSWER. Although it sure might seem like it on some days.

Somebody mentioned mentors, and I agree wholeheartedly. I assume mentoring can occur in T situations, but a really good mentor tends to special kind of person. Not everyone is so giving.

Raul reply :

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Y'all can fish all the tournaments y'all can enter within a years time but if y'all aint paying attention to basics y'all will not become a better angler. Y'all can fish a different lake every week not paying attention to the basics y'all will still be the same angler y'all already are.

BassinMichigan reply :

The competitive nature involved in tournament angling has definitely made me a better angler, in just one year of fishing tourneys. It's not the actual day of the tournament that has improved my skills and knowledge, but the preparation for each event. Before I fished competitively, I never committed myself the way I do today to gaining a true understanding of how bass react and adapt to different structure and cover throughout the year according to water temp, wind, bait patterns, etc. In just one year, I have improved drastically at analyzing lake maps, identifying pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn areas, and finding locations that will be holding fish throughout the summer I also would never spend time practicing flipping and pitching jigs into coffee cans off of my deck until this year. My competitive nature is what has fueled my new found dedication to the sport. It's not the money that I desire, it's simply the victory.

George Welcome reply :

The opportunity to learn in a club atmosphere only comes if you have two open-minded people on board.

The opportunity to learn in a circuit tournament, if you are observant, is how to improve your mechanical skills. The mechanical skills involved in this past-time of ours are of extreme importance, but it is an area that is only a few will improve to a level needed in upper level tournaments. The use of rod, reel, and associated tackle can be improved by paying attention.

The opportunity to learn the fine points of locating fish aren't likely to be presented when fishing the circuit tournaments as the "Pro" will have already laid out his choices and rarely with any input from the "Co". However, if the "Pro" is talkative you might gain in this area.

Club tournaments offer the opportunity to "share and learn" fish locating simply because in most cases, two heads are better than one.

If you do get good at the "mechanics", and good at "locating" you can then learn what observation and concentration truly mean by observing both levels of tournament fishing, but circuit tournaments will lead the way in these two areas. These attributes are the most difficult to learn, and the most important of all your fishing skills.

WRB reply :

Lets roll the clock back 40 years to 1968, the early All American bass tournaments that Ray Scott held. At that time the only other tournaments were big bass events where the heavest bass won all the money. Scotts events where blind draw events and the heavest limits won the money.

Todays tournaments are fashioned after the All Amercican events and the focus became catching a limit, rather than catching big bass, two very different disiplines. The other factor that the All American events established was a specific start and finish time you had to catch your limit of fish. Limiting the time and catching limits of bass, changed how tournament fisherman fished to be successful. The fisherman could no longer camp out on a specific spot known to have bass and wait for them to start biting. The tournament fisherman needed to have several spots to make a milk run or establish a pattern of lures and locations where you could catch bass at different times and locations.

The weekend fisherman normally doesn't understand why a tournament fisherman tends to be running around the lake and fishing several different areas quickly.

I fully agree with Catt in regards that most bass fisherman do not understand basics of bass behavior and prey types the bass are targeting.

With todays electronics and GPS maps, most tournament fisherman have learned where to fish, they just don't know why the bass are there. If you don't know why the bass are located at that location, during whatever seasonal period it may be, you can't teach anyone else how to consistantly catch bass, regardless of how good you may be with your technical fishing skills or the quality of your equipment and tackle.

Being both a trophy bass fisherman, that occasionally fishes charity tournaments, here are my thoughts on this topic; the tournament bass fisherman must be able to make good decissions to manage their time and know where to fish when. Both the tournament and weekend recreational fisherman should take the time to learn basic bass behavior; it's far more important to know why bass are doing what they do, than being skilled with your tackle and owning high tech equipment.

I don't know tournament fisherman who are willing to share their bass behavior knowledge, they will offer to teach you how to use equipment and present specific lures.

WRB

Matt Fly reply :

99% of all the tournaments I have fished taught me very little from the competition. The guys I fish against are highly competitive, and are what you call "tight lipped". Having a great partner may teach you alot, but the competition rarely will.

I have buddies who can flat out stick some fish, but they can't find them on their own very often.

To answer Catt's question. It only adds to the time on the water and that don't make you successfull if you can't process info and make adjustments throughout the day.

Hands down, this forum shares more info than any other forum that I have been on. Time on the water, and learning to apply what you learn here can make you a better fishermen.

