Mastering Bass Tournament Strategy: Fish the Moment for Big Wins

Learn how to approach new water like a pro and maximize your chances in every bass fishing tournament.

Like any other competitive activity, staying in the moment can be your key to success. / 19405451 | Michael Wood| Dreamstime.com

Table of Contents

1. Advice from Rick Clunn
2. The Mental Side of Tournament Fishing
3. A Real World Example
4. Deep Thoughts About Performance
5. What Would Rick Clunn Do?

Advice from Rick Clunn

A wise man (Bassmaster legend, Rick Clunn to be exact) once said, "one of the best tournament strategies you can employ, is to fish each day as though you've never been on that body of water." Please note that this advice applies mainly to experienced anglers who have some level of tournament success and already understand fish behavior. For those who qualify, this is great advice!

This happens to be one of my all-time favorite photos. I was fortunate enough to spend a day in Rick Clunn's boat during a Bassmaster Elite event. I learned a lot that day. / Craig Mazurek

The Mental Side of Tournament Fishing

Successful tournament fishing is primarily a mental game. Of course you need to be fit enough to endure a nine hour day, rolling across "cabin cruiser" boat wakes with one foot on the trolling motor pedal, while making the perfect pitch five times every minute. Above and beyond that, it doesn't matter if you're tall or short, young or old, it comes down to what you've got between your ears. How quickly and accurately can you put together the pieces of the puzzle–what's the seasonal pattern, water temperature, structure, available cover, baitfish patterns, wind, sun, pressure, etc., etc., etc.? And even more than that–the correct answers may change several times throughout the day. How quickly can you adjust without losing confidence?

Consistent, great tournament days aren't easy to come by. It's easy to rely on the things that worked yesterday, or last week, or last year. While there are times that the current conditions will align with the conditions you had the last time you were catchin 'em, most times, something will have changed. Have you ever heard fellow competitors lamenting about the fish they caught on practice day that just disappeared on tournament day? Have you ever heard yourself saying it? Me, too.

Successful tournament fishing is primarily a mental game. / Kurt Mazurek

A Real World Example

Let me give you a first hand example of "fishing like you've never been on this lake". Actually, let me start by saying, I'm not sharing this story to brag about my tournament prowess. I only bring it up because this happens to be a solid illustration of the point I'm trying to make.

My friend, Dan Weilep and I made a last minute decision to fish a team open bass tournament. Even though this natural, northern Wisconsin lake was only an hour from home, neither one of us had ever been on it or even seen it before. Typically, I would prefer to have some practice, but this time we were going in cold. I took a look at a lake map, studied the basic contours and water data, checked out the weather forecast, and kept an open mind.

Based on the time of year and type of lake, I was fairly confident that we were looking for deep weed edges just outside of shallow spawning bays. We arrived at our first "spot" and discovered that the weeds didn't grow quite as deep as we guessed they would. We made a few casts, and caught a few short fish, but it was easy to decide that we should move on. Psychologically, we were still focused, and, in fact, encouraged because we had learned something from this spot that we could take to other parts of the lake. We chipped away at it all day, improving a little with each new adjustment.

Fast forward to that afternoon, when we weighed in the winning limit, including big bass, eclipsing second place by over 3 lbs. (see photo) While in this case, we were "forced" to fish with an open mind, it really opened my eyes to Rick Clunn’s concept.

By using the advice in this article, we were able to to put an 18.45lb bag on the scale that day, securing first place and big bass. / Kurt Mazurek

Deep Thoughts About Performance

Accurately analyzing all of the current conditions isn't easy. Trying to re-live memories of good times, and telling yourself, "I don't understand it. They should be here. Stupid fish!", is relatively easy, even safe. That approach comes with a built-in excuse to cover your fear of failure. (Wow! That's pretty heavy.)

What Would Rick Clunn Do?

Like I said, tournament success is primarily a mental exercise. Remember to keep an open mind. When you're waiting for takeoff, and most people are floating around worrying that someone will beat them to their "spot", look around, look at the water, look at the clouds, feel the wind and the temperature, and ask yourself, "what would I do if this was my first time on this water?"