Ever found yourself wondering why the same names keep appearing on the tournament winners' list? Well, wonder no more... Alistair McGlashan hassles some of the top tournament anglers and reveals their secrets of success. STORY & PHOTOS: ALISTAIR MCGLASHAN

Things had started well: it was the first day of the tournament and we had already tagged a plump little yellowfin. We were now battling a striped marlin.

Seasoned angler George Trinkler was on the rod, leading the fish confidently towards the boat and the waiting tagpole. As Stefan Duplessis kept Belongateffi idling forward into the uncomfortable sea, I reached out with the tagpole and pinned the fish neatly in the shoulder with a NSW Fisheries tag.

These two fish earned us just 11,000 points, which certainly wasn't spectacular - but with the fishing being so quiet, it gave us an impressive lead on the scoreboard. Not a bad way to start the tourney!

Day two proved even quieter and no one managed to knock us off; however, one boat that had also released a marlin decided to add a few kings, which are worth just 250 points, to boost their score. By the end of the day they were only a kingy behind, forcing us to change our game plan for the following day.

Personally I am not a big fan of kings in a gamefish tournament, but like most other serious anglers I am there to win - so kings it was.

Following our standard strategy of fishing just one angler, we loaded up on kings in the morning; and with our lead reassured, we headed wide in search of marlin again.

In the end we were knocked off for champion tag-and-release boat when someone else managed a second marlin; but thanks to our pre-planning, we still ended up winning champion angler tag and release, as well as most other gamefish tagged for the event.

During the presentation some of the local crews fishing the Hot Currents Tournament turned their noses and commented negatively about the fact that my team had to use kings to take out the comp.

"I am in it to win, and honestly don't care whether I do it with billfish or blue sharks," I replied, smiling with an armful of Tiagras and other goodies while they looked on empty handed.

Continuing to run the same formula for the rest of the NSW tournament season, Belongateffi managed to win at least one section in every tournament.

Everyone wants to win a tournament, but unfortunately there is no secret remedy to success. Instead, winning is something you earn through hard work and intelligent tactics.

DITCH THE MARLIN MINDSET
Winning tournaments in Australia is not just about catching marlin. Get out of the marlin mindset - billfish are fickle creatures and won't always win the tournament for you.

For some reason the Australian Gamefishing Association, and in particular the NSW section, doesn't run many billfish-only tournaments. Instead, most tournaments include a wide variety of sportsfish and even sharks.

Sure, the billfish are still worth the most points; but if you look back through the records, you'll be amazed how many comps have been won by a kingfish or, even worse, a little mahi - which are worth a measly 25 points!

Hopefully, in time, the Gamefishing Association will come in line with the rest of the world and have species-specific tournaments; but for the moment, we have to fish for everything if we want to win.

Don't get me wrong: you should still focus on the billfish. But take the blinkers off. If you spot a hammerhead finning on the surface, throw it a bait and earn yourself some extra points.

"We were fishing the Botany Bay Bill Heyward Tournament and things were extremely quiet," recalls Rod Findlay. "We hadn't raised a fish (marlin) and by the end of the day we were desperate to get a score on the board.

"Suddenly we came across a stray fish trap loaded with big mahi mahi. Since no one had reported weighing anything, we threw baits on 4kg and guessed what the fish weighed, and we ended up winning 500 bucks!"

This is a perfect example of how good anglers may target high-scoring billfish, but at the same time are ready to take advantage of every opportunity that arises.

PREPARATION THE KEY
You have heard it before and you are going to hear it again: do your preparation before you hit the water. There is simply no room for error during gamefishing tournaments, so the more time you spend preparing your equipment the lower the chance of something going wrong when you do hook up.

Irrespective of how good you are, you will only get a limited number of shots at fish while on the water. It is therefore imperative that you make the most of every opportunity.

"Before fishing any tournament, my crew and I always put in a couple of days checking and rechecking everything from hook points to injector pumps," says Capt Bill Billson, who has won more tournaments than most of us have even participated in. "Losing a fish may cost you the tournament, and that simply isn't good enough."

Ross Oehms gets even more specific, pointing out: "The weakest link in the whole outfit is your line, so always re-spool your reels with fresh line for every tournament."

Mind you, considering the fact that Ross happens to import Momoi Line, his view may be biased! But it's good advice nonetheless.

Leaders also require special attention. It goes without saying that you should replace all leaders on lures or livebait rigs, and most importantly measure every trace to ensure it is legal under IGFA rules.

Getting disqualified for a technicality like an over-length leader is certainly not a good feeling. Believe me, you will only ever do it once!

Apart from actually minimising the chances of making mistakes, having all your gear in tiptop condition means you are naturally more confident.

And being more confident means you will fish harder, which in turn equates to more fish.

Preparation is essential. We all talk about it, but lets face it - few of us actually go to the extent of putting in more than a halfhearted effort. It is no coincidence that the crews who do put in the time to prep everything before the tournament are also the same crews whose names regularly appear on the winners' board.

ADVANCE PARTY
Your preparation should not just stop with the tackle and boat; it must also include time on the water to get a feel for what is going on.

By hitting the water prior to the tournament, you will have a very good idea of where the fish are concentrated. Knowing which areas to focus your efforts is vital for success.

