One thing that I’ve done over the years that I think has helped me in tournaments is to fish in practice like a maniac.
It’s springtime. That means the water’s at or above the 58-60 degree mark. You might want to start thinking about putting your hard jerkbait away in favor of a soft swimbait.
River tournaments are typically more area-oriented than pattern-oriented. Practice will be less about finding the right technique than it will be about finding the right area.
From about now until the middle of June is the best topwater smallmouth fishing of the year.
If you think Sexy Shad is Kevin VanDam’s favorite crankbait color, you’d be right … but only a third of the time.
Next time you're out scouting the lake and everything seems to be falling into place, keep in mind that change is just around the corner ... and with it may come opportunity.
Just getting started? Learn how to select and use a rod.
I think target weights create an unnecessary step for a tournament angler. You can spend a lot of time researching old tournament histories or talking to local anglers about that kind of stuff, and it can really get you into trouble.
Look in almost any successful angler’s boat and you'll find a select group of well-fished old lures squirreled away in some special place.
Elite Series pro Charlie Hartley takes a lot of pride in his bass boat so we asked him for expert tips on how to keep a boat spick-and-span.