Randall reply :

Funny this comes up. I am thinking about not fishing any or many tournaments next year so I can learn more. I learn very little on the days I fish tournaments mainly because I don't experiment and trying new things when trying to win. I go with what I know works on those days. I feel if I spend those days I spend fishing tournaments each year just trying to learn more and not worrying about if I catch fish or not then I will learn more and become a better fishermen. I can also spend that time just fishing for trophy fish instead of trying to get five smaller fish for a limit.

Red Possum Strangler reply :

I can say that I used to shoot for FLW as well as Bassmasters and it has made me a much better fisherman. Fishing with a pro, if ever given the opportunity a great way to really learn. If you can ever compete in a pro/am do it.

Rattlinrogue reply :

Although I don't fish tournaments,I think fishing tournaments would have to sharpen fishing skills,not to mention all the things you'd learn from other bassers.

mattm reply :

I didn't read all the replies yet, but my opinion is that any time spent on the water tournament or not makes you a better angler. Some might be slow learners, but your never going to get it without going out and attempting.

bassboy1 reply :

I haven't read all the replies, but tournament fishing has definitely helped me. Well, maybe not the wallet, but helped me as far as fishing is concerned. I get to spend time in other peoples boats, and just by observing where they decide to go under given conditions, and what they throw under given conditions etc, has given me a lot of info to sort through, and ultimately use to my advantage. Also, since I seem to never catch fish ;D, I can see what they are doing when they are catching them (how deep, water temp, what sort of structure, what sort of bait etc) and be a little better able to see what bass are likely to munch on in a given set of conditions. Not to mention, the ramp talk helps a significant amount too. On the large lakes around here, we have mostly spotted bass, but I prefer to catch largemouth. Just by listening to some of the ramp gossip, I was able to gain a lot more info on largemouth (even though I liked them better, I didn't know diddley about them), and am more confident on my abilities to pull a few in when spring comes (still scratching my head about this winter).

All in all, tournament fishing doesn't help because I am under pressure, or because I end up having to pay to fish, on top of boat expenses, gas expense, lost lure expense etc, but because I am around a lot of different people. And, each person will fish certain things differently, so if you fish with numerous people, you will get a much wider variety of information.

Catt reply :

Quote
I haven't read all the replies, but tournament fishing has definitely helped me. Well, maybe not the wallet, but helped me as far as fishing is concerned. I get to spend time in other peoples boats, and just by observing where they decide to go under given conditions, and what they throw under given conditions etc, has given me a lot of info to sort through, and ultimately use to my advantage. Also, since I seem to never catch fish ;D, I can see what they are doing when they are catching them (how deep, water temp, what sort of structure, what sort of bait etc) and be a little better able to see what bass are likely to munch on in a given set of conditions. Not to mention, the ramp talk helps a significant amount too. On the large lakes around here, we have mostly spotted bass, but I prefer to catch largemouth. Just by listening to some of the ramp gossip, I was able to gain a lot more info on largemouth (even though I liked them better, I didn't know diddley about them), and am more confident on my abilities to pull a few in when spring comes (still scratching my head about this winter).
All in all, tournament fishing doesn't help because I am under pressure, or because I end up having to pay to fish, on top of boat expenses, gas expense, lost lure expense etc, but because I am around a lot of different people. And, each person will fish certain things differently, so if you fish with numerous people, you will get a much wider variety of information.

Very interesting

senile1 reply :

8-) Catt, you are brutal. I think he was trying to present the pros and cons as he perceives them. But then again . . . .

avid reply :

fishing tournaments where you travel around to different lakes SHOULD make you a better angler.

Bassnajr reply :

I feel that being on the water is the best way to learn and become a better angler alone or with someone else. Bass clubs are another way to learn from others, but the politics can be distracting. Just like any other sport PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!

AJR

5bass reply :

After much thought on this topic, I do feel like tournament fishing has made me a better fisherman overall. From the time I entered my first club some 20+ years ago, I always strived very hard to learn everything about locating and catching bass under any circumstances on any lake.

I hated going to the weigh in with less than a limit or a limit of small fish...it sucked. It bothered me. When I didnt do as good as I expected, it would dominate my thoughts for a few days. Weighing in light bags for a while drove me harder to figure out things better and get better overall. I had to learn all the variables and how to deal with them. That was the only way to make my game competitive. I'm not sure I would've been up for all that if I was only going out 'fun' fishing all the time.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

My answer is no.

An educated angler makes you a better angler. What I mean is one willing to study the fish and its habits.

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Does tournament angling make you a better angler? 2024

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