In some cases, you don't have a lot of time to prefish for a tournament. Without a lot of time to practice, marking waypoints and experiencing the conditions, you have to be agile in your decision making. You can't get locked into the first bite, but you do want to listen to what that fish is telling you and think about other ways you could have caught that same fish. One fish is telling you something, but he might not be telling you everything. In this bass fishing class seminar video, Bassmaster Elite Series tournament bass fisherman Greg Hackney shares tips on how he prepares before launching the boat to ensure he's ready for anything the weather, water conditions, boat traffic, current or anything else can throw at him. When pulling up on a spot and fishing, he discusses his point of view on how long to fish that spot, depending on: season, fishing pressure, what day of the tournament it is, how long he's been fishing there and more. The most important things Greg Hackney stresses and discusses in detail in this class are: nothing is guaranteed in bass fishing, be prepared and know the conditions.
- 0:18 Time to talk about on-water adjustments with Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney
- 1:21 Getting started with information about the body of water before going fishing
- 4:23 Thinking about ways to catch each fish
- 5:40 You're going to need an open mind and lot of rods and reels to make quick decisions and adjustments
- 6:45 There's one thing you have to have to make the best fishing decisions
- 7:39 Don't commit your entire tournament to one fish
- 8:17 Selecting lure colors for the conditions
- 11:20 Be prepared for anything that could happen
- 13:17 You need to know what's in the lake or river & the current conditions
- 14:20 Nothing is guaranteed in bass fishing, things are always changing
- 14:51 Time management
- 17:23 Considering the time of day and other time-related variables
- 19:00 Waiting for a bite you have confidence in to "turn on"
- 22:17 Will seasonal boat traffic push bass out of spawning flats?
- 26:51 Making "milk runs"
- 31:10 Not getting "too-dialed in"
- 33:36 How many back-up plans before they become a distraction
- 35:46 Deciding when you aren't culling big enough fish. Do you leave fish to find better fish?
- 39:13 Do you "save fish" in multi-day tournaments if you already have a good limit, or catch what you can while you can?
