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| Starting Equipment for Bass Tournament Angling; So you want to try bass tournaments? | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 12 2008, 07:53 PM (166 Views) | |
| renegade | Mar 12 2008, 07:53 PM Post #1 |
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Starting Equipment for Bass Tournament Angling By Ken Warren There seems to be a good number of articles in circulation as to how to become a tournament angler, including one I recently wrote entitled, “How to Become a Bass Tournament Angler.” One of the reviews that was written for that article said that it was very helpful, but what about the equipment? Is what I have well enough? As I read that, I realized that this is not covered as much as the other aspects of tournament fishing. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what is needed and why. Rods and Reels When I began fishing bass tournaments, I was in college and could not afford to spend much money on fishing equipment. I would say it was unusual for a rod and reel combo to cost me more that $60. I told myself that was more than sufficient as I caught fish. I could not believe that some people were spending hundreds of dollars for a rod and reel. Then I graduated, and after working for a year or so I was able to buy my first new bass boat. Included in the package were two rods and two bait-casting reels. These were not top of the line but each reel and each rod was valued at $100 or so. After fishing with these for some time I realized I had been selling myself short. With the better reel backlashes all but disappeared and those IM8 graphite rods were much more sensitive and smooth casting than what I had been using. I have since tried better equipment and there is some improvement in performance but the biggest jump in performance is from the $30-$50 range to the $100 range. This should be considered the entry-level equipment for the tournament angler. The better reel will allow you to cast farther, spend less time with the dreaded backlash, and standup to the rigorous abuse that the equipment will experience during tournaments. All of these will translate to more time fishing, which will allow you to put more fish in the boat. The better rod will increase sensitivity and therefore make it easier to feel the light bites that sometimes will occur. Sure you can catch fish with budget equipment but remember in a tournament if you miss one fish it could mean several places in the standings or the difference in getting a check or going home empty handed. I also believe both open faced spinning reels and bait-casting reels must be used. The bait-casting reels are essential for quiet presentations such as pitching and flipping and allow for good long casts as well. The spinning reels are the answer for skipping a lure under a dock or brush. Try it with a bait-caster and it will be time to re-spool after cutting out the bird’s nest. Poles should be various lengths. Use a 7-½ foot heavy action rod for flipping, possibly a 6-½ foot medium heavy for pitching. The shorter length will increase your accuracy. For skipping a short 5-½ foot works well. This shorter pole increases accuracy and will not hit the boat or the water, as the proper motion is an underhanded turn of the wrist, which brings the tip very low to the surface. Longer rods feel very awkward here. With other casts lengths are not as critical and are more open to personal preference. Even those stated here will vary some from person to person based on height and arm length. Line Which type of line to use is one of the more hotly debate topics on the forums. Most of my fishing is done on the muddy Mississippi River. Because of this, I use a lot of braided lines like FireLineTM or PowerProTM. These have a smaller diameter than mono, which is beneficial in the currents. The braided lines are very strong and have no stretch. This makes them very sensitive. This type of line does take a little getting use to, however, but is worth it because the number of fish that break off is greatly reduced. This line can be seen more easily in the water, so if I go to clear lakes I will use a monofilament line or tie on a fluorocarbon leader. It is probably best to try several different types of line and decide which you are most comfortable with. Tackle This part of the discussion could go on and on but I’ll only show a couple of examples. These will illustrate the idea of using good quality tackle not just the everyday stuff found at Wal-Mart. To find what exactly works in your area it is best to ask around at a knowledgeable tackle dealer or join a local bass fishing club and fish with some of those people who seem to always catch fish. Watch not only what they are throwing, but also how they work it and where they put it. One good example is spinnerbaits. You can buy these all day for $1 a piece at outdoor shows but these are made with cheap components and will rust easily and will likely not run straight. You can spend $6 for one of those titanium jobs and it will likely last a very