"Finding the fish is half the battle," says Billson. "Time is valuable during a tournament, so you don't want to be searching for fish - you want to be on the right spot for the bite."

With only a limited number of fishing hours, you need to be focusing your efforts where the fish are. I can't stress this point enough: it doesn't matter how good you are - if you aren't where the fish are, then you won't win!

Now, getting out on the water early is often easier said than done because most BlueWater readers have ‘real' jobs (not like me!) and can't just head off to pre-fish the waters for an upcoming tournament. The best way around this problem is to form a loose team that consists of two or three crews, and then take it in turn to fish prior to each tournament as they come up on the calendar.

Then you can share the information among the team. If you can't get someone you know to fish the water, then at the very worst ring the local charterboats or tackle shops for an update on what is going on. Also don't forget Sea Surface Temperature maps - they can also be very handy for identifying fishy areas.

PLAN YOUR ATTACK
So now your boat and tackle are ready to go and you have a good idea on where the fish are concentrated. It's time to establish a game plan.

There is little point in just heading out to sea hoping to stumble onto something; it simply doesn't happen that way. Forming a game plan outlining your tactics for the tournament is imperative.

"Decide what you are going to target and then determine how you are going to do it," says Capt Steve Tedesco, who has just returned from a successful season tournament fishing in Kona, Hawaii. "Are you going to fish light tackle and weigh the fish or run heavy gear and chase the tag and release section, which usually has the best prizes these days?"

It is also important to decide what role everyone is going to play. When we fish tournaments we always enter the minimum number of anglers then allocate an angler and a backup angler.

"This way one angler can amalgamate as many points as possible," says Stefan Duplessis.

"It is like doubling your chances - you can take out champion boat and champion angler."

Tournament fishing is not a social fishing day where everyone takes a shot. Instead, it requires precise teamwork where only the best angler fishes, the best mate runs the deck and the best captain runs the boat.

Just as important as forming the initial game plan is to make a backup plan. There are many variables involved in tournament fishing that are well beyond our control, be it weather or fish, and it is important to adapt as you go. As the tournament progresses, constantly monitor the scoreboard to see if things are going as planned. If another boat gets an unprecedented lead in the section for which you're aiming, it's time to re-evaluate where you stand.

Maybe it is time to look at alternative avenues, like most other gamefish tag and release or heaviest tuna.

While on the water, someone should always be monitoring the radio, writing down exactly what and where the fish are being caught on the skegs. However, always take skeg references with a grain of salt, because some boats foolishly report false positions to keep other boats off their tails - which could spell disaster for them if they get into trouble.

The same person who is listening to the radio should also be taking note of specifically who is catching what. This way you can always keep track of where you stand against the competition.

"Many tournaments actually announce the results each morning, which is fantastic and helps you to keep track of where your team is positioned," says George Trinkler. "Normally after hearing the report, we have a quick discussion to decide what to do."

The ‘girl factor' is like a wildcard and is one of the easiest ways to win some prizes. Equal rights have ensured that the fairer sex has equal representation in terms of prizes, despite the fact that very few females actually compete.

This fact can be easily exploited by including a female in your team, because with less competition you have a higher chance of winning. If you can get a girl to join your team, do it - they are a great asset.

PLAY HARD
If you are going to the effort of investing substantial time and money to compete in a tournament, then do it properly. Don't treat it as a social event or a piss up - go out there play hard and plan to win.

If you only want to go out for a drinking session, why bother paying to enter the tournament? Save your money and use to it buy more beer!

"When fishing tournaments, there is no time for drinking," says Troy Atkins - a tournament angler who runs Ratu out of Lake Macquarie. "We simply don't have any time - we do all the maintenance, rig baits, then hit the hay so we're fresh for the following day."

It was once said by a captain that he would rather be lucky than good when it came to fishing a big game tournament. Well, in essence this is true, and lucky anglers will always outdo skilled anglers. However, on the other side of the coin, you also increase your luck by putting more hours in on the water.

"When fishing competitively, we always leave early; often well before dawn," says Craig Findlay - co-captain of the highly successful Murrifin. "That way we are on the grounds ready to go as soon as start fishing is announced; not travelling like the competition."

You don't have to be a brain surgeon to work out that the longer you are on the water, the greater your chances are.

GET OUT THERE
Well, if you thought this article was going to show you a sure way to win then I suspect you will be sorely disappointed. In truth, there is no easy way to win a tournament. If you really do want to win consistently, you'll just have to put in lots of hard work - there is simply no way around it.

If you want to taste the sweet tang of success, you have to earn it. So get out there and start preparing for the next tournament! Because, as they say, preparation is the key.

SCHOOL'S IN
Want to learn more about tournament tactics? Well, you'd better book in with one of Billson's Bluewater Workshops.

Run over two days, these workshops - which are conducted on the water aboard the beautiful Viking II - will teach you everything you need to know about gamefishing and how to improve your fishing and tournament skills.

Conducted out of Port Stephens in April, these schools cover everything from boat handling through to identifying fish on the sounder. If you want to get the edge on the competition, give Bill a holler: tel 0429 183 159 or visit www.australianmarlin.com.