I don't like to prefish, I think of it as using up my luck the day before. If you have a game plan, save it for the tourn.

I fish just like I would during a tournament, but move around a lot more and find different areas. I stick fish because I like catching fish, and I thought that was the point of fishing.

I like this game plan. I used to go out with no rods or only one and just try to look for shad and schooling bass. Everyone said I was dumb for doing this because I wouldn�t be able to tell if the bass were aggressive or neutral. I heard what they were saying but�.. I was pre fishing one time in submerged stump field small�.. unnoticed by a lot I caught a 7 and an 8.2� do I need to say what I caught on that area come tournament time

I fish the lake a week before the tournament when possible and look for a pattern more than actual spots. If I catch a decent fish I leave the area ASAP. If I catch a dink I'll throw a few more times and see if theres a group where larger fish are possible by weeding through little ones. Once I figure out a pattern I look for other areas that fit the pattern and just drive by and keep looking. I also look for a second pattern to find a backup should the fish pattern fail. Sometimes theres several different patterns going on at the same time. If I fish the day before the tournament if I catch 4 fish on the same type of structure and have anykind of pattern, I quit fishing that pattern all together for that day.

I hook the fish to see the size of fish in the area. If I catch a 4lb fish on a secondary point with a channel swing near it on the third cast on that point I don't expect to catch it on tournament day. I will, however, fish that spot very well during the tournament a couple times. If I catch a fish on the next 3 secondaries then I'm goin to fish secondary points in the tournament primarily and then pockets near the secodary points I caught fish on. I feel like when I find fish on points that they are moving up or out so I usually figure out which of those 2 it is so I know where to look if they are no longer there the next week.

well i think the general concinsis is that you dont want to stick all the fish you need in the tournamnet. So i just try to hit areas that I think should hold fish based on bait, water clarity, depth, and time of year. I move about twice as fast as I would in the tournament also. Some times I will bury the hooks on my soft plastics and take the hooks off my cranks if I'm on a lake that I have a lot of confidence on but if Im on a new lake or river I fish with hooks on so I can see what size fish im on, because it not going to do me any good to get tons of bites and none of them be keepers.

I just like to sore lip fish in areas I know I won't be fishing on T-day lol.