In one sense, that gives tournament anglers an advantage. While fishing skills are usually the biggest factor, that isn't even always the case. The real qualities that set tournament anglers apart are tenacity, versatility and attention to detail. And it's those qualities that can make anyone a better fisherman. If you've watched a tournament on television, you may have thought the producer was playing the tape in fast-motion.
Competitors move around their boats like hummingbirds circling a feeder.
Even if their backs and arms are aching, those bass guys are casting furiously. Entrants in walleye tournaments think nothing of running 15 miles through six-foot waves if they believe a spot might be holding fish. Walleye pre Gary Parsons once ran 100 miles to get to a winning school of fish. And the pros keep casting and running until the last possible moment, often catching a money fish just seconds before weigh-in. Versatility is just as important.