Taught by crawford

So, i just want to know what went on in your team meeting when i got paired up with Chuck Steinbauer? Becuase this guy was in my back pocket all day and fishing over the top of my head. crawford must have said something to him, eh?

MAYBE HE THOUGHT YOU WERE CUTE.

you’ve been away from home too long tbass! thanks again. btw, the mercury guy at the tourny didn’t know his form his head. my mechanic got my motor running in five minutes. i see a letter writing day coming up

MAYBE THE MECHANIC WAS FROM MINNESOTA TOO

Too Funny, I guess you have not mastered the Harbo sisters boat control methods.

Actually we did not have team meetings. MN was pretty much a crap shoot from day one. Discussions were minimal and sounded more like “who is getting the next round” than any real knowledge being passed out. That being said there is room for improvement.

As for the tourney…. This place was just aweful. I know the guys on green fish did well but between the dropping water, punishing waves, sandbars, and everything else I can honestly say that I have never been invloved in such an awful fishing event. Congrats for the guys who did well and the entire WI state team. Next time I hope its on a place I don’t have to worry about my safety or extened repairs. Bring on the big water of Greenbay, just don’t make me go back to SD.
jc

Why Didn’t our team work together anyway. We did have one meeting. Was our team captians suppose to organize that or does the pres. do it? Or is it just some years it doesn’t happen? And that place was like you said, a real treat. Hard on boats.

Hey Eric, I was your first day partner. Thanks for the tubes. I caught a bunch of fish on them. It was rough on boats, I can still see the waves coming over the nose of your boat. It was tough on the arse, too.

Tbass

Well Eric,
I guess there are a lot of reasons. The biggest I would have to say is not being organized. Then there is the flip side. Each one of the guys are trying to get to the next level. The way the tourney is set up it pits teamates against eachother. The qualifying vs the teampaycheck is a catch 22. This being my first time at divisionals and the send time I ever even fished a state tourney I must admit that I was definately in follow mode. Next time I suspect things will be different… As long as I don’t have to go back to SD.
jc

I hear what you guys are saying. Eric and I prefished for this tournament for 2 weeks. It definitly is a catch 22 for a team/ high guy moves on type of tournament. We made the mistake of putting all of our eggs in one basket. The smallies on the drops were good 2 weeks before the tournament and then when we got their for the official practice things just seemed to get worse. We came well prepared as far as equipment, tackle, g.p.s., knowing how to run the water, and from talking to locals and previous guys that have fished this body of water we thought we were heading on the right trail to success. We definitly missed the boat on the large mouth bite in the pads and reeds. We fished mostly above Springfield where the current in these pad areas was pretty extensive. My third day partner took me down to the top of the lake where the reeds and pads looked awesome and their was just slight current and resembled more of a lake type of situation instead of the river. From what I’ve heard this was the area to be in. We never even looked at this area in practice. We stuck with they idea to look at a given area and learn it well. I believe that’s where the lack of team work from the Minnesota side shot us in the foot. Seemed like no one from Minnesota practiced that area. Overall the experience was great, and I feel that some of the sand bar techniques will pay off here on the mighty Mississippi. Congratulaions to the Wisconsin team for opening up that can of whoop As#! I also would rather fish somewhere else if the opportunity arose, but if I had to do it all over again, I would be game. Thanks Eric for sharing the boat for two weeks and working together. We both gained knowledge from each other. (And a few great laughs!!!!) Brent

Eric, all I can say is I was probably the worst fisherman on our team so without the meetings and help from teammates I would have been lucky to turn in anything at all. It worked out for us because the guy that put in the most time and found the best fish won. I would guess that would hold true if all teams worked together, but maybe not. Our chemistry was really good. All except Champman. He was always wanting to use my swim jigs and stuff.

your tbass!

TBass…Do you fish the anglers edge tournament trail out of Rockford?

I sure do. I have been fishing the circut for the last6 years. We are having our classic on pool 8 in 2 weeks. Can’t wait to fish for the hogs you guys keep talking about.

A formula for successful team dynamics is very hard to define. I hope Jim and TBASS will jump in and give their viewpoint because WI clearly has it together. I have 1st place individual, a 1st place team, and a 2nd place team trophy from regional. My best memories (the best experience) are from the 2nd place team. The trophy is from Green Bay in 1999 and it was one of the few times we beat WI, and to do it in their home was extra special. The 12 guys on that team clicked for the beginning and the meetings were open and honest. Everyone shared information but everyone honored each other space. It was a great experience. Even though only one person moves on, being part of a successful team was extremely rewarding.

So what is the key? My experience with several different teams is the teams that are successful have over half of the guys who very secure in their ability (this is not a put down guys). They are mature guys that know how to deal with the ups and downs and adjust well to the situations. They set the stage for the rest of the group with their honesty and willingness to share. In turn, they have received feedback that has helped them fine-tune their patterns. It’s an equal give and take.

Well put. Chemistry between fellows is key.

I wish you guys would have had your tournament on Lake Sharpe. I understand the smallie fishing is out of control right now. I don’t think we will see any tourneys there for a while due to the tight slots and small limits. The area your tourney was held is definitely a prop buster. Don’t give up on ol SD yet, there will be some smallie news coming from that state over the next couple years. They are an untapped source of fun.

Rieverfan, I agree with your points. There were some definite “veterans” on the team that were good leaders. I would also like to add the fact that we also had a strong voice for a captain. Meetings were held every night, being on time was stressed, meetings were to the point and our objectives were met. It sounds like some teams did not have a leader/modarator type to keep it all together.

Tbass