Even for Bassmaster Classic competitors with a $300,000 first-place prize in mind, it’s so easy not to stop and retie your lure when you know you should. We heard failure-to-retie mishaps repeatedly during angler interviews yesterday. The tournament leaders were no exception.
“I broke one off that was my fault,” Christie said. “I hit a cable and didn’t retie.”
On the next cast he made a perfect cast at the corner of a dock, set the hook and snap.
“I broke one off that I shouldn’t have broke off,” said Edwin Evers. “It was on the hookset. I didn’t retie and I should have. You get caught up in the moment. I’ve got a buddy that texts me every day: ‘Retie!'”
On the one hand, you want to keep your bait in the water as much as possible. On the other hand, that bait won’t do you much good if it’s tied to a frayed line. That is one of the toughest calls in tournament fishing, when the clock is ticking: To retie, or not to retie.