Tips From The Pros
Every year there are more and more Walleye tournaments and more and more fishermen thinking about getting into them. Mark O'Brien of Appleton shares some of his thoughts and experiences with us.
Tournament Fishing
What does it take to fish walleye tournaments? This is not the first time I have been asked this question. Tournament fishing is definitely not for everybody. It takes many things to be able to fish tournaments. It takes even more to be successful at it. Some people think it takes skill, some say luck, some say time and others will say money. The truth is it takes all of them and more.
At one time or another, most of us have been to a tournament weigh-in. Most of us have also probably thought, “I could catch that many pounds”. Maybe you did it the other day. That’s usually how most of us get bit by the tournament bug. I started fishing tournaments when I was just 14 years old. My first tournament was the Omro Sheepshead tournament. The first year didn’t go so well, but after that my Dad and I figured things out well enough to always get our money back and win a friendly bet with some friends. Once I turned 18, I teamed up with a high school buddy and started fishing in the local walleye tournaments like the Otter Street Fishing Club tournament. A tournament my Dad had won twice. We also fished the MWC when it was in town. 16 years later I am still fishing tournaments with the same passion I had when I was younger. The only difference is that I am smarter about it.
I used to think that it was just as simple as going out and getting lucky. I used to get frustrated when people newer to the sport did better than I did. I’d wonder why I couldn’t get lucky like them. Luck will always play a pretty big role in tournament fishing. Decision making, skill, patience, knowledge and confidence are the things that put you in the position to get lucky. Three years ago at the rules meeting for the MWC Spring Valley tournament, Kristine Houtman had a part of her introduction speech that really stuck with me. It basically stated that every angler would probably have luck present itself at some time during the tournament. It was up you, the angler, to take advantage of it. That really changed how I fished tournaments. I practiced harder, did more research, and stayed more mentally focused. While luck has yet to present me with an opportunity to win a tournament, it has helped me to do very well in some big tournaments.
Another important part of tournament fishing is time. You have to have the time to do the big tournaments. When I fish a small bar tournament for fun, I might go out the night before just to try a couple of things real quick. The bigger tournaments like MWC events, Mercury Nationals, FLW events will require more than just a couple hours of pre-fishing. For most of these tournaments I like to start pre-fishing about three days before the event. Sure I would like a week, but I just don’t have enough vacation time to do so. In the beginning of the year when I set my tournament schedule it is a juggling act trying to assign the right number of days with the appropriate tournament. Usually I’ll take more days off for travel tournaments and less for more local ones. With local tournaments, I usually figure I can pre-fish after work if needed. The Pros that fish the bigger circuits will take up to two weeks off for a tournament. Pre-fishing time is very important. You use the things you learned pre-fishing to come up with a game plan for the tournament. The more time you have, the better your chance at finding that winning pattern. Be careful though, there is such a thing as having too many spots.
A couple other important aspects of fishing tournaments are decision making and being versatile. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to make the “which way to go” or “where to start” decision. Sometimes you make the right move and sometimes you make the wrong one. This is where all the pre-fishing you did comes into play. You have to take what you have learned to help in your decision making. You have to look at weather conditions, get a feel for what other anglers are doing, decide if the bite seems to be getting better or worse. This all plays into your plan of attack. Don’t be surprised if you have to completely abandon your original game plan and come up with something new. The last two MWC Championships I have fished, we had to do this very same thing. By the end of the tournament we ended up fishing spots we never really pre-fished during practice. Being versatile is very key in tournament fishing.
While all these things are very important to tournament fishing, money and family support probably play the biggest roles. Let’s face it, boats and equipment aren’t cheap. Unless you have a good job or a healthy savings account, it is pretty hard to be a tournament fisherman. Of course there are always bar tournaments that have low entry fees, decent payouts and prizes. A lot of these bar tournaments are fun to fish as well. I always fish a couple each year for fun. To fish the MWS, MWC, FLW or PWT, you will definitely need money. First off, most of these tours have at least one big water tournament. This means that you will need a good sized boat, which won’t be cheap. Second, the entry fees could be anywhere from $225.00 a team to $1,500.00 as a Pro Angler. Third, there will be travel expenses such as gas, food, bait, and hotel. If you fish a circuit, you will most likely have to spend some time away from home. This is where family support is important. Fishing tournaments can definitely put a strain on a family, both financially and emotionally. You have to be careful that you aren’t spending too much money that you acquire a large debt that will take years to get out of. I have seen it happen to people that I know. You also will have to leave your family for several days at a time. This can be hard on people with young families. It was hard for me to leave my first born when he was only 7 months old, even though it was only for five days. It definitely helps to have a wife or parent that gives you the support you need to go out and do your best, someone that pushes you towards your goal.
My best advice to someone that wants to start fishing tournaments is to start small and work your way up. Make sure it is something that you will like. You don’t want to be spending all that money on something you don’t like. If you are looking to take a shot at fishing as a Pro, I would advise you to talk to some current Pro’s first. They can offer you some great advice on what to do and what to expect. Remember, tournament fishing is supposed to be fun. I always said that when it stopped being fun, it would be time for me to give it up. Of course, I will always fish though. I love to fish. I love it now as much as I did when I was 5 years old. Good Luck to all tournament fisherman this year.
