Control what we can control is part of fishing success!

[MuskieBait]

(09-21-2012 08:26 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  Skill can add some factors but does not mean much when it comes to fishing.

I wouldn't say that that skill does not mean much when it comes to fishing. There is a reason why some anglers are more successful consistently than others.

Certainly, there is the odd day when one person outfish another, and this person may have little skills. But if you really analyze what this successful person was doing right vs. the other people who are not doing the things necessary to get bit, there lies the subtle difference that helps 10% of anglers to catch 90% of fish.

There is a lot of idiosyncrasy sometimes. It could be that one person just has that little bit of extra attentiveness, an extra dose of patience (or lack thereof sometimes), an extra twitchy hands to work the rod...etc.

And then sometimes, it is gear difference. Maybe the reel has a slightly higher line retrieve (notice I didn't say gear ratio...but instead line retrieval per turn). Maybe the rod has a faster tip and more sensitivity. Maybe the rod has just the right action to feel the vibration of the crankbait in the water just enough to not work it too fast but keep the lure wriggling just enough. Sometimes it is these little difference.

I've fished side by side with a friend using the same lure before, retrieving the same lure with the same number of turns on the reel as he did, but he was catching all the walleye to my none on the board. Later, I found out his reel has just a slightly lower gear ratio and a slower line retrieve speed...such that even though our hands were moving in exact synchronicity (ie, my point that you need to imitate success), my lure was moving just a little too fast. So instead, I imitated the time it took for his lure to be retrieved, instead of the turns of the reel, such that his lure and my lure were moving at the same (or very similar) speed...and it helped to finally get me bit.

Pay close attention to subtle details, and analyze the situation all the time. Know that things change by the hour and even by the minute, and adjust accordingly.

You guys would have a tough time fishing in the ocean (especially the beach or any kind of tidal areas) when the tide rise and fall constantly, and a spot can turn from perfect condition to unfishable in just the matter of 30 minutes.

Michael knows what I'm talking about, right? Those pesky corbinas on the beach...one minute you have the perfect condition to sight fish for them in 8" of water...a few minutes later the tide comes up more and now the area is too murky and too rough. But constantly having to figure out what to do next is part of the fun.

Luck really comes very rarely into play. I believe that luck is only important or of any factor if...

1) Two anglers are fishing side by side, fishing the same (or similar) gear, using the same technique, fishing the same bait/lure with the same retrieve at the same depth...and one guy catches a few more more or the occasional bigger fish than the other. Noticed that I said "A few more" or "occasional". If the other angler consistently catches more and/or bigger, then there is a reason beyond pure luck.

2) Two boats left port fishing in the same area of the lake and ocean, using the same equipment, technique, bait/lure, same trolling speed...and one boat find a pod of fish and the other didn't. It's a big ocean out there and sometimes fish can either be scattered, or concentrated. If one boat found a scattered school in the blind with no indication of the school being in the area, then that is luck. Otherwise, there are many signs, even in a big ocean, to tell you where fish may be concentrated.

I always believe that "Luck equals Preparation meet Opportunity". Remember this and burn it in your head. That is always one mantra in my fishing. You get lucky if you are well prepared physically, mentally and in all aspect of your equipment, and you come upon an opportunity that you can take advantage. If you are out fishing and the bass are not in the area but the steelheads are biting, and you only have bass lures but missing the necessary roe and other steelhead lures and bait to target them, then you are "out of luck"! Noticed that even the phrase "Out of luck" applies. But if you are well prepared and have a few suitable baits and lures to use for the steelhead, then you are "in luck" because by chance (or maybe not ) you come upon a day when the steelhead wanted to play and you have the right gear PREPARED to catch them. So in turn, you were lucky today because you were prepared for an opportunity and the opportunity came. If a fish snaps your line, it is not that it was bad luck. It might be that your line was too light, or there was a nick somewhere on your line that you were not aware if you didn't check often. People often make or break their own luck. As long as you are prepared, and keep an eye out for opportunities, then you will definitely get lucky. Sometimes, people who are unprepared truly gets lucky...as in if someone was fishing a tiny panfish jig on light line and a big muskie happened to come by to snap at the jig for whatever the reason only the muskie would know...and the fish was hooked in the corner of the jaw such that the line did not come into contact with any of the sharp teeth. Then this would be a lucky break. Even so, for the angler to land the fish on light panfish rod, light line and a tiny panfish jig, it takes a lot of discipline in patience, control and a clear head to fight the fish properly...and that is not luck at all, but preparation in the angler both mentally and physically to take on the challenge.