Adapted from a story originally written by Paul Bruessow.
Then, your partner says he's getting a ride home with someone else and starts taking his tackle out of your boat. Suddenly, you figure you must have done something wrong, so you replay the tournament day in your head. Your thoughts run something like this:
I got up a little late this morning 'cause I forgot to set the alarm clock. Once on the road, I swung by to pick up my partner, who asked, "Why didn't you call and tell me you would be a little late?"
"I didn't have time!" was my response. I also told him we were swinging by the gas station and that he needed to fill up the boat and truck, since I made the boat and insurance payments. I emphasized that it's normal for the partner to do this.
When we got to the boat-launch area, I lined up with the other trucks. I left my lights on so anyone coming behind me would see me. Once we got to the front of the line, we exited the truck and started boat-launch preparations. I put in the drain plug, took off the transom saver, pulled off the safety straps, hooked up the boat lights, etc. About 10 minutes later, my partner started backing me and the boat down the ramp. By this time, the sky was beginning to light up from the early morning sun. The two trucks behind me started honking their horns. I shouted back, "You shoulda got here earlier!"
Once the boat was in the water, my partner parked the truck. Meanwhile, I beached the boat and waited for him to get back and climb aboard. By this time, the tournament director was calling out boat numbers, and some already were headed down the lake. Our boat number already had been called, and with about 20 other boats still waiting, I quickly took off, leaving a huge wake right in the middle of the waiting boats.
As we approached the hole I wanted to fish, another boat was sitting right there. This spot was a bulrush line, about 30 yards long, that I knew was loaded with bedding fish. Because I was anxious to get there and start fishing, I didn't come off plane until the last minute, then quickly threw over the trolling motor, picked up my bedding-fish rig, and started pitching the pockets and points. My partner was doing the same thing. In fact, he got the first fish, about a 2-pounder, and I told him to "swing it in like a real man."
Within about 20 feet of the other boat, I got my first fish on and yelled for my partner to get the net, and he soon scooped up a nice 2-pound fish. I gave him a high-five for a nice net job. On this first pass, I had noticed that the fish were getting spooked from their beds as we approached, so I decided to keep the boat outside the weedline, with the nose pointing toward the weeds and the stern out in the main lake.
I figured this tactic would keep 'em from spooking, and it did. I had a limit by about 10 a.m. Meanwhile, my partner still only had that one fish, but I figured the problem was that he just didn't really know how to fish. He asked me if he could share the front deck with me, but I told him no, explaining that "there's no room, and you'll mess up my hooksets."
By noon, I had culled a few fish but couldn't seem to find a nice kicker. I saw that other boat land a nice one, though, so I put the trolling motor on high and took the inside track in the bulrush patch. Within about 30 feet of the other boat, I buried up in the bulrush patch and was scouting for a bigger fish, when I saw a nice 4-pounder on the bed. The fish wouldn't take anything I had, though, until I tied on a tube bait. Then, Wham! the 4-pounder hit, my partner quickly netted it, and into the livewell it went.
With only 30 minutes of fishing time left, I decided to play it safe. I fired up the big motor in the middle of the weeds, and we took off, sending a nice wake into the other boat. We arrived at the weigh-in site with about 25 minutes of fishing time left, so I beached the boat and kicked back, waiting for the tournament director, while my partner took off for the nearest restroom.
OK, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how screwed up this dude's logic is. Let's sort out everything that's wrong here.
* Always leave on time. Your partner won't worry, and you'll get to the ramp and not hold up anyone.
* It's OK to keep your parking lights on, but turn off your headlights while waiting in the launch line. This will prevent you from blinding the person who is backing their boat down the ramp.
* Prepare your boat for launching long before you get to the front of the line. This will speed up the entire process for everyone.
* Never plane right in the middle of a bunch of other boats. Get beyond the last standing boat before you take off.
* Always give some room to another boat, especially when they were on the spot first. In the previous example, you only respectfully should fish the furthest bulrush from the boat that already is there, or better yet, wait until he leaves. At least ask first if he minds sharing the spot, and if he says "yes," take off. Your time will come.
* Always net fish (if allowed by the tournament), and don't wait for the partner to ask you to get the net. If your partner prefers you not to net the fish, he'll tell you.
* Always be considerate of your partner's fishing position. In the previous example, he didn't stand a chance because he was too far away to site fish. Offer him a chance at the front of the boat, especially when you already have a limit. In fact, a lot of tournament rules include a provision to share the trolling motor 50-50. At least ask. If he refuses because he's not comfortable running it, then fine.
* Fish until the last possible minute, with a slight safety factor, unless you have a large limit of fish. That's the only fair thing to do, especially when your partner isn't doing well.
