bass tournament help

hello all my fellow brothers. its been a while since i have asked for your help, but i have come to a wall, and one that i dont think i can pass myself. on july 2 there will be a local amatuere smallmouth bass tournament held on the st. croix in the stillwater to hudson area. i have decided to join this tournament with two other partners. we are no pro, and we dont really fish the river, so what i am asking of you today is simple. i need some advice, and lots of it, anything from what baits to use, to what dept. i have bought all the bass fishing videos from the bait shops and watched them all, but one thing is missing from all this. it is the advice from local anglers. so please, help as a fellow IDO member. thanks so much for all the help i have received from you all. and thanks for the help that i am about to get.

Rod #1 – topwater – Sammy or a spitter bait
Rod #2 – Exposed hook 3/16 oz. tube in black/red flake
Rod #3 – Zoom super fluke, nose hooked with a 1/0 offset
Rod #4 – Spider Grub/Mini Sweet Beaver on a 1/4 oz jig head of your choice

Start with topwater in the morning and concentrate on sand to gravel transitions out there. I typically do better on this stuff than I do on the bigger chunk rock. If the sun gets high and hot, back off into the 6-10 ft of water and slow down with the tube or grub

You may want to get some livewell additave to keep the stress off the fish and it might be a good idea to put some ice in the livewell throught the day to keep it a little cooler. It is important to keep your fish alive, penality for each dead fish. Bring a net and be carefull not to knock the fish off, it only happens in tournaments, trust me. ood luck and PM me with any more questions.

Find out if live bait would be legal to use or not.
If so, set up a lindy rig, and a slipbobber rig with a leech. Bass just love them.

lures, I like to jerk a small size x-rap for active chasing fish, and for on the bottom, a jig with craw plastic.
good luck.
Jack