Versatility as a tournament angler?

So I've read and heard arguments about this, and it seems the majority of fishermen believe that you absolutely have to be versatile to be a contender in tournaments. I've also heard that it's better to specialize in a certain technique, I believe it was Denny Brauer that said it can help to be versatile and there's no better way to be consistent but it's better to specialize in one or two techniques. While he states that you have to be versatile to make it to the elites his reasoning behind being a specialist is that when the conditions are right it narrows the field of competition, because maybe 10 people out of 100 in that tournament really specialize in that technique and will really dial it in using that that technique. I know my dad fishes that way, he only wants to fish shallow water flipping and pitching. Try to move offshore and he'll just sit there and won't fish, drives me crazy lol. But to be fair he won some tournaments in his day, I wish I had known him then and been able to fish with him. I'd like to hear how everyone else feels about this? What kind of fishermen are you? Jack of all trades or specialize in one or two techniques? How has your choice helped you in tournaments?

You can't specialize in two techniques and be successful. You HAVE to be able to fish all techniques, AND know when to use them. You HAVE to be able to adjust to WHAT the fish want to bite.

I think it is most important to know where the fish are based on seasonal patterns, etc. and then be able to fish them your way. Gary Klein talks about the different ways the elite pros all fish the same brush in different ways and each may catch said 10 pounder.

If you trust flipping as your shallow technique you probably don't need to me a master of the square bill also. If you like ledge fishing with a deep diving crank, then you might not need to master the carolina rig also. Pick your favorites, hone your skills, fish your strengths, but all the while know you might need to fish your weaknesses once in a while.

Good luck,
J
Twitter @jaygrave

IMO, it's better to be versatile then to be an expert at one specific technique. Conditions can change at a moments notice and it's important to think outside of your comfort zone to put 5 in the boat or to just get the few bites that can really matter. In the tournaments I've won there has usually been a pattern that I've figured out through practice. That being said, in some of those tournaments conditions changed and if I just stuck to my comfort zone style of fishing, I probably wouldn't have caught the kicker fish that I needed to push me over the top. At the Central open in September I had to be very versatile because I was at the mercy of the boater on where we fished. I did my thing and pulled off a top 10 finish. Just my two cents on the topic....good thread topic.

Master all of them...

This is we're the term "hero or zero" came from in bass fishing.

I fished 3 lakes in Texas harder than all the rest. I did not try to be versatile. I have stated this before.
- Somewhere on those 3 lakes at any given time I can win on the spinner bait.
- Somewhere on those lakes there is a wonderful top water bite during the season. That may be all you need with the Spook and an extra hour of cloud cover.
- Somewhere on the lakes is a pitching and flipping hardwook winning bite; or a shallow grass bite.
- Become a specialest on the deep grass Bass.
- Somewhere on all those lakes is a shallow ledge bite.
- Lastly there is a conture off a couple of points on all the lakes that will produce a winning stringer.

Get past 3 lakes chasing the big tournaments and you will have to become more versatile than the above things that have helped me do well over the years. Then you are going to be donating to the cause most of the time.

Keep it down to 3 lakes and become a specialest in finding those spots that will produce the fish with the techniques you have specialized in.
-Spinner bait - Spook - T-Rig - Light Short C-Rig - Heavy Drop Shot and A select few hand poured plastics.

I have had 50 years to become a specialest in those 5 techniques.
Does it take more than 5 to put you into the versality class? I truly thank so; but it also comes down to the amount of time spent on the lake on how specialized you can become.

Agree with Mr. Harper. To get near the top consistently one needs to identify about 5 primary techniques and master them. You better be pretty good at all the others too. Versatility is an attribute that can make you or break you.

ok, consider this...you can master two techniques and be competitive...but...to be consistently competitive you must be versatile !...if you limit yourself to two techniques you will spend the day looking for conditions to use them instead of fishing in the "moment"...that is why I believe "junk" fishing is so strong these day's - your alway's fishing in the moment...just my two cent's...good luck !

I feel pretty good about my ability to fish multiple techniques affectively. Not being able to find a good group of fish is what's killing me.

