“ Have
You Ever Used a Doughnut to Catch a Bass?”
by Jeff Morton
I love my family dearly,
but occasionally they can completely baffle me. One of them (who
may have been craving a sugar fix at the time) recently
asked me, “Have you ever used a doughnut to catch a bass?” And
while this question could not be taken seriously, it can be used
to illustrate misperceptions the general public may have about fishing
tournaments.
Many people feel that “tournament fishing” involves sitting
on your boat deck with a cane pole in one hand and a cold one in the
other. While that isn’t a bad way to fun fish (especially if the
cold one is non-alcoholic – save the others for the story-telling
sessions!), that tactic isn’t going to fare well during the
tournament day.
In actuality, tournament fishing
is physically and mentally demanding. Anglers are on the water
from way before sunrise to late afternoon in
all kinds of weather (yes, Virginia, I have fished in rain, snow,
hail, 40 mph winds, both sub 40° and 100+° temperature days or some
combination therein). Besides coping with the elements, tournament anglers
are also trying to get those swimming critters to strike at their offering
in order to take a ride to the weigh-in and be shown off to their family
and friends. And don’t forget those cash prizes waiting for
the biggest fish and heaviest limits.
If that isn’t enough,
tournaments have specified check-in times, with penalties for being
late, to the tune of up to a pound of weight
per minute deduction (which can make a HUGE difference for that check-cashing
thing). On top of that, mechanical problems with equipment can either
shorten or stop the tournament day.
There is a lot more to tournament
fishing than just spending an idle day relaxing with a pole in
the water. Don’t get me wrong, I love
it. Tournament anglers have to, or they won’t be doing it long.
Tournament fishing satisfies the “old jocks die hard” competitor
in me, and also allows me to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. There’s
something magical about watching (on practice days, of course) bald
eagles soar above the Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien, WI.
But, to answer my relative,
while I’m sure a number of fish might
be attracted to a doughnut-filled hook, tournament anglers can only use
artificial lures during tournament hours, making the event a test of
the angler’s ability to present, in a lifelike manner, the
correct lure in the correct location to tempt the fish to strike.
A doughnut
lure? Hmmm, I can see it now… “The Do-nut Chunk,” a
revolutionary new soft plastic lure created by joint venture between Gambler
Lures and Krispy
Kreme®, with B.A.N.G’s new “Crawfish
Glaze” lure spray. In the words of Homer Simpson, "hmmmm,
do-nuts!"
Jeff Morton
Any fishing or vehicle questions? Drop me a line…e-mail: jeffmorton@gofishmidwest.com
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