Entry 64-5

Mark Davis - How To Get Ready For A Tournament

Preparing A Partner

Editor's Note: Mark Davis, of Mount Ida, Arkansas, is ranked third by www.bassfan.com. He won the Angler-of-the-Year title in 1995, 1998 and 2001 and the 1995 BASS Masters Classic.

Question: How do you prepare an angler who is fishing with you the next day?

Davis: Pro-Am events are easy because you have with you an angler that is stuck. I try to put his mind at ease. I assure him that whatever lures I’m catching fish on I’ll have plenty of them in the boat, and whatever I have, he has. That makes the other angler feel a lot better about fishing.

I also try to ease his mind about finding fish. There have been plenty of times when I’ve been fishing with crankbait that I’ve told my partner to help himself. Several times when this happened, my partner would catch perhaps a couple of fish, and then the fish would stop biting the crankbait. So, he would pull out an ugly worm I had never seen and caught bass with it. He returned the favor by letting me use some of his tackle.

Question: If you have a pro- fisherman with you in the same boat, then what do you do?

Davis: I try to do the same thing. The only difference is that he may have some fish he wants. The key is working together. I would rather fish with a good angler, in any tournament, than with a guy who doesn't have any experience.
 

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