By Paul Lebowitz

It takes more than mere fish-catching skill to consistently finish at the top of the tournament field. Winners stack the odds in their favor through planning, preparation, and a sharp mental game.  

Preparation is more than time on the water, but it begins there.

“Time on the water is the one thing winners have in common,” said Plastic Navy Tournament Director Drew Clark. Clark has the experience of hosting or competing in many dozen kayak bass tournaments. 

“The jackpot can fall to anyone. The tournament winner is always a time on the water guy,” said Clark, who further clarified he counts a lifetime of experience, not just the weeks leading up to an event. However, that last month holds a lot of weight.

“That’s where you get a lot of clues, find out where the fish are, what the bait looks like, whether the water is clean or dirty, what the tide is doing. There’s a never-ending line of variables. The more of them you own the better your chances,” Clark said.

Dave Easton agrees there are no shortcuts to victory. Easton is a two-time defending Tournament Trail titlist who is currently sponsored by Wilderness Systems.

“There are no true ‘genius’ ideas. Knowing where to fish and what colors to use are key factors,” Easton said.  

Like Easton, Brian Sanner prefers to spend as much time prefishing a venue as he can. That basic tenet has propelled the Okuma Kayak Fishing Team member to numerous kayak fishing tournament victories.

“It enables me to determine which artificials the fish are responding to best, especially when it comes to presentation and thus eliminating unnecessary tackle,” Sanner said. 

“You have to stick to the gameplan. If you’re out looking for something new you’re probably not going to win,” Howerton said.

“Developing a plan and sticking with it and catching a lot of fish are consistent with our winners,” said Plastic Navy’s Clark.

A gameplan is more than determining what to fish and where. For Easton, it includes planning the route he’s going to paddle to hit his spots. They can be miles away from the tournament HQ. To increase his range and fishing time, Easton paddles one of the fastest fishing kayaks on the market, a Tarpon 160i.

“You’ve got to have a preplanned strategy in mind to go from here to there. Where will you be in transit and trolling and where will you stop and fish?” said Easton.

WINNING SMILE – Two-time Tournament Trail champion Dave Easton shows off the winning form that’s kept him consistently among the top-scoring competition kayakers. PHOTO COURTESY BILL GARBER

PREPARATION IN PROGRESS – Brian Sanner puts in tremendous time on the water to prep for a tournament. The homework is the basis of his gameplan, an attack strategy that he sticks to throughout the contest.

FISHING IS EASY – Regular tournament victor Ed Howerton feels competition fishing is pretty easy. It boils down to getting out there often and learning something every time. PHOTO COURTESY PLASTIC NAVY

Planning his route keeps Easton from wasting his most precious commodity, fishing time. Easton carefully considers tide and weather patterns in planning his route. For example, if the tide will be flowing in late in the day, Easton knows he can fish farther toward the mouth because his return will be speedy.    

Okuma’s Sanner believes a good gameplan includes a Plan B, an alternative in case the first strategy doesn’t produce.

“I always have several rods on board all rigged up differently with what I have found is working the best,” Sanner said. If he’s on his ‘A’ spot and his first bait choice comes up dry, he switches to the next one until he finds what the fish are hitting.

“The bite can change overnight and even during the course of a day,” Sanner added.

Tournament fishing is like a mathematical equation. The more time you have baits in the strike zone the more fish you’ll catch. Not all time is equal; some of it is precious, such as when the tide has created optimal current and stirred the fish into action.

When a plan is working and the fish are on the chew, don’t stop fishing for any reason advised Easton. Don’t weigh fish, don’t eat your lunch, don’t mess with the radio. Stay on it.

“A good livewell is an absolute must,” Sanner asserted.

“Focus on what you’re doing,” Easton said. The intense angler often fishes through a 7-hour tournament without so much as a sip of water or taste of food.

“It starts, and the next thing I know the tournament is over,” chuckled Easton.

Sanner shares Easton’s laser focus. He strives to keep it no matter what adversity he faces, and there are plenty in tournament competition. Lost fish, ‘professional overruns,’ weigh boats that take too much time to show, competitors fishing ‘your’ go-to spot, a run of shorts, they can all lead to fatal frustration. More than any other factor, a poor mental game can derail an otherwise hot stick. 

“You cannot let lost fish and gear problems send you into panic mode. I always try to remain as calm as possible and get back to business A.S.A.P.” Sanner said.

“Don’t get worked up. When you lose a fish, you can be upset for a split second. Then you have to put your head back on straight and get back on the horse,” Howerton added.

Frustration can be minimized through proper preparation.

“Two days before a tournament, I start restocking my terminal tackle, plastics, and leadheads. I put on new line, charge the batteries, and go over my electrical connections. The night before I line everything up and put it by the door ready to go in the morning,” said Sanner, listing his basic routine.

Easton sets his poles up the night before, after running a check on his gear.

“I make sure everything is functional. The poles aren’t missing eyes, the lines are run correctly, and my hooks are sharp,” said Easton. 

“Make sure your drags are good. With spotties and lighter line, drags are a necessity,” Howerton added, before bottom lining a philosophy shared by other consistent tournament victors.

Performing well in tournaments is pretty easy. Stick to your guns, treat every cast as if it is your last, worry about yourself, not your competition, and get out there and learn something every time you’re on the water.