I Won A Boat Fishing Tournament On A Kayak. Here’s How…
- By: Matt Lanier
- on July 14, 2022
I won a boat fishing tournament on a kayak.
A true Cinderella story!!
In a field of 40 boats, I was the lone kayak fisherman.
Check out how I was able to win in this awesome catch footage!
Boat Fishing Tournament On A Kayak [VIDEO]
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A few weeks ago, I entered and won an inshore fishing tournament for boats but I was fishing from my kayak.
Additionally, I finished in second place for Redfish and I won the trout bag as well.
There were 3 major factors that contributed to my success in this tournament.
These three factors are preparation, fishing skills, and general knowledge & experience.
1. Preparation
The first and most important part of any fishing trip is your preparation.
Especially when you are fishing in a tournament, time is valuable.
You do not want to be wasting your time trying to pick spots and plan your day when you could be out catching winning fish.
If you plan your trip ahead of time, this won’t be an issue.
With proper preparation, you know which areas to target and at what times the fish should be there.
Developing a game plan before you even look out on the water puts you ahead of the pack off the jump.
My Own Preparation
Smart Fishing Spots is our new all-in-one fishing app that has everything you need and more to plan a successful fishing trip.
It has completely transformed the way I pre-plan my fishing trips.
So far not only have the Fishing Coaches and our team found success, but Insider Members have also been sharing pictures of their catches and success with Smart Fishing Spots.
The weather was awful for this tournament and after Day 1, I was absolutely drenched.
Smart Fishing Spots includes all of the weather forecasts for two weeks out as well as hour-by-hour updates for when you are out on the water.
There are Oyster Beds and Sea Grass buttons on Smart Fishing Spots that indicate where these features are on a map.
With the click of a button, all of the Oyster Beds and Seagrass in your area will appear.
This was a game-changer for me because it helped me find a great area with both of these features below the surface of the water that I would have never been able to see.
Oyster Beds and Seagrass in the same area create ideal fishing spots.
There is a higher probability of fish holding in spots with these structures than in more open areas.
2. Fishing & On-The-Water Adjustments
This tournament was a two-day tournament and as I mentioned above, Day 1 was incredibly rainy.
I had to battle tough winds and lots of rain on Day 1.
The weather and forecasts provided by Smart Fishing Spots kept me safe and out of harm’s way.
In spite of the rain, I was still able to find some nice redfish and really decent trout on Day 1.
The lures that caught fish on Day 1 were the F.R.E.D. Paddletail and the Salt Strong Moonwalker.
After catching a few fish on these lures, I was able to understand what the fish were keyed in on.
The redfish were dialed in on the color and action of the F.R.E.D. paddletail but I was having a hard time finding substantial redfish that were tournament worthy.
To feel comfortable in this tournament, I knew that I needed to catch a redfish of no less than 7lbs.
I ended Day 1 with a 23″ redfish and a full trout bag.
The plan was easy: upgrade these numbers on Day 2.
On Day 2, I went back to the same exact spot I was in just a day earlier.
I could have chosen to fish somewhere else but decided against it because of something I learned on Day 1.
As you could imagine, the conditions on Day 2 were completely different than on Day 1.
It was bright and sunny without a single cloud in the sky.
My plan was to fish the same lures as the day before and try to pick up on the Day 2 trend.
I saw the larger redfish were curious and inspected my topwater lure but did not fully commit.
This made me throw some casts with a subsurface paddletail, in which I did find success in catching a bunch of smaller redfish but nothing noteworthy.
At one point during Day 2, I just decided that I would commit to throwing the Moonwalker and really direct all of my focus towards an effective walk-the-dog retrieve.
A short while after making this decision, I hooked into and landed the winning 27″ redfish weighing 7.6 lbs.
I was also able to upgrade my trout bag and it came in just under 10lbs.
3. Experience & Knowledge
Experience and time on the water are going to make you a better angler as is the same with most skills.
Practice makes perfect.
Knowledge of fishing is also incredibly important and the two go hand in hand.
As anglers, we should always be willing to learn from those that have more experience.
The Salt Strong Insider Club is here to serve this role.
From guides who fish every single day to anglers that have been fishing for 40+ years, the Salt Strong Insider Community creates a safe space to ask questions, share stories, and learn priceless fishing tips that you otherwise may not know.
Join the Insider Club TODAY and get the Smart Fishing Spots App for FREE
Conclusion
The knowledge I have accumulated over the years is available to all of you right now once you join the Salt Strong Insider Club.
If you want to take down a fleet of 40 boats in a fishing tournament or just simply catch more fish after work to relax, the Insider Club is the resource for you.
I will definitely be thinking about this victory for a long time.
Do you have any more questions about how I won a boat fishing tournament on a kayak?
Let me know if you found these tips helpful down in the comments!
If you know someone who wants to learn more about how I won a boat fishing tournament on a kayak, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
Oh, and if you Join the Insider Club TODAY, Smart Fishing Spots is absolutely FREE! Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Loved this presentation, thanks Matt!
Glad you enjoyed it buddy! Thanks for the comment Terrill!
Well done Matt approve that you don’t always need a boat to go fishing I have a 12 five Shearwater and I can go places were other boats can’t🎣🎣
I fished a Shearwater for about a year. Great vessel.
Thanks for the nice comment Andrew!
You didn’t win the redfish tournament you came 2nd 1st place are the winners 2nd is 2nd
Correct, just as I said in the video, I didn’t have first place redfish, it was second. But I also remember weighing in some trout that landed me in a first place seat. And I don’t mind what you call it, it was a win for me buddy.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Clark.
I am not the first to say what I about to say. Not about the Boat or how Big Boat may be always .But the Fisherman or the crew on the Boat. Right On awesome WIN. Thank you Joe for news about the Winner Fisherman and his Boat. 👋
Thanks for the nice comment Mason! We appreciate you watching!
Big WIN
Congrats!
What was the weigh-in/measurement process for this tourney?
How did you deal with it?
We all reported to the weigh in by a certain time. All the fish that were weighed were harvested.
My fish were transported to weigh in, in a cooler.
Congratulations! Best fishes for continued success.
Thanks Michael! We appreciate you watching and taking the time to leave a comment!
A kayak beat out 40 boats,congratulations,great incentive for those of us who dont have boats. Keep up the videos
Fantastic!!! What an inspiring video! Congrats!!!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a nice comment, Amber!
Much appreciated!
Can someone help me download the smart fishing app. I have tried following the instructions by clicking on the app icon to download, but it doesn’t work. Can someone send me the link, or offer advise how I can download it. I’ve been using it directly from the website, but haven’t been able to download the app to my phone. Thank You!
Hey buddy!
Send an email to nick@saltstrong.com and he will help walk you through it.
Thanks for watching!
Congratulations on your success on the water, as well as your nicely done presentation!
Thanks Jeff! We appreciate you watching and leaving a nice comment!
Congrats, Matt! Fishing tips with the search function, love it! Quick question. Do you transfer all your info to a fish finder or work straight from your phone? Thanks!
I just work from my phone. I don’t use a fish finder. Good question.
Thanks for watching. 💪