Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament: What We Did Right & Wrong
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
It’s inshore fishing tournament time again!
The other day we posted about how we prepared for an inshore slam fishing tournament, and today we’ll reveal how it went.
This was a slam tournament in an area that I’d previously only fished once several years ago, and in the video below I’ll break down what we did right and what we did wrong on tournament day.
Enjoy!
P.S. if you’re a SUPER-Community member, click here for the full report, including the exact spots we fished on the map.
Inshore Slam Tournament Fishing [VIDEO]
Click here for the full Insider Community report
Note: if you want to see the full report videos and are interested in joining our SUPER-Community, check it out here.
Equipment & Lures Used:
- Lures: Everything was caught on the 3/0 TwistLock weighted hooks from Owner
- 21″ trout and a couple of others with the 5″ soft plastic paddle tail from Southeastern Tackle
- Everything else hit the 5″ Gulp Jerk Shad in watermelon color
- Rods: TFO Pro 7’6″ Medium power
- Reels: Daiwa Fuego LT 3000
- Line:
- Mainline: PowerPro 10 lb
- Leader: Berkley Vanish 30 lb (from a mainline spool)
Note: I used Pro-Cure Super Gel on the paddle tail baits to add in some extra scent.
The Best Decision We Made
The best decision we made that morning was to not leave fish to find more fish.
Although we were only catching trout, we were in a good feeding zone and I was confident there were more than just trout in the area.
As it turned out, on our third pass through this area is when I caught the 31″ snook (see first image in this article).
Had we moved on from the area, we likely would not have caught such a good snook.
Our Biggest Mistake
The biggest mistake I made was not planning for the tides well enough.
I had correctly identified where the fish would be feeding (see the trout above), but I misjudged how low the tide would be simply because I had only been to this area once before, and it was at a totally different tide so I had nothing to compare it to.
The tide was too low to get my boat back there, and we missed out on some potentially good fishing.
Later, I learned that there was a small channel that led back there, but since we got there in the dark, and it was a new area for me, I could not see it.
Previously in tournaments with more money on the line, I would pre-fish the area on the same tides as tournament day to avoid this mistake.
Note: Here’s a link to see the short scouting trip that I had (with my dog Otis) the day before the tournament to find some pockets of fish to target for the big day: Scouting Trip Post.
Safety Tip
If you’re boating in the dark, it often helps to have someone pull out a cell phone with an online map to see where you are.
Although it’s not foolproof, and you still need to be cautious, you can see some sandbars or structure on the map that you may want to avoid.
Conclusion
If you want to give yourself the best chance to do well in an inshore fishing tournament, make sure you follow these two tips:
- The best way to prepare for a tournament is by fishing the exact tides you’ll be fishing on tournament day, so you can find the feeding fish and no surprises come up.
- Don’t leave fish to find more fish. Doing this can often lead to missing out on fish, like the snook we caught.
Have any questions about tournament fishing?
Let us know in the comments below!
And if you want to get better at catching inshore slams, and see the full reports from trips like these, including the exact spots we were at, check out our SUPER-Community.
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Related links:
- How To Prepare For An Inshore Fishing Tournament In 3 Simple Steps
- Top 5 Myths About “No Bananas on Board” Your Fishing Boat
- How To Consistently Catch Redfish, Snook, & Seatrout [FREE PDF Guide]
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Awesome video guys. Curious as to the depth range you were fishing?
Great Job guys!!
Thanks Robert!
Luke great info. Appreciate all you do and help you, Joe and members are giving to all Anglers, it is much appreciated. Oh PS: by the way Otis told me (quess he was on computer late) the reason you are such a good sight caster is that he is Spotting for you :).
Tight Lines
Ka-Paw-:)
Haha! I’m just glad that Otis can finally start being calm enough to at least allow for chances at sight fishing:)
Thanks for the kind words Rocky!
I have been fishing inshore about 3 to 4 times a year i think in the same area that you were at or really close and I have never been able to catch anything close to what you caught. I have been wondering what I am doing wrong. Catching fish like that must be nice! LOL would you come back and let me pay you to show me how to fish in these areas? PLEASE
Hey Barry, I checked our system and it appears as if you have not yet joined the Insider Community… that’s all you need to turn your results around, and it’s a small fraction of the cost of hiring anyone.
Great info Luke appreciate all the information I am learning from you, the site and the other members. Enjoying all. Oh by the way Otis told me why your such a Good sight caster is that he is Spotting for you 🙂
Tight Lines my Friend
Rocky
Great info Luke appreciate all the information I am learning from you, the site and the other members. Enjoying all. Oh by the way Otis told me why your such a Good sight caster is that he is Spotting for you 🙂
Tight Lines my Friend
Rocky
Have you ever had a Navionics chart on your phone?
I have not, but I have heard that it does a great job in showing exactly where you are relative to the satellite map too.
get job and sorry you didn’t get your red but i love trout and it looks like you were in trout heaven. i’d have stayed right there until i couldn’t catch no more 🙂
Thanks Roy! Yes, we did have a fun time out there.
What fun! Thanks for an awesome recap!
Thanks so much for leaving the nice comment Greg!
Good video. I do love those Gulp Jerk Shad and the Twistlock Weighted Hooks!
Thanks Eric!
That’s an awful lot of fun by the looks of it. So, if i’m a newbie to salt fishing, and I only get to go 3-4 times a year, am I crazy if I want to enter tournaments? How do you find tournaments to enter?
If you enjoy the thrill of having some money on the line (but are ok if it doesn’t come back), then entering tournaments can be a fun way to add some adventure to your fishing trips. If you are doing it to make money, just be sure to get to a point where you’re consistently catching tournament winning size fish because you’ll be competing with some local guides assuming that some decent payouts are in play. Finding them can be tough… there are often notices in the local newspaper or do some google searches.