When does it happen or does it?

[Marty]

I have been wanting to ask this question for a long time but don’t know how to bring up the subject but to just say it!

Being honest with yourself when in a tournament do you lose your confidence that you are not going to win? I’m not talking about quitting or giving up the chance of winning or even placing. I talking about that moment in time during a tournament or even before the tournament that you know you are not going to win.

Let me put it other way – you set your goals, you have a back up plan and you know if they don’t work you will adjust but there is a point in time that it is not going to happen – do you recognize it?

Like myself, I always start out with my goals that are formulated on my pre-fishing and having my back up plan and locations. This may not be everyone’s basic goals but mine is to get my limit as soon as I can then up grading. But knowing that most of the big fish are caught in the first few hours of the tournament I try to go big then move to getting my limit. But I have found myself at 12 noon with only two or three fish (especially during the currently condition on the Delta) and saying I have three hours to get three fish to complete my limit. Note I’m not talking about getting my kicker but just a limit. One hour for each fish! This is when I start telling myself I have to get a limit and not knowing it may be the time subconsciously I’m saying I’m not going to win not unless I get lucky. I don’t say I’m not going to win but my confidence starts slipping. Now I start realigning on luck and not the game plan I started with. This could happen even before the start of the tournament when I'm not even on fish but going out because quitting or giving up is not in me.

There will be those that say they don’t lose confidence (I did not say quitting or giving up) until the fat lady sings but come to check in time and you have only 4 small fish with 15 minutes to go you really think you are going to win? Sure you get a fish in the last 15 minutes but is the winning confidence there? It like those guys that come in to weight in and then release before weight-in because someone else has a better limit. They came in hoping!

Bass fishing is the only sport that is not entirely in the anglers hands – there are those black bass that don’t play by the rules!

[ASD]

Marty

I give it my 100% all the way to the dock!! Just because my day is not going how I thought it would I do not lose confidence. As you never know how other boats are doing till you are @ the dock. I try not to over think when on the water as you can think your way right out of the game in a hart beat!! I try to think only about what is going on with the fish/water/weather and what the fish are doing and were they are doing it. If you let your thoughts drift it's GAME OVER.

[bigjosh15]

For me, I never give up. Personally the guys who are out there, and lose confindence half way through the day and never gain it back are the ones who give up. For me I go into a tournament, or a even a day of fishing with 110% after 3 or 4 hrs of fishing, with no fish, its hard to not lose confidence, but after my experience recently I try not to lose that confidence. Recently I was fishing a tournament, and my boater had 4 fish with in 2 hrs. I was losing confindence, but I kept telling myself to "Never give up" to never lose that confidence that I need. Finally 15 min before the weigh in, we were fishing right by the Launch ramp, and I put 2 fish in the boat. Yea they werent the winning fish. But keeping that confidence was key.

The biggest thing that people dont realize is, they are cutting their selfs short. I cant count how many times Ive heard people say, well today wont be good for us, because I havent been on fish. That right there is cutting yourself short. Fish for the moment. Dont go upon recent history. For me, I went several months without catching fish at one time, but every trip I would always tell myself that today will be my day. Now even when I have or havent been on fish, I fish for the moment.

[Andy Giannini]

I fish till the end.

You can generate a big bite literally on the last cast.

Its tough on the angler to go long periods without bites.

But sometimes a bite comes together at the near end of the day.

I can remember one short summer event where I did not get bit until 1:00, but scored four bites for 20 pounds.

One time Steve Sap stopped at the meat wall, got a great big bite and won a boat. Right before weigh in.

You gotta believe you can make something happen.

There are no unimportant casts.

.02 A.G.

[Caudawg]

That "game changer fish" is just one cast away. All it takes is one bite to get "Big Bass" money. With that in mind, you just have to work through any doubts that may hinder your efforts.

We have all experienced the "light switch frenzies" on an otherwise slow day, that can put 5 big bass in the boat in short order. So... catching that one big one could be the beginning of an amazing run.
If you don't think this can happen, it normally won't. This isn't a "false confidence" thing you create to keep yourself in the game. It's KNOWING that it CAN happen that keeps you going at 100%.

If you mentally check out early...it's game over. Tail lights over the hill...you're done. (thanks for your donation by the way!!)

That's how I see it.

[tunaman]

As Ike says, "NEVER GIVE UP!". Especially here on the Delta, where you're always one cast away from a big fish.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say they got their big fish or limit fish at the end of the day... I remember in particular when Ron C. caught a big fish at Castaic on a Hud on the last cast of the day.

Fish hard, stick with your plan and instinctive game-day changes, and don't look back.

Roger

[GKramer]

What a great question and line of conversation, with very positive responses.

Now here's what I've seen covering hundreds of tournaments in the last 35 years:

--Most multi-day tournaments are over before the second weigh-in.
--A good portion of the field melts like butter under pressure.
--A few guys who misfired on getting on the fish in the beginning, keep their heads down and finish strong.
--The winners generally (not always) feel once they got onto something, it was pretty smooth sailing.

Oh yeah, and just like all other sports, the explanations for failing are never as convincing as the success stories.

gk

www.kramergonefishing.com

[ash]

Marty,

I hear what you are saying, for me I have a mental idea of what it will take to win, when you think its going to take 20lbs and I have five fish for 7 - and I am catching the same 1.5lbers even after going to the necessary moves etc... I keep my head in the game but my plan changes. I mentally shift gears and stop fishing for tournament winning fish and start fishing for one big bite.

My new mental goal shifts from winning 1st to winning big fish. When I make this mental shift, it keeps me focused on fishing, it opens up my mind and gives me permission to fish slower and more methodical for that one big bite. I am not saying that I am successful with this, but it does help me. Once I get that tap and its a better fish or I get two that are better fish, I may reshift gears and fish that pattern with a goal toward the big W.

