I focused on two individual sports growing up. Both required extreme discipline, time, and dedication in order to become truly proficient. Gravity was the most consistently dangerous component of one, and in the other it was literally getting beaten up and humbled for many years by people with greater strength, size, and skill. The only people who lasted were the ones who understood completely that steel hardens steel, and fully accepted that fact. This requires a hardness of mind that either exists in a person or it doesn't. It must be present somewhere in your head before you even walk through the door.

 

Clearly no person needs to have put themselves through anything like I've described above in order to have the head for bass fishing, but it does require a dose of mental steeliness, especially if you live near tough fisheries. If you view bass fishing as a fight with endless rounds, we as bass fisherman lose rounds, and sometimes many in a row. Some people smile through it, and others don't do as well.

 

Two guys I fish with occasionally don't do well with getting skunked. No yelling, screaming, or throwing themselves, but they really wear it on their faces. It really, really kills them. With one, he gets really quiet and stops laughing at anything funny. Almost pouty. No, actually pouty. The other gets seriously PO'd and hides it best as he can, but he mumbles his discontent under his breath with pursed lips. I can tell he's outraged. LOL! Personally, I take the skunk in stride. Grinding is simply part of the equation and, for me, it's just another round in an endless fight. I know I'm going to win my fair share, and win big sometimes, so it bounces right off. I've been here before doing other things, and I know for a fact that I'm getting better and better over time. Bumps, bruises, and the occasional black eye are simply the price paid to play the game, even if the pain is manifested only between one's ears.

 

So, how about you? Are you Zen about getting skunked, or do you go full Iaconelli, or somewhere in between? Tell the truth.

Some days nothing works you and the skunk shows. It’s fishing and not catching for a reason?

Tom

I read this thread pretty early.

 

Uh, I used to be pretty bad. Felt entitled and stuff. 
 

I am much better now if it happens. Don’t throw much of a fuss. Not sure what caused the change in behavior but I ain’t the same person I used to be. 

 

 

if i'm fishing a tournament and skunk out, i'd get pretty upset. not to the point of where i am raging, but a huge sense of disappointment at least for the rest of the day lol. if i'm fun fishing, not so much. either way, i'm out enjoying the outdoors, and it sure beats a day at work!

How do I deal with it? I expect it. So if I dont get skunked my day just got that much better. win win lol

If I'm getting skunked it means it's nice out and I'm sitting on the water with my son..... I really wish I had the opportunity to go get skunked today...

2 minutes ago, EWREX said:

if i'm fishing a tournament and skunk out, i'd get pretty upset.

That's understandable. It changes the dynamic. Betting on sports does something similar., so I don't.

I honestly don't remember the last time I got completely skunked.  

Watch MLF, every top pro who fishes this series ends up skunked at times, couldn’t catch a single 1 lb bass?

Tom

 

As I stated in another thread....I'm out to enjoy the quiet time on the water....if I catch something, it's a bonus.

 

So being skunked isn't a bad thing, it's just a thing.

Its been a while since I got completely skunked while bass fishing, but I have a college friend I fish with about twice a season that turns into a debbie downer when the bite is slow too.  It doesn't take long for him to make a comment either.  "They sure are jumping in the boat today" or "are the fish still sleeping" or some smart ass comment like that under his breath.  I try to coach him out of it with verbal positivity lol.  Usually we do at least catch a few fish, but his patience wears really thin quickly.  I don't ever expect him to take up deer hunting.

 

I get skunked almost every time when I go muskie fishing.  That isn't unusual at all.  In fact, if you even see one during the outing that's considered pretty good.  If you boat one or two fish a season that's a solid season.

It happens and life goes on

Usually only happens if I'm experimenting and in that case, it's nbd.

For me, it is more of a situational thing. I have certain expectations for different times of the year, weather, amount of time I spend on the water, etc. So I guess it would depend on my expectations going in. I know some days are going to be tough and sometimes there isn't much we can do to change that. It's those days were you think today is going to be good and nothing works that leave you scratching your head.

It happens. I've often come home wishing I'd caught fish, but I've never come home wishing I hadn't gone fishing.

Almost never occurs to me, so the one or two times a year it does are more like curious novelties to me, so no big deal. Nine times out of ten it’s because conditions were so ridiculously bad, I half didn't expect to get a bite - more like a personal challenge to see if I could. 

If getting skunked means I didn't catch a fish, it happens on occasion.  I take it as an opportunity to learn what's not working.   This is sometimes more valuable than finding something that does.  At this moment, the water on the Chain is in the fifties.  Every snow bird from Minnesota to the Carolinas is here running up and down the lakes.  Pontoon boats full of snow white people are a never ending stream.  This place is a zoo.  I went out last Friday and caught nothing.  This told me it is time to fish my backup lakes.  That is one of the advantages of fishing in Florida as there are so many options.  

I take it in stride as with most things in life.....ain't worth getting excited over. 

BUT!! I don't go around broadcasting it either. 

Load the boat, store the tackle, and walk the bank till I find a grasshopper.

Try and learn from the day and become a better fisherman from it

Most if not all the great ones in any sport or competition have something in common, They hate losing more than they like winning. I never had that, one could argue I was a horrible competitor, even though I excelled at running, tennis and cycling. I was just not continually motivated. That being said, every so often, I would for one reason or another get really motivated and focused, and it showed. Same with fishing, If I don't catch fish (doesn't happen often), or lose a fish (also), for the most part it doesn't bother me, though when it does, it really does, with no rhyme or reason. It does bother me if I feel I did something obviously wrong, but even then, its usually not anything. 

18 minutes ago, billmac said:

It happens. I've often come home wishing I'd caught fish, but I've never come home wishing I hadn't gone fishing.

Quote of the day!

 

 

10 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

I went out last Friday and caught nothing.  This told me it is time to fish my backup lakes.  That is one of the advantages of fishing in Florida as there are so many options. 

The best big bass lakes in my area have a no boats policy, so it's the bank or wade where you can. None are loaded, but I rarely catch dinks in them. 2lb + is average, but up to 8lbers live there. That's a monster up here. They're tough waters for anyone I know, and the bucket brigades are relentless, but the juice is worth the squeeze, even if that means getting skunked sometimes. However, we have a few hidden spots that are very difficult to get into by any means, but they have stunted populations. No problem knocking off 20 during a quick session with the best being maybe 3lbs. My buddy calls these "Mental Health" spots. He uses them as therapy more than I do. I'd rather fail big with the chance of winning big.

 

Skunked? What is that? ? Seriously, like @WRB said, it happens to everyone including the top pro's. Watching the MLF format made me feel better about my skillset. Those guys get skunked on WAY better lakes than I get to fish. Normally happens to me a few times a year, and it's usually when the water's frigid and I know it's gonna be tough going into it. 

 No big deal. It's gonna happen. I don't view it as a negative. I just try to learn something from the day.

I noted in @Mobasser "success" thread that 

my true measure of success,

only happens a few times each season and 

has to equate to trophy brown bass.

So while getting a few smaller fish is totally cool,

and way better than not being able to put anything together to generate even a single bite,

'getting skunked' is part of this for me.

Some trips I go out totally expecting to get blanked, especially when I'm in RECON mode. 

When this happens, I do not consider that time a failure, per se.

Instead it's merely a stepping stone.

Just one more day closer to the parade.

Because as long as I keep my head down and fish hard,

it's just a matter of time.

A-Jay