How long have you been angling?

[MuskieBait]

Not particularly amazing...not particularly skillful...just lucky that I have opportunities to travel for work/school and have friends and family in the US. Fishing variety in Ontario is rather poor compared to many subtropical and tropical areas...

For example...I fished 20 years in Ontario catching only 62 species. I fished 19 days in California catching 52 species (44 new species on that trip). I fished 11 days in Florida for 30+ species (23 new species on that trip). To be honest, an exceptional day in Ontario nabs you about 10 species and that's consider great.

A lot of it has to do with knowing your species and exploring places with high probability of encountering and catching your species. For example, Tarpon was relatively easy in Belize since there was a good concentration of fish and they behaved in predictable ways. Yellow Stingray was difficult in Belize since they feed in a random fashion and they move into and out of a spot very quickly. If you are not prepared to cast something to them immediately, you missed your shot...and may not have another one for a long time.

Actually, the more you fish, the more impatient you become. Those who sits and wait all day for fish usually don't catch much. Experienced anglers sort through the current conditions and fish behaviour and adapt their presentations to catch fish...either stay at one spot and adapt, or move to find new opportunities.

For example...No sense to stay at a spot without a fish for an hour when there are many other areas to explore for active fish. No sense in using a particular lure when fish are obviously ignoring it after a few casts. No sense in fishing artificial to obviously highly pressured fish when you can catch them non-stop on live bait...etc...etc...etc.