Fishing Team Bass Tournaments
I began fishing team bass tournaments while stationed in Arkansas and immediately fell in love with it. I’m a people person so it was great having someone on the sled I could talk to during the event. I also liked the safety aspects – having someone there in dicey conditions or on new water is always a good thing. There’s also the benefit of shared expenses. As I explored team trail options beyond that first experience I learned there are many out there, some of them pretty darned lucrative. I must confess though, I struggled those first few years. Here are a few things I learned along the way that may help an angler get the most out of a team trail experience.
Fishing Team Bass Tournaments Getting The Right Match
Success as an individual angler won’t always translate into team success. Having an up-front discussion to make sure you’re pairing up with the right style and personality is a must. Be willing to be brutally honest about individual strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these at the beginning will go a long way towards optimizing the team’s performance.
Fishing Team Bass Tournaments Be Flexible
Concessions will have to be made based on the body of water, time of year, or weather conditions. Throwing a spinnerbait all day long may not be a favorite technique, but if it’s putting the right fish in the boat, the adjustment is needed. The co-angler may not like punching mats but if it’s the winning pattern, go with it. This isn’t a game of taking turns. Let practice dictate the tournament strategy. Be willing to learn or try new things.
Fishing Team Bass Tournaments Share
There are no secrets on a team trail. Being 100% open and honest when developing your strategies makes the team better. During practice make it a habit of discussing every bite or catch. This 10 or 20-second discussion will go a long way towards fine tuning what might be the winning pattern. Once loaded up for the tournament there’s only one tackle box on the boat – – the team’s. The special spot your partner shared during a team event must be respected during next week’s individual event. What’s spoken among the team stays with the team.
Fishing Team Bass Tournaments Speak Up
If after four laps around the cove with every moving bait known to mankind without a bite, it’s probably time to try something else. If a black-blue jig is whacking them while your partner is flailing aimlessly with a brown and orange jig clue them in. If something on the electronics suggests a change to do something different, sound off.
Fishing Team Bass Tournaments The Competition
For the record, the competition in a team trail event is not on the back or front of the boat. It’s the other teams. Yeah, we’re always going to have our fun games about who caught the most or the biggest fish, but when it comes down to the bottom line, everything happening on the boat is about we, our, and us. Let that Type A, uber-competitive personality drive performance but don’t let it get in the way of the obligations as a teammate.
Team trails are a great way to fish, especially being new to fishing or moving into a new area. It’s a great way to learn and grow as an angler, boater, and competitor. Give it a try!
Brian Lindamood
