Tim Horton has been one of the best anglers in the world ever since he won B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) in his rookie season on the BASSMASTER Tour. A major reason for that out-of-the gates success, and for his continuing success, is his ability to win or finish high in tournaments that are considered tough even before the fishing starts.
For example, in his rookie year (1999-2000), he won the Potomac River Top 150 by finding a productive spot many still feel had never been fished before -- because the tidal Potomac is heavily-fished and good areas are well-known.
And this season he won the Lake Toho BASSMASTER -- another tough tournament -- by fishing muddy water almost everyone else was convinced didn't hold fish.
Obviously there's more to Horton's success than blind luck or merely finding a spot that no one else has fished. So we asked him about it.
"I think one key is to look at the areas that are not being fished as much, particularly in tough tournaments," he says. "If you go to areas that aren't getting as much pressure and find fish there, that will be a definite benefit for you.
"On the lakes we go to, it's hard to do well in the places everyone is fishing."
Find Keepers Early
That doesn't mean Horton fishes only oddball areas and patterns. First he likes to find backup stuff.
"The main thing you have to try to do is get on fish early -- early on in practice," he says. "That way you feel like if you don't find anything else, you're confident you can do well there."
Once you find those fish, that "allows you the freedom to practice (different patterns and areas). You might go all day and not find a single fish, but you have to have the mindset to practice that way. You might go out there and find some off-the-wall stuff, or you might not find anything."
If Horton has time to pre-fish, he'll "spend a lot more time finding off-the- wall stuff." During that time he "won't try to find what's working," he adds. "I have 3 (official practice) days to try to find that."
What Is Off the Wall?
What is off the wall? Or how off the wall does Horton get? "I do what I feel other people aren't doing," he says.
"You have to go into it thinking outside the box. You almost have to say, What's the norm here? That's what the majority of your competition is doing.
"I try to do something totally different. It might be a spawning tournament and I'll find deep fish. Or it could be a fall tournament, and while everyone's fishing the backs of creeks, I'll find fish on the main lake. When you find those types of places, you can do well."
Is he talking about a spot or a pattern? "Both," Horton says. "The main thing is that it's something other anglers aren't going to tap into. It could be particular spot or style of fishing. Most of it is unseen spots, but it can be a certain pattern that other people aren't keyed in on."
High Or Low
"I don't want to make it sound easy," he says. "This is something that only works about 20-30 percent of the time for me. But when it works, that's when you have those Top 10 tournaments.
"After I won AOY, I almost felt like I could (find different, productive areas) at any tournament. That year everything I found I found on my own. So I had confidence I could do it the next year. But I was probably too aggressive."
In 2000-01, Horton had a few "really low, near the bottom finishes. So I reevaluated it," he says. "I decided to do it only when I had (easier) places already located."
Good Skill Set is Key
To find and catch fish in out-of-the-way places, you need to be versatile, Horton adds.
"You don't have to be the absolute best. You don't have to be the Denny Brauer of flipping or the David Fritts of cranking. But you do have to do that stuff very well.
"Early on in fishing, I took it sort of personally," he says. "When I read a story on a certain technique, I went out and caught fish doing it until I got confidence in it."
Since then he's found out that "the more successful anglers are the ones who can pull anything out of their tackle box and fish it with confidence."
