Over my many years of tournament angling, I have either heard about or created some very helpful tips that just might come in handy. Some are designed to save you money and to be more efficient with your time. But some are just a few ways that can make you a better angler. As anglers we are constantly looking for ways to improve. Today we’ll look at how we can become a better fisherman in ways not related to a fishing technique.
First, let’s look at how to become better organized inside our boats. A bass boat is like a business office or mechanic’s shop. Everything has its place, and in order to be efficient on the water our tackle must be easily accessible and organized. Time is a critical factor on tournament day, and you can’t waste it looking for tackle! Confucius once said, “If hook not in water, you no catch fish!”
Small utility boxes are all the rage and are perfect for segmenting all our different types of tackle. But to use these smaller utility boxes, we need to label each one, making it easier to locate tackle on tournament day. That’s where a good Dymo label maker comes in handy as it makes it easier to find the particular utility box you’re looking for.
Next, we’ve all heard the saying, “Make sure you use protection.” Well, this is a different kind of protection than where your mind went to start with! That’s right, it’s about protecting your treble hooks on all your crankbaits and jerk baits. Unprotected hooks can get damaged or dull even if just sitting in a tackle storage box.
This is where “Safety Caps” made by Owner Hooks will ensure your hooks are always sharp and ready for action. The only drawback with Safety Caps is that your lures tend to take up more space by using these perfectly made hook protectors. But they are well worth the small price of $2.99 for a package of 13.
My final tip involves the debatable topic of scent. Some anglers think scent is just a scam and has no affect when fishing for bass. In my humble opinion, “they” could not be more wrong. Years ago, I did an experimental study using trickworms where I took a bag of Zoom Trickworms which have no scent when purchased and compared the number of bites I got with another bag of Zoom Trickworms with scent. A friend of mine went with me to perform this test. He started out with the unscented bag while I used the bag with scent.
I caught 5 bass to his 1 and then we switched bags and positions in the boat. He went to the back of the boat with the scented bag while I fished off the front deck with the unscented bag. Same results…the scented worms caught 5 bass to my 1 confirming that scent can make a difference.
It was from this day forward that I have and will continue the practice of adding scent to every bag of soft plastic baits I own. To this day, there’s not a single bag of soft plastic worms hanging on a peg in my fishing cave (Graf Mart) that doesn’t have scent added.
I once asked the GOAT, KVD (Kevin Van Dam), if he believed in scent? His reply caught me off guard when he turned the question back on me and asked if I believed it works. My reply was yes and KVD said then that’s all that matters. If you believe it works then use it because bass fishing is a mental game and when you believe in something, you tend to fish that bait better and with more confidence, making you a better angler!
Next week I’ll have a few more tips that I would like to pass along to help you become a better angler. Till next time good luck, good fishing and when in doubt if it’s a bite, set the hook anyway! Make sure to check out Tackle Talk Live podcast, as well as the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show on You Tube.
Steve Graf Angler’s Perspective
