I've been having some luck fishing deep structure for walleyes for the last few weeks. Tonight I had a shadow boat following me around. I knew right away what he was up to so I decided not to fish my hotspots and try some other areas that I've been wanting to work. I wasn't about to give some freeloader my A & B spots. It turns out that I had the best fishing of the year. I learned that it's not always a good idea to get stuck on a few spots. Every once and a while try someplace new. You just never know.
The secret to fishing is to catch the biggest fish and to catch it early.
About 15 years ago I was activly coaching youth wrestling. I was at a local tournament and a gentleman walks up to me and says "Were did you move your ice house?" I had never seen him before so I gave him a puzzled look. He said "My buddy called me a couple years ago and said just drive out there and look for a gray permanent house and fish by it." That was the last permanent house I owned.
This happened to me this year while fishing a North Eastern walleye tournament that for the two years prior I placed in the top ten (3rd last year and 8th the year before that.)
This year was bad for shadows for the top 5 teams from last year. I finished 18th out of 110 teams. Still not bad but it was hard playing bumper boats (if I'm there first I ain't being pushed off of my spot
But the way I look at it.........I don't think anyone will be bothering me next year!