First Tournament

I finally fished my first tournament, on Lake Winnipesaukee today. The NH Bass Casters held their next-to-last midweek tournament there today, for a field of 30 anglers. My goal was to not get skunked, and luckily I did just that, bringing in one fish weighing 1-13. Yeah, not great, but I wasn't like the one guy who didn't catch a thing. The winner was a guy who, according to a few, always seems to bring in big bags. He came in with over 17 lbs of fish, with a lunker over 6 lbs. That beat out two fairly well known area pros who were on hand to compete.
As for my day, well, let's just say I've fished better. My biggest problem was being at the mercy of the guy at the front of the boat. Don't get me wrong, he was an incredibly nice guy, and I could not have been paired with a better host. But his fishing style was as opposite of mine as I could imagine. He essentially cranked a spinnerbait all day long, while I opted for soft plastics and jigs. His approach worked, as he brought in four fish, around 8 lbs, I'm guessing. The hardest part of fishing with someone who likes to fish fast was trying to keep my patience. I was never able to feel comfortable, since I like to be thorough and slow. Again, the exact opposite of spinnerbaits and cranks, which I tried many times throughout the day. But I think this teaches me that, as with other aspects of fishing success often depends upon one's ability to fish within a set of limitations.