[oucorry]

Tournament Bass Fishing
verses
Trophy Bass Fishing
by Fish Chris




Some time back, while fishing on Lk. Berryessa, I happened upon an angler who was fishing from the shore. I started a fishing conversation and found that although he was fishing for trout at the time, he did enjoy bass fishing as well. When he asked me what I was fishing for (people usually have to ask, because my high performance bass boat is a twelve ft aluminum) I replied, "I'm fishing for trophy bass". He chuckled and replied, "Well aren't we all?". Not wanting to sound like a jerk, I kept my initial thoughts to myself. But in reality, the answer would be, no. The huge majority of anglers, including tournament anglers, are actually fishing for average bass and hoping for big ones. Granted, if one fishes long enough and hard enough, he might someday get a big trophy bass or maybe even two if he's really lucky. But a few years back when I began to realize this fact, I decided that one or two trophy bass in a lifetime was not enough for me. For a long time I had known, that tournament fisherman rarely caught the biggest bass. However, there was a handful of trophy hunters who did consistently catch the fish that I was after.
Before I get into the differences, I need to give credit where credit is due. Tournament anglers have been a huge help to the sport of bass fishing in general as well as trophy bass fishing. Without them, we would not have anywhere near the awesome fishing equipment, the superlines, the chemically sharpened hooks, etc. Furthermore, the awareness of bass fishing which tournament anglers have brought to the attention of the general public, has been an absolutely huge help. And finally, no other group has done more to promote the idea of catch and release, than the tournament crew.
Now, with that said, I have nothing against tournaments. However, if your goal is to catch a trophy, you need to stop and make a decision. Catching a trophy bass is an uphill battle right from the start. First and foremost, the percentage of trophy bass in any body of water is exceedingly small. And of course, big bass don't get that way, by being easily caught. So then, to overcome this, an angler needs to put all of the odds in his favor.
Tournament anglers almost always fish on the weekends, which not only have the heaviest boat traffic, but also the most fishing pressure. I almost always fish weekdays and on the few occasions that I tried to fish on a weekend, I couldn't believe the circus in front of me. I much prefer to choose the best spots for a trophy, with very few people people in my way.
Tournament anglers fish on the lake where there club or organization decides to fish. I fish on the lake which I feel has the greatest potential for producing a trophy at that time.
Tournaments do not allow live bait. I still prefer live crawdads in the Spring pre-spawn, and at some lakes (such as Clear Lk. Ca) all year long. On that note, I must say that, obviously I believe that live bait gives me an advantage over artificials, in some situations. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't use it. But on the other hand, it is certainly not the giveaway (see: Live Bait Fishing: Dispelling the Myths ) that some people believe. (this is usually the opinion of those who have never tried it) In tournaments, the reasoning is obvious. If livebait was allowed, many of the sponsors (lure manufactures), would be out, along with their money.
In a tournament, a powerful, lightening fast boat is important. (although probably not quite as important as the boat manufacturers would have you believe) So that the competitors can race around the lake and beat each other to the best spots or maybe get to fish a couple extra spots. And of coarse, those outrageous boats carry an outrageous price. The prop on my buddy's high performance bass boat, cost just about the same as my boat and trailer ! The way I look at it, I would rather fish , than work to pay for a high dollar boat. If you're working, you're not fishing. And if you're not fishing, you're not catching a trophy bass.
And finally, the mindset. A tournament angler is typically under a lot of pressure to catch fish. He can't afford to relax. He will usually hit an area hard and fast. If the fish bite, great. If not, he has no choice but to move on and find some that will. Trophy hunting on the other hand, often is a waiting game. If I know where a trophy bass has been hanging out, I may sit in one spot for several hours, waiting for that fish to feed. In many cases, I have been there when they did feed. But if not, oh well, I didn't have to pay an entry fee. And since I haven't run around too much, I haven't spent much on gas either.
With all this said, it's a wonder that many tournament anglers do as well as they do. Obviously, there is a lot of talent out there on the tournament trail. But the fact of the matter is, in the context of trophy hunting, tournament anglers are fishing with one arm tied behind their backs. Of course, within their own group, this is okay, as they are all playing on the same field.
Really, if you look at it, the goal of a tournament angler is to win the tournament. But it doesn't really matter if he only catches two pound fish, as long as everyone else catches 1 1/2 pound fish, he still wins. Me on the other hand, if I catch a 10 pound bass, and everyone else catches an 11 pound bass.......congratulations to all of them! And also to myself, for catching a 10 pound bass ! I'm really not out to do better than any other fisherman. Of course, if I hear of a guy who is catching a lot of really big bass, I want to know how he's doing it. Not because I want to do better than him, but rather, I want to improve my own abilities.
I guess what it all comes down to is, do you want to compete under a given set of rules, so that you might possibly win cash or prizes ? Or, do you want to catch the biggest bass you possibly can, by putting all the odds in your favor ? I know that a guy could fish tournaments on the weekends and still hunt trophies on the weekdays. However, I believe that in most cases, to be a competitive tournament angler, one must devote a large majority of his time to tournament fishing. And likewise, to be a successful trophy hunter, one must devote the majority of his time to trophy hunting.
For me the choice was easy. I think it's cool to strive to be in a tiny group of guys who catch the biggest bass consistently. But if you're into competition, and the absolute size of the fish is not as important, tournaments might just be for you.


No matter which route you take,
Good fishin' to ya', Catch and Release a Trophy Bass