Hooking up with Pro to prefish?

[800proX]

anyone got any ideas on getting in touch with a pro to prefish RCL tourneys, or is it best to show up and be ready to meet at the docks. also, is it a good option to bring your own boat and try your own things beforehand? any info would be great. been chasing eyes all my life and after fishing a couple of yourneys in MN, decided to try out the RCL - looks like a great payback and chance to learn some waters outside MN. thanks again and best of luck to all this season.

jeff
edge800@lakedalelink.net

[Juls_WI]

Try going to the NPAA page and finding the email addresses of the different pros and send them a note asking if they would be interested in prefishing. All the information on the pros is there.
You can get to the NPAA page from the "Mainpage" (not the Homepage) on WC. Just click on current members and then the name of the pros you think you would like to fish with, and just ask. You never know until you ask.

Not all the pros listed will be fishing the RCL's but there is a good number of the RCL owners (pros) that will be.

Just an idea...

Just one other thought...I would think that a lot of the guys are going to be leaving for Port Clinton soon, if they haven't already, so your idea of going down to the launch to find a ride, might be the next best idea.

Juls

Juls

[Golfeye]

Regards to pre-fishing, being in the co-angler division, I don't understand why you need to pre-fish? In the rules under # 9 it states: Co-anglers are not allowed to bring any tackle into the pro's boat and are not allowed to share info & fishing locations with any other competitors. Doing so will result in being disqualified. Does this mean that when and if you pre-fish you can or can not inform just your pro partner of techniques and baits to use? I'm sure that the pro's will be on top of locations and types of presentations to use, so I guess I don't see the point of pre-fishing. Good Luck To All! Golfeye

[Juls_WI]

I like to prefish so that I can get my sea legs going and give my pro partner the best performance I can. Without practice and just going into it cold, I wouldn't be giving him that. Besides that, it's more days on the water where I get to fish, and catch some piggies! ;-)

Juls

[Popia]

Prefishing with the pros is the best way to learn to catch walleye in a given body of water. You get to learn how the pro puts together a pattern to catch fish for the tournament. While prefishing you will fish different areas of a lake or river with multiple presentations while during the tournament you may only get to fish a few areas with only 1 or 2 techniques. The pros are more relaxed during prefishing and are able to answer more of you questions on techniques, equipment use and setup, and general walleye fishing. I learned more prefishing as an amateur than I did during the actual tournaments. Just remember if you are lucky enough to prefish with a pro(s) for a tournament do not tell anyone what you have learned until after the tournament is over.

[Walleye Jason]

Being a tournament angler, I would have the hardest time biting my lip. If I was fishng with a Pro, and we were not catching any fish, And I knew where we could catch fish, I would have to say somthing.

Why does this rule exist? So that Am's can just be a dummy in the boat? Dosent make sense to me. If its luck of the draw, then how could it be unfair to the Pro's? I guess the Pro's make all the decisions, and if I offered a spot or a presentation, then the Pro must make the decision if he wants to try it or not.

To me, I guess I would really not like fishing as an Am. I guess I better just sign up as a Pro!

Hehe
WJ

[Juls_WI]

It exists to keep the playing field fair between the pros. If you tell your second day pro what your first day pro was doing, and that second day pro is not honorable and uses that information to his advantage it is no longer fair. The pro/am events are in essence a competition between the pros only. The amature side of it is a way to let people who don't fish the pro side of the event, have an opportunity to learn, and maybe win something. It has always been the luck of the draw for the amature..sometimes you get lucky and fish with an excellent pro, and sometimes you don't.

Your right, if you can't keep your mouth shut, you better fish the pro side..;-)

Juls

[Lund_Dude]

I believe the logic of the rule to be as follows: You fish Day1 with a Pro and have a great day, catch a lot of nice fish and lead the pack. Day2, you fish with another Pro who had an off day on Day1. The Am wants a chance to win and shares the first Pro's pattern with the second Pro. Fair to Pro1? I don't believe so.

Now on Day2, the Am can say "I prefished the area and have a hot pattern to share <WINK> <WINK>." Same result as above.

If you can get there to pre-fish, it is just more time on the water and more time to have fun and learn a few tips. Also gives you a chance to meet a couple more pros and learn from them too. Good Luck!

