M&Ms pro Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., grabbed sixth place overall heading into the FLW Tour Potomac River semifinals. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Jim Moynagh.

December 11, 2013 • Jim Moynagh • Archives

There are lots of little things you can do as a fisherman that combine to improve efficiency in a big way. One mistake a lot of tournament anglers make, and I’m as guilty as anyone, is not being ready for the first day of practice before a tournament. You have only a certain number of days to figure out a lake and put your strategy together, so spending that time efficiently is critical. You don’t want to be out on the lake at sunrise the first day of practice and realize that you left something in the truck or the motel room that might have helped you fill in some missing blanks.

Ideally, you should start getting ready to practice before you leave home by organizing your tackle and making sure all your equipment is in good working order and you’ve got what you need. If that’s not possible, at least build in a couple of hours to your travel schedule so that you can spend some time at the motel getting stuff ready the evening before. Don’t spend your first day of practice preparing for practice. You should spend it making a game plan for the tournament.

—- M&M’s pro Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn.