Tournament fishing is a blast. It is the one type of fishing that I can’t wait for every year. I love the competition and the energy. There is nothing like it. What does it take to win? I get asked this question all the time. Right or wrong, these are my thoughts.

Desire. In a nutshell you have to want to win. Everyone on our team is an alpha personality. We can’t walk down a street or stand in an airport without competing about something. Who can catch the most Geckos? (I’m ahead on this one; I did a double grab and got one in each hand, one time.) Who can read the smallest print on the sign the farthest away? Who can cast the farthest? And on and on. It’s messed up, but these are the guys I want. They can have no experience or talent, but if they have that mentality – within a season or two – look out.

Camaraderie. Long before we were teammates we were friends. Most of us knew each other long before we fished together. For us it was just a natural progression. I feel it is extremely important to have fun while fishing. If you’re not having a good time, the pressure will get to you, and you will make mistakes. TEAM- all for one and one for all.

Strategy is a large part of what makes us successful. While we are pre-fishing we aren’t just looking for fish. We are looking at how much fish we feel is in each area, what size they are, how far from pressure those fish are, etc. Based on the tournament’s format, all this and much more come into play. If it is an all-release tournament, like the new Avalon Billfish Classic Pro Am run out of Avalon, we need to know where there are a lot of small fish. We don’t want to get hung up pulling on a couple of tankers for an hour or more each. We want meat – lots of fish, if we can find them. Locally, the Zane Grey Tournament is my favorite. It is a release tournament with a jackpot twist. This one you need to pay attention all the time to remember who has how many fish and what you need to catch to beat them. Tons of strategy.

Then there are the jackpot tournaments like the Catalina Classic. These are big-fish-wins. I like the fact that they have a minimum weight. I actually think they have the formula perfect for our waters. Last year there were no qualifiers, and all the money rolls into this year. This format is perfect for the everyday teams.