Well the first thingI can say about fishing any tournament weather it be a local club tournament or the Classic whichI am preparing for now. You must be prepared. I am going to take you through the steps that I have been going through for the past two weeks. First your boat sets on a trailor which is probably the most important piece of equipment you have , without it you can't get there.
You have lights,springs,bearings,brakes,tires, and the frame itself which all need serviced and checked not to mention do you have a good spare tire ,extra bearings.jack and lug wrench. Then you have the next piece the boat. If you have been fishing hard and putting the boat away wet now is the time to pay the price and unload everything out of the boat and clean it inside and out and o yea if you have lost anything and could not find it you may be supprised what you find when you clean the boat I know because guess what the cell phone I lost I found it. after a thorough cleaning you need to put everything back one piece at a time first detirming if you need it and is it in good repair, whether it be a extra reel or piece of electronics or tackle. Even check your first aid kit. Does it have everything it needs if it doesn't and you are hurt or bee stungfishing a tournamentyou may have to go to shore and anybody that knows how to fish knows you can't catch fish there. Along with putting everything back on the boat, in Crappie fishing we use a lot of rods, I think I re-spooled thirty rods and re rigged them for different fishing like tightlineing, long lining, bobber fishing and jigging they are ready for whatever style of fishing I think I need to try. Along with getting the boat ready be sure to check your lighting live wells and other equipment to make sure it is in good repair. Now is a good time to take those two wires you twisted together and repair with proper conectors. Make yourself a check list for the equipment you need to have on your boat such as landing net,bait net, bait bucket ,ropes ,chains for boat control on windy days,flash light batteries,spare fuses, tools tape, you get the jest of whatI am saying. Any one of these items can mean the differance of finishing a tournament and making it back to weigh in on time. I told you about the trailor and boat but guess what, you have to have a truck to pull them and yes it needs serviced just like the boat and trailor. then of course have you made all of your motel reservations paid all entry fees and of course checked Google to find the best route to get there. Yes this is a condensed version but the important message is if you expect to win any tournament you need to prevent any mistakes that wouldkeep you from winning and not taking care of your equipment is the easyist way to loose
BE PREPARED !!!
When I get back from Grenada Mississppi I will be prepared to get back to buisness as usual and you can contact me to take you fishing in Central Florida at www.thecrappiefisherman.co
LET'S GO FISHING !!!!