As many of us sit in the cold north, dreaming of the days we can get
back out and hit the water, this is a crucial time I use to reflect on
a season gone by. What went right and what went wrong and maybe even what
could I have done better to increase my performance in the events I fished?
I hope this retrospect sheds some light on how I attempt to get better
each year, not dwelling on the past but utilizing it to help in the future.
The steps below I hope will help you get through the winter and prepare
you for the upcoming season.
The computer has allowed me to bring the days
of the past year to my fingertips, much better than my failing memory.
I am able to bring back those days in a much clearer and certainly more
accurate manner as I keep a very detailed log of each trip. Water conditions,
such as water levels, water temps and clarity are monitored and documented.
I also mark down the amount of time I spent on the water both from a
running and fishing perspective. Was it overcast, rainy or sunny? What
were the
days like before I fished and what are the days to follow suppose to
be like? I usually try to gauge wind speed and direction and I also look
at
the barometer before and after each trip. If I have a good day I monitor
when I caught each fish and log them based on size and location and most
definitely time when they were aggressive. Were they deep or shallow,
on wood or rock and did they relate to current or not? Keeping track of
the
finite is also something I try to carefully monitor. The small things
are the things that can make a difference. What was my bait choice, what
color
was it, did I use a scent, did I use dye and could I have? What test
line did
I use and what was my weight choice, 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2? These variables should
all be jotted down. Rule number 1, I WILL TAKE VARIABLES AND UTILIZE THEM IN
THE
FISHING EQUATION.
Even though I am not a firm believer in the close detail use
of solar-lunar tables they can play into the equation. I am able to reflect
that the bite could be tougher on the days following a full moon, with
the exception
during the spawn, and patterns can be dictated by these phases. The new moon
may have fish feeding more aggressively in the early morning. The dark of
the moon may have fish shallower in the early morning hours. The late bite
may not
be as good. How does the moon phases affect fish behaviors? Some anglers
live and die by these tables but I think fish can be caught even in the
most adverse
conditions and moon phase if presentations are managed accurately. Some of
my best days have been on a downward or less desirable cycle of the moon.
The use
of these tables can however give you confidence and maybe add to the concentration
factor. Rule number 2, I WILL LOOK AT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND READ MORE OF
IT TO ENHANCE MY FISHING.
As I look back, I would count 2001 as a mediocre,
not
spectacular year on the water for me. I fished 25+ tournaments, concentrating
on 2 divisions within my home state and truthfully my preparation for
each tournament was not adequate. I didn’t fish as hard as I have in years past. I was satisfied
to find one area holding fish
and didn’t look for patterns within a pattern which I have done in years past.
My days to pre-fish were limited and even when I got
the days I didn’t read the water well. I went deep when I should have been shallow
and shallow when I should have been deep. The seasonal patterns were non-existent
and the other anglers who were able to locate fish found them many times in places
they hadn’t been before.
I didn’t react well or learn from these miscalculations either and even with
countless tournament wins coming from main lake creeks and rivers in vegetation
I still concentrated on trying to locate deep
and larger fish. This stubborn, " I know where they should be" attitude
kept me from being successful. I never really found them. Rule number
3 is I WILL
PREPARE AND PRE-FISH MORE EFFECTIVELY.
I have never listened to "dock talk" and
for some reason this year I got in the middle of it. I focused on what
I was hearing versus what I knew from over 40 years on the water. I
was looking for
a magic pill and instead found a placebo. This is one of the things
the months of inactivity during the winter is helping me manage. I
am focused on my skills
and knowledge am preparing for the upcoming season better. Less time
working on talking and more time preparing. Rule number 4, I WILL USE
MY EXPERIENCE AND
STAY FOCUSED.
The success I did have this year was a result of refining shallow
water patterns and even when conditions did not dictate the fish should
be shallow I went there. Three consecutive tournaments I fished shallow
and refined my pattern
each time. I was able to take the knowledge garnered from one spot
and utilize it in another. Another key was knowing the water. Knowing
what
fish do when the
water rises or falls is crucial. I was able to take that knowledge,
apply it in practice and then react while on the water and the conditions
changed.
Bait
selection was also critical in those successes. Because of angling
pressure I am finding that subtle differences and techniques have to
be refined.
Instead
of spot fishing I am again focused on patterns and seasonal movements
of the bass. Some of the basic premises of locating migration paths and
knowing how
bass utilize these paths during what time of year are crucial. Even
on my home lake I found fishing difficult because
I was "fishing spots", not concentrating on what the fish were doing.
Rule number 5, I WILL CONCENTRATE ON PATTERNS, SEASONAL MIGRATIONS
AND NOT ON SPOTS.
Another
attitudinal focus I am concentrating on this year not focusing on excuses.
Excuses are the crutches that rationalize complacency and failure. Rule
6, I WILL NOT
LOOK FOR EXCUSES BUT TAKE THESE LESS EFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES AS VALUABLE
LEARNING TOOLS.
The final discussion factor of my past experience of the
past year is
execution. How many times have I can back to the dock thinking, "If I had only
not missed that big fish I would have finished higher." Concentration for 8 or
more hours is very difficult. Rick Clunn, the king of the mental game, once told
me "the ability to overcome the weather, mechanical breakdowns, and on the water
adversity are the
keys to making it to the next level." To overcome the "human" pitfalls and turn
adversity into success is not easy. The skill to concentrate every minute, keep
equipment and the intangibles like knots and hooks in the proper condition, and
to remain focused on presentation of EVERY cast can make a difference. Each person
has to know why he or she enjoys this sport. For some it is to get outside, for
others it is the friendships and associations. For me, it is all of the aforementioned
but it also for me to stretch myself. How well can I do in the heat of battle?
I live for competition. I love puzzles
and nature’s puzzles are the most difficult. Rule number 7 is I WILL
EXECUTE MORE EFFECTIVELY.
As each of you look back at the past year I hope you can take
my seven goals for 2002 and apply them to your fishing in your own
way. Even if you only take parts of them you should still see success.
Here they are in
order.
1. I WILL TAKE VARIABLES AND UTILIZE THEM IN THE FISHING EQUATION.
2. I WILL LOOK AT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND READ MORE OF IT TO ENHANCE
MY FISHING.
3. I WILL PREPARE AND PRE-FISH MORE EFFECTIVELY.
4. I WILL UTILIZE
MY EXPERIENCE AND STAY FOCUSED.
5. I WILL CONCENTRATE ON PATTERNS, SEASONAL
MIGRATIONS AND
NOT ON SPOTS.
6. I WILL NOT LOOK FOR EXCUSES BUT TAKE THESE LESS
EFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES AS VALUABLE LEARNING TOOLS.
7. I WILL EXECUTE MORE
EFFECTIVELY.
These seven points
will be with me on every trip.
More Articles By Terry
Brown
