Tournament Prep Not Just For Beginners

​What’s going on KAMO and welcome to a new year of tournament season. As the year is getting started that only means one thing and that is preparation time. As an angler who is learning every day, I wonder how other anglers’ prep for their upcoming season, from the beginners to the top anglers that compete in our trail series. What do they do to get ready, how do they plan out their season, what are they doing to get the edge on the competition, and what upgrades to equipment are being made that may give them the possibility of a better outcome? Well I have had the pleasure of speaking with a few anglers from KAMO seeing what they have been up to.

To start off, I spoke with Jeremy Mitchell who I had the pleasure of rooming with at the All American tournament at Truman lake, in which he ended up taking first place with over ninety inches of fish and taking home over ten thousand dollars. He has also earned a spot in the KBF THE TEN house which if you don’t know is an honorable achievement filled with some of the top anglers in the kayak fishing industry. 

​Before we dive into what he is doing in prep for 2021 season I would like to give my personal view of him as an angler. While rooming with Jeremy and watching how he operates I saw that he would interact with everyone but was prompt on getting to sleep every night at 9pm because he had fish to find as he would say. When 4am came around he was up and out the door to go and check his spots while covering what seems like the whole lake. What I learned from Jeremy and I believe other anglers could learn is mental fortitude. Jeremy stays focus on the mission at hand and that is to not waste a single minute, cover water, find the best producing area as possible, and to give it everything you have. In my opinion if your looking to compete at the highest level, well then you have to be willing to do whatever it takes no matter how tired you are, making no excuse, and just leave it all out on the table.

Here is what Jeremy had to say, “Well currently I am prepping for THE TEN and Seminole. I find myself dedicating an hour each day to looking at Navionics and OnX maps to help find those hidden gem areas that other anglers may not see to give me the upper hand. 

I’ve been refitting my equipment since I have got home from the Hobie TOC (Tournament Of Champions) in Knoxville. 

I am working with a new rod sponsor, Jelsma Rod Company out of Texas and picked up some new Shimano reels to pair up with my new rods. I am still running some of my old Lews and Diawa reels on my other set ups. Mentally I am preparing for two different lakes in Florida, January and February can throw just about anything at you. I am ready to be punching through mats with a 2 oz punch rig as well as skipping weightless plastics around beds for spawning fish. My money is also on a jackhammer or a lipless crankbait being ripped through the grass to hopefully attract those big bites, I can’t wait to see how things line up. On top of fishing KAMO, I will also be competing in some of the national level tournaments. I’d like to thank Everhart’s Outdoors for all there support along with Trophy Bass, Jelsma Rods Co, TackleHD, Table Rock Black Lights, TruProducts, Yolotek, SC Paddle Leashes, and SolorBat Sunglasses.”

Well there you have it folks. With all that said Jeremy is gearing up for the battle down there in Florida and I hope some of his insight on his preparation is helpful. Stay tuned for the next KAMO Angler Profile.
Good luck, Good Fishing, and God Bless.
​Dale

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About the author,
Dale RF is a 27 yr old fish head from 
St Charles County, Mo. You will find
him on the KAMO circuit chasing
those green bucket mouths from his
Native Titan while sharing a laugh or
two with fellow anglers. 
Dale will be bringing us the KAMO Angler
​Profile each month so stay tuned!

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