As Wired2Fisher angler and writer Walker Smith allowed, "We fishermen are an interesting bunch sometimes. Gone are the days of chatting at the boat ramps after tournaments and talking about how you did or didn't catch 'em. Nowadays, the post-tournament scene feels like more of a secret-society meeting than anything else. Anglers cut off lures before they dock (or tie on something totally absurd), or shove rods in rod lockers, turn off graphs so people won't see their GPS trails, and throw life jackets on their piles of spent soft plastics."
With everything so competitive and secretive these days, it's becoming really tough to find a fishing partner, especially for tournaments.
"I honestly see both sides of the coin," said Smith. "One guy just wants to fish a fun derby with somebody, but the other guy doesn't want to show him his best stuff. I totally understand.
"When you meet a fellow angler, and the two of you start fishing together, it's almost like going on your first few dates in high school," he continued. "It can be awkward. You don't know how the other person goes about things. You don't know what their system is, or if you can trust them. Essentially, you're both just feeling each other out. I've been through it before, and it's just weird.
"However, I think there are some things you can do to figure out fairly quickly whether a potential partnership is going to work out."
Smith is big on keeping his bait in the water. He rarely sits down to monkey around with tackle. On the other hand, he's had guys in his boat who would spend more time retying baits than they did fishing.
"If you're just fun fishing," he noted, "that's not a big deal. But during a tournament, that dude is hurting your productivity and decreasing the team's chances of catching a limit of fish.
"Tournaments are all about efficiency and productivity. If your partner has five different baits laid out and fishing line all over the place, fiddling with knots and what not, you can't run to your next spot when it's time to pull up the trolling motor and make a move. You have to wait for him/her to get rigged and cleaned up before you move. If that happens several times during a tournament, you could have wasted 15 minutes fishing productive water because you couldn't move quickly. You can catch a pile of bass in 15 minutes"...unless, that is, your name is Ken T.😊
Smith went on to admit that he understands not everyone has the same fishing style. He, however, spends a lot of the year burning down banks, trying to cover as much water as possible. He knows he probably fishes too fast at times, but when he pulls up the trolling motor, he wants to have his big engine cranked in about five seconds.
"I can't do that with 187 bags of plastics and 11 Plano boxes all in the floor of my boat," he explained.
Smith also knows the importance of paying attention to conversations between partners in the boat.
"Of course, we're all going to talk fishing while we're in the boat together," he said. "That's what makes this such a strong brotherhood for all of us. But if you're the type of tournament angler who prefers to keep things quiet in regards to spots, baits and techniques, pay close attention when a partner talks.
"Sharing information with each other is great," Smith continued. "You're on the same team, so I would hope you can gain enough trust with each other to combine your knowledge. But if your partner constantly is telling you how his other buddies have been catching 'em and where they've been catching 'em, that's a major red flag, in my opinion. If he's sharing that info with you, he's likely also telling his buddies how and where you're catching 'em. I'm not saying the guy is being vindictive or purposely ugly, it's just that some guys like to gab...too much, let's say."
There's also the matter of financial fairness when it comes to tournament partnerships. For example, Smith related the story about a buddy of his who had fished a small-pot tournament with someone other than his usual partner. As the dude was getting into his buddy's boat, he accidentally kicked the navigational bow light so hard that it broke the entire plug assembly...no hard feelings...stuff like that happens all the time. The catch, though, was that the guy didn't even offer to pay for the replacement part, which cost $99.
As Smith noted, "Finances can really mess up the synergy of a tournament partnership. It's all about respect. If someone isn't splitting, or at least offering to split expenses, such as gas and oil when you start fishing together, that's a red flag. I never accept any offers for gas money, but guess what? I sure appreciate it when someone has the courtesy to offer. I remember things like that.
"If you're just starting to feel each other out, this is certainly something to keep in mind," continued Smith. "Small issues can turn into big issues quickly, especially when partners catch a giant bag and have to split a big check. Just make sure you're teaming up with someone who's going to keep things fair.
"Just like any partnership or friendship in life, you and your prospective tournament partner need to be able to jive together. If you like to keep quiet while fishing tournaments, you probably shouldn't choose someone who runs their mouth all day long. If you like to keep things light and just enjoy the day, you probably shouldn't choose someone who gets annoyed by chatter."
Smith went on to note that the really successful tournament teams he knows in his part of the country all have similar personalities.
"It's tough to fish a full day with someone who has a totally different personality than you, especially in a stressful tournament...so choose carefully," he said.
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