So if you "specialize" in two or three lakes, as has been mentioned. Does this make you a good fisherman or does it make you good on those lakes?
I know guys who specialize on a couple of lakes and they are hard to beat. Take them to other lakes and they stuggle. I also know guys who happen to be almost unbeatable on a couple of lakes but they are also good no matter where you put them.
Which is better?
Is versatile just specific to technique or is it being truly versatile the ability to catch fish on any lake with whatever technique it requires to catch fish?

I would go with a bit of both. I believe i am very strong in a few techniques but at times stick with too long and miss the other bite that might be going on.

Txduckhunter also hit a good point there are those who are strong on a couple bodies of water but stink on new ones. I would rather be able to catch them on new waters over new techniques

It definitely takes being versatile. As many different places these guys fish all across the country and all the different conditions they face. They also fish all different times of the year so that has an effect. But I also believe you can take any technique and apply to almost any lake, condition, or time of year. If you can find a technique you have confidence in somewhere that other people don't use that technique, you could have found the jackpot. You just have to experiment.

I agree with denny brauer. Versatility keeps you competetive on different waters. But mastering 1 or 2 techniques will make you dominant when those coditions arise.

After fishing as a co angler for many years before stepping up to the front of the boat, I can say without a doubt if your fishing the Co side then you better know how to fish every technique out there. You will never know what you will be doing from one time to the next.

Versatility is very important, yes we all have our strengths, but, if you can't shake a drop shot or work a spoon when the time is needed then your going to be lost.

You need to be versatile I've been making myself learn different techniques so I know when and where to throw them. It has also helped fishing behind someone who is versatile.

That about sums up my thoughts as well. Especially locally and regionally. The reality is less than 1% of us will ever fish the Elites, so why waste all your time trying to be above average at all techniques? Personally I would rather Master a couple.

Almost every one of the tournaments I place in the top 3 I am fishing my strength. The only exceptions to that is luck and the occasional fishing is terrible for everyone and we were one of the few to scratch a limit.

IMO if you want to finish in the top 10 in every tournament but rarely win, become a versatile fisherman. If you want to win you better master a couple of techniques. Try to master 'versatile' techniques. Master the Texas rig because it translates into many other techniques. Master weightless techniques or Crankbaits. Don't master topwater or the A-Rig, because they are very situational and low percentage techniques when you look at the whole season and conditions.

Elites= versatility

locals= a couple techniques will do

If you study past tourney results for your local lake you will see 3-4 techniques that always win. There may be a different one every now and then but there's always those same few. A jig, a crankbait, and a c-rig are the 3 on Rayburn. You can always catch some other ways but those 3 will always get quality bites IF you are around the right fish.

versatility shows itself in angler of the year rank.
mastering a technique creates a dominant one win.

Find some really good local anglers that consistently cash checks on the lakes you fish and ask them this question. That way you get detailed answers that pertain to the lake you are fishing from a guy with a proven track record.

Ivie is really the only lake I fish, and I haven't seen any tournies out that way in a year or two. I wish I knew more people locally that liked to fish, it'd be even better if I found some folks locally that liked to make their own tackle. I'm nowhere near ready to be fishing tourneys but I would like to eventually. I tried joining a local club for a year and didn't learn much but how to donate money. I was considering a weekend trail this next year but I don't really think I'm ready for that either, I did the math and if I'm going to invest that much I want the confidence that I can at least be a competitor. I still have a lot of learning to do which is hard for me at the moment because I just don't get much time on the water. I believe I have taken the right step in reaching out to a couple of guys from the TFF that I'm hoping will learn me a thing or two, I'm excited and cant wait to fish with them! I'm really going to make an effort to better myself as a fisherman over the next year

Here's a quote from KVD off the bassmaster website today about the upcoming classic: I think that a contender may have to zone in on one technique and one pattern to win. He’ll have to fish for 7-8 quality bites and stay focused instead of fishing multiple patterns and locations.

Ill take versatility every day over one strength.

