That is a very good question about luck and fishing, many a good fisherman has said that; there is a luck component or carma component to tournament fishing. For example when fishing a previous tournament a teammate of mine and I were fishing the same school of fish, pass after pass of not catching any fish changing baits and presentations with no results and then he comes along with the same baits and same speed and he gets results is it luck or being in the right place at the right time. Two tournament boats running side by side same baits same speed even the same type boat, one catches one dosent.
One other senario two fishermen fishing side by side jigging using the same bait both catching fish but one angler catches a 2 lb fish and the other catches a 2 lb 5 oz fish is it luck or skill?
For me luck, carma, or the good Lord blessing one angler over the other has a large effect on tournament success if you do your home work and find the right fish the rest is the uncontrollable factor in fishing and thats why fishing as a sport is different than other sports because of that large uncontrollable factor.