long time but the fatter wire will hamper spinnerbait performance. There are many companies making spinnerbaits and most are good quality and will catch fish. The brand does not really matter because they have basically the same flash and vibration. These are all easily found at most tackle stores in the $4 to $6 range. Then there are a few, however, that are doing something a little different. One of these companies I have confidence in is Strictly Bass Lures. http://www.strictlybasslures.com their baits are not aimed at the mass market but specialized and geared toward the tournament angler looking for an edge. They violated two rules in the mass production of spinnerbaits. Normally every manufacturer will use a common wire size for the entire line and all steel blades to cut down on production costs. Strictly Bass Lures uses a different wire size for each weight. This maximizes the vibration and reduces the drag due to water resistance allowing it to run deeper. Also, their blades are brass instead of steel. This allows the vibration and sound of the bait to be different. The idea is to show the fish something they are not accustom to, thereby increasing their curiosity and the number caught. These things along with the use of high quality SampoTM swivels and MustadTM hooks make Strictly Bass Lures one of the highest quality spinnerbaits on the market. Another good example is in the plastic bait arena. In the last few years several specialized areas have popped-up. All of the different types will catch fish but some are the better choice under certain conditions. These are not the cheap baits they once were. Some of these will cost you 50 cents to $1 apiece. Many of these are highly guarded mixtures of different substances to achieve the best flexibility, scent, and buoyancy. The standard plastics that have been around forever just don’t seem to cut it any longer. You should always use a salt and/or scent impregnated bait, as the fish will tend to hang on a bit longer and give you a little more time to react. I am still forming my opinion of the newest 3X materials. These have tremendous durability and buoyancy, but are difficult to work with and can turn to goo in the tackle box. You will have to from you own opinion of them. Do not be afraid to try those that look very gaudy like the creature baits and those that look too simple to work like the Senko. They are great fish catchers as well as the old standby, the worm. The bottom line here is, spend as much as you can afford on the equipment and it will not ruin the day for you. If you skimp on the equipment you will simply be reducing the number of times you will draw a check after a tournament. Now don’t spend all of you grocery money, but buy it as you can afford it and before long you will have the respectable equipment you desire. Also, if you are just getting started at this you can buy one or two good rods and they talk to people you fish with to find out what they like. Maybe as you are prefishing they might even let you try fishing with their rod and reel or tackle so you can get a good feel for it to see if you like it enough to buy one. |
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| Bronzeback | Mar 13 2008, 12:39 AM Post #2 |
Smelt
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Great article. I am definitely going to look into those strictly bass spinnerbaits. I had no idea about wire size hampering performance. As far as spending a little extra for top performing products however, I think my perennially empty pocket book speaks for itself. 
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| Bronzeback | Mar 13 2008, 06:16 PM Post #3 |
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Smelt
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Here is another great article about boat and tackle organization, which I believe is one of the main keys to success for both the tournament angler and the recreational angler by Nick Ruiz. I have read this article more than once.  By Nick Ruiz Truth be known; many partners and friends that I have fished with have sometimes accused me of being a little "fussy" over the way I organize my gear. Some have gone as far as to compare me to an espresso laden Martha Stewart with an obsessive compulsive disorder. A venerable "neat freak" with a flipping stick if you will. With this in mind, lest we wonder where I stand on the organization of tackle and gear, as well as the condition in which it is kept. If there is any confusion on what I consider "gear", lets clear it up right now. I consider gear, everything that even remotely pertains to a trip or tournament. Rods, reels, tackleboxes, coolers, truck, boat, rain gear, first aid kit, and even clothing fall under the heading of "stuff-that-needs-to-be-working-flawlessly-to-make-for-a-successful-trip". Those who have fished with me have learned to work around this habit of mine. But a good habit it is. Contrary to popular belief, organization is directly related to safety on the water, successful fishing, as well as your overall satisfaction level