Make a Plan
Getting ready for a tournament can be a daunting task: from boat and engine work to tackle rigging and travel arrangements. You also have to make sure you can score live bait and good gas; the list goes on and on. Don't wing it or wait till the last minute. Put a plan in place and start working on it as soon as possible.
 
"The preparing part is not sexy, but you need to do it," Hsieh says. "The 50- to 70-foot boats we fish on have so many complicated electrical and mechanical systems. You must manage and schedule preventative maintenance. The last thing you want is a malfunction on race day, but you still have to roll with the punches. Two years ago we were changing the heads out at 2 a.m. The next day we caught a nice fish. You just never know."
 
The amount of planning involved differs greatly depending on the type of fishing the crew prefers. "There are several layers of preparation, which depend on the kind of fishing you're doing," Rosher says. "Your approach dictates how you prepare. If you're trolling lures for blue marlin, it may not be as much preparation as fishing pitch baits, trolling with rigged dead baits or kite fishing." 
 
When fishing kites along Florida's southeast coast, obtaining live baits is one of the most important steps to a team's preparation. If you catch your own bait, build up a supply a week or two before the event so you can beef them up in a pen. If you don't catch your own bait, reserve what you'll need with a local bait supplier. When demand overrides the supply, the price for a dozen choice goggle-eyes quickly tops the $100 mark. 
 
"We feel bait is really crucial," Rosher says. "The bait creates the bite. We try to get a good variety of seasoned baits. We prefer to keep the baits up to three weeks before a tournament, but that's not always going to happen."
 
Tournament rules also dictate your bait and tackle preparations. If you're fishing a release tournament, you would not use the same tactics as those used in kill tournaments that target big fish.
 
"There are lots of tournaments and a lot of factors that come into the planning," Lassley says. "If it's a release tournament, you want to go out and find a bunch of little ones. That's not how you'd approach a kill tournament."

A lot of the tournaments in Hawaii base the winner on the size of the fish, but this too is changing with more release categories introduced. "Our plan changes with each tournament depending on its rules, whether it's a total release or a minimum-weight tournament — there are a thousand different variables," DeCoito says. "Some tournaments require an observer while others want pictures taken. It's important that everyone involved knows his or her job when the time comes."
 
Most crews use similar techniques. The major differences occur in how they execute the plan and pay attention to the details. "There's not a lot of difference in the technique or approach; it's the efficiency and execution that makes the difference," Rosher says. 

"Communication is very important. I always say worry about the next one, not the last one. What can we do to avoid making the same mistake twice? Don't be critical of anyone. We all make mistakes. Anyone can lose a winning fish. Don't come down on someone because it might be you next time. Be patient with each other and this will help to strengthen any weaknesses."

Using Every Tool
For Hsieh, the secret to successful tournament fishing means putting together the best crew and fishing on the best boat. Because they fish West Coast tournaments, they outfit their vessel with a full array of bait systems, including numerous livewells and tuna tubes. They also spend a small fortune on their electronics suite, complete with high-tech side-scanning sonar and gyroscopic binoculars.
 
"We rely fairly heavily on fishing with electronics," Hsieh says. "We've gotten good at analyzing the info on the (side-scanning) sonar. Instead of getting an up-and-down picture under the boat, it sweeps all the way around. It took time to learn how to evaluate the information, but when you get the hang of it, you can see the behavior of the bait and better calculate where the fish are."
 
For Lassley, who comes from a commercial-fishing background, using sophisticated sonar equipment is not a new technique. However, the units available today constantly open new doors. "Depending on conditions, you can scan a bank from 2,000 feet away," he says. "You can figure out where bait is balled up from 400 feet and identify the fish from 300 to 400 feet."
 
High-end electronics represent just one of many instruments Bad Company uses to find fish. "I look at it as another tool, and the more tools we have in our toolbox, the better," Lassley says. "You can't build a house with a screwdriver."
 
As more tournaments make the move to release formats, digital cameras and video will play a more active role in identifying the catch. Make sure to appoint someone on the boat as photographer and bring a couple of extra cameras just in case. Most tournaments require that the photo also show the correct time and date stamp. Work out all the camera bugs before that winning fish jumps behind the boat. 
 
To make your way into the winner's circle, you need a full complement of styles, knowledge, boat skills and more. But even when fishing with the best team on the water, shenanigans might still infect the action every now and then.  
 
"Even the best crews have slow periods. You're not going to hit a home run every day," Rosher says. "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We've had a million things go wrong that were out of our control — from swivels breaking to lines cutting off on a turtle. You just have to learn to laugh at and go after the next one."