Thread: What do you do?

Originally Posted by KnightShadow10

When in a tournament, and you have caught your limit....what do you different to try and catch bigger fish to up your weight? Cull your catch...

A full limit or a tourney limit?

In a tourney, I measure my fish. When I get 8-10 in the boat, I cull. Don't keep more than I'll weigh in plus a few spares. Easier to keep them alive that way. Sometimes I'll have a few more if they are cookie cutters. Then I start separating front and rear live wells.

Example--
Depending on the lake, my front live well may have 12 1/2 to 14" fish. The rear over 14's. When or if I get 7 or more over 14, I chunk all the fish in the front live well over, and move the 14 1/4's to 15's up front. I HOPE I can refill the rear live well with 7 fish that are over 15. Some lakes that is unrealistic, but that's how we work it. On some lakes, the length might move down an inch or more but it's the same process.

What it all boils down to is they can't answer your question. The ones that I have read about pre fish to locate fish. On tournament day they try to find 7 to weigh and then go looking for bigger fish. They do not limit fish and most only keep there weigh in. That is where the pre fishing comes in is finding several places that are holding fish. Good luck listen to big river marine and follow his advise.

Originally Posted by KnightShadow10

Kind of hoping someone that fishes tournaments will answer. Seems like a pretty simple question.

It's a good question. You must find a limit before you have to worry about it tho. Finding a tourney limit is the Hard part some days.

The guys that seem to be the most consistent are guides and people with lots of Time On The Water--TOW!!!

THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR TOW!!!!! Weekend warriors like myself just have to get lucky on occasion. I seem to get luckier the more TOW I get before a tourney.

Originally Posted by sinkermaker

listen to big river marine and follow his advise.

Guys, my question is simple....what do you do to try and catch bigger fish after you have caught your tournament limit?? Do you change the way you fish, or fish the same way....

Originally Posted by KnightShadow10

Guys, my question is simple....what do you do to try and catch bigger fish after you have caught your tournament limit?? Do you change the way you fish, or fish the same way....

I stick to em in the same area IF I'm getting Good ones mixed in with the average ones. If you're only catching average ones, you're in the wrong area and need to move. Nobody only catches good ones, but they must be in the area to catch or you move!!!!!!!

Finding the Good Ones in an area is easier said than done on most days. I find that the good fish bite at different times than the average fish, and they hit the bait waaaay different. Those fish that snatch the pole down are usually average to smaller fish. The tourney sized fish don't get in that big of a hurry. They aren't afraid another fish will take their meal like the smaller ones are. The average fish will hit it and Haul it before a bigger fish takes it away from them.

If you know where to move and find good fish, odds are you should have STARTED there. Sometimes moving works, and sometimes you should stay with em. It's a coin toss on a slow day!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by slabin

I like the way you think I might have found me a tournament partner if I ever start fishing them

Lol, Slabin. At the rate I've been going lately, I'll be happy with 7 fish of any size!

Don....here is the simple answer to your simple question..........gniyrt peek tsuj