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Crew Communication Paramount to Tournament Performance
By CAPTAIN RAY ROSHER
Photos by Bill Combs
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Practice makes perfect
I think that some of the most important factors for
a winning tournament crew are communication,
scouting, tackle and bait prep; not to mention a
fair amount of luck. The crew has to communicate about
strategy before, during and after each day, like any other
type of team. Certainly, the equipment must be in good
order, the tackle must be high quality and in good shape.
The crew, however, must be prepared for the “moment of
opportunity.” If the team fishes and approaches every day
like a tournament day, then when a tournament day actually
comes, it won’t matter. They’ll be prepared. A normal day
might not be as intense, but if tournament day comes and
the captain demands an unusually high level of efficiency
from his crew and his anglers when they haven’t been
preparing, then they won’t be ready.
Of course, familiarity and efficient
communication only come with a good
crew. I read in an interview with Capt.
Ronnie Hamlin where he said that the
most important factor in creating a
good mate was “desire.” I think that is
exactly right. Desire can come in any
number of ways, but what it should
mean is the attempt to achieve skills as
close to perfection as possible. When I
begin training a mate, I tell them there
are two kinds of people involved in
any wrong action: those who don’t
know and those who don’t care. As
long as they don’t fall into the second
category, then there is hope for them.
Another factor on tournament day is
catching and keeping bait. Some days
are tougher for catching bait and that’s
when the crew is happy that they have
some bait stored up ahead of time.
Gentle handling is important so that
the “slime” – the invisible barrier to
infection that coats the fish – is not
removed.
One of the problems that charter
captains run into is “pre-fishing” with
their anglers. Many charter anglers
show up the day before the tournament
with no time to pre-fish. I always
recommend that our anglers try to fish
at least one day before the tournament
to “warm up.” This day is great for
asking all the questions that come to
mind as well as getting acclimated to
the conditions that you may be fishing
in the next day. Obviously this is not
that necessary with all anglers but it
usually can’t hurt because the first
morning of a tournament is not the
time to work those things out. Whether
on the Miss Britt or the Get Lit, we
basically do things the same way.
I believe that my way is definitely not
the only way to catch fish, but if we
all agree on how we, as a team, are
going to react to a certain situation,
then we become a better team. By
doing things basically the same way,
we all are interchangeable. I think it
is important to listen to any different
opinion, from even the youngest mate.
You never know when you might
learn a better way. I can’t tell you how
many tournaments I have lost by one
fish. Sometimes it is one small thing
that costs you that fish. If we as a team
learn even one new thing that will
eliminate that mistake the next time,
then we just became a better team.
The last thing that I want to
touch on briefly is the “business” of
tournaments. Most tournaments we fish
involve monetary awards. You must
talk about the division of money
or awards prior to the tournament.
Invariably, if you don’t, it doesn’t work
out as everybody wishes. Nobody
likes to talk about money in advance of winning. It is, however,
a necessary part of tournament preparation if you want to walk
away from the tournament as friends. Never count on winning
anything in a tournament. You should always look at it as a
bonus.
We all want to be successful in a tournament but we have to
be careful not to end up with a “win at all costs” attitude. A few
times I have been so focused on a free-jumper or tailer and ended
up too close to somebody. I’ve always remembered how it feels
to be on the receiving end of an aggressive maneuver. I always
have followed up with an apology to that team. Don’t forget that
the guy you just crowded might be the one who helped you last
tournament or might be able to help you next tournament. Play
nice, guys!
I love the mental challenge of competition. You never forget
how good it feels when the planets align and everything goes
your way. The importance of being in tune with each other is no
secret. Just don’t forget to have some fun in the process.
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