1, Tom, what is the importance of a game plan and sticking to it in a tournament.

Well, not sure how important that is at all.  Sometimes sticking to a game plan that isn’t working gets you nowhere.  It’s one thing to trust your pre-fishing and believe in your spots, but if pre-fishing didn’t go so well for you, you should leave yourself options.  I for one often times let my nose lead me....or make that the fish lead me, where ever they want.  Sometimes it takes you places you never thought you’d be on tournament day.  Just this year we won a bass tournament by going with the flow, and our first day spent time fishing spots we’d never fished before, but very near spots we had previously caught fish.  We didn’t just throw our arms in the air and give up when things got tough, but instead strained through areas that looked good at the moment, instead of relying on what we had done in the past.  You gotta roll with the punches.

 2, Organization in the boat. Examples, Tackle, Communication (fish on, turning the boat, netting etc.)

 Organization in the boat certainly is important, even though the floor of the boat often gets covered by all manner of equipment and tackle during the trials and tribulations of a tournament day.  As long as you know where your gear all is, then I see no problem with a little mess here and there. 

3, Pre fishing an area?

 For me, pre-fishing has a lot of ups and downs.  How well your pre-fishing session has gone is often difficult to gauge, since you’re not actually fishing hard, but locating fish and then moving on, leaving those fish for tournament day.  But, we have had success.....even seeing bass surfacing can be a real bonus.....as the fish show themselves without putting in a lot of effort.  But there are plenty of times that pre-fishing is horrible, and if you’ve been to that body of water before, have to rely on what you already know.  No matter if pre-fishing is good or bad, you often find yourself falling back onto familiar patterns, if not exact locations you’ve fished before.  Sometimes the old milk-run you rely on pays off, and other times it leaves you with that empty feeling.....and a light bag.  But, pre-fishing is just as much art as science.....you’ve got to know where you are fishing, and add in all the current variables and then come up with a game plan.  Not often an easy task.  But, time on the water is your best friend, and exploring as much as time will allow will help you in the long run.

 4, How long and how you started fishing tournaments.

 The best I can remember, I started fishing in maybe ’99 or 2000?  I can’t quite recall.  I had 2 friends who were fishing the Atikokan Bass Classic one year, and I figured I had to get in there the next.  Ever since me and my gang of fishing friends just slowing started branching out into other regional events.  We started slow and worked our way into fishing our own personal circuits.

 5, What is your favourite equipment (Rods, reels, boats and motors)

 Since I currently have no tournament sponsorship, I won’t name any brand names in my fishing/boating arsenal....although, I don’t think I’m that high profile enough to emulate at this point...LOL.  But, that is the mindset of the tournament angler....you gotta pay for me to endorse a product. 

 Being without sponsorship is a bit of a hardship with 7 fishing events in a summer, but I may work on that this Fall.  I’m not sure who I would approach, but I think I now have the resumé to make something in the sponsorship realm happen.

 Generically speaking, I do like certain types of equipment.  I never fish with anything less than a 7’ rod.  A 7-footer gives you lots of manoeuvrability in the boat, good casting distance, good feel, and lots of rod to fight a fish.  I also prefer a rod with a good tip you can load up on, and that has a nice bit of backbone.  Different rods are needed for different applications of course, but generally I’m not using sloppy rods when the fish can gain an advantage.  Reels for me are usually in the mid-size range, and always spinning.  I’m not fond of the level-winds at this point, although I recognize their uses.  No, a good mid-sized spinning reel with a good drag system is a necessity.  Unfortunately some expensive reels can be junkier than some cheaper reels, so it pays to know what it is you’re after.

 For line, I prefer a fused product as opposed to braid.  Fused lines are more like mono in some respects than braids...they cast farther, and are generally more forgiving in the tangle department.  I recently just upped my mainline to 14 lb. test (on the advice of friends), and use a 14 lb. fluorocarbon leader.   I was stuck in my  ways for a long time and was having issues with break-offs and easily broken lines, so it pays to be observant and ask what others are using if what you have doesn’t cut it anymore.  Never be stubborn when it comes to upgrading the weaponry.

 As far as boats and motors are concerned, I’m happy with whatever I can put my butt into.   That is, I don’t have a huge tournament vessel of my own, and have not yet made that investment.  Most of my fishing buddies have larger/faster boats, and I am happy to team up with any/all of them on our respective tournaments.  Perhaps I may seek out a boat sponsorship some day, but I’m not over concerned with that right now. 

 6, What tournaments you fish.

 Currently, the list includes:

 

·         Frazer Lake Walleye Classic

·         Geraldton Walleye Classic

·         Shebandowan Smallmouth Showdown

·         Nakina Bass Annual

·         Atikokan Bass Classic

·         Sioux Narrows Bassin’ for Bucks

·         Shebandowan Fall Bass Classic

 I have not yet delved into the larger regional tournaments for a few reasons.  Time and money have restricted my involvement in the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championships.  I like to do other things in the summer besides fish tournaments, and adding the FFCBC would just put my schedule over the top.  And, the KBI has always interested me, but I already fish the Sioux Narrows Bassin’ For Bucks Tournament on the same body of water, so I figure I’ve got the Lake of the Woods bases covered.  Perhaps someday I’ll add one of these two tourneys, but just don’t know if the time and interest will ever see me there.

 7, What you are involved in like organizations, commitees.

 I am currently a volunteer organizer on the Shebadowan Smallmouth Showdown committee. 

 8, Mention some things on partners you fish with.

 I’ve been lucky to have a good bunch of partners for every tournament I enter.  All my partners can fish extremely well, and certainly plays a part in having a good year like I have in 2008.  And, I’m lucky that they are all my best friends and my brother that I fish with...can’t get any better than that.

 9, Your best finishes in tournaments as far back as you can remember.

 

10, Lastly, some of your bloopers (just shows you're human) while in a tournament or memories.

 I’ve had many things go wrong in tournaments.  Loosing fish seems to be a mainstay problem, but that happens to everyone.  This year though, I had my first “hook-in-hand” incident.  In the Geraldton Walleye Classic, I had caught a small pike on a jerkbait, and that fish decided to thrash around at the wrong time and I ended up with one hook of a 3-prong in my thumb, under the nail.  After much effort, I got it out, but not something I want to go through again.  More recently, I stepped on the net during a tournament and snapped off about one foot of the handle.  Mishaps take place all the time, and you’ve just got to not let them ruin your day.