I don't know about you, but I'm constantly amazed at how much information is transmitted through the touch and feel of my rods and line. Granted, it comes with experience but it is amazing nonetheless. For example, I can feel when even a small blade of grass gets caught on one of my baits because I can feel the change in the way the bait moves through the water. Or I can feel the difference when the bait bounces off a branch, a log, or a rock as each sends different feedback up the line.

 

Or then there's the fish that I catch. Once the hook is set I can usually tell what's on the other end of the line because bass, crappie, catfish, and bream or bluegill all feel and react differently.

 

Touch involves casting as well. As a bank fisherman I can't always get as close as I want to cast to a particular area, so long casting is an important part of my fishing game. Now I'm not dropping baits into coffee cans at 110 feet, but I usually hit my marks. But I do this without thinking about casting angle, force applied, or when to thumb the reel to drop the bait 6 inches from the bank. It all just happens.

 

And then there's bite detection, but that's a different chapter.

 

I think that after a while most of us take this touch and feel stuff for granted. But when you really think about it, the amount of feedback we get through our lines, rods, and fingers is all just amazing.

Or feel a fish swirl on a crankbait or spinnerbait . I use to tell my uncle that one just swirled on my bait and he would not believe me . He doesnt have the feel for the  lure most of us have .

Yup!

When it comes to having to "think about it", I remember when I was skiing. You had to practice and gain experience to run down a black diamond slope. It was necessary to do this without thinking about everything that was involved. In fact, if you became spooked and lose confidence while traveling down the mountain, that run was over. 

 

The many skills involved in fishing are similar in their learned skills. Many senses become automatic. Think back to when those skills weren't!

 

 

Karl