I recently wrote about the “process”

The process of learning to fish quite often results in many fish less or days of few fish caught.

That, believe it or not is by design. I ended last weeks piece with a question. Should I fish to catch fish, or should I fish to learn? 

A great question. I would say it depends. I am a permanent student. I never want to stop learning, improving. Even though I feel that I am rounding out on a great many years of experience with still so very much more to learn, I also feel that I am in a place that I had never been skill wise. 

But it may not be what you think. It is not the bass. Or my fishing skill. It is me. Me I, me I, OH!

Yes, me. Hard to explain. My awareness, processing, calm, and focus has matured. Has it reached a peak or will it ever? I do not know. 

I was asked a few month’s ago if I would like to fish competitively again. The answer is no. 

Even though for many years I fished competitively at local and regional events, and still follow some of the competitive trails, my view and opinions about competitive fishing has changed.

Now, I see myself as a lifelong student. I enjoy the process. The challenge. My best days on the water are not the days that I caught many fish, or the largest fish, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy catching fish! That is why we do it?

My best days are the days when I figure out the puzzle. 

Here is an interesting scenario. Two days on the water. 3 fish caught each day.

Day A.

A difficult day. Caught three fish. All on different baits, on different spots. Just random catches.

Day B.

A difficult day. Caught three fish. Figured out that the fish were on small weed clumps. Inactive. Was able to draw a reaction bite with a crank bait ripped from the grass.

Day b is the type of days I enjoy.

Now the days that stand out as outstanding are the days when you figure out a neat little repeatable deal that is producing big limits of fish.

Those days are the result of all the difficult, none, or few fish days. 

Thinking about all of this I came to a possible conclusion that has plagued me for years. 

This never ending desire to learn has also been a detriment. I have unconditioned myself to not catch fish! Say it ain’t so.

But it might be. 

Lets go back 25 years ago. When I fished some events. I never separated learning from the days I needed to catch fish. I did not always go out to catch fish. Even though I knew that is what I needed to do. Not to learn. My goal was always to learn. The focus was and is to learn.

Competition was the time to fish what I knew. Fish how I knew how and for the fish I could catch. During an event is not the time to make it more difficult, to try things.

Fish. Find fish. Get them to bite. This is where the basics come in. Now a really great angler has a larger amount of “basics” that is why they are so good. Look at a touring pro. They have a seemingly endless amount of basics.

Today, I returned to the same body of water that I last was

On. I returned with the goal of further reinforcing the tactic that I have been learning. Guess what? I caught ZERO!

Yes. I caught nothing. So does this mean that my tactic sucks? No. Just this time it was not the deal. My theory for the day is that with the lack of current, and high temperature that the fish became very inactive as they often do on this body of water. It is very shallow, and has colored water.

In hindsight, there is a tailrace below a dam that could possibly hold a few active fish. I chose not to visit. I was too occupied trying to learn, so in a lapse of intentional blindness I overlooked the aerated water of the tail race.  

Truthfully, I did get frustrated. Try as I did, things were not working. Wishing then that I had brought my Catfish bait, or went for a bike ride. Or, better yet slept in.

Was I frustrated that plan was not going as expected? Most likely yes. I became irritable, things that would normally slide on by with very little notice now became huge disasters!

Bad cast into a tree, snagging a log, unable to locate a snack! Major problems! Self doubt creeps in at these times as well. 

Here is the answer! I chose do do this. Me I, Me I, OH! To spend time on the water, to be outdoors, to make it difficult.

That is how it goes sometimes. Stewing in my self made frustration I continued on. Reminding myself to relax, enjoy the day. I can always find something of interest when I am out. 

But I am not complaining. I tested some baits. My drag anchor system. Saw many turtles, picked up 4 bags of trash from the water, and a motorcycle tire. Interestingly the tire was home to two crawdads! I got a good look at them to get an idea of the species and color. Sometimes even trash contains a bonus!

A really cool find was a Paw paw tree! My first! I have been looking for them. Now, I need to return to locate more and save waypoints to check back later for ripe fruit!

I am easily amused! Trees, crawdads, turtles, and picking up trash! Who needs to catch fish when you can spend time paddling and seeing such cool things!

I need to point out once again that I do not speak of particular baits used, or techniques used. That all is the easy parts to learn, or as important. How you adapt to conditions, piece everything together, and manage yourself are the challenging things. Details that to most are boring. Maybe they are boring. But, they are more important. Boring does not sell products! Think about that! 

Speaking of baits. I soon will be spotlighting a few of the baits I have designed and also the reproductions. 

There are no secret, or best baits anywhere. You cannot catch a bass on any bait if there is no bass there to be caught, and then you have to deliver said bait to the fish. 

Baits are like tools. Designed for certain presentations

"If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly"

 ADOPT, DON’T SHOP!