Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
I am back riding shotgun while Andrea drives so I can write this column. The days until we leave for Santee Cooper are quickly dwindling. The preparation for the year has gone from planning to everything being in motion. Last week I received a shipment of rods and reels for the year, ordered jerseys, designed and approved the truck and boat wrap.
This week Beast Outdoor Innovations will fully rig the BassCat with electronics. As you know, I’m shorter than most. A normal dual graph mount on the bow will not allow both graphs to rotate far enough where I can see them clearly. Beast will be building me a dual mount that allows the graphs to rotate enough for me to see both of them. Also, they will be building me a ladder to get in and out of the boat. Pretty excited to get that all knocked out.
In the meantime this week I’ll be rigging all the new rods and reels and putting the finishing touches on organizing the tackle. It’s going to be a cold rainy week and I intend to use this week to get everything ready to go. Hopefully we can get the wraps knocked out this week too.
This coming Saturday will be my first tournament of the year—just a small open tournament with the club Dad and I are planning on fishing this year. It will be nice getting back in the groove of things and seeing some folks I haven’t seen in a few months. The fishing probably won’t be great after the 38 to 40 degree rain we’re getting, but that’s okay. Somebody will win.
I believe fishing in tournament conditions forces you to be more prepared—mentally and physically—than any “fun” day of fishing could ever prepare you for. That’s one of the reasons I keep such a grueling local tournament schedule while I’m home. Well, that and because I truly love doing it! I’ll fish a total of three tournaments between now and the last day of February when we leave for Santee. Hopefully that gets me in “tournament shape.”
Physically, tournament shape means you can spend 10+ hours of hardcore fishing without much fatigue. Mentally it means making quick and precise decisions on the water. The more time spent on the water the easier the decision making becomes. It’s all about trusting your gut. If your mind is out of shape those gut feelings don’t come as easily. Tournament days are the only way to sharpen those skills.
Also, I’ll be honest. This I the first time in six years I’ve been in a different brand of boat. Some aspects of change are tough. I love my BassCat. I just haven’t figured out exactly how I want everything laid out in it. Whichever layout I decide is best, I have to be able to know exactly where everything is located to be efficient. Again, tournament days are the best way to put this to the test.
Thanks so much for following along again this week. I’m looking forward to sharing how the weekend went with you next week. If you’re not fishing this week, do one thing fishing related to better prepare you for when you go.
Talk with you soon!
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