[FreeByrd]

Jeff,
Sorry this is off topic but if you are the same "800prox" from the AmSnow forum board - thanks for all the great info over the winter. I bought an 800LE towards the end of the season. Only got to ride twice so still trying to get the M-10 dialed in.
As far as why you would prefish... I think the others have nailed it. Besides learning new techniques bodies of water - it should be FUN!
Catch some hawgs.
Steve

[Sheila]

Hey Jeff, I've had success lining up prefishing with both email ahead of time and just showing up at the launches. It's cool to get some practice in before the tourney with the pros - or even with your own boat.

As for comments about good/bad days with pros during the tournaments, I take it upon myself to always put walleyes in the boat wherever the pro goes with whatever technique they choose. That's the true challenge...

Other than that, I always maintain extremely high confidence and a winning attitude, and I pack as much good luck in my pocket as possible! ;)

[800proX]

FreeByrd - yes i am the same guy from amsnow - thanx. email me anytime with some help, or over the summer will learn a couple of other things i am sure as well.

last night i did exactly that juls. i contacted about 20 pros, sent emails from their NPAA site trying to get some inside info. already have talked or heard back from 3 so that is a great way.

i too would like to prefish to get my timing down, mind into fishing, and overall just be a little more prepared. i realize it is more luck of the draw, but am competetive and would not feel good about myself if i did not give it 110%. it is also a good idea to get to know unfamiliar waters quicker, and the pro has the final decision, but from wht these guys told me they will listen if you have a good idea. if you pounded them prefishing you can use that info for your benefit, whereas during tourney you have to apply the duct tape. they also said it is nice to show up at the launch with a couple of sandwiches, cokes and a $20 for gas as a courtesy thing - which i have no probs with. best of luck, see ya at La Crosse.

jeff

[Walleye Jason]

I think I may not have stated clearly what I ment to say.

I understand that telling 2nd day pros where you fished with 1st day Pros would be a big No-No.

What I was trying to say Is, lets that Say I fished a body of water regular enough to know a few spots, or had luck with a certian presentation. If I was fishing with a Pro that was having bad luck, (Or shouldnt even be in the Pro division)Why should I loose out on a chance to better myself, and the Pro?

Is it fair to me as a co-angler who pays a lot of money to enter to loose out becase a Pro dosent have the skills, or knowlege to catch fish?

I think in the overall aspect the spirit of the rule is that sportsmanship and ethics should be the rule of thumb. I personally would never compromise my integerty by cheating or fibbing about what I know to win. Thats the cheapest way to go.

But, there are people out there that will take advantage of the system.

Unfortunatly I couldn't afford to fish as a pro, all the Big tourneys are held in the Mid-West, And the travel costs from the Northwest and Associated fees would kill a working man(or woman) like myself. I'll stick to the little tourneys out here, and maybe some day I'll save enough change to enter a big event as a Pro.



WJ

[Juls_WI]

I see what your saying. If you were just prefishing with a pro, on a body of water you knew well, then you would be able to give all the information you want, but then if you didn't draw that pro, what would happen? That pro you gave all the information to would do well, but the pro you drew may not have a clue, and you would then be forced to sit there with a bloody lip from biting it. You would then know that the amature that your prefishing pro, you gave all the information to, would be doing great! OUCH! heheh

If you felt you gave the info in exchange for the pro taking you prefishing, then that is a fair trade-off in my mind. Prefishing is just that...gathering all the information you can. It can come from any source the pro can find it from. Once the tourney begins though, it's his call only. The amature cannot give advice.

Yes, they are expensive to get into, but in the case of the RCL's (only) the top 60 amature entrants will get their entry fee back in the form of cash winnings. Pretty good odds, if you ask me..;-)

Juls (a gal who got a bloody lip, the first day of the RCL Championship, on Green Bay last October..we zeroed! The second day my pro put us on the second biggest weight of the tournament, and him in first place going into the third day. I moved from 189th to 13th (missing the cut by 8 oz). You just never know what will happen.)

[Golfeye]

Thanks for all the answers in your replies about why to pre-fish.
I too love to fish and would want to spend as much time on the water as possible. Juls the cut you mentioned was that the final cut for GB, I thought I seen your placing as 11th on the results posted? Again thanks all for clearing up those questions I had on what you can or can not say or do. 110 percent Golfeye!