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Pre-fishing...? #12782777 06/06/18 06:47 PM
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i-Fish Offline OP
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What does a day of tourney practice look like? Do you shave the barbs off of the hooks and baits you're using? Are you looking for one bite and moving on? Do you stay for another few bites? Do you slow down after getting a reaction strike? Do you just look for the hard bait bite and leave the spot once you get it?

I've never pre-fished before....if you couldn't tell. Just a lot of fishing to become a better angler and a few tourneys sprinkled in till next year when I ramp up my tourney fishing. TIA.

Last edited by i-Fish; 06/06/18 06:47 PM.

If you can't find em wind em.
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Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782786 06/06/18 06:51 PM
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Brent S Online Content
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Depends on how far out you prefish. Days before the event, shake off the fish or cover your hook with plastic tubing. Weeks out, not as important to shake them off. You want to locate the areas that have fish and try to find bigger fish.

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782792 06/06/18 06:56 PM
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Day before....I'll take off the hooks and run "rolled over" pointed hooks. Do a LOT of graphing and waypointing. Plan a strategy and a time limit. I'll stop watch my times from spot to spot. Add up the motor time and figure a reasonable amount of time to give a spot. I feel better about leaving a spot that isn't producing as it should when I know I'm staying to a plan.

If it's a week before....I'm hooking fish and having fun. Getting to know the lake, etc.


Eat. Sleep. Fish.
Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782812 06/06/18 07:13 PM
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I find my spots a week or two out and I move on after a fish or 3. If I'm out there the day before, I wear out the obvious places by catching as many fish as I can. banana

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782818 06/06/18 07:19 PM
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Jarrett Latta Offline
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Usually just idle around and look for wrapped boats and take waypoints

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782824 06/06/18 07:23 PM
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Ted Martin Offline
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i fish way faster, cover as much water as i can, look at water color / temp in as much of the lake as possible. Don't grind on any one area. Then you have a pretty good perspective on where you got bites and where you might focus in during the T. Personally i don't cut hooks or press barbs, if i get a good bite or a couple of bites I leave the area.

If prefishing is the day before, I will adjust that strategy - example - TTT texoma last year - in friday practice we ran all over the lake and didn't find a whole lot that was interesting. We went into one cove, saw fish on beds, didn't make a single cast, just left. At the end of the day we ran to one bank where we thought we could get a limit during the T just to check it. Pulled up, didn't even turn off the big motor, made 1 cast and pulled back a 3lber. We said "OK, this is where we are starting." Next day we grinded on those 2 areas hard all day and did well. On RR this year we had 1 spot prior to the friday practice. We ran all around the lake looking for similar stuff, but didn't make a single cast on any of it. A few of those paid off with key culls the next day. The only places we wet a hook that friday were spots we didn't expect to fish, didn't want to fish, and it felt good to not get bit so we could eliminate them.

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: Jarrett Latta] #12782827 06/06/18 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted By: Jaret Latta
Usually just idle around and look for wrapped boats and take waypoints


lol, always a solid strategy!

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782879 06/06/18 08:15 PM
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The more I do it, the less important I think pre-"fishing" is. Seeing the whole lake, or river, to know where different types of cover, water clarity, temperature or water flow is is extremely valuable though. There are so many variables that can change from day to day, relying too heavily on what got bit in practice is a great way to get owned more often than not... I know from personal experience.

To answer the question, I try to move a lot especially on a place I'm not familiar with to see as much of it in the allotted time as possible. Then, see what the weather and other factors are looking like for competition day and go do what "should" be working for that time of year and situation first thing competition day and see where the day goes from there.


Scott Jones
Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12782895 06/06/18 08:27 PM
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3 days or less I peg all hooks with bobber stops or Carolina keepers, week out I let them have it


Branden Hollingshead

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Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: Jarrett Latta] #12782989 06/06/18 09:49 PM
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GIG'EM AGGIES Offline
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Originally Posted By: Jaret Latta
Usually just idle around and look for wrapped boats and take waypoints


This and the bent pole pattern always helps especially if you get an early number or have a fast boat. thumb


I am a Senager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 50 years later. I get an allowance every month. I have PU truck and a bass boat, I am blessed.
Conscience never acquits, it either accuses or excuses.
Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12783038 06/06/18 10:49 PM
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Depends on what the fish are on or we plan on fishing and how far out the tourney is. A week out I'm catching all I can and having fun. The day before I'm looking for a morning spot or where a group of fish are. If I catch 3 with one being decent I move on. I won't make a cast on a pile unless i know we won't go there. May make a cast on fish to see what's there but may not. Just depends on what it looks like. More covering water just looking. I feel like if I find them I won't have a problem catching them

Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: the skipper] #12783094 06/06/18 11:49 PM
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I stick em to see what is there, I fish for a few hundred bucks most of the time, damned if i am going to shake off a possible state record, heck it could be a world record.


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Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12783095 06/06/18 11:50 PM
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I have fished clubs before that the entire week before the T were off limits. If you know the lakes pretty well, you might get by w/o prefishing. That was the way I did it before I moved out to Lubbock. I felt confident in my fish finding/catching ability to put a pattern together. I fished the first year of the Texas Tournament Trail (Everstart/FLW) had a Texas trail, I believe it was 2002 or 03. I have hired guides before, but that never seemed to help. Relying on my fish finding skill was done me well, so prefishing is not a waste of time, but is not something I do anymore. If I MUST prefish, I like to fish the week before and find areas that hold bass and hope they are there when I come back. Pretty easy to not over fish an area doing it this way. Relying on gut instinct has done me pretty well, so why change it. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains


Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains
Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: Happykamper] #12783122 06/07/18 12:15 AM
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thumb


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Re: Pre-fishing...? [Re: i-Fish] #12783281 06/07/18 02:18 AM
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Dubee Offline
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I never prefish. Show up and get after it.

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