As a professional sportfish captain in the “97% of the fleet” that does not have an experienced tournament fishing owner, your hardest job is managing expectations and educating the owner that winning a fishing tournament is a process that starts with meticulous preparation, skill, tactics and money combined with years of fishing experience. You can never disregard luck, but preparation, tactics, and skill are why certain boats end up at the final round more often than their peers. Here are a few reminders garnered from analysis and participation in more than 100 fishing tournaments that allow you to maximize your lucky opportunities and minimize your unlucky ones while producing winning results. Minimize equipment failures In tournaments, you will push everyone and everything to, and often beyond, their reasonable limits to boat a fish, make weigh-in on time, and score. Color coding, numbering rods, and tuning rods and reel drags help with equipment management and coordination, as everything works and feels the same and is less likely to fail. Time management, fuel management, and a working vessel are also necessary to return to the dock on time, where anything that scores can win. Know the rules and manage to the rules Know the difference between an “angler” tournament and a “boat” tournament and how that relates to scoring and winning. How scoring happens and what it counts for dictates who ends up first, whether certain species should be released early, and other strategies, including focusing on individual scores over boat scores and maximizing other, less prestigious scoring opportunities. Know that on game day, the rules and incentives change When tournament rules are added to fishing regulations and prizes and prestige become factors, the usual collegial incentives for local charter fleets to share information disappear, and the information network changes along with fuel management practices. Practice and preparation matters As a professional, you must make sure your anglers are prepared to take advantage of every opportunity.. Mates paired with captains for more than 300 days a year develop an understanding of what to do based on speed changes, turns, and location — with little need for verbal communication. Using a headset can help you achieve similar coordination with less seasoned crewmembers and owners from your elevated position in the boat. Never be “Dumb Money” When you compete, pick the right tournaments. If you do not fish as a team more than 100 days a year, do not gamble against people who do on a multi-day tournament. You might beat them one day, but not two in a row, and certainly not three. When your team is seasoned and prepared, let the owner enter some big events, but be ready. Don’t disregard fun Despite all the hard work and your competitive spirit, most tournament fishing for owners is about having fun and spending time with family, friends, or clients. It’s the process and the positive experience that matters most, regardless of the final placement. A real trophy to someone might be a photo of their nine-year-old granddaughter with a “huge five-pound dolphin.” Do not let a priceless moment be spoiled by focusing on the big winner that got away. A hidden birthday cake, a special bottle of wine, funny outfits, and friendly side bets all add to the good time — as does placing well — and both take thoughtful planning and preparation. Jeffrey B. Williamson is a licensed captain and past commodore with a degree in economics, a day job in real estate, and a long history of hosting and participating in “fun” fishing tournaments in Southern Florida and the Bahamas, both offshore, nearshore, flats, and backcountry. He dedicates this article to a reel professional, the late Capt. Frank Godwin of the legendary Sonny Boy (Key Biscayne, Florida), a Biscayne Bay Yacht Club Member who made everyone around him better anglers.