TAKEOFF
TOURNAMENT LIFE
ETIQUETTE, STRATEGY FOR FISHING IN A CROWD codY MeYeR’ s taKe on hoW to deal With fishinG pRessuRe By Sean Ostruszka
every now and then a pro finds a spot all to himself and cashes in for a tournament victory. When it happens, it makes a good story, but the truth is, pros – especially these days – rarely have any spot all to themselves. the reality is that in tournaments with hundreds of boats in the field, the majority of an angler’ s time is spent sharing areas, or even fishing in crowds. With so many competing, it’ s almost guaranteed that at least one other angler – or several – will find the same pattern, spot or school as you. that’ s big-time pressure, but being able to manage and adapt to that pressure is what separates top pros like cody Meyer from the pack.
“ You talk to guys all the time who get spun out because they’ re sharing water throughout the day, or who are intimidated to fish in a crowd of 10 or 20 boats,” says Meyer.“ it’ s never bothered me. unless i have something better, i never mind fishing in a pressured or crowded area. My thinking is the fish are there. i don’ t have to worry about finding them; just catching them.”
With so much fishing pressure, catching them isn’ t always easy, regardless of how many fish there are. Meyer’ s answer is to downsize or do something different from everybody else. for instance, at the 2017 potomac River flW tour event, he was rotating through community holes with as many as 40 boats in them, and
Crowds are part of tournament fishing, and how well you learn to deal with the added pressure that comes with fishing near other competitors can have a big impact on your success.
20 fLWfIshInG. com I january 2018