There is a time for versatility and its call PREFISHING! If you think they are on something you are not good at this is the time to try to learn. I do agree with the "Versatility will shoe it self in AOY standings" comment. I used to be the worlds worst at fishing only one way all day every day on the same spots, but moving to different regions has helped me learn to try new things. What works on Lake Worth does not work so well on Lake Belton. I would say that you need to have atleast a few techniques that you practice regularly. Have a few good ways to fish deep and a few good ways to fish shallow and master those skills. My partner and I won AOY in LSS this year and caught them different on all 3 lakes we fished. Never won a tournament but finished in the top 6 every tournament. We had zero fish at 10 o clock on the last day and had 17lbs in 45 min because we tried something that we had only done for 10 min in practice, but had caught 2 - 4 pounders doing it. Sometimes you just have to try something different, but there is nothing wrong with having a very defined skill set. Just my 2 cents hope it helps.

In this day and age when everything is on the internet to teach you how to fish every bait made, it doesn't take that long to become proficient at using every technique and most of the better tournament anglers already are anyway.

The trick is knowing when to use each technique at the right time and being able to put the correct technique around better than average fish on different lakes (for tournament purposes).

Being a specialist will put you behind in about 95% of tournaments if you fish a trail that features several lakes during different times of the year.

If you are a specialist though, and you can cherry pick your tournament dates for the lakes and times that you know fish will suit your specialty, that could be a good deal... but most patterns will only hold up for a few months at best, so you're not going to get many good finishes in that time frame.

Back when I was tourney fishing I spent the first few years chasing trends and really didn't have that much success. I really didn't start to see fish regularly in my livewell until I settled down to a couple of techniques and then adapted them to the situation I was currently fishing. Finesse fishing and throwing lipless crankbaits are my strong suits......
Also another thing that really helped me a lot was purchasing a video by Jimmy Houston called Guide to Bass Fishin'......It was nothing but just the basics of different fishing situations, most stuff a rookie would need but I watched it the night before every tournament I fished because it helped remind me of what I needed to be doing that next day to get bit. I think the biggest deal with it is it got my mind out of the "can't see the forest for trees" situation and got me to focus on what I needed to do.....It was a big help.....When I get back in the game that video will be part of my game plan @ every tournament....

Versitial all the way, one technique to master Crankbait it can be deadly all year.

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting.

I have fished most of my adult life but have only gotten serious about bass fishing in the last three years.
I've just started fishing some local tournaments.
I have three techniques down pretty well. They just haven't held up all year to produce quality fish.
Now I'm looking to expand my knowledge and try new things.
For me the challenge has been when to know when to change techniques and under what conditions. Or which variable to change in the same technique...color, size, rattle/no rattle.
The more I think I have something figured out the more I get baffled.
Trying to be more versatile does one thing though: empties my wallet

Nicely put, Michael,

When I was club fishing we worked very hard to create a points scheme that helped to reward a complete angler. Bonus points for catching the big bass of the tournament but also bonus points for catching a limit. A graduated point structure so that of course the winner had the most place points but a bonus to the guys who were consistant competitors week after week.

Was all this a mathematical nightmare, totally. But at the end of each season it was surprising how close the points were. The AOY was always a guy who could consistently show up, catch a limit and get a kicker fish. Versatile and nimble, but also strong in one or two areas.

IMO- too many clubs reward either the guy who catches huge fish, or guys who catch huge numbers of fish. This tournament fishing deal, requires both.

Thanks,
Jay

@jaygrave

My opinion... You must know the behavior and adaptive changes a bass undergoes..Technique is second.

Being "versatile" means being a master of multiple technical approaches. It doesn't mean being a Jack of all trades. If you're mediocre at a lot of stuff, guess what? You're mediocre!

If you master 1 technique before beginning to improve on another, master the 2nd and start a 3rd...and so on, you'll become a great angler. But it is virtually impossible to actively improve your game in multiple techniques at the same time. The less often you get to fish, the more true that is.

I'd rather be versatile. One of the techniques that you're good at will probably win it, if you're on the right fish.