I agree never give up, but one also needs to be bruttaly honest with oneself and say OK if I continue with these fish I am fishing for check, or points or there is no way I am going to get a check with these fish...screw it I am going for Big Fish.

I dont know if this is right or wrong, but this is a habit I developed as a Co-Angler in club fishing as I was fishing against the guy in the pointy end of the boat and knew the ONLY way I could cash a check wasnt through a limit it was for that ONE big bite, which typically paid as much as first in clubs

[fishinman]

I just fish tourneys to the best of my ability at the given time. I have no perceived time frame. I've caught big fish in the last moments moving me up the board. I never won a single tourney but have dozens of top 5 finishes. And yes, never give up each cast needs to be anticipated as a possible big bite!

[ASD]

Marty

Never toss it in to soon! Case in point. A friend of mine was just in a delta turnny he and his partner had 3 rats for a total of 5.83 LB's an their day was not going so good! An then the "FISH GODS" gave them a "FISH OF A LIFE TIME" and on a frog to boot! That little girl was 15.77LB's an that gave them 21.60LB's for a 4 fish bag for the win. So yes good things do come to good people that keep their mind on fishing and not what others might be catching.

PS
That 1 fish also would of given them 9 place and BF $ by it self. So NEVER toss it in early!!

[ash]

ASD,

Fortunatly that lil girl was cought with two fish for 5lbs in the first hour and a half of the day...we just couldnt fill a limit afterword, which speaks to swinging for the fences and points be damned.

Please understand I am not saying quitting or giving up. I am being honest in saying that we all go into an event thinking we know what it will take and adjust according, to the size of what we are actually catching throughout the day.

At some point I measure OK if I can catch a three pounder I will probably be in the top 10 and that becomes the new goal, you catch the three and new goal I have an hour do I upgrade to move up to 9th or spend it going for a Kicker or top 5? For me this is what it sounds like in my head when I am doing tournaments, "never give up" damn right but at some point in the game a reality check is required. Smitty used a great baseball analogy and i think it is fitting.

PS I had HUGE confidence in that water in terms of the size of the fish we saw in there two days prior, just nothing THAT Big

[tunaman]

At some point I measure OK if I can catch a three pounder I will probably be in the top 10 and that becomes the new goal, you catch the three and new goal I have an hour do I upgrade to move up to 9th or spend it going for a Kicker or top 5?

The problem, for me anyways, with that mentality is that you are putting undue pressure on yourselves and setting a mental bar that may or may not be reality.

For me, I prefer to think the entire field is also struggling just as much, which keeps my head in the game until the last minute.

This year, if you were going by past results here on the Delta, you'd already have lost before the game began. There still hasn't been a 30+ pound sack weighed, if I'm not mistaken, and only a couple that have gone over 25.

You have to retain the mental edge as much as you can, any way you can, so you are prepared for that one bite after going an hour and a half without... if you don't, you're likely to miss it and then you have a self-fulfilled prophecy.

I guess a lot of that comes to me from chasing tuna offshore... sometimes hours and hours of trolling and looking, and many guys give up before the trip has concluded. Many times we've gotten into one good stop and went over the hump (100 fish) on one stop in the afternoon while guys are sleeping in the bunks. And it is always the first baits in the water that go bendo instantly, and often with the best class of fish the school has to offer.

If you're fishing for money, NEVER GIVE UP!

Roger

[Terry Smith]

I used to go about my day thinking I have to have so much weight or so many fish by A certain time of day. THROW THAT SH!!!!T OUT THE WINDOW!!!!! Have confidence in the water that you are fishing and enjoy being on the water. Fish one cast at A time and it will either happen or not. I fished A delta tournament in May and only had one dink in the boat by 12:00 and made A move to an area where I new there was good fish and the tide was going to start moveing. Guess what happend then?????BANG BANG BANG 18.44 lbs by 2:00 pm. Took a 7th place. Still looking for my first WIN but since I stopped looking for the WIN I have been placeing higher at each tournament and enjoying my time on the water SOOOOOO much more!!!! My advice is relax fish and if your with A partner enjoy there company!!!!!

Oh by the way we took A 6th and an 8th on the delta the very next month too!! HEHEHHE!!!!

[Tony B]

Marty,

Very good questions. First let me say that I have been tournament fishing 20+ years and have donated my share of money. There are several important things that I've learned along the way however.

1. If you fish for small fish, that's what you'll catch. Now, I don't mean go to lake Oroville and throw 10 inch worms. But I might spend more time looking for that bigger bite by throwing top water to shade pockets in the afternoon. Or, working mud lines with rip baits, cranks or spinnerbaits.

2. In this 20+ years of tournament bass fishing, I have caught a big fish on the last cast 3 or 4 times. Now maybe this wasn't the biggest of the tournament, but it was big enough to move me into the money (mo money, mo money, mo money).

3. I never feel that I've lost a tournament, usually I just ran out of time. With that being said, many times my team partner, Brandon Youngblood and I, have caught our best 5 fish in the last hour of the tournament. Fish hard and make adjustments to what the fish are doing now. Yes, I believe you have to have a plan, but most importanly you need to know when to make adjustments to that plan while following your instincts and knowledge.

4. Never believe that you are out of tournament contention because you only have a few pounds. Last year a friend of mine only caught three fish at Clear Lake and won the tournament. Who would ever believe a thing like that would happen at Clear Lake? Also, several years back I placed fourth in a 2 day "West Coast Bass Super Team" with a total of four fish (two on each day). Never count yourself out of it...

5. Don't put so much pressure upon yourself. You're a good fisherman, fish the fish and have fun. Swing for the fences when it feels right or fish to upgrade... Both can be the right thing to do.

Most important... Follow that inner voice Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi .