TAKEOFF
TOURNAMENT LIFE
TO PRE-FISH OR NOT?
F
PRACTICE STRATEGIES SHOULD VARY BASED ON TIME OF YEAR AND CONDITIONS
inding fish is often the hardest component of pre-tour-
nament practice, yet veteran pros make it look easy.
Years ago, many top finishers credited month-long pre-
fish sessions for their success.
Today, FLW Tour rules limit practice to Sunday through
Tuesday of tournament week, and the fishery goes off limits
13 days before practice begins. Pre-fishing is allowed prior to
the off-limits period.
Still, several of the best pros opt not to pre-fish during the
regular season. They rely on the standard three-day practice
period. It’s part of a strategy to fish “in the moment” and
avoid getting locked into patterns that will probably fizzle out
by the time the tournament starts.
However, the principle of fishing with a fresh mindset
seems to go out the window when big bucks are on the line.
Each year, a number of the most successful touring pros
report pre-fishing for the Cup, essentially forgoing the regi-
men that got them to the championship in the first place. So
what gives? Isn’t such a routine counter-productive?
Transition vs. Stability
The FLW Tour’s regular season usually begins somewhere
far south in the prespawn period of January or February and
lasts through early summer somewhere up north, usually
ending in June. The entire schedule spans periods of transi-
tion that render pre-fishing useless, according to the experts.
David Dudley and
FLW Weighmaster
Chris Jones
28
By Joe Balog
“Why pre-fish during a time of year when so much rapid
change is happening?” asks 2003 Cup champ David Dudley.
“When you go back, you burn your first day of practice just
chasing your tail.”
Dudley is one of many touring pros who refuse to pre-fish
during the regular season, but do so for the Cup, which is tra-
ditionally held in August.
“Not because it’s more important, or richer, but because
the fish stay put that time of year [late summer],” says
Dudley.
Penzoil Marine Angler of the Year Mark Rose, who’s made
the top 10 at the Cup four times, agrees.
“A summertime tournament is the one time I will pre-
fish, because my style of fishing is looking for schools of
fish,” he says.
According to Rose, if a productive school is found early in
the summer, chances are it can be revisited later under sta-
ble conditions.
The 2017 Cup at Lake Murray provided a perfect example
of a pre-fishing strategy paying off in a summertime event.
During pre-fishing, Justin Atkins spent several days dialing in
his electronics to be able to spot planted cane piles, which
are narrow enough that they’re usually difficult to see. Once
he was dialed in, Atkins spent the rest of pre-practice locating
about 100 cane piles.
In the official practice, he verified the fish were still on
cane, and rather than having to spend the entire time search-
ing, he used his three days to narrow down the best piles and
perfect the topwater presentation that eventually won him
the Cup.
The strategy worked because Atkins had the proper fore-
sight to predict what pattern would play come August, and
the fish were still in their summer patterns when the tourna-
ment went down.
Regular-Season Pre-Practice
John Cox, the 2016 Cup champ, used to pre-practice for
every tournament, but has greatly reduced the amount of
on-the-water time he invests on a tournament lake before
the off-limits period.
However, there are special circumstances that warrant a
visit prior to the off-limits period. Usually, it’s reserved for
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018