Boat Order

By Denny Brauer

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If a lure isn't tournament-ready, it doesn't go in my boat--not even for practice. Little things like keeping tackle fully prepared make you more efficient on the water without any extra effort, and that added efficiency might be just the advantage you need over another angler any given day.

Tournament readiness actually should begin well in advance. I'll go through all of my boxes during the offseason, and make sure every hook is sharp, all line tags are out of the eyes, jigs skirts are trimmed, paint is punched out of jig eyes and everything else is truly tournament-ready. This also allows me to make certain I have plenty of everything, down to the toothpicks I use to peg weights. During the season, though, it becomes a matter of maintenance and the commitment to keep everything in proper order.

If a hook seems to dull at all while I am fishing, I'll take my lure off, put it in a container of lures that need to go back to the shop, then tie on a new one. If I don't have enough of that color and size, I might sharpen hooks on the spot, but usually I prefer to replace it with another lure that is absolutely tournament ready. I don't want to take chances with any factors I can control.

Along with keeping everything in good condition, I am careful to keep everything in place. I use a lot of utility boxes and sort lures by style and application. All boxes are labeled, and each has a place in my boat. When I need a certain size and color crankbait during a tournament, I don't want to spend time looking for the right box.

Rods Ready

Likewise, my rod locker holds 12 rods, so I always keep 12 rods ready to fish. I regularly check my rod eyes for nicks that could cause a line to break, and occasionally, I lubricate my reels. I rotate about 30 rod-and-reel combinations, each of which I use for one year, loading the boat with the rods I expect to need for each tournament.

On tournament days, I keep three rods on each side of the front deck, with each rigged for a particular use. With six lures, I can cover most situations I'll face. More rods than that just get in the way, and if you have 20 rods laying out, you probably don't have much idea of what you plan to do that day.

On the first day of a tournament, every rod in my boat will have new line on it. If I use a rod much in a day and I am fishing with monofilament, I'll change the line out each night. With braid, I'll go a little longer, but I won't change the line on a rod I don't use much in a day. Either way, I'll retie lures on every line each night.

I usually keep my drags locked down on all my reels. However you like yours set, it's important that each is set the way you like it before you put it in your boat. One hookset with a loose drag could be the difference in a tournament.

Order In The Boat

I also make certain that my boat is set up for the type of water I'll be fishing the next day. For example, if I'm fishing big, open water and expect wind and waves, I'll set up my trolling motor so it will extend to its full length. Conversely, if I'll be flipping shallow water all day, I'll set up the trolling motor accordingly. Similar adjustments can be made with electronics. I want my graph set up for deep or shallow water before we take off in the morning.

Those types of adjustments don't take very long, but if I have a choice of spending a few minutes doing something the night before I fish, or spending the same few minutes during competition, I'll always do what I am able to while we're not on the clock.

Everything, not just lures or rods and reels, should have a place in the boat. Places should remain the same, so you know where to find anything when you need it, and each place should be thought out. For example, my measuring board is mounted right in the center of my boat. That's so if a fish that I am measuring flops out of my hands, it won't end up back in the water.

I also carry only five culling tags, which are always together and in the same compartment. That keeps me from ever having to worry about losing count, or trying to count fish in the livewell. If I have tags left, I can keep more fish. If they are gone, I have my limit. It's time to start culling.

When every angler in a field knows how to find and catch fish, I want every advantage I can gain, and one of simplest ways I know to gain an advantage in every tournament is to have my equipment completely