So, you’re thinking of making the jump from weekend warrior to tournament angler. That can be a big undertaking! What is the etiquette, do you have what it takes to compete, how good are these other guys? Here are 3 things all tournament anglers have in common.

1. Practice

So you want to be a tournament angler? You’ll need to practice. By practice, we mean all sorts of preparation. Getting on the water to pre-fish, studying maps, checking out the contours of the lake. Much like a caddy walking the course to check out every break and bump on the greens, you’ll want to know the cover, structure, and depth at your tournament lake. Without that knowledge, you’re going in blind. Some anglers can win tournaments this way, but it is an uphill battle.

2. Confidence

Confidence is key when competing as a tournament angler, without confidence, you’ve lost before the tournament even begins. Knowing what to throw and where to throw it isn’t easy, but as long as you’ve prepared, you should feel confident. Don’t ever throw anything you’re not confident in during tournament weekends. Experimenting time is over, it’s time to make some money.

3. Tackle

While we love a good underdog story, you likely need a good tackle collection to make money over the course of a season on a tournament circuit. Fishing tournaments aren’t won in a day, and patterns can seemingly change in an instant. Get your favorite spinnerbait rigged up, a few different types of cranks, and a few different finesse presentations. Pre-rigging them all before the tournament will allow you to switch quickly, but you need the collection first!