This is my first time entering a tournament as a co-angler both with WBT and with anyone besides my husband. Any helpful, practical suggestions/hints will be appreciated. Like - how much tackle to bring is too much? Do I bring an ice chest or just drinks for the boat cooler? BATHROOM? I use a folgers plastic coffee container in our boat - hmmmm - just bring my own with me???? Ok, so sounds alittle dumb, but I'd rather look silly here - not at Lewisville!

Here's a good series of articles from the FLW site regarding this. Their are links at the bottom of the page for more articles.

As for the potty breaks, my wife and I fish CAST together. She carries a cheap poncho with her and uses that for cover.

http://www.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=137284

I'm sure the ladies will have some more useful tips for you.

Thanx, KD, just read and copied all articles for further study.

Hey lady I will find out as much info I can and let you know.

MsBass, my daughter and I saw several couples fishing at Lewisville Sunday afternoon. Were you out there?

Joe we were actually out on Saturday. By the way here's the stats for the WBT on LL. 95 pros and 80 co anglers. So they still need 15 co anglers to balance the scales.

I spoke with Lady the other day and am looking forward to meeting her at the dinner on April 8. Joe is your daughter going to be at the dinner? Let me know. PM me and I will give you my number to talk to her. I learned alot in the past few days about some of the do's and don'ts for the tourney.

Ladykildee......I fished as a co-angler so I can tell you what I did. First off the boat will have an ice chest so she just needs to bring her drinks. I took anywhere from 6 to 8 rods but then I was the one having to seperate them to get to the one I wanted to fish with. I tried to go prepared for anything but I usually only used two rods. She will find out the night before who she will be fishing with and what/how she will be fishing the next day. I started out the first of the year with a small tackle bag and had to enlarge as the year went. I always brought extra tackle and rods and kept them in the room. As far as the restroom, I didn't drink morning coffee on those days and I could hold the water I drank pretty good. I'm bad at not drinking water like I should. Some of the girls used a coffee can but alot just hang over the side if no one is around. One less thing to carry with you. Also, it helps the boater if the co-angler helps with the gas some (especially with the gas prices now). I gave $40 each day to my boater except on the third day I would give more if I had a really good catch for the day (& in first place). I would have given even more on two of my tournaments if I had more cash on me. LOL That was my choice though. There is no requirement helping with gas, its just a thoughtful gesture. I hope this helps and good luck.

Joe.....My boyfriend and I were out there Sat and Sun. along with several other ladies. You will probably start seeing more ladies as the days get closer. If you saw a white/red/black Legend, it was me. You should have gone over and spoke to them because all the ladies are nice and more than willing to chat with you.

Karol

HI There, glad you are going to fish as a co-angler in the WBT, You will have alot of fun and it can be a great learning experiance. I have fished several of the WBT events as a co-angler and quite a few big tournaments as a co and now I fish local stuff as a boater. Here are some tips for you:
1) usual standard for co-angler is 6 rods- maybe 7 if one is a spinning rod outfit. It's hard to limit yourself to this amount, but you will find yourself spending more time fishing and less time organizing and untangling things if you do this.

2)$40/day gas&oil contribution to your boater, also a good gesture to have a little more with you in case you spill something or put a hook in a seat or something.

3)Biggest thing you can do for your boater is to keep your stuff organized and yourself ready to move quickly when she is ready to make a run, don't have your stuff spread out on the back deck, good to keep your lifejacket on so you can save time when it's time to move, boater will usually warn you "one more cast then we are moving" this is your signal to stop fishing at that moment and be ready. Another sign is pro will strap down the rods when getting ready to move. Have a conversation with your pro when you get in the boat or the night before and ask her to let you know or give you a signal so you can be ready to move. Remember to buckle the back seat down, have your rods strapped in, your hat in your hand so it won't blow off, sunglasses on/secured etc., tackle bag zipped and out of the way, try to always have yourself in the seat and have yourself 100% ready before she is sitting at the wheel. Keep an eye out for her to make sure she has strapped her rods down and pulled the trolling motor up.

4)Bring your own trash sack and clean all the trash out of the boat and espcially your used baits and line clippings for her at the end of the day, ask her if she needs help wiping the boat down at the end of the day, often a pro will decline the help, but it will go a long way to making you a welcomed co angler for a future fishing trip.

