Over thinking

[operationgrass 60]

So yesterday as I am researching a particular lake that has given me fits for nearly two years I came to the realization that I am over thinking the situation. 

 

How often does this happen to everyone. A lot. Don't believe it?  Think back to anytime you've been on the water, and think I cannot even get a bream to hit my line.  Or better, when you get back to the launch or weigh in and the guys who did not catch them gives the line of I just could not get on them today.  We've all been that person to say it, and that is when our mind races in every direction on what I should have done.

 

Then think of your times on the water when everything seems to be going right.  Every decision you make just seems so spot on.  What is the difference?

We have confidence.

 

So I decided to go out in this terrible weather today and fish with confidence, and what happened i banged out a 20 pound sack on a lake that in 2 years I have not weighed a total of 20 pounds in two years with all the fish i have caught on it.

 

If you're a beginner remember you're learning.  If you're a seasoned veteran remember you know what you're doing. Don't over think it. If they're there they'll bite.

[Bluebasser86 22,731]

Is it possible the weather had a big influence on the good bite? Some of the lakes I fish often produce poorly during nice weather days but fish really well when the weather is nasty. 

 

I've certainly been guilty of overthinking it, and also missing the obvious signs until it was too late. Just means I need to go more often so I can stop making those mistakes

 

[operationgrass 60]

Definitely the nasty weather could have helped because this is one of those lakes that perform well during bad conditions, but I've been in similar conditions and had that confused look on my face all day.

[MAN 7]

I am a big proponent of not overthinking it and get called out for it quite often. I have friends who enjoy the over-studying, over purchasing and overthinking. I really think they believe that all bass have a topographical map of the lake they reside in and also view the lake from above the water same as we do.  When it comes down to actually fishing they are so exhausted and confused they rarely have a good day. I think its quite common that some people enjoy all that goes into preparing for fishing...than the actual fishing itself.  My2cents   

[Sam 4,748]

I have noticed that you can overthink your baits in a tournament and have way too many to select among in your boat.

 

This produces stress and confusion with your selection of what to throw, where, and when.

 

I won our club tournament on the Potomac River with very few baits on hand as I had confidence in the KVD 1.5 Sexy Shad Square Bill. I also came in third on the Historic James River as I took way too many baits with me and my head was rolling all day long. I also did not give the baits proper time to produce strikes.

 

And I came in first on the Chickahominy River by throwing a Zoom Junebug trick worm on a shaky head. Tried a 1.5 without any luck so I stuck with a confidence presentation that I have faith will produce strikes.

 

I know, you want your arsenal to be as large as it can be just in case you need one special bait. But I have wondered if having all those baits in your boat can cause you to lose confidence and get frustrated. Too confusing. Too many options.

 

Subscribe to KISS and you will do OK as  long as you have confidence in your presentation, bait, line, rod and reel

 

Just my thoughts.

[papajoe222 2,441]

Guilty, especially early in the season (right after ice out) for my first few outings. All winter I'll be reading articles and watching videos or programs and it takes some time to unclutter. It's even worse if I hit the nail on the head my first trip out. Takes a while for my hat to fit again.

[FishDewd 250]

Tbh, I'm not a believer in "confidence" catching fish. I could be confident that a booger on a hook will catch something, but doesn't mean it will. Every time I toss a lure I know it has the potential to catch a fish, it's just a matter of conditions. It doesn't matter how much confidence you have, if you don't present the bait properly for that day, or put it in a good spot, you're probably not going to get bit. So I don't see "I just couldn't get bit" as being a negativity, it's actually fairly accurate to the game. Those days can and will happen, confidence be damned. It certainly won't hurt you to be confident... but to imply an extra boost of confidence would have helped a skunk day isn't accurate imo. Besides, you should be out enjoying the water and serenity at any rate, catching something is secondary.

[N Florida Mike 2,782]

Confidence usually comes with successes. If you never catch any fish, how could anyone stay confident very long ? You would then over analize, looking for answers to your fish drought. I think thats a common pattern with most of us.

 

 

[Tennessee Boy 320]

Bass can't read your mind so they can't tell if you're confident or how much you're thinking.  What's going on in your head has to translate into where you're fishing and how you're fishing.

[Troy85 388]

12 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Bass can't read your mind

You sure about that?  Sometimes I feel like they can, and then they do things to make you question your sanity.

[Tennessee Boy 320]

4 minutes ago, Troy85 said:

You sure about that?

I'm pretty sure they can't tell what I'm thinking but yeah I think they control what I'm thinking most of the time.🤪

[Troy85 388]

1 minute ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I'm pretty sure they can't tell what I'm thinking but yeah I think they control what I'm thinking most of the time.🤪

That's probably more accurate. 🤣

[Catt 15,244]

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones, some days you're better off not leaving home!

 

Anglers often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique. As much as it helps our egos to regard a difficult task as complex, this type of thinking is often the biggest obstacle between you and your fishing success.

 

 

[WRB 10,750]

I wrote a article several years on bass fishing overload. We have at our fingertips a vast amount of information, some good, some not so good and unfortunitly some pure bs.

The newcomer has no prior knowledge to seperate what if factual and what isn't unless they have grown up fishing.

Getting back to the basics is often good, it puts thing into perspective. Solving where the bass are active feeding is sometimes pure luck, we stumble into them. To catch bass you need to be on the water fishing.

Tom

[Catt 15,244]

It takes a rare breed of fisherman using simple techniques to perfection to consistently catch bass.

[GReb 199]

Early summer last year I took a right and a guy I know took a left. He caught 50 plus and I caught zero. Finding the fish is always the key. Especially on fisheries like mine where the fish move all over the place depending on the current and where the Shad decide to go

[Catt 15,244]

We have a tendency to blame everything but the angler 😉

[Mobasser 602]

I've heard folks blame everything but themselves. They blame rod, lures weather etc. If I don't catch fish- it's my fault. I didn't find enough bass, and use a correct presentation to catch them.

[The Bassman 758]

8 hours ago, Catt said:

It takes a rare breed of fisherman using simple techniques to perfection to consistently catch bass.

We've got too many tackle,technique, and lure choices available to us. I find that the more I jump around changing things when I'm not catching are the times I really bomb.

[NHBull 3,001]

I hate it when fish aren’t where they are supposed to be and don’t bite what they should....😂

[Catt 15,244]

When I have one of those days where I've struggled the first thing I look at is a mirror.

 

What conditions did I not read correctly?

 

What helps me a lot & probably many others here is I know a lot of local anglers. I can get a reliable report on any body of water I fish. 

 

If I struggled on Toledo today I'll get 3-4 reports from guys who did well & compare it to what I did. 

 

On the days everything falls into place I'll ask myself on the drive home, how could I have turned a 15# sack into a 20# sack.

 

It's not that I'm doubting myself it's about more input, like it or not but a big part of this game is guessing. We evaluate the current conditions & make an educated guess, sometimes we nail it, sometimes not so much.

[Paul Roberts 1,786]

I guess the trick is to know when we're spinning our wheels. And that can be tough to do. Especially when we are doing much of our research by brail, and educated guesswork.

[Bankbeater 1,837]

There has been a lot of times when I have checked the weather, moon phase, lake conditions, and then looked at my old fishing logs before I have left for a fishing trip.  Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. 

[scaleface 6,039]

I use to over-think the heck  out of bass fishing . Still do at times .

[Sam 4,748]