I
couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve writ-
ten something similar to this phrase – “Pay
attention to the details, they can give you a
clue as to what the fish are doing.” It seems in every article I write, a pro will make some sort of
admonishment about being flexible and seeing the
whole picture.
For example, Mike Iaconelli (a known junk
fisherman) once told me that he keeps multiple
rods on his deck during practice and tournaments,
so that he can respond to a gut feeling and try
something new. His theory is that if he already
has the rod rigged and ready, he will give his gut
feelings a chance; however, if he
has to stop and tie it up, he would
be less apt to try something new.
He said that the approach has led
to several high finishes over his
career.
During a separate article
interview, Fred Roumbanis told
me something he had learned
from David Dudley is that “every
bite should give you enough
information to write a short
essay about that solitary fish.”
The meaning behind that is
that an angler should be aware
of what the lure was doing,
where it was, what type of
cover or structure, how a fish
struck, how it was hooked,
how it fought, etcetera, in order
to begin putting a pattern
together.
Most of us do not even
come close to doing anything
like that when we go fishing.
Our nature – as amateurs,
and some professionals
I might add – is to set up
a series of preconceived
notions, to tie up lures
according to those thoughts
and try to catch them on the same spots we caught them on last time we went fishing;
Mark O’Sullivan with a Coosa River Spotted Bass - photo by Dan
even if it was a month ago.
O’Sullivan
The other thing we all seem prone to fall prey to is to listen to dock talk, or let someone else’s opinions influence how we do things when we go on the water. More tournament plans have been derailed by boat ramp gossip than any other thing it seems.
These are not the best ways to proceed, and I had some stark reminders of that the last time I was on the water at Neely Henry in Alabama.
A TALE OF TWO OUTINGS
My oldest daughter graduated from high school
in May, and as a result,
FALL 2017
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