Pro Lessons
Co-Angler Dos And Don'ts

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Brett Carlson FLW Tour co-angler Jess Caraballo says it's important to stick with what you have confidence in and not what you're pro tells you he's been catching them on.

Most of what you see on television or read in magazines about bass fishing is focused on the guy standing on the front deck. You can log on to BassFan.com and read about the exploits of pros and how they overcame the thrashing waves of Erie or picked apart the endless miles of Toho grass to commandeer a win, but you never hear much about the guy who made it happen from the opposite end of the boat: the co-angler.

The life of a co-angler is a not-so-glamorous one. They work the same hours and endure the same conditions as their front-end counterparts. And on top of that they're shouldered with the unenviable task of trying to pluck a bass from behind the equivalent of a human seine fishing at the front of the boat. But most back-of-the-boaters will tell you that the experience of fishing as a co-angler is a learning experience like none other, and that's what keeps them coming back.

Jess Caraballo started competing as a co-angler in the EverStart Series (now named the Stren Series) in 2003. The Danbury, Conn. angler worked his way to the front of the boat as a Stren professional in 2005. A year later he joined the ranks as an FLW Tour co-angler. And in 2007 he earned the title of the FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year (CAOY).

Caraballo's gained a wealth of information from his years next to the outboard. He's learned where to go and what to throw, but more importantly, he's learned the virtues of dogged preparation and proper co-angler etiquette.

Prep Like a Pro

Caraballo doesn't just show up and expect to leech off his pro's knowledge. He goes to the lake to practice ahead of time, just like the pros do.

"I always like to have an idea of how the lake is going to fish beforehand," he said. "You can show up and get an idea from listening to what people are saying, but there's nothing like actually being out there and seeing the lake and how it fishes."

He said you can perform recon from your own rig, or you can do like he does and hook up with a pro fishing the event. Obviously, if you're a newcomer to the co-angler game you won't have the connections to ring up a pro for some pre-fishing, but he said if you're willing to be patient and stick with it, that'll come.

"One of the best ways to network is just from your draws in tournaments," he noted. "I do a lot of pre-fishing with Gabe Bolivar, and that's how we met. We hit it off on the water and after the day was over I said, 'Hey, if you're ever looking for somebody to do a little pre-fishing with, let me know.' Since then we've become good friends and anytime I'm at an event we'll practice together."

But no matter how much time you put in on the water before the event, as a co-angler, you're always at the mercy of your pro and how he wants to fish. That's why Caraballo said it's important to talk to your pro the night before to at least get an idea of he plans to fish. This is where exercising a little etiquette and courtesy can go a long way.

"When I talk to my pro the night before I don't grill him about the specifics of his pattern," he said. "Word travels fast in these tournaments, and you can't expect a pro to just tell you every little detail about how he's fishing.

"All you really need are the high points of how he's fishing. Ask him if he's shallow or deep. Is he fishing timber or grass? Is he fishing points or creeks?

"Even if the pro tells me exactly how he's been fishing, I try not to think about it too much," he added. "I've learned not to try and duplicate what my pro is doing. I just want to know the basic pattern, that way I can fish it the way I want to fish it with baits I have confidence in. Just because your pro tells you he's been catching 100 fish a day on a jig doesn't mean you should automatically throw a jig. Evaluate the area and figure out how you would fish it if it were you up there running the trolling motor."

The Imaginary Line

The quickest way to get on a pro's bad side is to start casting to the front of the boat. Of course, depending on how you're fishing and how fast the boat is moving, there's a lot of gray area as to how far forward a co-angler should cast. Caraballo said just use some common sense and a little courtesy, and you'll be fine.

"I see a lot of co-anglers who go out there and they have a mindset as if they're competing with the pro," he said. "They'll cast up to the front of the boat and try to hit targets that the pro hasn't even made a cast at yet. That's really the wrong attitude to take in as a co-angler.

"I want to go out there and win and go home with a check, but the main reason I'm out there is for the learning experience," he added. "When I pay my entry fee as a co-angler, I look at it as if I'm paying for the knowledge I'm going to learn from my pros. It's almost like a guided trip, but you have the opportunity to win some money."

About not interfering with the pro's presentation, he said: "A lot of guys get caught up in the idea of trying to fish new water at the front boat. They get so wrapped up in which spots the pro is hitting and trying to put a cast in front of him. If you'll slow down and just pay attention to what the pro is doing, you'll notice little areas that he missed or left open, and you can hit those without having to mess him up.

"I never cast in front of a pro unless they specifically tell me too," he noted. "For example, I was fishing with Chris Baumgardner at Wheeler and he was fishing chatterbaits down a bluff bank. We were moving pretty fast and he said, 'You better go ahead and cast in front of me or you won't be able to fish.' In a situation like that, it's alright. But otherwise, you're better off if you just slow down and try to pick the spots the pro missed.

"And once the pro realizes that you're not going to try and jump ahead of him, they'll usually loosen up a bit and position the boat in a way that gives you some better angles. A little courtesy will definitely go a long way."

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