2003 Minnesota B.A.S.S. State Champion
Many of the problems that plague tournament fisherman that
are forced to
work "regular jobs", is there inability to spend adequate time on the
water to effectively compete. This sentiment is echoed year after year.
Many of us are trying to get to a level we consider the best of the best
and take our obsessions to the ranks of professionals. While this is the
objective many of us do not have the weeks of preparation that it takes
to get intimate with the body of water in which the event will be held.
To properly prepare you need to be intimate with the ecosystem from the
forage base and vegetation to the seasonal movements of bass. Once you
obtain this level of intimacy you have a clear and thorough
understanding of what is happening and can make accurate assumptions in
the face of changing conditions.
I typically fish 20 or more tournaments a year and by no
means have adequate vacation time to properly prepare. In the face of
this dilemma I have but one option and that is to prepare from my couch.
Many of us scour over the maps looking for that secret spot or read
In-Fisherman magazine front to back over and over trying to make every
ounce of information sink in. While this is good the overall reading of
publications is only the tip of the iceberg. If you are going to head
into an ecosystem you need to be prepared mentally and understand what
should be happening prior to even launching your boat. You need to know
how the bass in your environment react to the seasonal movements and how
and when these movements take place. There are immense differences
between post spawn fish in an oligotrophic environment vs. a eutrophic
environment. Understanding the differences will save you valuable hours
during practice. Next you need to understand the forage base. Not just
crayfish, gills, and shad. You need to understand the pollination of Eel
grass and how this pollination effects the pan fish drawing them into
these areas while leaving other immature patches void of fish. You need
to understand the rice worm and mayfly hatches and how this impacts the
forage base and how this in turn impacts the bass. Many of these
conditions play out year after year and with properly educating yourself
you can save days if not weeks in your pre-fishing adventures. Utilize
your free time away from the water stuffing your cranium with as much
info as you possible can. From there take notes on everything you
observe while fishing and when you have finished your trip write down
your summary and thoughts on what else may have been happening and what
you can do differently.
An ounce of knowledge is worth its weight in Bass.
Jeremy Crawford
classicbass.com Pro Staff
