Pre-fishing for Bass Tournaments

What is pre-fishing? Well, I learned a long time ago that pre-fishing is a bass tournament methodology in which fish patterns, lures and techniques are determined before the actual tournament. In other words it's the tournament fisherman's homework. This homework can be done the day before, the week before or even a month before the actual event. In most cases, your homework should be done as close to the tournament as possible.

Why should you practice fishing as close to the tournament day as possible. The best reason is that the predominant pattern will not change as much in one day vs. one week. Weather changes, water levels, vegetation changes and so forth all lead to pattern changes and changes to fish locations.

Through my experience, you won't have much of a chance on winning tournaments if you don't pre-fish. Even if you have fished the lake for many years and know a bunch of honey holes, don't risk fishing the event without practice. At least narrow down your spots and lures that the fish wants to bite. This will prevent the "run and gun" technique which is usually a sign of the desperate fisherman who doesn't want a big goose egg! Run and gun can be used with success only if you've located the fish fairly recently and know of 3 to 4 different areas that definitely hold fish.

Here's some tips for successful pre-fishing:

1 - Practice as close as possible to the tournament day.

2 - Don't stick more than 2 fish in one spot. If you get 2 and want to confirm that quantities exist, fish the worm or bait without barbs or hooks so you don't hurt the fish. You'll still get a bite or pull, you just won't stick 'em and save those bites for tournament day.

3 - Try the predominant pattern for that season 1st i.e. hot summer, go deep or flip heavy cover. Spring, go shallow for spawning fish or pre/post spawn fish. Fall, look for baitfish and schooling fish. If those don't work, go for the unorthodox approach.

4 - Mark your producing spots with a GPS. You've got to have one of these units, even if it's only a handheld one.

5 - Fish with a partner if possible, and use different baits. That way you get twice the number of casts during practice as well as trying different baits.

6 - If you find a good spot, move on and find more.

If you do your homework, you'll be doing more catching with less fishing!