My first trip to the winner's circle occurred while riding along on Reel McCoy out of Islamorada, Florida, during the Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament about five years ago. I spent most of my time on the bridge with Capt. George McElveen, observing and taking photos. As the day wore on, our angler from Michigan kept me more entertained than the fishing action, as he repeatedly threw coins into the water and murmured little prayers under his breath to the fishing gods.

"What's he doing?" I asked the captain.
 
"I have no idea," he said, "but if he thinks it's working, I'm not about to stop him." 
 
McElveen spotted several pods of busting bait throughout the day, and we'd motor full throttle to the spot where he'd seen some action on the surface. Each move put us on the sails, and we slowly edged our way up the leaderboard. 
 
On the final day of the tourney, the angler's coins turned into dollar bills. Ones and fives went overboard every hour or so. Remarkably, as the money poured over the transom, the bite improved. I'm sure the angler felt his lucky money was working, but I could see that the captain had locked in on the bite. With a doubleheader in the final minutes of the tourney, we took the top spot, and the crew won more than $40,000.
 
A little superstition never hurts on the water, and it's always nice to have luck on your side, but in the end, a good game plan, a seasoned crew, hours of preparation and making the most out of every opportunity will consistently push your crew past even the luckiest teams.
 
Know the Rules
Every tournament runs a bit differently. Although it sounds like common sense, the most frequent mistake made by a crew is not knowing and understanding the rules. Tournament directors typically go over any rule changes and answer questions during the captain's meeting, but not all teams attend these meetings, or they stay outside socializing with their buddies. Make this mistake and it could result in a winning fish getting disqualified.
 

Top Ten Tournament Mistakes 1. Showing up in the morning hung over (or still drunk). 2.  Not reading and understanding the rules. 3. Using the wrong tackle. 4. Taking your eyes off the baits. 5. Going all in when you can't afford to. 6. Killing a short fish and taking a penalty. 7. Neglecting to pre-fish when fishing with a new crew. 8. Forgetting to go through a maintenance routine on all boat systems before the tournament. 9. Unrealistic expectations. 10. Taking a bad digital photo of the release with no time and date stamp on it (or the wrong date on it) that will DQ a fish.

"It's hard to hear everything at most tournament briefings with all the chatter and hoopla that usually takes place," says Capt. Boyd DeCoito who runs Foxy Lady in Kona, Hawaii, and fishes about 10 tournaments each season. "Though the IGFA rules remain the same, every tournament usually has its own set of rules, which can result in having to change strategy and tackle from tournament to tournament."
 
Once you know the rules, make sure all of your tackle is up to snuff as far as leader lengths go and the breaking strength of the line you're using. It might seem like a royal pain to respool before a big event, but if the tournament rules call for 80-pound-test and you've been running 130, you need to make the switch. Keep in mind that crews must now use circle hooks on all baits, both rigged naked baits and live baits, when fishing a tournament in the Atlantic. If you don't feel comfortable fishing with circle hooks, get out and practice before the starting gun goes off. 
 
Questions also tend to surface about all the different categories and jackpots used in tournaments. "If it's a money tournament, make sure you are clear on all the daily jackpot and optional entries," DeCoito says. "It can get a little complicated."
 
The tournaments with the largest prize purses incorporate some high-dollar daily awards. The 2007 Bisbee Black and Blue Tournament, for example, featured a $10,000 daily category — to enter this category alone costs $30,000. To go all in across the board in the Bisbee costs $63,100. That's a big gamble. But on the same token, the basic entry fee is a much more manageable $5,000. The rest of the categories are optional — and you don't want to get in over your head.
 
"Get in on the level you can afford," advices Capt. Steve Lassley who runs Bad Company, one of the most successful boats on the West Coast. Team Bad Company and owner Anthony Hsieh (pronounced "Shay") have won $6.2 million in tournament victories, including the largest single payout in tournament history, a $3.9 million check in the 2006 Black and Blue. "You can still compete against the best crews in the world and win a nice chunk of money, and at the end of the day it's all about that spirit of competition."
 
When there's a lot of money on the line, it can create a lot of stress, and in some cases, it tends to bring out the worst in people. "I have fished with people on both sides of the spectrum," DeCoito says. "The ones who let the big-money tournaments bring the worst out are usually the ones who can't afford to be doing it, and therefore probably shouldn't. On the other hand, I am fortunate to have a few clients who understand that we're all out here to have a good time and hope for the best. I have had better luck in relaxed situations than I have in tense ones."
 
"In a big-money tournament the money can create a lot of pressure," says Capt. Ray Rosher, whose Miss Britt Team is one of the most successful tournament winners in Florida. "Don't get sucked into that. Everyone wants to win."
 
Another important step to keeping tension at a manageable level is to outline how the team will split up any earnings. "Make sure you have a firm agreement, maybe even get it in writing as to the split of the tournament winnings," DeCoito says. "That is where things tend to go wrong after you have had a great trip and won some money. Get it all worked out before you even confirm the charter."
 
On private boats, the owner is usually responsible for coughing up the entry fees, but the mates and captain still stand to win a substantial amount of money. For Hsieh, who owns Bad Company and fishes extensively in Mexico and California, it's best to concentrate on the joy of fishing tournaments and the fun factor. "Tournaments are really about risk tolerance," he says. "It's about the risk versus the return, and the passion and fun you get out of doing it."