Gerald Swindle is certainly one of the top presenters at the Bass University. He's a successful tournament angler with a couple of Bassmaster angler of the year titles. Gerald also knows what it's like to have the wheels come off, get completely sidetracked and railroad an entire tournament. In this bass fishing instructional class seminar, G-man shares his approach to practicing and preparing for tournaments. Whether's it's a 1-day weekend tournament at your home lake or a 4-day event on a lake you've never fished, ask yourself, "what is my practice purpose?". Learn how to practice purposefully. Gerald recommends knowing how to practice, how much to practice and identifying your practice objectives. In this 1hr+ class, Gerald breaks down: what NOT to do in tournament practice, research to conduct days, weeks or even months before making your first cast, and what to do when the wheels come off.
Ultimately, as Swindle points out, they don't give out trophies for practice. If you have a bad practice, a great practice, or don't practice at all, praparing yourself (mentally & physically) and having your equipment ready for tournament day plays a huge role in tournament success. 70 Bites in practice doesn't win you a check, but 5 good bites in a 1-day tournament can win you a check. Watch this Gerald Swindle bass fishing class and learn how to go into tournament day with confidence, a clear mind and the energy to execute.
Swindle's Tournament Practice with Purpose Class Chapters
- 0:45 Gerald begins by answering a quick question about when spawn starts on Lake Eufaula
- 2:11 Gerald Swindle on practicing with a purpose (how to practice, how much to practice and why to practice for tournaments)
- 3:38 Practicing : what people do wrong and how to combat those wrong decisions
- 11:05 Gerald's research process for a lake and preparation that beings weeks before a tournament (apps Gerald uses to prepare for a tournament)
- 19:14 Keep practice simple and fish what you like with confidence
- 24:27 Practicing for a kayak bass fishing tournament
- 27:08 Resetting when you're completely spun out or everything has fallen apart in your practice or tournament
- 31:05 Letting your own history and experience ruin your tournament
- 34:08 How to devote time to map study for an entire season of different tournament locations (do you study only for the next tournament, or all of them during the offseason?)
- 36:53 Do you always try to "catch them your way", fishing with confidence, even on lakes where you know that, historically, the tournament will be won on a pattern or technique you don't have confidence in?
- 40:46 How to decide when to stay or leave an area in a bass fishing tournament?
- 42:21 Knowing when you've identified a pattern
- 43:41 Why and what you should be eating in practice and in preparation for a bass fishing tournament
- 45:05 What is Gerald Swindle's go-to search bait in the summer
- 46:13 Deciding how long to work an area and determining of the winning fish are there
- 48:55 Setting the hook on a buzzbait
- 50:04 Ruling out areas in tournament practice
- 53:27 Approaching difficult tournament conditions (like cold & muddy water)
- 56:42 Confidence baits for co-anglers (non-boaters) that aren't able to practice
- 58:54 Practice searching for single fish vs schools of fish
- 1:00:33 Changing jig colors
- 1:01:47 Breaking down big grass flats
- 1:05:04 Interaction and information sharing with other anglers
What's Covered in Gerald Swindle's Tournament Practice Class
- How to practice, how much to practice, and why it matters for tournaments
- Common mistakes in tournament practice and how to avoid them
- Research process and preparation weeks before a tournament, including the use of apps
- Strategies for resetting when things go wrong in practice or during a tournament
- Decision-making in tournaments, including staying or leaving an area, identifying patterns, and handling difficult conditions
