Story by Chad Marler | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
When people think about tournament preparation, most picture long days on the water, burning fuel, and running from spot to spot trying to “figure it out.” Time on the water absolutely matters, but one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this: a lot of preparation happens long before you ever back the boat down the ramp.
Some of the most important work can be done from your desk, your phone, or your couch.
The first place I always start is the weather. Not just the forecast for tournament week, but the trends leading into it. Temperature swings, prolonged cold fronts, warming trends, rain events, wind direction, and water level changes all leave fingerprints on a fishery. A single day’s forecast doesn’t tell the full story. What matters is what the lake has been dealing with for the last two to three weeks and how stable or unstable those conditions have been.
I want to know if the lake is recovering from a major weather event or settling into a consistent pattern. Fish react differently to gradual change versus sudden shock. That understanding alone can influence whether I expect fish to be positioned aggressively, in transition, or simply trying to survive.
Once I understand the weather trend, I move to map study. This is where you can narrow down water without ever wetting a line. I’m looking for areas that make sense seasonally and offer fish multiple options. That might be main lake structure, creek arms, transition zones, flats near deeper water, or places where fish can slide up or down with minimal effort.
Map study is not about finding one magic spot. It’s about identifying types of areas that should hold fish under the current conditions. I want to show up to practice knowing what I want to check first, what I can eliminate quickly, and what areas deserve more time if they line up with what the lake is telling me.
Another valuable tool is historical tournament data that’s publicly available. Past winning weights, top ten cut lines, and the timing of those events provide important context. I’m not trying to copy someone else’s pattern or chase old spots. I’m looking for trends.
Was the event won with a few big bites or consistency over several days? Were weights tightly packed or spread out? Did limits matter more than size? Those answers help shape realistic expectations and guide decision making. They also help you understand how aggressive or conservative you may need to fish during the tournament.
I also pay close attention to how weather conditions lined up during those previous events. Was it stable or post-front? Warming or cooling? Calm or windy? When you start lining up weather trends with results, patterns begin to emerge. History does not repeat itself exactly, but it often rhymes.
Another overlooked part of preparation is mental organization. Information is only useful if it’s structured. I try not to overload myself with too many scenarios or chase every possible outcome. Preparation is about clarity, not confusion. I want to arrive at practice with a plan, not a scattered checklist of ideas.
The goal is efficiency. Tournament practice time is limited, and every hour matters. The more work you do beforehand, the faster you can confirm or eliminate ideas once you’re on the water. That saves time, fuel, and mental energy across a multi-day event.
The biggest takeaway is this: you don’t have to be on the water to be productive. Preparation starts well before practice day. Weather study, map work, and historical research will not catch fish for you, but they will put you in the right areas faster and help you make better decisions when it matters most.
By the time the boat hits the water, I want to feel like I’ve already done part of the work. That confidence does not come from luck. It comes from preparation.
And sometimes, the most valuable preparation happens nowhere near the lake.
Chad Marler – Angler Profile
