Big Fish in tournaments

[Mike]

It just dawned on me that I have only won big fish in a tournament one time in my 13 years of fishing tournaments!! And the top 5 big bass I've caught have NOT been in tournaments! Has this happend to anyone else? It seems that I always catch them in pre-fish, and catch my share of 4 to 8 pound bass in a tournament, But never "the big one". I have had my partners catch a few, Like a 12+ caught by Bobby a couple of years ago in a 100% bass tournament, but never me Why, Why, Why..... I guess maybe I just fish differently in tournaments? Any else have this problem??

Maybe its a back seat thing? The one time I won it, It was from the back seat in a Redman tournament, And the other times my team won it, It was caught by my partner in the back seat. Hmmm, Is there a trend here

[bassindon69]

I too only have one big bass trophy. I have a lot of 2nd big fish LOL! I have had 5 fish over 10 in the boat My big fish in a tourney is 9+ but was still only good for 2nd big fish. My partners have not got a big fish eather. You will get another. It will come around to your turn again. LOL
Good luck to ya.
Don.

[Rob D]

Strange Mike, to support your backseat theory further, I caught Big Fish in a Won Bass tournament..... Out of the back seat

[Steve]

LOL!!!

The first fish I caught in my first tournament was big fish of the tournament! Ha! Havent repeated it since.

[Jason C.]

To even further strengthen your big fiah out of the back of the boat theory. I too caught my biggest fish out of the back of the boat and it was in a tourney.

[Elmhurst bassman]

Only had big fish once and that was in my first ever team tournament fishing out of the back of the boat (it was only 4 pounds but it was at Oroville )

[Barry]

I too have had 2 big fish winners from the back. I had a 9.75 in a 100% Delta event from the back but it was 3rd big fish.Can't explain except it may be the guy in the back is fishing slower and the guy in the front got the fishes attention.....Good luck....Barry

[ttb31183]

Now that I think about it, all of my big bass awards were from the back seat. Redman, U.S. Open, and all of the club ones. Hmmm. I have fished tournaments from the front and back of the boat. My partner in a team caught the big bass from the back of my boat. There has to be something to this. I know I have caught a much larger percentage of fish weighed in from the front, but the big ones seem to come mostly from the back.

[MN]

Front seat back seat does not matter for me i never catch a big one.Hey maybe i will put one in between there is a whole for it

[daveerwin]

I've caught two tournament big fish. Both from the back of the boat.
Let's get more specific on this trend. . .
Both of my fish were on reaction baits. In both cases I was being "Backseated" and had to make long casts. Could it be the guy in the back of the boat is making longer casts and more casts with reaction type baits?
How did you folks catch those big fish from the back of the boat?

[Jason C.]

Well I cought mine was filppin a jig up into a rotting dock. So I was at no real dis-advantage. All I know is that the person in front was for some reason unable to get his bait into the spot I was able to get mine into. We both knew that there was going to be a fish there. We just didnt know that it was gonna be 7lbs.

[Rod Martin]

Most of my Big Fish have come from the back of the boat. In tournaments I have gotten big fish money on fish up to 12.49lbs. all from the back seat. For the last few years, My Bass Fed. prefish partner has been Rick Hoover, It got so bad he just expected me to have big fish of the day, I think we went almost 2 years with me always getting big fish. I think being in the back I am not concerned with the trolling motor & fish more different stuff in different ways that a fish may not have seen lately. Theres nothing better than kicking back taking a nap, eating a snack & catching a big fish

[Nlvbassin]

Most of my big fish were caught from the back of the boat also. The most noteable was big bass at the 2003 US Open, which won me a Ranger Boat. I was fishing with Steve Davies. What a very classy and talented young man. I watched him pitch a drop shot rig twice to a rock pile with no results. Once the boat was passed the rock pile I mumbled "there has to be a fish in there". Steve got off the trolling motor and let me pitch back to the rock pile. A minute later after a nice fight we had a Lake Mead toad LOL (3.96 #) in the boat.

[Lugnut]

Well lets see here. My largest bass to date, 8.84lbs . Came in one of our club tournaments at Clear Lake last year. Funny thing is, I was fishing out of the back of my own boat.

[Rod Martin]

Fishing out the back seat of your own boat is the best way to go. I take a friend fishing, stick him with the front but have all my tackle & rods and dont have to run the trolling motor

[JGB]

I have caught four over ten in the last three years and all but two have been in tournaments and I was fishing the front of the boat. Only one of those four wasn't caught on a jig.
JGB

[Mike]

Update: It happend again!! Fishing Won Bass Delta Team tournament yesterday. I was fishing out of the back of the boat this time, and stuck a 8.14 on a black Bobby D's jig. So now I have 2 big fish awards. BOTH out of the back of the boat!! Hmmmmm Is there something to this I think I'll make Bobby take the front from now on!!

[Bassin]

Well how about catching a 11.4lb'r (My P.B.) in a Tourney and coming in second for the event and Big Fish! Take a guess who got Big Fish!! Oh Yeah, it was a Kickboat/Float Tube Tournament at Coyote Lake, sponsored by Coyote Bait an Tackle (Hosted by BassnTubes)

Bryan

[225by5]

In 6 yrs of fishin @ the back of the boat i have recieved 7 big fish awards and would have had two more had I weighed in that fish I didn't think would make it,both at Shasta!!! Always weigh it!!! And witnessed one of my pros catch a big fish of an event. I think alot of it has to do with me being better than them HAR j/k. Mostly I think that the pros are around big fish and big fish areas and most often the ams are fishin a little slower or using different baits that alot of the fish may not have seen. I also believe in the attract factor. Its not seintfic but I believe that more than a few times a pro may attract a big fish by say throwing a crank only to have it then actually see and attack the spinnerbait being thrown by the am or back seater. Just my opinion. DanC