By Paul Lebowitz

The Plastic Navy was founded on fun, on competition as a means to build skill. Oh, everyone wants to paddle home a winner, so Plastic Navy gives anglers plenty of ways to cash in beyond finishing at the top of the scorecard. Winning has never been the only thing, thus the traditional share-the-secrets questions facing each first place finisher: “How did you win today? Where did you fish, and what baits did you use?”

In that spirit of friendly competition, here are a handful of tips meant to get newcomers off and fishing successfully:

Buy or build a live well: A live well large enough to keep a limit of bass alive and kicking is a time-saver. Instead of weighing in every time you catch a fish, wait until the bite has slowed and a weigh boat is in the area. In fact, during a hot bite you should not stop fishing unless you’ve hit the ten fish ceiling. A home-built live well costs as little as a tournament entry fee; commercial models are considerably more expensive but usually come ready to run.

Keep your cool: Even the best tournament angler loses fish. Handling adversity is a hallmark of a top performer. Reduce the chance of losing fish by maintaining gear in top condition, fishing with fresh line, frequently retying knots, and using a net to land fish. And if you do bust a big one off, don’t stay flustered. Shake it off; there’s always another out there.

Have a game plan: Do your homework. Fish the venue a time or two prior to a tournament. Sharing scouting info with other trusted sources is a force multiplier. Use the reconnaissance and all of your angling know-how to develop a game plan and stick with it. Rushing haphazardly from tactic to tactic or place to place will usually fail. But don’t be inflexible either; if conditions change drastically, alter your tactics intelligently.   

Anchor up or drift down: When the wind picks up or the current is ripping, only the best prepared anglers will be able to fish effectively. Conquer the conditions or at least prevent them from keeping your catch rate down by dropping anchor or deploying a drift chute. But use common sense; don’t drop the hook in a deep water navigation channel. 

Measure up: Keep track of your catch. Measure your fish so you won’t waste time weighing in shorts. When at a weigh boat, log your scores in as they are called out so you’ll know when its time to shift from numbers to hunt that kicker fish.   

Communicate carefully: Plastic Navy contests allow anglers to share information during a tournament. Bring a VHF, cell phone, FRS radio, or other device and use it to call your buddies into a bite. Hopefully they’ll return the favor. But don’t just blurt out anything; assume every radio message will be overheard. 

A LIVE WELL EQUALS EXTRA CASTS – Not only will a powered live well eliminate the need to worry about the health of your bass, it’ll buy you fishing time. Hold onto your fish until the bite dies or the weigh boat is nearby.

TALK IT UP BEFORE AND DURING TOURNAMENTS – Scout out each venue and share the information with a trusted source or two. Then develop a game plan. Don’t stop talking on tournament day; Plastic Navy events allow communication between competitors.

DRIFTING ALONG – Strong winds and currents can move a kayak too fast or in the wrong direction to fish effectively. Take charge by anchoring or deploying a drift chute and keep on catching.