I prepped my tackle last night, which is always time consuming, and got it ready for the tournament.
First, I had to re-organize everything. It was in terrible order after the Lake Bastrop tournament and my subsequent fishing trips.
At the point that this picture was taken, I had already re-organized 5 boxes and my endless supply of soft plastics.
But, I still had to figure out how to cut down on my tackle. There are two things that I hate when kayak fishing, and unfortunately, they conflict with each other. One, I hate not having a lure that I want to use in my kayak, especially during a tournament, because I left it behind thinking that I would never use it. This happens more than I would like to admit. And two, I hate being too cluttered in my kayak, especially with a ton of lures that I will not use that day.
So, I have to reduce the amount of lures I have, and condense everything, while still ensuring that each lure can be accessed quickly, and I have every single possible scenario covered. This is particularly difficult when I don't have a chance to pre-fish. Pre-fishing would allow me to eliminate things that I can't when I don't. Oh well, such is my tournament life.
Here is what I reduced my tackle selection down to:
No, I am not going to tell you exactly what is in each box, but there is a box of Rat-L-Traps, only two boxes of crankbaits this time, a box of jigs, a box of terminal tackle and topwater, and a small box of different swimbaits. I also have a bag of spinnerbaits, and three small bags of soft plastics.
Anyway, when I was done with that, I begged my wife for a few of her bottles of nail polish so that I could re-paint a swimbait to look like a tilapia. This is what happened:
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| Original "Rainbow Trout" Pattern |
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| My new "Tilapia" Pattern |
My wife laughed at the idea that I would catch anything on this, so...I might throw it, just to prove her wrong. Haha.
Anyway, I have not been on top of my game this tournament season. I have lost VERY important fish in each of the first two tournaments. I have also not made the most accurate casts or the best hooksets in each of the first two tournament. These problems have cost me fish too. I have been on great patterns, but have made rookie mistakes. I chalk these up to my lack of practice recently. Outside of tournament fishing, I have not been bass fishing much. And just like anything else, if you don't consistently practice and get better, you get worse.
And, I can't wait to get off of these power plant lakes. Each of the first three, Decker, Bastrop, and Fayette, are all power plant lakes. They are not my bread and butter.
Anyway, I expect to turn things around a Fayette this weekend. I am in the right mindset, and am already not able to sleep because of my excitement.
Related Posts:
First Step: Knowing Your Trip
What Rods To Choose
How to Choose Your Crankbait Color Pattern
Kayak Fishing Fitness
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