[Ben Field]

Not a thread about who's the best or worst, but just about honest improvements you'd like to make to your own fishing or mentality...

Personally, I feel like I've got quite a lot of information in my head but sometimes need to apply it more effectively to my fishing. I catch fish consistently but regularly face new situations where I'm not sure I'm fishing a method correctly in the conditions. An understanding of the theory gets me off on the right foot, but if I don't catch early on in a new set of conditions then I start to doubt myself and lose confidence. "Is this method really right in these conditions?". Head says 'yes', lack of fish says 'no'. It's wholey down to a lack of practical experience, even though I'm fairly good at picking up new methods.

There isn't one method I want to learn or master or anything like that, but I'm in a frustrating phase at the moment. I want to be better, but I'm just waiting for everything to click in to place. I really hope it will, and i just wish it would hurry up!

What do you wish you were better at? A method? A certain set of conditions? Reading the water? Just wish you found it easier putting 2 and 2 together, like me? Or do you just wish you'd taken up golf instead of fishing?

 

[kevin white]

ben, even after 35 years of fishing mate it never ends, me and keith are always trying to improve on method fishing wether new or old, always got to keep the grey matter working and try to figure fish, technique and bait patterns out.

kev

 

[Nick Phillips]

Not a thread about who's the best or worst, but just about honest improvements you'd like to make to your own fishing or mentality...

Personally, I feel like I've got quite a lot of information in my head but sometimes need to apply it more effectively to my fishing. I catch fish consistently but regularly face new situations where I'm not sure I'm fishing a method correctly in the conditions. An understanding of the theory gets me off on the right foot, but if I don't catch early on in a new set of conditions then I start to doubt myself and lose confidence. "Is this method really right in these conditions?". Head says 'yes', lack of fish says 'no'. It's wholey down to a lack of practical experience, even though I'm fairly good at picking up new methods.

There isn't one method I want to learn or master or anything like that, but I'm in a frustrating phase at the moment. I want to be better, but I'm just waiting for everything to click in to place. I really hope it will, and i just wish it would hurry up!

What do you wish you were better at? A method? A certain set of conditions? Reading the water? Just wish you found it easier putting 2 and 2 together, like me? Or do you just wish you'd taken up golf instead of fishing?

I think lure fishing is one of those things where you can amass tonns of information and ideas etc but in order to understand it all you need to apply time and experience.
I have been fishing since 1977 and pike/predator 90% since 1980 (12),the more you do it the more you learn.
And then everything changes,,,,,,,,,,,thats fishing.

 

[wjmoree]

I always do at least as much fishing when at home and in my mind, as I do outside at the waterfront. Actually, fishing would be quite boring without it I think.

An ocean full of fish, an equal ocean of choice and way’s to catch them, and in the last decades the WWW really started a tsunami full of information about it all: just take a dive!

 

[Mark Sleep]

I revert back to old ways too quickly when trying new techniques and not getting obvious and quick success

 

[Alex Jordan]

I do fall into bad habits now and again if I am fishless - want to try harder on SP's and fly this year. Need to get my fly casting over 65 feet - want to be able to shoot the whole line!

I tend to pick my venues and tides / conditions alot better now so hoping to continue on that - generally improves the chance of catching!

 

[Chad]

and in the last decades the WWW really started a tsunami full of information about it all: just take a dive!

Or not...

Like most things in life, fishing can become overcomplicated. People have been catching fish for thousands of years, there are thousands of methods out there. Lets not forget though, sometimes the simplest methods work! If they dont work, try something else but dont sweat it, kick back and enjoy the day.

I'm not saying don't bother learning all kinds of wierd and wonderful things but don't place so much emphasis on catching, you just put pressure on yourself and somedays there won't be a method in the world that will catch you a single fish. Other days you could throw out a kids batman figure with a hook in it and catch a fish a cast.

You could go too far, learn everything there is to know and then end up scratching your head by the coast wondering which of the 50000 methods you've read about to try next. If you dont get anything within the first five minutes you'll be itching to try another method when actually the fish have just moved into your mark and they would have quite liked what you were doing before thanks very much.

There is never a right answer or a sure fire way to catch. What works one day may become completely useless the next.

Having said that, I often find that not paying attention and not giving a rats @rse can sometimes be the best approach of all, lost count of the amount of times I've caught fish while on the mobile to the misses or staring blankly into space and just reeling in only to be brought back to reality by the sudden thump of the rod and the screaming reel.

Lesson 1. Don't think too much

 

[Rob F]

Ben, Nick and Chad you've all absolutely nailed it, square on! If I had more patience, more self-belief and thought less I'd be a far better angler!

I think recently I'd lost sight of the enjoyment and was focussing more on results, which was in turn affecting confidence and making me twitchy about changing lures/tactics. I don't live on the coast, so when I do sneak chance to go plugging it's frequently at the wrong time or wrong conditions to be going and I put myself under pressure to get something out of my trip. But then it compounds things further if I meticulously plan a trip and still blank!

It's quite reassuring to hear and read of people at a similar stage of lure fishing and of a similar mindset to myself. There are some people who misunderstand someone with a willingness to adapt, research and learn then label them as a 'know it all.' This then adds peer pressure into things to somehow qualify knowledge far too quickly.

I think the key is to enjoy what we do (I catch FAR less than with bait, but with 10 times the enjoyment now!) and then look back in 2040 at our results. Remember when we were kids in a hurry to 'grow up?' We're at that stage now with lure fishing. Let's kick back, relax and enjoy the learning process at it's own pace.

 

[Dave M]

My main problem for years was to over complicate things the more I complicated things the more things went wrong. Then I decided to use the acronym KISS. keep it simple stupid. Not saying I catch more fish, but I sure as hell enjoy it more.

 

[Keith White]

Bumble or learn ?

Like most things, it's easier to take the path of least resistance.

And most anglers choose to do exactly that.

That is why 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish.

 

[Dave M]

Think You got the wrong idea there. When I said over complicate that was the tackle side. The more you can simplify the kit. The more time you have to spend on watercraft rather than messing about with the tackle. Will try anything new and if I can make it work, I then look how to simplify it so less to go wrong. You don't need to complicate it Fish are simple soles really. Give them what they want on the day and you will catch. Won more than my share of matches in my day doing just that!

 

[Keith White]

Think You got the wrong idea there. When I said over complicate that was the tackle side. The more you can simplify the kit. The more time you have to spend on watercraft rather than messing about with the tackle. Will try anything new and if I can make it work, I then look how to simplify it so less to go wrong. You don't need to complicate it Fish are simple soles really. Give them what they want on the day and you will catch. Won more than my share of matches in my day doing just that!

Actually, I'm agreeing with you.

Lets take the humble Jig as an example.
it does nothing yet, is the best lure by far for me this year.

Simple. Just rod, line and ....Jig

No action, no nothing.

Yet to fish it, requires all the skills you mention.
Often people turn up throw in a jig and stand there like it's a magic wand or something.

No, you have to actually 'fish' the jig.

Honestly, and no malice intended, people like lures that do stuff. Why....

Is it because the fish like em, or they do ?

 

[Dave M]

Sorry Keith its just the way it came across to me. The trouble with the written word. With not seeing the person cannot always read the way it was said. If that makes sense?

 

[Rob F]

Honestly, and no malice intended, people like lures that do stuff. Why....

Is it because the fish like em, or they do ?

Most definitely the latter, especially surface lures.