Milk it or leave It?

One guy wins a tournament by milking a stump row for 3 days straight. One guy wins a tournament by running a pattern and fishing laydowns in 4 feet of water. One guy wind a tournament with a 1/32 ounce jig head and the other guy uses a 1/4 ounce to take the plaque.

In B.A.S.S. tournaments it is called finesse vs. power fishing. Do I run and gun and see who wants to bite with an aggressive presentation or do I tease the fish that I know are there to  eventually take my offerings? That is the question.

There are of course different  variables that will lead to tour decision. Mainly water clarity. You probably won’t win a tournament on a crystal clear body of water with 20# braid, a 3″ bait and a 1/4 ounce head. Also, you will have a rough time in Mississippi with a spinning combo with 4lb test and a 1/32 ounce head.

We still have the problem of should I stay or should I go. Do I leave fish I know are there to go find some that may bite? Again, different lakes play into this. On Truman where you hundreds of thousands of pieces of cover to fish the guy who fishes the most usually wins (Not always) though. If you are on a lake with limited cover and you find a monster stump row in 14′ of water you might want to get all you can out of it. Especially if it is a community hole that will get fished the second you leave.

Now you can add in more variables like trolling vs. single pole, long lining, casting, and live bait or jigs. Getting easy isn’t It? Good thing I’m not claiming to have answers here. This is why the same 10 guys win a large percentage of tournaments.  They can put the pieces of the puzzle together. This is why Gerald Swindle and other elite series fisherman hire sports psychologists.  Most tournaments are won between the ears. We can all push minnows around but why makes the minor adjustments and finds the most valuable areas of the lake and decides how long to stay is the team that takes home the W.

If you can’t get enough Crappie tournament action you can watch the Bass guys complete, this information will definitely translate. Again, it’s all about decisions and state of mind. These guys have to maintain their fish for 4 days while being followed by spectators . Talk about a head trip. Also going to the see the Crappie seminars with the top teams in the field will definitely help you be a better fisherman. There is so much information at our fingertips so use what you like and then try to forget most of it and go enjoy Crappie fishing. Thanks again for reading . Andy Lehman .