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Benefits of competitive angling abound

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Finishing near the top can mean cashing a cheque, and there are few things better than making money from fishing. James Smedley and Jamie Armstrong collect.

Finishing near the top can mean cashing a cheque, and there are few things better than making money from fishing. James Smedley and Jamie Armstrong collect.



WAWA - 

Tournament fishing is not for everyone.

Anglers who enjoy a few casual hours on the water here and there are likely not going to enjoy the long hours and consecutive days of trying to catch walleye that tournament fishing entails. But if you can’t get enough of chasing the golden wanderer, and are on the lookout for ways to improve your walleye game, competitive angling might be the strong medicine you need.

Paying our entry fee – typically around $250 for events of the Northern Ontario Walleye Trail (http://www.nowt.ca/) – shows a level of commitment well beyond that of the average angler. It’s this commitment to seriously studying walleye behaviour in a tournament setting that really opens up the door acquiring knowledge and honing skills.

The next event of the NOWT is The Geraldton Walleye Classic June 24-26, when anglers will spend most of two days catching walleye under whatever conditions materialize.

When recreational fishing we have the choice not to go if the weather isn’t quite what we think it should be. Although my motto is "when in doubt: go," there are certainly times when I choose to stay indoors. However, when we are committed to a tournament, we fish in virtually any conditions that come our way.

We experience angling in fair and foul weather and we also learn different approaches for different conditions. For instance, high wind and waves can mean great fishing on wave-washed shoals and shorelines. It’s a textbook move. However, when boat control is so compromised by wind and waves that we can’t fish exposed structure effectively, I’ve moved into more protected waters and found that the fish were doing the same.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, when we were greeted with what my partner was calling “a brain bubbler," we might have sought shade. Instead, we slathered on sunscreen and went in search of walleye in the hot, still, mid-August weather. Word on the street was that the fish were hunkered down in the deepest sections of the lake. Turns out they were shallow, and feeding voraciously under the shade of thick cabbage. Sunny calm weather would continue into the tournament and pitching 1/8-ounce jigs tipped with plastic into gaps in the weeds was good for a top-three finish and enlightened us to a pattern that has repeated itself in similar lake types.

Walleye traditionalists will tell you that the best bites are in the morning and evening. If we are used to only fishing the morning and evening bite, we have to make some serious adjustments when fishing a tournament. First of all most tournament hours – early morning to late afternoon – effectively eliminate the evening bite. Once the morning bite dies we have to move on to greener pastures.

Where these afternoon spots are found depends largely on the particular water body, but what we discover is walleye bite all day long. Even more intriguing, there are spots where big walleye don’t visit until high noon. Whether it’s a deep hump, a weed edge, a rocky saddle or a narrows with current, they are on the radar of sway-bellied ‘eyes bent on mid-afternoon gorging. We only discover these gems by fishing throughout the day.

In a tournament, we often need to target specific sized fish and a prepared team will have a selection of big-fish and small-fish spots. In the tournament series I fish, for instance, each team is allowed a total of six walleye per day but only two can be over 18.1 inches or 46 centimetres. On those welcome occasions when we’ve caught and weighed-in our two ‘overs’, it makes no sense to continue to catch large fish. It’s time to hit our smaller fish spots to fill out our bag with walleye just under 46 centimetres.

Often, big fish and small fish will occupy the same piece of structure but smaller fish might be a few feet deeper. Learning to target specific sized fish sharpens our focus on walleye behaviour. When recreational fishing we can choose our spot depending on whether we want to tangle with large walleye or keep a few smaller fish for shore lunch.

Fishing a tournament on unfamiliar waters could be considered a disadvantage but the quest for walleye locations is tremendous training. Learning to quickly pinpoint walleye in new waters is a skill that can help us find spots on our home waters.

Although local knowledge can certainly be used to advantage, starting with a fresh slate can have its rewards. When we have no preconceived notions or biases, the entire lake or river system holds potential. We are looking for new and productive waters out of necessity rather than visiting the same tired spots. While our search may uncover the obvious community spots we may also discover smaller, secondary spots that can hold unpressured fish.

The real danger of familiarity is being lured back to the same collection of old spots full of educated walleye. Whether it’s fishing pressure, seasonal changes, or the whims of the golden wanderer, hot bites remain as fluid as the water they are immersed in. It follows that success accompanies anglers who are on the never-ending search for new spots, even on our home waters.

If a visiting angler comes to one of our favourite lakes, doesn’t fish any of our spots, and wipes the floor with us, then it shows that we have a lot more exploring to do.

After we fish the same tournament over a number of years we run the danger of fishing for memories. We once won an event casting crankbaits over deep weeds in a wave-washed bay. It was an incredible bite and one that we’ve hoped would repeat itself in subsequent years. But it never has.

There is no harm in revisiting past hotspots, but when the lack of action has us reminiscing about how awesome the fishing was here last year, then it may be time to move on. Learning to recognize the difference between trying a spot and fishing for memories is another valuable feather in a walleye angler’s cap.

How can you tell when an angler is lying?

His lips are moving.

Fishermen are not known for their straightforward honesty. There’s secrecy, exaggeration and even boldfaced lies. In a tournament situation, with hundreds of zealots in competition, the angler’s natural propensity towards misinformation is in full bloom. Pre-tournament posturing is laced with half-truths and deception about who caught what, where and how. Even if we tell the truth, those listening will assume we are lying.

Separating the wheat from the chaff is impossible. The only information we can truly count on is that which we have gained through our time on the water. It’s understood that, going into a tournament, competitors are not going to give any information away that will help another team.

After the tournament we often learn the truth about where the fish were biting and how successful teams were catching them. But even after the tournament, full disclosure can never be assumed, because we’ll be all gathering again next year on the same water. Bottom line is it’s important to weigh any hot tips we get from others against our own on-the-water research.

Even for the best of anglers there are days when we are just not on the fish and we get to watch our fellow anglers who are. The poignancy is elevated in a tournament situation where anglers have invested their time, money and angling pride. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy boating big walleye in front of others vying for the same fish. By the same token, watching other teams land big fish right in front of me is gut-wrenching.

Once the event is over, and the weights are posted, all we can do is face the music and strive to be gracious in victory as well as in defeat. Finishing near the top can mean cashing a cheque and there are few things better than actually making money from fishing. But even if we don’t do well, provided we were paying attention, we’ll be better anglers following a tournament than we were going in.

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