TAKEOFF
TOURNAMENT LIFE
LEAVING FISH TO FIND FISH
ou don’t leave fish
to find fish” is one
of the few rigid
rules of old in tournament
bass fishing, but is it still
true today?
Veteran pros Larry Nixon
and Mark Rose have their
own opinions on the matter.
rose: read the
situation and
adjust
As one of the sport’s
greatest offshore anglers,
Rose has learned over the
years how to run and gun
using electronics and to
locate fish that are willing to
bite. As a result, he’s more
inclined to risk leaving fish to
go in search of others that
he has a better chance of
catching.
Yet, it’s not easy for him
to explain when and why to
make a move.
“It’s all by feel,” Rose
insists.
Starting with a basic
understanding of average
tournament catch rates
helps Rose decide in prac-
tice whether he’s on the
right quality of fish or if he
should keep moving, but it’s
the first day of the event
that ultimately dictates
Rose’s approach.
“Day one is evaluation
day,” he says. “It sets the
pace and lets me know what
I need to catch.”
When Rose likes his
chances for a high finish, he
often gambles right off the
bat, taking advantage of the
security blanket of a decent
limit.
“I’ll catch five, then switch
and throw a big bait to
nixon:
persistence pays
22
Nixon is a bit more hard-
headed than Rose.
After three practice days
on the water, if an angler of
Nixon’s stature has only
located bass in one section
of the lake, you can bet he’s
going to set up shop there.
His theory is based on
the belief that if a tourna-
ment pro couldn’t locate
multiple productive areas in
extra-long practice days,
what makes him think he
could find one on the fly
during competition? If any-
thing, abandoning an area is
likely to fill an angler with
self-doubt.
By Joe Balog
catch one big fish, then
leave.”
In tougher conditions, or
when he’s catching mostly
small fish, Rose’s first
instinct is to try to trigger
the bigger fish in a school.
Occasionally, this is
through trial and error of
big-fish lure choices, but
more often, it’s a matter of
firing ’em up.
“When I can’t catch fish
that I know are there, I try to
figure out why. Sometimes
all I need to do is finesse
fish and get one to bite, and
it changes things with the
whole school.”
However, Rose is quick to
point out that if things don’t
work out, he’ll be more than
happy to pack up camp.
“A tournament fisherman
doesn’t have all day; he has
eight hours. And there’s a
biting school somewhere.”
“If you find fish in only
one area and leave it, imme-
diately your confidence goes
down,” the General con-
cludes. As a tournament
angler, nothing’s worse than
waning confidence. “Sure, if
I’ve hammered on the fish
for two [competition] days
and I’ve run out of fish, I’ll
move and go fishing. But, if
an area’s big enough, I’ll
never leave it.”
Here, it’s impossible to
argue with Nixon’s lifelong
competitive experience.
“Forty years has proven it
to me: If I stay around
where the fish are, I’m
gonna have a good tourna-
ment, and even win one
now and then.
“y
DOES THIS OLD ADAGE STILL HOLD TRUE?
“There’s always a way to
catch a few fish. It’s usually
just a bait change or a tim-
ing deal, but there’s always
a way.”
Tournament bass fishing
presents more variables
than any other sport, and as
a result, there are dozens of
approaches to competitive
strategy. When it comes to
the question of whether to
wait it out with a known
population of fish or move
on in search of greener pas-
tures, the situation might
dictate the decision, but ulti-
mately it’s an angler’s willing-
ness – or lack thereof – to
start fresh mid-tournament
that determines whether or
not he’s game to gamble.
flWfIshIng.Com I feBruary-marCh 2018