By Adam DeMeusy
It is funny how history tends to repeat itself, especially when you don’t want it to. That’s the lesson I’ve learned fishing in more than a hundred tournaments spanning 20 years. The common element I’ve experienced over that time period is that no matter how prepared you think you may be there is always something you forgot.
In the early days of my tournament ventures I learned quickly that you never have enough time to prepare and you are always finding yourself in that last-minute scramble mode, especially the night before the tournament, trying to tie in all the loose ends that you overlooked. I learned over the years that the only way to be fully prepared for a tournament is to actually sit down and write out each and every item that you need to deal with well in advance of
the event.
I’ve fished in many varieties of tournaments and have found that preparation is the key to all of them. Advance planning will apply to any type of tournament you may choose. Shark, marlin, tuna, bass tournaments and even inshore competitions all need the same approach. I figured the best way to relay my experiences — good and bad — is to break them down into “dos” and “don’ts” for tournaments. Hopefully you can use a few to improve your odds!
The Tournament Menu
These days you need to pick the tournaments that mean the most to you and your crew. I used to fish five tournaments a year and that became just too much of a burden planning and setting up, and the costs having become so extreme with fuel, etc. I reduced it to three and those are the tournaments I really love to fish. You
