My first FLW Everstart

I just got back from Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia where I competed as a co-angler in my first Everstart Series Event.  This was not only my first Everstart but also just my second FLW event (I competed in a BFL on The Thousand Islands last year) after having competed in B.A.S.S. for the past two years.  If you haven't competed in both, there are very distinct differences between the two, and I was not prepared for some of them!  Luckily between a little quick thinking and some helpful tips from some of the FLW staff I was able to get through the rules without a hitch, but had they not gone over the rules, I might have been at risk of disqualification.
In FLW co-anglers weigh their best 5 fish (it's 3 in B.A.S.S.), and as a co-angler you're expected to use some sort of culling system on every fish that goes in the livewell, as soon as you put it in the livewell.  I didn't know this going in to the event, and culling kits aren't something you find at local bait shops or even large department stores like Wal-Mart or Target.  I thought about it while I was driving away after the meeting and it occurred to me that I could use a lot of things:  clips, zip-ties, carabiners, safety pins, twist-ties, or what I ended up using:  large barrettes.  Clips are bulky, don't always stay on, and do a better job keeping my potato chip bags closed.  Zip-ties work great if you go through the mouth and gills, and don't involve penetrating any part of the bass's mouth, but they also require something sharp to cut them, and I try to avoid sharp objects when on a moving vessel.  That's also the reason why I avoid safety pins.  Carabiners and twist-ties are nice if you can find them for sale, though both will still require that the bass already have holes in their lips for you to use.   In the end, barrettes are sold everywhere, open and close easily without easily coming undone, and don't take up a lot of room in my bag.

The other big difference between the two is the lack of the imaginary line that's often drawn across the middle of the boat.  While both FLW and B.A.S.S. insist that pros fish from the front, and co's fish from the back, there's no rule in FLW that says one can't cast in front of the other.  This can be particularly problematic when targeting spawning fish.  Pros don't want the guy on the back of the boat throwing a one ounce jig blindly up to a big bedded female, and co's don't want to be stuck fishing in water where there really isn't an opportunity to catch fish for 45 minutes while their boater works that female.  So try to be considerate of each other.  Pros, if you're going to target spawning fish, try to have a certain amount of fish that you've marked for your co, or give him or her a certain amount of time to fish in open water where they really have an opportunity to catch prespawn fish.  Co-anglers aren't paying $400 to enter the tournament to net your fish and then contribute to your gas expenses.  Co-anglers, don't throw on a bedded fish unless your boater tells you it's ok.  Don't cast over his line unless you're told you can.  When they say "We're leaving" be ready to go fast!  They've spent a lot of money to enter that tournament, and it's important that you be respectful to them while on their boat.  Remember that you're only allowed 5 rods, 1 tackle bag, and one bag for bad weather clothing, and be sure that you're not late in the morning.
If you are going to fish off the back of the boat, you need to be versatile.  If you don't throw a spinnerbait, you need to ask yourself why not and start doing it.  It's one of the greatest baits made, and you can fish it in almost every situation.  It's something you need tied-on.  Pay attention to what your boater is doing.  If they're catching fish, try as best as you can to do the same thing with the same kind of bait.  If they're not you should probably throw something different until one of you develops some sort of pattern.  Use baits that you can fish quickly and effectively in all situations.  Swimbaits, wakebaits, chatterbaits, and some sort of top-water bait are also great tools.  If you notice in the picture below, the boater who won at Smith used 4 baits, and one of them was a spinnerbait.  If your boater is fishing docks you can fish a lot easier with baits you can work fast.  Trying to flip docks behind him or her is probably a waste of your time, and if you hit the dock all you're gonna do is upset your partner.  Instead, work the edges or the weed pockets nearby.  The co-angler at Smith used a drop-shot and a shaky head.  He got just 13 bites in the tournament, but he fished exceptionally clean and landed all 13 fish, giving him the title.  Most of the time if you can catch a limit every day you're going to be near the top.