5)Bathroom issue however you feel comfortable, you can ask your boater the night before if she keeps a bucket in the boat for this purpose,so you won't bring another one if unneeded. I will hang it over the side and cover up the backside with wrapping a lifejacket or a jacket around the waist, another lady I know always wears a one-piece swimsuit under her clothes and then just slides the crotch out of the way when she uses the restroom. Other ladies will use a rain poncho, if no fish in the livewell and water rough, you can whiz in the livewell then flush it out. For tournaments with lots of spectators, I have used one of the collapsable bait buckets from BPS crouched down in the boat, covered lap with towel or jacket. If weather warm don't limit you fluids because you are worried about restroom, better to need the restroom then get dehydrated and suddenly ill on the water and not be able to enjoy fishing or be a hindrence to your boater.

5)Using hook bonnets on all your treble hook baits will help prevent getting a hook caught in the seat, or your leg which would slow your boater down.
6) If you get hung up and are fishing plastics, just break them off and don't slow your boater down by having to go back for less expensive baits, many will see you are hung up and go back without you asking, most will extend this kind of courtesy to you after you have shown courtesy to them by breaking a few of them off and not asking to go back.
7) try not to throw past the front half of the boat unless she say's it's OK, keep the area in between the seats and consoles clear of your lifejacket, tackle bag etc in case she needs to walk to the back of the boat to land a fish, have a discussion in the morning how she likes to land fish, does she use a net, where is it kept, does she want you to net fish for her etc. Always be ready and fast to help land a fish and the boater will usually do the same for you. If my boater gets a fish on and likes to have help, if I'm in the middle of a cast I do not take time to reel my line, in, I will put rod down in floor of boat and make getting the boater's fish in a priority. It's also good if you as a co-angler can lip your own fish and not need the help or net, will earn alot of respect and courtesy from your boater.
8)take bottle drinks and soda, can be recapped and won't spill while you are running. Good to take your own insulated lunch bag with your drinks, many boats have small ice chests and she might need all the ice she can get for your fish if the weather gets warm, in warm weather, also good to freeze your water bottles and gatorade drinks, ice in chest or they will stay colder in a lunch bag so you won't need to use her ice chest. also good to offer to bring your pro bag of ice in the am, many camp or stay in places where getting ice in the am is unavailable or incovienent.

8)In the beginning of the day ask her to show you how the livewell switches work, that way if you catch a keeper first you can fill your livewell on and get the aerator going without her having to stop and do it for you. Review a minute or two the night before or that am how her trolling motor works or how the boat works in case there is an emergency or she falls out of the boat or if you are getting ready to run up on rocks or something while she is landing a fish. Take notice or ask her if she has an emergency ladder in case you fall out of the boat, being prepared, keeps stuff from happening.

9) Try to be as quiet as possible in the boat, when opening compartments be very quiet and don't let doors slam shut, be quiet with your tackle boxes, esp if you are fishing shallow or near bedding fish. she can't tell you not to move or fish, but if she is working a bedded fish, don't talk, don't move much and be very still. First thing in the am and esp at launch time, try not to talk much unless she is talkative, if she's quiet she's probly trying to concentrate on remembering to do certain things, or maybe thinking about how the wind/conditions will be affecting different areas she is fishing, follow the boaters lead, if they are are talkative, OK to talk, if they are quiet assume they are concentrating very hard and need to think.

Hope this info helps, have alot of fun, the best thing you will get out of being a co-angler is by being there and by learning, and even if your boater is not on fish, you can learn tremendously by paying attention to the conditions and learning from their mistakes.

Navigator, great advice. This nails it completely.

Navigator, that is really great advice. I will be fishing Lewisville as a co-angler and I can't hardly wait even though I've never been on the lake. I have been looking for someone to go with on Saturday, March 29, as I will be up in the area that weekend. Of course, I will also be available to fish the offical practice days but just need a boater on those days. If anyone is interested in a co-angler partner to fish with on these days, please let me know.

Thanks and catch a biggen!
Lesli

Thanx Navigator for all the info. Makes sense and is greatly appreciated. So looking forward to the time on the water.
Am planning to stay in Lewisville area to limit time on the road. Will have rods/tackle/etc. ready. Am using my boat on the lake Wed. to prefish so may see some of you out there. Skeeter with our 'co-captian' "Scruffy" the terrier.

Wonderfully said Navigator!