Well, now that our club tournies are done and I am starting to make the switch to walleyes, I have been reflecting on this past season.
I had the opportunity to fish with a bunch of good guys both from this site and from the club who are not IDA’ers. Almost every trip out with different people, I picked something up, whether it be a new presentation or new areas. I didn’t really have a bad outing that I can remember. I had some frustrating days, but they just make you sit back and think about the circumstances, and then change something for the next time out. I fished more tournies this year than ever. For the first time fishing tournies, I actually pulled some checks. Of course I am still in the stage where I am fishing small tournies and club tournies.
As far as the club tournies, I had a blast. Our club has 7 tournies that are held on the river and we also went to a couple lakes this year. I learned right away that lakes are not my strong point. I also learned that even your home waters can humble you. I actually enjoyed the competition this year. We wrapped up our season this past weekend on pools 7-9. Now that the sting is down to a dull throbbing, I will share a little insight about confidence and how important it is.
I went into the last tourney sitting 2nd in the overall standings. All I needed to do was have a decent bag. Myself and fellow IDA member Tobi had pre-fished an area that I knew was going to be good. Going into the tournament, I had a game plan to stay on this spot all day because I knew the fish were there and the potential was there for a great bag. I fished this area until 10:00 with 1 dink fish to show for it. I then started to second guess myself and finally decided to leave the area. Another boat from the club came in behind me as I was leaving and fished the area. At the weigh-in, they came in with a 19# bag and had a 5.13# kicker fish. Now, if I would have kept my confidence and not second guessed myself, I could have been on top. Instead, I panicked and came to the weigh-in with 0 fish. Tourney fishing definitely has its ups and downs, but worth every bit of it. Now, I am looking forward to next year’s tournies and adding new water, more techniques, and fishing with the guys I fished with this year.
October 27, 2006 at 12:22 am
#1216486
He had told me the day before how he thinks I should throw a Rat-L-Trap to get these bigger fish. Well, I threw what had worked the week before and a few other things, but NOT the Traps. Guess what the guys that won the tourney used 
