T
hey say there’s more than one way
to skin a cat, and there’s definitely
more than one way to prepare for
a bass tournament … or even a long
weekend on the water. Just ask Andy
Morgan and Scott Martin, two of FLW’s
brightest stars. Between them, they
have a Forrest Wood Cup championship
(see sidebar), 36 Cup appearances, four
FLW Tour Angler of the Year titles, eight
FLW Tour wins and almost $5 million in
tournament prize money.
You could make a solid argument
that either pro is the B.O.A.T. (best of
all-time) in FLW history, but they have
different approaches to tournament
preparation styles.
Morgan is old school, preferring to
find and figure out bass on his own,
with as little outside influence and
input as possible. He exemplifies the
do-it-yourself attitude that has mostly
prevailed in the sport for decades.
Martin’s approach to preparing for
competition, which includes gathering
JANUARY 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
information on a fishery from outside
sources, isn’t “new.” In fact, many would
say his father – the legendary Roland
Martin – was its pioneer. More recently,
Scott has developed a small group of
confidantes who can give him insight
into various fisheries and help him find
what he calls the “pulse” of the water
before he ever launches his boat.
There’s no question that either
method can work – the results of our
experts speak volumes – but each can
fail just as spectacularly if done with-
out considering a number of mitigating
factors. And at least in this case, the
“two schools” of thought are not really
at odds; call them different responses
to different needs and different cir-
cumstances.
Mutual Disclaimers
Andy Morgan: “I occasionally like to
get some good general information,
but I’d rather figure things out myself.
Part of the problem is finding sources
you know really well and who know
how you think and fish.”
Scott Martin: “Figuring things out all
on your own is great, but it can be
impractical at times. I can’t always get
away to pre-practice for an event, and
my home in south Florida is a long way
from most of our venues. Utilizing my
resources as best I can within the rules
of competition is just another way of
educating myself and getting up to
speed about what’s happening on a
body of water when we have such a
limited period of time to prepare.”
The Basics
Andy Morgan: “Figuring things out
on my own and avoiding dock talk or
other outside information keeps me
from having a lot of preconceived ideas
about where the fish are and what
they’re doing. That stuff can waste a lot
of time and give you a lot of mental hur-
dles to overcome. It’s hard to focus on
one technique when you hear that you
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