As a competitor on the Bassmaster Elite Series, it’s not uncommon for me to be fishing offshore in one event and flipping shallow cover in the next. In any given tournament, a storm or some other significant weather change may force me to drastically alter my tactics day by day. The same is true for weekend anglers.
To hold your own against the world’s best bass anglers on the Elite Series, you must be well-versed with a variety of lures and presentations so you can adapt to whatever challenges you face. But even the most versatile anglers have a preferred way of fishing.
I’m no different. Power fishing in shallow water has always been my preference. That’s because I grew up fishing with my dad, who is among the best shallow-water anglers in professional bass fishing.
Some guys are better with finesse tactics, with forward-facing sonar or with something else. Whatever your strengths happen to be, you’ll always perform more efficiently and with more confidence doing what you do best.
Sometimes the only option is to switch gears and stray out of your comfort zone. A tough bite can tempt you to do this, but you should guard against abandoning your strengths too quickly.
I made that mistake at the Elite Series tournament at Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma. On the first practice day, I couldn’t get the quality bites I needed by fishing shallow. The calm, sunny, bluebird weather may have had something to do with that.
Halfway through the second day of practice, I still hadn’t contacted any sizable bass. I got it in my head that the pros who excel with forward-facing sonar were going to run away with another tournament. That’s when I zigged when I should have zagged.
I boated down the lake, turned on my forward-facing sonar and started picking off individual bass as deep as 18-feet on channel swing shelves. I stayed with that pattern throughout the first two days of the tournament and caught 10- to 11-pound limits with a drop shot and a Neko rig.
Sadly, I needed 12- to 13-pound limits to make the Top 50 cut. The guys that caught them the best were power fishing in shallow water. They were basically junk fishing, which is what I should have been doing. I deserted my strengths too soon in practice.
The conditions constantly changed at Tenkiller. It rained heavily before practice began. Although it was sunny on the first practice day, the water came up 2 feet. It started dropping after that, but storms during the tournament made the water rise again. Dirty water pumped in and constantly flooded new cover on the bank.
That’s why the guys fishing shallow by the seat of their pants outshined everyone else. From what I can tell, the top finishers changed baits and locations every day. They were constantly adjusting.
I was too quick to give up on my shallow-water comfort zone in practice. You can’t always catch bass the way you would like too, but don’t let dock talk or thoughts of what other anglers are doing throw you off track. That’s true regardless of how you prefer to fish.
You’re better off sticking to your guns more often than not.
