my only experience is with FLW Everstart Texas and BASS Central Opens. I have had pros on FLW that prefished up to 2 weeks prior and some that just spent 2-3 days week of. I ran into pro at Lewisville who had prefished for a month! he had only caught about 20 fish in that entire month and I don't think caught a single fish in tourney.

how often do you prefish and what type of tourney? local weekend series, Bass Champs/TTT, Everstart/Opens, and Majors/Elites?

I know the Majors and Elites have some off limits time, how much do you think those guys practice and do you think it is true guys like KVD have 3 fisherman on staff that practice for him?

I usually fish the 4 days prior to the Everstarts unless the lake is close then I may start 2 weeks out and then not fish the last day of practice. The funny thing is my 2 best finishes came with the least amount of practice. If a boater is not at least putting in 2 days of practice your not being fair to your co angler.Thats just my opnion.

I know for a fact that KVD does not have a paid practice squad. That rumor is born out of jealousy. Some guys will practice as much as the rules allow. Some only during the official practice period. If I were fishing a tournament, I would only want to practice during the official period (assuming I had been to that lake before). Anything else will have you fishing in the past, with too many ideas in your head. Take the present conditions and the forecast, practice the official period and fish in the moment.

To me it depends on how many times I have been there during that particular season and how comfortable I am there. Fishing the same trail (Everstart) we have gone to the same lakes just about the same times of year each and every year. I know what to do at Amistad Jan-March, Toledo Feb-June, Rayburn anytime, Texoma has always been in May. Ect, ect.

If the lake is close I make weekend trips a 2-3 weeks out. (Maybe more if I haven't been there.)

Otherwise I show up Friday prefish until Tuesday and rest Wednesday.

BUT on home/local lakes, I may not even prefish.

3.36

As a Co-Angler I appreciate that Snickers.

As a Co-Angler I try to prefish in the EverStarts when I can. It helps me tremendously and we can share our findings with our Pro if needed. It's nice to have a backup plan.

I know for me with the events I fiss, Bass Champs/ BLT I am familuar with the lakes with of course adding depth changes and stuff but I usually go the weekend before the event as there rules apply, Now If I were going to a lake like Palestine, or a lake I have not been on in some time then I would like at least 4 trips before the event.

If I am not relying on luck, I go out the most I can. I believe there is a 'do well' philosophy that may take no practice, and a win philosophy that may take 6 days of practice for a one day event like champs.

I only fish Champs for the most part and all we ever do is pre-fish one of the days the weekend prior. Of course our results tell me that maybe we need to pre-fish more. Like the comment above some of our best results have come with no pre-fishing. i.e. we fished a JCO tourney on Fork as our pre-fishing because it was the weekend before Champs out there and we won that tourney with zero pre-fishing.

3 days on Eversrarts

3 Days max

Pre fishing helps but the more time you stay on the water just keeping yourself sharp is what i would consider more important. That said i would like to prefish until i feel like im on the winning fish. Could be a day or two or in my case a couple years.lol

I will prefish as much as is possible in my situation. I would be an old river rat if it weren't for a few choices I made a few yrs ago. I now have a six yr. old grandson under my roof so lots of prefishing isn't going to happen. No matter though, as it really doesn't affect my performance much. Knowing the lake as much as possible is good but just fishing the conditions may actually be better.
I fished with a Pro last year in the PAA and I asked him a similar question. This guy also has fished in the Elites. He told me that for him, practicing or prefishing was the hardest thing to do. He said sometimes he just hated to do it because of the grind regardless of weather but time on the water is required, like it or not.

Looks like for the BASS Elites you only get 3 practice days unless you practice over a month before. Seems like most of the pros for most of the events just hit those 3 practice days, but they might spend 13 hours on the water each day. That seems manageable, I would find it a challenge to practice a couple weeks for an Everstart or Open.

Now do they let you place brushpiles in Elites or Majors?

Including tomorrow....2 DAYS!!! Saturday is go time!