 What
makes a great kingfishing team? Is it the crew, the
network, or just a fancy new boat? That stuff is all
great, but do not over look the off-season preparation
that some of the top teams put in to be successful.
Seasoned
veterans, like Paul Massey of the Outrageous team know
the true value of off-season preparation. "I learned
from the master, Joe Bruce. He really taught me a lot
about maintenance. You can not catch a fish if you are
broken down at the dock," says Massey.
During
the off-season you may catch Massey going through his
"to-do list", making sure everything is going
to work out for the next tournament season. The first
thing that Massey looks over would be his terminal tackle.
"I will check out the rods and reels before and
after each tournament. I'll look over the rollers, guides,
tips and the drags to make sure that there are no problems.
Preparation
doesn't stop at the connection between mackerel and
angler. "On the boat, we go over all the electronics,
pumps and down riggers. The motors are always serviced
according to the manuals and the lower units are changed
every 50 hours," says Massey.
Massey
emphasizes that it is important to find a problem before
you are out on the water. Make sure that you examine
all of the links to a tournament fish before leaving
home. Everything gets more complicated once you leave
the comfort of your own home.
The
Outrageous team has trekked across the entire Southeast
the past few years and has accomplished some incredible
things in the kingfishing world, but if they have learned
one thing it is to do everything early. "We always
do all of our reservations as soon as we know the schedule,"
says Massey. "We will schedule rooms, and (dock)
slips. We will do this with a couple of other teams
that we travel with. It is good to get it out of the
way before the season starts." If you plan to fish
a tournament outside of your home waters, make sure
you do not over look the room and board. This could
make the difference between a great trip, and one that
you would rather forget.
Preparing
for a tournament 5 months early may seem a bit unnecessary,
but this truly is the only time to do it. "I think
the greatest advice that I could give would be to do
your preparation early. Do not wait until last minute.
Everyone jokes with me about my "to -do" list,
but this list keeps me organized and makes sure everything
gets on the boat or in the truck. There is no substitute
for organization and preparation."
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