The Secret Ingredient

                Bass fishermen are famous for buying bait and tackle that never get wet.  I don’t know too many guys that can walk into a tackle shop and leave without dropping $50.00 or more on the counter as they purchase the newest baits, the latest colors, or the impulse buy of the day.  The funny thing is that when they hit the lake, they don’t give that new bait more than a handful of casts before they go back to their proven baits.  That is, of course, unless you caught a fish.  It is not that the newer stuff can’t catch fish, it is simply that you are not sure.  If you talk with anglers at any given tournament weigh-in you will find that fish were caught at a variety of depths on a variety of baits, many of which you may have tried with no success.  It comes down to what you have confidence in.  All the best tackle in the world can’t help you if you don’t think it can.  In my opinion, the key ingredient to fishing is confidence.  I know a guy who can catch fish anytime, anywhere, on crankbaits.  His tackle box is full of them.  In fact many are the same model with different alterations.  It just blows me away how good he is with them.  For me, I catch 95% of my fish with plastics.  Probably 80% of them are caught on a dropshot.  I know I can catch fish with my dropshot.  You might ask, “How can confidence catch fish?”  It won’t, but it zeros you in on what you are doing.  For instance, I am always expecting a bite, so my mind isn’t wandering on things such as what I should try next, or what I am doing tomorrow.  A wandering mind will not detect the subtle bites, in turn, leads to missed opportunities.  When you are in deep concentration you will make the necessary adjustments, such as retrieval speed, presentation, etc., which is also key to your success.  You will also be aware of what the last fish you caught is trying to tell you.  Things, such as, how deep, what he was relating to structure wise, and how fast of retrieve he was after.  You will also be more apt to feel subtle changes in depth or structure on the bottom, which is key to locating concentrations of fish. 

                There is definitely a time and place to learn all you can about the sport of fishing.  No one can learn too much.  Having the best gear, the best knowledge, and the best electronics surely will only make you better, but you truly need confidence to put it all together.  Good Fishin’, Kip Pollay (AZOD)