should be trying something else, espe-
cially when that ‘something else’ is not
something you’re comfortable doing.
“I’ve never been successful running
somebody else’s stuff. I feel like I’m off
chasing rabbits. When I was growing
up, if anybody told you anything about
fishing, they were probably lying to you.
I tried figuring things out on my own
because I didn’t have a lot of people I
felt I could trust.”
Scott Martin: “When people talk
about getting outside information to
prepare for a tournament, a lot of them
have the wrong idea. I don’t want
specifics or waypoints or even baits or
colors. I want good, general informa-
tion like which end of the lake has been
most productive or what techniques
are catching the most fish or a very
general overview of what’s happening. I
want the ‘pulse’ of the lake, and it does-
n’t tell me exactly where to fish or what
to throw, but it gives me a starting point
to figure things out.”
Philosophy
Andy Morgan: “I want to get paid
everywhere we go. Basically, I rely a
lot on seasonal patterns, and I watch
the weather really closely for two or
three weeks in advance of a tourna-
ment. Otherwise, I’m just looking for
very general information – like how
much weight it’s taking to win local
tournaments and stuff like that. If it
takes 20 pounds to do well and I’m
only catching 12, I know I need to be
doing something different. I just
want to know if I should hold ’em or
fold ’em.”
Scott Martin: “I’m looking for infor-
mation that can help me get on a pat-
tern – or two or more. I don’t want
spots because they rarely hold up –
conditions are always changing – and
spots rarely win tournaments. Spots
are usually what you fish when you
don’t have a solid pattern.”
Limitations and Pitfalls
66
Andy Morgan: “Because I’m battling
the clock and my own preference for cer-
tain techniques, doing it myself can be
limiting. A lot of times I don’t get on the
winning pattern or location or bait, and
as a result I haven’t won a lot of major
tournaments in my career. But I’ve been
consistent and have picked up a lot of
checks and Angler of the Year points.”
Scott Martin: “I had to learn what
information I wanted and who I could
FLWFISHING.COM I JANUARY 2018