at the end of a trip. I think we have all had that day when we needed "those green worms", and we had no clue where they were. All the while your partner, who knew exactly where his were, is picking up fish like he's in a South Street fish market. Fact of the matter is, there is certainly something to be said for the proper storage and organization of your gear. We'll start with the basics. Every angler on the face of mother earth has a tackle storage system. That's right, tackle storage system is the latest marketing euphemism for "tackle box". Basically this falls under the genre of "what you're comfortable with". There is no right tackle storage system that should be used over the other. Lord knows there are enough choices to drive one to the brink of habitual prozak use. Plano, Flambeu, Woodstream, as well as a host of others have flooded the market with choices in which we can store our tackle with. With this in mind, it may be time to evaluate your own tackle storage, and if not replace, at least upgrade to a more appropriate system. As previously mentioned, there is no one "right" system to use, so for the sake of demonstration, I will list the one I use, as well as some of the ones that I feel could be effective. First off, I greatly prefer the soft side, denier bags over the hard boxes for a number of reasons. The greatest being the ability to modify it. Under normal circumstances, once the hard box is bought, there is little one could do to modify it. I use a Plano Tournament Bag. This is a larger "duffel" type bag that is designed to hold many of Plano's modular tackle storage units such as the smaller Stow Away boxes and tackle wraps. In this bag I have the center compartment, holding everything but hard baits and accessories. I have managed to turn Plano's zipper wraps into a modular storage system in and of themselves. They have wraps designed to hold everything from worms to jars of pork. I like these for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is they are expandable. By adding bags to the binder like wrap, you are rarely left with a lack of storage. I compare it to "rolodex-ing" your baits. Also, the wraps keep the baits separated and air tight, which makes for a far less odor-offensive tackle box, which is sure to be a big hit around the house. Another advantage of the soft wraps is they allow you to make a modular tackle system, which I consider a godsend. It allows you to have many wraps loaded with baits of similar size or style, and depending on the day or the water you're fishing, gives you the opportunity to assemble your bag from a large storage pile. I call this little system "custom tackle management", which is a two dollar euphemism for "buildable bags". As far as topwater and crankbaits, which certainly don't get along well with wraps, I still like to use Plano's 3700 and 3701 plastic storage boxes. I actually prefer the 3701 as such it is far thinner than the original 3700 and if you can stretch the bag a little from use, you can actually get four of them where only two normal 3700's would fit. A great advantage if you ask me. Unlike the wraps, which I keep color-coded, (Plano offers them in a rainbow of something like 14 colors), I use computer-generated labels to label the contents of each box. (Ed. Note: If by some chance you happen to have a file cabinet you're not using, that would make the mother of all storage units for the large pile of tackle that doesn't make the trip. It would be a virtual "bait file". I have done this, and by the way, Plano 3700's are very similar to legal size documents, and fit excellent in file cabinets. I managed to squeeze twenty-plus boxes in a drawer. Wraps will work similar when placed side by side.) If you choose to use this system, you needn't use the exact same bag. Plano produces a host of bags that will fit your storage system on the boat, as well as your personal preference. One final point, sometimes less is more. Take less on a trip. Possibly make your system more specialized. It's hard, but we can all get over the fear of "what-if-they-are-hitting-on-X-and-I-left-it-at-home" syndrome. Now that we have our "stuff" organized, it has to go somewhere when we head out on a trip. Usually first to the truck, then into the boat. This process can be as easy as loading stuff from place A to place B, or as difficult as getting an overweight Saint Bernard in the house through the cat door. I think the tackle bags and rain gear bags as well as the cooler can go without saying, provided you don't plan to make your trip in a Miata. A simple pack-em'-tight-so-they-don't-roll-around-in-the-turns method will surface here. Possibly the addition of some sort of floor protector could prove a worthwhile investment in the advent of a spill or leak. On the other hand, rods, more specifically, one-piece rods, that are all ready rigged can pose a problem even for the largest sport utility vehicles. Laying them side-by-side will sometimes work, but more often than not, some sort of rod storage and transportation is needed. Rod Saver produces a product that