When I first started fishing with the club I went several tournaments without catching a fish. I was starting from scratch and did not understand the subilties of presentations etc. Then fishing from the back of Russ's boat I finally found my first Bass, a nice 1 1/2 lb Lg Mouth. I kept repeating the same presentation and by golly I caught another one. I ended up catching 3 that day, my first success in catching a bass under tournament conditions.
The next tournament I tried the same technique, confident that I had "cracked" the code...wrong, skunked again. As I sat around listening to others (more successful than I) it became clear to me that catching became more prevelant as ones knowledge of the types of baits and presentations increased as well as when and where to use them.
I have been studying our friend the bass intensely since that time and have been fortunate enough to have managed to become fairly consistent at catching a few in the tournaments, even managing to take home a little hardware.
Pre-fishing is a game of exploring, trying to establish the most likely place to actually find active fish. Once you are basically familiar with a body of water, the need for constant "pre-fishing" is debatable. But the need to understand how the time of year, temps, weather conditions etc affect Micropterus salmoides or Micropterus dolomieu is what separates the more successful fishermen from the aspiring fishermen.
Each time we are out and focused on the conditions, baits, presentations etc, we gain a little insight into our favorite sport. This translates into increased success in catching bass under tournament conditions. But eventually we hit a ceiling. The question then becomes, what is keeping me from being more consistent?
I personally keep a very detailed journal for each lake I fish. I add information every time I fish, but also listen very carefully to others and their experiences, noting time of year, methods and presentations, water temperature, weather, and depth of presentations. I read the journal frequently, noting anything that has changed. I especially note whether dinks or smaller bass were being caught, or if fish over 3 lbs were being caught. Because bigger fish congregate in certain areas consistently at different times of the year.
But back to the basic question:
Pre-fish: Absolutely cause it is fun and you can learn something.
Will it guarantee you success: Not necessarily, if you know the lake, be prepared to change up your style depending on the weather, time of year etc. Have a plan for all conditions or you may become very frustrated.
I too am interested in hearing what others have to say about this particular subject.
BillB
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