* Who pays what when it comes to tournament entry fees and related fuel costs often varies from one team to another. The smart anglers talk about it early on and come to a mutual understanding. Don't just pull up to the pumps and tell someone, "Take care of it!"
A little common courtesy goes a long way in forging good partnerships on the water. The Golden Rule works as well here as it does anywhere else.
The late-Paul Bruessow was a U.S. Air Force veteran, graduate of the University of Florida, and worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry. He also founded the website Floridabassfishing.us. Bruessow died Feb. 15, 2013, at the age of 56.
When we got to the boat-launch area, I lined up with the other trucks. I left my lights on so anyone coming behind me would see me. Once we got to the front of the line, we exited the truck and started boat-launch preparations. I put in the drain plug, took off the transom saver, pulled off the safety straps, hooked up the boat lights, etc. About 10 minutes later, my partner started backing me and the boat down the ramp. By this time, the sky was beginning to light up from the early morning sun. The two trucks behind me started honking their horns. I shouted back, "You shoulda got here earlier!"
Once the boat was in the water, my partner parked the truck. Meanwhile, I beached the boat and waited for him to get back and climb aboard. By this time, the tournament director was calling out boat numbers, and some already were headed down the lake. Our boat number already had been called, and with about 20 other boats still waiting, I quickly took off, leaving a huge wake right in the middle of the waiting boats.
Within about 20 feet of the other boat, I got my first fish on and yelled for my partner to get the net, and he soon scooped up a nice 2-pound fish. I gave him a high-five for a nice net job. On this first pass, I had noticed that the fish were getting spooked from their beds as we approached, so I decided to keep the boat outside the weedline, with the nose pointing toward the weeds and the stern out in the main lake.
I figured this tactic would keep 'em from spooking, and it did. I had a limit by about 10 a.m. Meanwhile, my partner still only had that one fish, but I figured the problem was that he just didn't really know how to fish. He asked me if he could share the front deck with me, but I told him no, explaining that "there's no room, and you'll mess up my hooksets."
By noon, I had culled a few fish but couldn't seem to find a nice kicker. I saw that other boat land a nice one, though, so I put the trolling motor on high and took the inside track in the bulrush patch. Within about 30 feet of the other boat, I buried up in the bulrush patch and was scouting for a bigger fish, when I saw a nice 4-pounder on the bed. The fish wouldn't take anything I had, though, until I tied on a tube bait. Then, Wham! the 4-pounder hit, my partner quickly netted it, and into the livewell it went.
With only 30 minutes of fishing time left, I decided to play it safe. I fired up the big motor in the middle of the weeds, and we took off, sending a nice wake into the other boat. We arrived at the weigh-in site with about 25 minutes of fishing time left, so I beached the boat and kicked back, waiting for the tournament director, while my partner took off for the nearest restroom.
* Always leave on time. Your partner won't worry, and you'll get to the ramp and not hold up anyone.
* It's OK to keep your parking lights on, but turn off your headlights while waiting in the launch line. This will prevent you from blinding the person who is backing their boat down the ramp.
* Prepare your boat for launching long before you get to the front of the line. This will speed up the entire process for everyone.
* Never plane right in the middle of a bunch of other boats. Get beyond the last standing boat before you take off.
* Always give some room to another boat, especially when they were on the spot first. In the previous example, you only respectfully should fish the furthest bulrush from the boat that already is there, or better yet, wait until he leaves. At least ask first if he minds sharing the spot, and if he says "yes," take off. Your time will come.
* Always net fish (if allowed by the tournament), and don't wait for the partner to ask you to get the net. If your partner prefers you not to net the fish, he'll tell you.
* Always be considerate of your partner's fishing position. In the previous example, he didn't stand a chance because he was too far away to site fish. Offer him a chance at the front of the boat, especially when you already have a limit. In fact, a lot of tournament rules include a provision to share the trolling motor 50-50. At least ask. If he refuses because he's not comfortable running it, then fine.
* Fish until the last possible minute, with a slight safety factor, unless you have a large limit of fish. That's the only fair thing to do, especially when your partner isn't doing well.
* Who pays what when it comes to tournament entry fees and related fuel costs often varies from one team to another. The smart anglers talk about it early on and come to a mutual understanding. Don't just pull up to the pumps and tell someone, "Take care of it!"
A little common courtesy goes a long way in forging good partnerships on the water. The Golden Rule works as well here as it does anywhere else.
The late-Paul Bruessow was a U.S. Air Force veteran, graduate of the University of Florida, and worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry. He also founded the website Floridabassfishing.us. Bruessow died Feb. 15, 2013, at the age of 56.
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