Like stated before, if you wanna win AOY you better be good at a bunch of different techniques. If you want to win a tournament here and there, be GREAT at a couple techniques. You see it all the time in the elites. The same people shine on the same lakes almost always. And usually the winners say something to the beat of "This is one of my favorite techniques".

IMO...being versatile does not necessarily mean being great at several lures. You can be a versatile angler with one lure as long as you change your presentation to the conditions. Example: A jig can be used in every depth and fished 20 different ways, shallow, mid-range or deep, flipped, pitched or cast, dragging bottom, hopping or swimming and all have the time and place. In short, you can be versatile with your confidence lure as long as you fish the conditions!

To me, that's the definition of mastery. Being versatile with one lure is being a master of that lure.

IMHO. There is a time to be versatile and a time to know your strengths. In pre-fishing for tourney I will try a lot of different things if I know I am on the fish and see what works best. n a tournament I do not think is enough time for versatility. You had better be honed in on a couple of techniques that you believe in and stick with them. I am a t-rig fanatic and have also come to love the shakey head. They are my confidence baits. I can usually catch fish using this strength if they are biting. Deep, shallow, grass, timber these work for me. I use cranks and spinnerbaits when fish seem to be active. I think pros have their confidence techniques as well. Why are there so many KVD crankbaits?

Locating multiple schools of fish is much more important in tournament fishing than the technique used to catch them. Most of the anglers can catch them if they know where they are.

Excellent point! Some lures are more versatile than others. Jigs and soft plastic swim baits are 2 excellent examples.

Another great point! Most amateur tourney anglers are good fishermen, technically. The difference between who is/isn't on the podium is as you said: locating multiple schools of fish efficiently on various bodies of water under different conditions. We all know you gotta fish where the fish are to catch fish. Who is fishing tournaments who can't figure out how to catch fish if he/she in ON them? Folks like that don't fish tournaments much. There's a certain amount of angler success that is required for people to become "avid" fishermen. Rod skills aren't what separate the sheep from the goats. Getting on the fish quickly and understanding the rules, format, and geography of the tourney are what makes the difference. It doesn't matter if you haul in a 40 lbs stringer if you don't make weigh-in...and I see people miss weigh-in at almost every tourney.

I think what you will see on the Elite series is...the older guys will almost always fish the same way (they will change it up, but if they can find fish on their favorite technique...) every tournament. KVD will always have a crankbait, Brauer will always have a jig, Klein will always be flipping something shallow. There are exceptions, but I'd bet that the first day of practice was started that way. The younger guys will be changing rods every other cast. They are searching for a win. The reason? Desperation. The old guys don't have to WIN every tournament. They can afford to have a bad showing on occasion. They are running a marathon. They know that tournament #4 will belong to them. But if you don't cash a check and have to go home...well, you fish with a little more urgency.

Everyone has there own ideas. For me I fish a particular strength most of the time. As mentioned above, I seek the water the lends itself to my technique. Every lake has it. It is now a matter of finding the sweet spots on a spot and good execution. I only get versatile when I need another kicker or I completely strike out. Normally, my versatility comes by altering colors, size, speed, and depth of my presentations of the same bait. I do this because I am such good tune with this bait that once I get a bite, I learn something and can do develop a pattern out of it. If I was throwing something else, I may not be able to repeat the bites because I am not in tune with that bite.

+1

Agreed! Its much easier to figure out how to catch fish once you know better how to find them. I think the biggest thing that seperates pros from weekend wariors is the ability to locate fish on several different patterns. If you know they are there its only a matter of time till you can catch them. I think the 70mph bass boat has changed the way many people fish. Some for the better and some for the worse. Explanation: The ability to run from a spot 20 miles away to another school is great if you have experience and knowledge of why the fish are there and how to catch them, but I feel that alot of times people leave catchable fish because they feel like a better spot awaits somewhere down the lake. I know thats a bit off topic but I think it has bearing on this post because it is all about versatility. If you have a place that you know has fish then take the time to try new ways to catch them. Just because they ate a spinnerbait at daylight and have tapered off does not mean they left. Being able to switch baits and remain around the fish can and will win you more tournaments than trying to force the bait on fish in 10 different holes.