TOUR LIFE
TOURNAMENT ADVICE
Take NoTes
for BeTTer PreParaTioN
* old-school pen and paper are valuable
tools for the modern angler
By:
Joel Willert
W
hen it comes to fishing,
I try to be very organ-
ized. I like to be pre-
pared. I like to know where
everything is. That’s kind of how
I’ve always been. But I also did
nine years in the military, and I
think a lot of my organizational
habits come from that part of
my life.
Organization isn’t just about
tackle, either. I also keep
detailed notes about all the
lakes I fish. I actually write them
in a notepad. It’s old school, but it
works for me.
I started writing out my notes
when I was fishing local tourna-
ments. After a tournament, I’d
reflect back on what I did and
what I could’ve done. I’d ask
myself, “Why didn’t I throw this
bait?” or, “How did I not think of
doing this?” Things like that
would just bug me.
So, what I started doing
before I even got to the lake is
I’d write the lake name down on
a notepad, and I would make a
list of every single bait I should
tie on. When I’d get to practice
I’d get so focused on just a few
baits that I’d forget about some-
thing I should’ve been trying. So, I
made it a habit to occasionally
take that notepad out of its
plastic bag, look at my list and
maybe remember to give some-
thing else a try.
Obviously, if practice is
going well, I try to keep doing
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what’s working, but there have
been times the list has really
helped. For instance, at Toho
this past year, I had a Speed
Worm and Senko tied on. And
for whatever reason, I’d writ-
ten on my list “junebug
Magnum Trick Worm.” I guess I
read an article or saw some-
thing about guys catching
them on that worm, but I never
even thought about it in prac-
tice until I looked in my note-
book. I threw it on and fished it
real slow – based on some
notes I had in there about it –
and caught some fish on it. If I
didn’t have that written down, I
probably would’ve never
thought about it. I would’ve just
kept doing what I was doing.
Most of my note writing
before the tournament goes on
while I’m packing, just sitting in
my boat and thinking about the
lake. I’ll write down random
thoughts to try. Or, if I’m sitting
down in front of my computer
and doing my research for the
lake, I’ll write down certain
creeks. For Rayburn last year, I
wrote down creeks where tour-
naments had been won or that I
thought might be good areas.
Veach Basin, for instance, is one I
wrote down. Rayburn is a ginor-
mous lake, so having a list of
areas to check gave me a few
starting points. It helped me
eliminate water before I even got
there. Then I could start figuring
them out.
I make a lot of notes during
practice, too. I write down the
date, weather, water tempera-
ture, water clarity, what the fish
are doing, what kind of bank
they’re on, how I’m catching
them – all that. I know the next
time I fish that lake I might not
be there at the same time, but
the old notes are going to make
it easier to realize what those
fish are doing when I get back
simply by adjusting for season
and water temp.
It seems like it’s a lot easier
to sit down and write a lot of
notes during a good practice. At
Cherokee last season, I had the
best practice I’ve ever had in my
life, so I have a ton of notes in
my notebook. At Grand practice
was super tough. I was only get-
ting a couple bites a day, so I
don’t have a lot of notes in there.
I didn’t want to write down stuff
I didn’t think was going to help
me in the future anyway. If
anything, those notes would’ve
hurt me because I’d just have to
re-learn the lake the next time
anyway.
I suggest, at a minimum, jot-
ting down notes a couple times a
day. Do it while you’re eating
lunch or before running to a new
area. You never know what
might help you.
I know writing notes with a
paper and pen is a little old
school. My co-workers remind
me about it every time I break
out my clipboard in a room full of
iPads. But, the way I see it, if it
helps me out just once at every
tournament, old school is just fine
by me.
FLwFISHInG.com I wInTEr 2020