will keep rods of any length hung from the ceiling, side-by-side. The system consists of two straps, one with small loops on it, and the other with Velcro fasteners, which span across the width of the vehicle. They are placed about three feet apart and will keep up to 10 rods and reels, that are rigged, neat and undamaged through a trip. I recommend these for only larger sport utility vehicles and vans as such longer rods will take up a pretty good portion of the length of the vehicle, and having rod tips interfering with driving could pose a safety hazard. Also, this system will work with pick-ups with or without caps. For a pick up without a cap though, I recommend a hard tauno cover with a lock, as such your stuff is at great risk of damage or theft under the soft variety. Also, while on the subject of rod storage, if you plan to make a very long trip, where you won't need the rods rigged right away, there are several hard plastic "bazooka tube"-type rod cases that work extremly well. Even though they have a habit of being a real pain in the derriere to store, as well as having the propensity to roll around. I would normally only recommend these types of cases for air travel. Though you should check with your carrier in advance as to their policies on luggage like that, as such I don't feel air carriers would be very friendly towards someone traveling with a fair representation of a surface-to-air missile launcher. Ok, so we've managed to get our stuff organized, from the house to the truck, now...we need to get our stuff in the boat. I like to think of the boat as an anglers' office, our workplace. I think it goes without saying that a neat, organized workplace makes for better work. Whether it be a doctor or an angler, a well organized work place is a safe and productive workplace, there is no difference...except for possibly the salary. Depending on the boat you own, this will determine how you organize your gear. Chances are that if you own a smaller, tin style, Long Island type lake boat you already have a way of setting stuff up that makes the construction of Stone Hedge look like play time with Legos. I have seen the way some anglers set up smaller boats, and how they do it is still way beyond me. So, for the sake of argument and demonstration, we'll assume we're working with a standard, generic, run of the mill bass boat with rod lockers and dry storage boxes and such. First the basics. If your boat doesn't have running rod straps to keep a few rods strapped down on the deck at all times...GET THEM!! They are invaluable and make life a whole lot easier. Also, if your "dry" storage isn't exactly that, there are many marine retail stores that sell inserts that run relatively cheap, that can remedy this problem, just by inserting them. Also, rod lockers on larger boats usually just consist of a long empty box. There are several "rod locker organizers" on the market that resemble a board with many small PVC inserts in it. They usually come in pairs, and will do a fair job of keeping rods from smashing into each other when running at full tilt boogie down the lake. They also do a great job of letting you "file" rods according to action, length, bait they are designed for use with, or what ever system you prefer. As far as storing the actual tackle, again, this depends on the layout of your boat. If you have two rod lockers, use one for the storage of rods, and the other to store your tackle and the like. An interesting way of storage I have seen on a friend's boat uses a spring-loaded pole-type device that allows you to stand up Stow Away boxes and Tackle Logic wraps in the locker. The pole holds the boxes firm in place and yet still allows the insertion and removal of all components. I am not sure of the maker of this product, and as a matter of fact, if anyone knows what it is called, or where I can get one, please contact me. I do however, know for a fact that it is very effective at what it does. Another important point about storage and organization is to be absolutely sure your "gotta haves" are in locations that make them accessible in an emergency. Life jackets, first aide kits, flare and signal kits, as well as tool kits are all within some degree of easy reach. Also, the boat paddle falls under this heading, and may not be the most needed piece of equipment on the boat, but it still should be within some sort of easy reach. Trust me when I say there are more uses for that paddle than anyone can imagine. I have seen it used as a lure retriever, an attitude adjuster, as well as a snake defense weapon. With that said, I pray that this article sounded more like a "clean up your room Johnny" public service announcement, and illustrated the importance of having a clean work space. Because lest I mention it again, a clean workspace makes for a happier worker as well as more productive work. If you'd like more information on any of the products I have mentioned in this article, feel free to mail me for details. Catch ya' on the water... |
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11:36 PM Nov 28
