Tournament Strategy #2: 

Hurry-Up Offense...

Have you ever heard Mike Iaconelli scream, “Never give up!”?  I never understood the gravity of this statement until hooking a 5lb+ bass in the last 5 minutes of a tournament and racing back to weigh-in seconds before disqualification.  Before you start to roll your eyes, I’m not trying to give you a pep talk.  Down and dirty…..at the end of pre-fishing, when you are heading back to the ramp, time yourself from landmark to landmark.  Time your self from a number of areas you could potentially find yourself at the end of a tournament to see how long it will take to get to weigh-in.  When you stop at your last spot you should already know exactly what your “go time” is.  Be sure to take into account rough water, boat traffic, and the added weight of a live well full of water plus your 25lbs of bassJ!  A little bit of padding in your calculations is good but not too much (you want to make as many casts as possible).  Rite-In-The-Rain makes small paper notebooks and ink pens that not only work when they’re wet but hold up extremely well in the marine environment (good for fishing journals as well www.riteintherain.com).  Keep this notebook accessible and refer to it regularly.  Know exactly how much time you are sacrificing by running up lake to hit one spot and take that into consideration before leaving.  This will help you manage your time and ultimately lengthen the amount of time your bait spends in the water.  You will be amazed at how many more casts you are able to make, while boats are racing past you to weight-in, just by knowing exactly how long it will take you to get back.  Don’t allow the two minute warning to add stress to your game, know your go-time.  Let’s go fishing!

-TM-