By Paul Lebowitz

Take a glance at a Plastic Navy tournament score sheet. Every competitor’s tally, from first place to last, depicts an individual performance.

A deeper look reflects another reality. Many of the top-scoring performers are there on the strength of teamwork.

Now, that isn’t to imply anything insidious or against the rules, such as handing over fish to another angler. That’s misconduct that’ll get the guilty party barred from competition – and worse. No, the type of teamwork we’re talking about comes down to scouting, strategy development, and solid communication. It’s perfectly legal and encouraged.

“Teamwork is what it’s all about. Sharing information, helping new anglers, learning and expanding skills. I’m all for it,” said Drew Clark, Plastic Navy tournament organizer.   

These sentiments spring from the very foundation of the Plastic Navy. The informal organization coalesced around a nucleus of kayak anglers who shared a common desire. They wanted to catch more Mission Bay spotties. Plastic Navy’s founders traded secrets, went out and fished side by side to compare techniques, and spiced these outings with a dash of friendly rivalry that’s alive and well to this day.

The first function of teamwork is scouting. Obviously, kayaks are not fast boats and this comes profoundly into play on tournament day.

“If you had a Merc on the back of your boat you could hit every spot in a tournament area. On a kayak you can only hit three,” Clark pointed out.

Serious tournament anglers prefish a tournament area to discover where fish are holding and what they are biting. Teamwork dramatically enhances its effectiveness.

“Teamwork lets you cover a lot of water, get a better picture, fish different areas, and then come together to share reports. What patterns are working, which methods?” Clark added.

“It’s a remarkably big ocean. It’s a needle in a haystack trying to find spots,” said Robert Yakemonis of Team Okuma. The 4-man pro staff is systematic in its scouting, carefully marking the fish-holding structure they find on their high resolution Lowrance 522c color combo sonar / GPS units. 

“The thing that really works is to try different techniques,” Yakemonis said. In scouting, Yakemonis will fish one set of baits while his teammates all fish others.

“We’ll see which ones produce. For swimbaits, that could be different colors, different heads, or a different way of fishing them,” Yakemonis said.

By himself, Yakemonis could only try three or four different baits on a day. With a team, the effort is multiplied. “We’re not all throwing the same thing. We can focus on what’s going to work,” Yakemonis concluded. 

TOURNAMENT TEAMWORK PAYS OFF – Overall Trail leader Ed Howerton cashed in the jackpot at Dana Point when he fished a structure spot discovered by prefish partner Richard Hodge. Even the best anglers benefit from tournament teamwork.

THE TEAM THAT FISHES TOGETHER – Team Okuma members John Pawlak (left) and Robert Yakemonis at La Jolla. The 4-man pro staff approaches each tournament systematically, sharing not just spots but which fishing techniques are pulling in the most weight.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY – Teamwork comes into play on tournament day too. Here Team Quantum angler Tom Buckalew calls teammate Brett DeLong into a bite.

The value of sharing prefish data can’t be understated. It translates into victories such as Ed Howerton’s nearly 24-lb score at Dana Point. All of Howerton’s fish came off a single structure spot shared by prefish partner and nephew Richard Hodge.

“He found big fish there two weeks prior to the tournament” said Howerton, for whom teamwork is a family affair. The Howerton crew share prefish results and discuss what’s working on tournament day.

For Quantum’s kayak fishing team, it is much the same. Brett DeLong said he and teammate Tom Buckalew use their handheld marine VHFs to keep in touch on tournament day. “We split up to cover more ground and find out what’s working,” DeLong said.

Tournament teamwork also helps an individual angler develop his skills according to Team Okuma captain John Pawlak. “A lot of it is the little things. Group support or moral support. You get swept up with the tide. I love being part of a team,” Pawlak said.

Even those new to the tournament scene can benefit from teamwork.

“All you’ve got to do is find someone to work with,” Yakemonis advised.

“Personalities are important. I would network and start with people who’ve moved up to the top 50 or 100 in Tournament Trail competition. See if they’d like to work together,” Pawlak added.

There’s no shortage of potential tournament teammates. “So far this year we’ve had 294 individuals fish at least one event. There are only about 32 of those guys fishing on formal teams. Plenty of people would like to join up and improve their chances. You can find them on the Plastic Navy message boards. You don’t need a factory sponsor; you don’t need anything,” Clark said.