How long in advance is too long? The way the weather changes from day to day is there a need to prefish 3 weeks in advance? I guess it is even more important to have deep water fish in addition to your shallow holes?

i wouldnt want to be prefishing a season before ...patterns change too much...3 weeks in the summer isnt really alot if th weather pattern is steady but this time of year prob so

what lake is it?

Fork

If you prefish way in advance, sometimes your best option is to leave the rods at home and stick to the graph/side scan. Lakes that are usually covered in grass in the spring - fall can reveal a lot of subtleties when the bottom is barren. If there is a draw down, prefishing with a camera and notebook can be extremely beneficial as well.

I like the new sig

I like to see where the lake was before a tourney, water level, color etc. Most lakes are down now and depending on rain will probably fill up some. This allows you to see things now that will be covered later. Also, if you are lucky enough to get bit now, use what you know about seasonal migrations to figure out where they are going. Time on any lake will help you see what is where so when you do figure out a pattern you will have more spots. I have never felt like a pre-fish hurt me.

IMO, it is all about time on the water, knowing what the areas hold as far as water depth, vegetation, cover, bait and water temps. Water temps might not be completely relevant 3 weeks in advance, but it does not hurt to know. For me, there is not a worse feeling than wasting time to go to an area during a tournament and get there and think, �This is not at all what I expected�.

That sounds like good advice from someone who knows!

my opinion is based on prefishing as more of a look at area and fish behavior type deal. Find where the bait is hanging, look for key ambush areas nearby- and go from there. You also look at the available cover or lack there of. prefishing is for strategizing, and tourney day is for improvising on your strategy.

prefishing is for finding. Tournament day is for catching.
I talked to Clark one time and he told me alot of guys beat themselves by winning prefishing. I'd never really thought of it that way before.

Clark is a smart dude. ugly as hell, but smart!

I don't think actually prefishing a month or more in advance will help you a lot. However, scouting is a whole different issue. As mentioned in some earlier posts, this is a great time of year to go out and idle around. You can find good humps, roadbeds, dropoffs, rockpiles as well as brushpiles on these spots, drainage ditches (especially if the lake is low), etc. Great time to spend with your electronics in deeper water and scanning shorelines on low lakes. You might even find some deep locations now that could produce in late spring and summer. Those shallow drains and ditches can be dynamite in the spring as the water comes up too.

Any time on the water will help you no matter when your tournament is -You will learn something about the lake every time you go that will help you later.Fish to your strengths and dont worry about anybody but yourself and the little green fish.Time on the water is the key and will make you a better angler.

Clark stole my post, not so much about the camera but the sidefinder along with navionics is an excellent place to start without wasting time.

I guess if you have a camera that would be good too but I've got enough invested in my electronics.