At the Kentucky Lake FLW Tour event this year, California pro Gabe Bolivar fished well into the evening on each of his practice days. On one of those days, he hit late paydirt when he discovered a key spot at 5:30 pm.
Too bad he found it so late, right? After all, tournament hours wouldn't extend nearly that long. But that disconnect didn't deter him. Even though he determined that the area set up best for low-light topwater fishing, he nevertheless returned there at noon during the tournament and boosted his catch.
"Something I hear a lot of guys say that's absolutely false is, if you fish beyond tournament hours in practice, it won't help you," he said. "That's as false as it gets.
"Much of what separates the good fishermen from the not-so-good is long, hard, grueling days on the water. For me, it's almost never better to pull off early. That's my style. Yesterday I was out from 5:45 in the morning until 7:15 at night (practicing for the FLW Tour Championship)."
Whatever the Weather
"I fish long days no matter what the conditions," Bolivar said. "A lot of guys might say, 'If it's raining, you might as well not go out.' But what if it's raining during the tournament? Then you need to know how to catch them."
Whether the temperatures are Arctic cold or brutally hot, the length of his day doesn't vary – he puts in long hours. But it's not without forethought. For example, he's always sure to dress appropriately.
"On hot summer days I'll wear lightweight Columbia long pants and a matching long-sleeve shirt and a big sun hat," he said. "The material has a sun protection factor of 30. If you start to sweat, any slight breeze makes it feel like you have air conditioning on you. It'll keep you much cooler than shorts and a T-shirt."
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