Newbe Fishing Tournament ??

[MASTER Brian]

Let me start by saying I have never entered one of these, was basically asked because I have the boat for it.

With that said, one question is, what is a good livewell conditioner to get? I have a Gander Mountain close by and of course Walmarts. So if there is something good I can get from one of those places that would be great.

The other question is should I expect to use the front livewell on my 373v Ranger? Being as it is considerably smaller and shallower, my undestanding is that is basically good for live bait, which we can't use during the tournament anyway. The reason I ask is, I normally use that as a cooler when I go out with the family, etc. Is that a bad idea during a tournament? I obviously will want to have some food/drinks/etc on the boat as it would seem we will be out there for hours and hours. My thought is it's just one less thing to trip over, but again, I have no idea what I'm really getting into....

Also any other pointers for someone new to tournaments as well as fishing on a large lake, ie TableRock....

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Newbe Fishing Tournament ??

Front livewell is a bad idea for keeping bass alive if you planned on doing a lot of running around. I think those front livewell on the old 373v were intended as dual purpose, bait livewell/cooler. The divided livewell in the back oughta be good enough. Some of the big things to consider. Time management, use it wisely, if you don't feel the area is productive, move on to new water. Don't fish by memory, just because you caught fish in an area yesterday doesn't mean they will be there today. You have to adapt to the current condition. Fish with the technique that you're best at. A lake as big as Table Rock has areas that fit every technique. If you're a jig guy, find jig areas and so on. Most importantly, don't let the pressure of a tournament gets to you. This is the hardest thing for most peoples to overcome. I still struggle with it sometimes. Just pretend like you're only out there to relax and have fun. Oh yeah, Rejuvenade by Bassmedics is very good stuff.

 

[MASTER Brian]

Re: Newbe Fishing Tournament ??

The back well on my 373v is not a divided well, it is just one large well. I'm sure it'll do the job and I won't count on the front. I guess worst case, if I have too many or a couple of bass that are too big for the rear well, I can always quickly empty that front one out. That would be a good problem to have!!

I am a bit embarrassed to say I have a fishing boat, but I don't/haven't fished with it much as of yet, so I haven't had much chance to experiment with what works and doesn't. Basically bought the boat when my oldest who is now 4-1/2 y/o was a 5 mo/old, so that I could take the kids to the lake and fish when I found time. After about 4 yrs, I'm finally finding the time and getting the boat ready to go.

I don't anticipate much pressure, like I said, I haven't gotten too much into the boat fishing yet, grew up on farm ponds. I'm just going to have fun and hopefully gain some business contacts. With that said, I am very competitive, so the pressure thing might come anyways. I'll keep what you said in mind.

Thanks again for the feedback, it is very good to know. At this point, every bit of info is helpful....