Bagwell's Bass Tactics: Bass Tournament Downsizing
by Jeremiah T. Bagwell
After looking back and analyzing my past season and trying to determine adjustments that needed to be made, I decided that my soft plastic selection had to be condensed. The amount of time that I spent digging through the compartments looking for a specific color and size of a lure could have allowed me to catch one or two more fish per tournament day. Would that really make a difference? I really don't know, but as long as it is a possibility, I am willing to take corrective measures. The competition in Bass tournaments today is so good that you need to take advantage of every moment you spend on the water. A few wasted minutes here and there could mean the difference between winning the tournament and not making a check at all.
To help with the elimination of wasting valuable tournament time, I am going to choose about five or six colors of each bait. These colors will be the ones that I feel will be most productive for the body of water that I will be fishing. Factors that will assist with my selection process will be water clarity, natural forage, bottom composition and my personal confidence level. For example, if I am fishing a tournament on the muddy Mississippi River, there is a good chance that I will not use a bubble gum or white Senko. Therefore, I do not need to have them in my boat for that tournament. Past experience and common sense tells me that colors like Green Pumpkin, Watermelon and June Bug are very effective in this type of water. My confidence level is also very high in colors like Black with Blue flakes and Ox Blood in muddy water, so I would add these additional colors to my arsenal before waging war in this tournament.
Pre-fishing is a great time to determine what ammunition you will carry in the boat during tournament hours. If you take a few baits of each color and try them during practice, you can get a very good idea of what you need to have in the boat once the tournament begins. This is also a good time to determine the quantity of lures that you need to bring with you. If during practice, the bite is relatively slow and you aren't going through very many soft baits, you probably do not need to take twenty bags with you during the tournament. Just make sure that you have an ample supply so you don't run out of them, at the same time don't go overboard. Excessive quantities take up a lot of room and add unwanted weight to your boat.
Competitive Bass fishing is a game of numbers and usually the margins are very slim. By reducing your idle time, it allows you to keep your bait wet a little longer. We all know that no matter how well a MegaStrike coated Senko works, you will never catch anything on it when the lure isn't even in the water.
Author: Jeremiah T. Bagwell
Email: jt_bagwell@hotmail.com
Web Site: http://www.qcbassfishing.8k.com/
Details: Nickname - JT
Birth Date - March 13, 1976
Hometown - Rock Island, IL
Family - Elisabeth (wife)
Fishing Influences - Arnold and Juanita King (Grandparents)
Years Fishing - 25+
Biggest Strength (on the water) - Pitching jigs
Biggest Weakness (on the water) - Finesse fishing
Fishing Accomplishments Winner of 2002 Exelon's Fishing for a Cure (Charity Event) 2003 ABA D46 Angler of the Year2004 ABA D46 Angler of the YearSeveral tournament winsSeveral big bass awardsBFL regional qualifierABA national championship qualifierOff the Water Accomplishments Pro Staff member for several great companiesArticles are regularly printed in American Bass Anglers and Inside Line Magazines.Bagwell's Bass Tactics (weekly column) runs on multiple very high-traffic websites.Articles are used on websites in the United States, Russia, Australia and the United KingdomFeatured in numerous newspaper articlesIn-studio guest for a regional talk radio showIn-store promotions for retail locationsOwner of BagwellsBassTactics.comActive in the Pro Bass Networks "Ask a Pro" program for kidsProudest Fishing Moment - After winning the Exelon Fishing for a Cure charity tournament, donated 20% of earnings back to the charity.
Favorite Food - Mexican and Italian
Favorite Book - Get what you deserve (How to guerilla market yourself)
Favorite Movie - Too many to list
Favorite Song - I'm gonna miss her (the fishing song)
Sponsors - Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Pflueger Reels, All Star Rods, Daiichi Hooks, Minn Kota, Mizmo Bait Co, Lake George Boat Rental, Slayden's Auto Repair, MegaStrike, Humminbird, PowerPro, Shakespeare Supreme Line, Do-It Mold Co. 
