I don't claim to be on the level as some if you guys but I consider myself a pretty good. It seems no matter how good I am doing I choke on tourney day. I LOVE the stress & thrill fishing tournaments but would like some suggestions on how to get through & not choke. What do y'all do to calm down & get back in the game?

I cant get around the jitters thats why i like tournament fishing more than fishing for fun. But the best thing is getting that first keeper in the boat.

Take a sleeping pill the nite before. Cause if i dont then i dont sleep and then i dont perform well during tourny day. Get a good nite's sleep and you will be more rested and more focused.

I like to jam out to some metallica before the tourney starts. stay up late the night before doing prep. take a deep breath before take off. then just relax and fish like its another day.

Slow down, don't listen to the dock talk and fish your strengths. It's simply a matter of doing what you do best and not worrying about what the other fellow is going to do.

Good replies guys. I love the feeling even though I've only been in the money once.

Since I'm a Backseater, my thoughts prior to tournament are of what my partner might need as well. So I pounder all the what ifs. I also, bring the sack lunches too. As for sleep the night before, I wish I was better at that, but I'm always fearful of a deep sleep. Coming from the Army, the fear was missing roll out for a deployment, so light sleep has been a habit for a long time and hard to break. My sleep the night before at best is a horizontal rest.

Practice how you play. When tournament day comes around, you're just fishing.

Just don't think about the other anglers and just slowwwwww dowwwwwwwn. Don't miss any fish either. I've missed some good fish and gotten mad at myself. If you mess up just keep and keep trying.

This right here sums me up to a tee. The night before I sleep like a baby(usually Miller Lite induced) and when waiting for our boat number to be called for take off all I'm thinking about is how fast I can get the first fish in the boat.

FZ1 never bets on animal behavior.

Fish an area not the whole lake. Heck you don't want my advice , trust me.

Drink a Red Bull or better yet one of the Mega Keg Monster Drinks. That will get you "tuned" in really quick and fast!!!

Being prepared is a key factor to me. I usually start around Tuesday and begin with the rods that will be in my rod locker. I re-string any reel that needs it and take it to a local pond to make sure that I get the first backlash out of the way

I have everything organized on my boat (in the garage) before I get to Friday.

Friday night is Mexican Food with a margarita and a couple of cold beers then its off to bed.
Saturday morning I wake up get out the door planning on being to my destination 1 hour early. I do this just in case I get a flat or I need to make an unexpected detour.

At start time, I fish

[quote=JoePoolakeBeast]Just don't think about the other anglers and just slowwwwww dowwwwwwwn.

This is great advice, and something I had to learn. You cannot control what other anglers are doing or catching, so if these thoughts are in your head get them out. You can only control what happens in your boat. A lot of my anxiety came from, and still comes from, the pressure to put together a limit. I have constantly tell myself one fish at a time, because you can't get to 5 fish without one. Hope this helps.