Just like someone's is lucky enough to win a lottery, someone is lucky enough in one cast,  to catch their bass of a lifetime. 

Luck plays a part, no doubt.

 

If you're fishing, and a lunker wraps you around a couple of snags, that's bad luck.  But, if you give the fish some slack, and it untangles itself, that's good luck. 

 

If you have a bait dangling over the side of your boat, and a nice bass grabs it, then you land it, that's good luck.  If you have a bait dangling over the side of your boat, and a bass grabs it and pulls your rod into the drink, that's bad luck.

 

Now, the argument can be made, and I agree, that it's foolish in the first place to leave an unattended bait dangling over the side.  If a  fish takes it, and your pole over the side, or snaps the rod at the gunnel, it's your fault, and luck had nothing to do with it.

We would like to think we're that good

 

I am that good ! 

Luck is being able to find a new PB in the lake, skill is getting the PB in the boat.

I am that good !

Uhh! We talking fishing!

Uhh! We talking fishing!

 

That´s what I mean, I´m THAT good !

burning a frog back to the boat and having a DD hit it at the boat is luck.

I'd like to see someone get "lucky" by punching mats silently and pulling bass out. that's all knowledge and skill. no rooster tail and zebco combo is pulling that off.

Skill dominates the most challenging task: Finding the fish!

I feel lucky anytime I get a chance to go fishing.  

there is most definitely both luck and skill in fishing. An example I like to use is tournament fishing, say you go to a spot early in the day that you know holds numbers of small to medium size fish to catch your "limit fish" (2-3 lbs) and you pull up a five plus lb fish, that is luck. now say later in the day you are trying to get that "kicker fish" in a spot that is known for bigger fish and you again catch a five plus llb fish. that is a well designed plan coming together aka "skill".

 

Mitch

The best answer I've seen on this question came from a Bassmaster interview with Rick Clunn back in 2010. 

 

 

How big a part does luck play in fishing?
 

That is up to the individual. If you don't study fishing and the water and don't apply the art and science to fishing you need to, luck will play a much larger role. Also, luck factors into tournaments depending on how long they are. If you're in a one-day event, a 10-pound bite will go a long way, whereas the longer the tournament goes, the more skill neutralizes that luck. In a one-day tournament, I'd say there is 30 percent luck; in a two day, 10 percent; three day, less than three percent; and in a four-day event, luck is reduced to less than one percent.

 

 

-T9

Skill is when luck becomes a habit

 

That is well said. There is no question that luck is a part of fishing. I know a guy with a 9# plus personal best caught here in So. Illinois. He doesn't know beans from buckshot when it comes to bass fishing, but he is lucky enough to fish a private lake that is very well stocked and managed. I may never catch one that big around here, but given equal opportunity I will out-fish him most of the time. Put me up against an elite pro and I will get smoked regularly. Yes luck plays a part, and pulling into a cove just as schooling bass explode on shad right next to the boat is serendipity and is the sort of thing that sometimes wins tournaments. There are many qualities that define a good fisherman; knowledge, skill, dedication, and perseverance are high on the list in my experience. Luck plays a part, but it is not what separates good fishermen from all the rest.

There is a bit of luck in just being able to take that next breath.  But luck is random and inconsistent.  Skill is steady and can be, more or less, relied upon.  If you took a poll of heart patients and asked them if they'd rather their heart surgeon be lucky or skillful, I'd venture to guess that most would prefer the skillful one.

That´s what I mean, I´m THAT good !

Dude you're lucky...you live in Mexico!

Its skill and experience. When I first started fishing I went with 7 of my friends to Irvine Lake and none of us knew what we were doing. We caught 1 trout amongst all of us in 8 hours and got drunk as hell. 

 

Next time I went with someone who's been fishing for his whole life and we all limited out.

 

Lucky bites do happen when the fish will bite anything, but you gotta be someone special to be consistently lucky enough to throw out anything and catch fish every time you go out.

<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right?? 

<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right?? 

Pretty much the same for me.  I was untangling a wind knot, my top water lure was sitting a foot off the bank and I hear a giant splash.   After the knot was untangled I start reeling in and the rod gets heavy, it was a really nice bass, but I'm sure it was skill by having the lure sit in just the right place.

I think we would all catch more bass if we had the patience to just let our lures sit like we have to do when we have a line tangle or a snag. unfortunately most of us aren't wired that way. 

I agree with several of the other posts. There is a certain amount of luck involved. The only time when it is "all skill" is when you can actually see the fish.

Y'all ever make a cast, miss the target by 25', & still get bit?

Is that skill or luck?

It's far better to be a skilled angler with good luck than a skilled angler with bad luck. Some days on the water you can't do anything wrong, then we have days you can't do anything right, good luck verses bad luck.

Making a cast and getting a backlash doesn't require skill, getting the backlash out and finding a bass has eaten your lure isn't skill, it's good luck!

Far better to be lucky than unlucky.

Tom

Y'all ever make a cast, miss the target by 25', & still get bit?

Is that skill or luck?

 

Skill.

 

It´s all in the wrist.

 

There's some measure of Skill and Luck in every outing,

but the serious angler strives to factor-out as much Luck as possible.

 

Roger

<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right?? 

 

Yup, that was the right presentation.

I think we would all catch more bass if we had the patience to just let our lures sit like we have to do when we have a line tangle or a snag. unfortunately most of us aren't wired that way. 

I always try and get the knots untangled, fishing for fun and relaxation I've got nothing but time, even more so if I only have 1 rod with me.