March 18, 2006 is the date of my first tournament this season. I have already signed up for the (5) BFL’s in the Piedmont Division and I can’t wait. “Co-Angler” is my status; I signed up as co-angler this season because I have not fished a series this big. I want to learn the “ins and outs” before taking on the boater side of things next season.
Kerr Lake, my home body of water, is the site of Tournament #1. Lucky for me, I have a good understanding of what the bass are doing right now. I know what rods and reels I will be carrying and what lures I will have ready at the beginning of the day.
Hopefully, you have checked out my first article on Ultimatebass.com, “Sink or Swim as a Co-Angler.” If you have, you have noticed that I mentioned several “Go-To” lures that have helped me out in the past in Team Tournaments and as a co-angler. Well, this coming tournament, I will be throwing spinnerbaits, medium crankbaits, and maybe a senko. I have a game plan already in my head. Knowing what lures I will start with is a plus. It doesn’t matter to me where the boater wants to fish. I can and will cover all areas of water with the three above mentioned baits.
Spinnerbaits-
Without a doubt, the spinnerbait is the most versatile lure available. You can cover all ranges of water depth with a spinnerbait in a short period of time. While fishing this coming tournament, I will pay close attention to how my boater is fishing. When the boater misses a good spot or doesn’t fish it well enough, I’m going to make multiple casts there. During these casts, I will vary my action and retrieve speed of the spinnerbait.
I will catch fish behind my boater. Confidence in your lures and techniques goes a long way.
Crankbaits-
Also, during this tournament, there will be a couple of crankbaits tied on. Covering water with a crankbait is so easy, but in the back of the boat, that is not my focus. My boater will have first shot at everything. I will S-L-O-W D-O-W-N big time with my crankbait presentation, making sure I bounce it off every single piece of cover I see. I will make many casts to the same piece of cover from all angles.
Senko-
I won’t even hit on this magic bait. There is so much in print about the senko; I would just be piling on. However, it will be tied on and flipped at every single dock we come across.
There you have it. That is the game plan and the lures I intend on using. Let me sum things up for you with a couple tips.
1. Be observant
2. Slow down
3. Make multiple casts to the same object
4. Have fun-Don’t take tournament fishing so serious.
Keith Redd (Reddman)
Reddman@ultimatebass.com
Fishforfree.com
Secretweaponlures.com
