By Mitchell Forde
Studying fisheries like the pros ( and knowing what not to study ) can give you a leg up before you ever reach the water
t ’ s been nearly two decades since Ott DeFoe sat in a classroom . But the Bass Pro Tour star has never stopped doing homework .
During the offseason and breaks in his tournament schedule , DeFoe can often be found poring over maps , satellite images , old articles — studying as if for a final exam that will make or break his GPA . By the time official practice starts for each event , the five-time MLF winner estimates he ’ s usually spent more than 20 hours researching the fishery from afar .
“ I probably spend as much time off the water ‘ practicing ’ as I do on the water at these events ,” DeFoe said .
He ’ s far from the only pro with a rigorous study regimen . At a time when secret baits and hidden honey holes are all but extinct , strategy and decision-making separate the top performers from the rest of the pack . And while the process looks a bit different for each angler , most sound game plans are built on a foundation of thorough research , especially with only two days of on-the-water practice permitted before each Bass Pro Tour tournament .
“ It ’ s important to have a game plan for the tournament , but it ’ s important to have a game plan for practice before it ever starts ,” said fellow BPT pro Alton Jones . “ And if you can just do that , just learn to make a plan for every single day that you ’ re going to be on the water , whether it ’ s practice or a tournament , and have a well-thought-out strategy , you ’ re way ahead of most of the field .”
Studying holds value for the amateur angler , too — arguably more so . Someone who doesn ’ t have time to practice for tournaments or who ’ s simply seeking to catch as many fish as possible during an excursion to an unfamiliar body of water can get a head start by emulating the homework habits of some of the top strategists on tour .
study materials
Just like in school , not every touring pro has to put in the same amount of studying . While DeFoe and Jones both outlined extensive homework routines , Dakota Ebare and John Cox said they do enough at-home research to get a feel for each fishery but prefer to develop their strategies on the fly ( no surprise given the busy schedules maintained by both pros ).
Regardless of how deep you want to dive into a given body of water , the good news for modern anglers is that information isn ’ t hard to find . Often , the bigger challenge is knowing what ’ s noteworthy and what to ignore , plus how to put it all into practice ( we ’ ll get there ).
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
Tennessee pro Ott DeFoe ’ s pretournament “ homework ” includes thorough map study and assessment of previous tournament results on fisheries where he ’ ll compete .
The most ubiquitous study tool is a contour map . These days , paper maps have mostly given way to digital mapping systems such as Lowrance ’ s C-Map or LakeMaster by Humminbird . These interfaces offer detailed relief maps and allow for custom depth shading or water level adjustments , plus they can be accessed from a boat console or personal device . Free options like Navionics ChartViewer might not have as many features but can be accessed online .
Google Earth has become another staple . The satellite imaging software not only offers aerial views of fisheries but features a “ historical imagery ” function that allows users to travel back in time and view past snapshots . Both DeFoe and Jones said they utilize that tool to look for low-water images , which can reveal things like brush piles , hard spots or offshore humps that are submerged at full pool . Even for natural lakes or ponds that don ’ t see much fluctuation , images from different times of year can reveal grass lines and deeper holes .
“ I ’ m backing the timeline back and trying to find a time when the lake level was low and features are exposed , where you can really see them in the light of day , and then take waypoints from that ,” Jones explained . “ And I still do that quite a bit ; it ’ s just not quite as valuable as it used to be before everybody else figured it out .”
Weather , too , is an obvious source to be studied — just about every angler has a trusted weather app . But Jones uses his a bit different than most . While he pays plenty of
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