The guys that are consistently great that are always in the money...   Do you feel it's because they are really good at 3 or 4 techniques and can catch fish on those techniques anywhere in the country or is it because they are good at everything all the time? Dumb question I know... do you think it's better to learn three or four ways to catch fish or does one need to learn to fish anything and everything? 

If you are only really good at 3-4 things, you won’t always be in the money. When conditions get tough, and your 3-4 go to patterns aren’t working, you’d better be able to have other things to rely on to keep you cashing a check.

I think it’s less about technique and more about being able to consistently locate active fish in any season on any body of water. 

I'm more or less thinking each fisherman has his own preferred bag of tricks.

 

I don't think any fisherman is excellent at every technique all the time. I think we all tend to focus in on a limited number of techniques more so than trying to do it all.

 

I'm in my 60's now and getting lazier about it. Sometimes when I go fishing it is just one rod and one bag of goodies that fits in my pocket. If I catch fish, then fine. If not that's fine too. I just enjoy the swinging away at it. Catching is nice too.

 

But when money is on the line the guys who have a limited bag of tricks will try and expand out to more while I don't think some of them really want to do that. More or less compelled to do it.

The most important things are to be able to locate the fish, and to be able to confidently adapt to conditions. 
 

Everyone has their own pet techniques  that they can adapt to work just about anywhere. 

I agree the most important thing by far is to be able to locate fish.  As far as techniques are concerned,  I'm in the camp that you need to be really good at the techniques you use.  You can win a tournament with only one technique.  You can't win them all on the same technique but no one wins them all.  Being mediocre at many techniques might get you in the top 50 most of the time but it's not a winning strategy in my opinion.  When I'm on fish I feel like I'm dialed into where the fish are,  what they're doing,  and how I can use my skills to catch them.  It's never about finding the right lure or techique.  That's the way I approach the sport.  YMMV.

1 hour ago, Jar11591 said:

I think it’s less about technique and more about being able to consistently locate active fish in any season on any body of water. 

We have a winner.

I think you’ll find that the one thing they have in common is that they spend more time on the water than others.  

I can't believe no one has mentioned the technology aspect of this yet.

My Nephew is a Pro and he catches fish anywhere and everywhere he fishes. Many a time not enough weight to win but he catches fish. His strength is he can read the conditions consistently and can figure out a technique that works.

 

Asking for help is like pulling teeth but he always offers, “get on the water”. Much like golf where the answer “is in the dirt” with fishing the answer is on the water as @TOXIC stated.

All good answers above and they all apply. 
 

Another thing that’s equally if not more important than a few things already said, is the ability to identify a pattern as it happens and to take advantage of it every time. 

The ability to Improvise, Overcome and Adapt is paramount to be consistently in the money considering the different types of waters you’ll fish in. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

1 hour ago, gim said:

I can't believe no one has mentioned the technology aspect of this yet.

Really the technology angle shouldn’t come into play until much later in the conversation.

 

I’ve got a friend that usually doesn’t even turn his graphs on, unless he’s way up in the river channel. He says the sonar signals spook the fish too much, and I’ve lost to him enough times to not question his theories.
 

This guy also spends so much time on the water that he’s on a first name basis with the fish, which helps tremendously.

11 hours ago, ElGuapo928 said:

I’ve got a friend that usually doesn’t even turn his graphs on, unless he’s way up in the river channel. He says the sonar signals spook the fish too much, and I’ve lost to him enough times to not question his theories.

I will never ever believe this. From personal experience and to the fact you have a TM down in the water making all kinds of disruption. Ice fishing with a flasher would never work either. 
 

I think most good fisherman identify patterns faster. Replicate the patterns better. Eliminate water quick. Leaving FFS out most already use their electronics way more efficient than others.
 

 Fishing for money is no different than trying to make a career in a different sport. You play high school football hoping to get a scholarship to a big college. They are bigger, faster, stronger. Then you play college hoping to get drafted and the next level is bigger, faster, stronger.
 

I am willing to bet even the guy at the bottom of AOY will go and clean up everyone at your local Tuesday nighter without a day on the water there. Pros are pros for a reason in any sport. Hard work and time will make you better. It will never be better than talent and hard work. 
 

 

I might have should have been more specific in my original post. I know the pros are elite and on another level. When I say "tournament guys" I mean the average joe tournament guy who always seems to get a check...  How do those guys do it? 

I know what you meant.
Pros don’t have any magic powers.
As I said, just a higher tuned ability to Improvise Overcome and Adapt to identify and capitalize on every emerging pattern. 
 

They put the puzzle of clarity, depth, cover, structure, habits, wind, etc etc together more accurately and faster than most amateurs. 

No substitute for experience and time on the water. 
 

 

 

Mike

19 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

I think it’s less about technique and more about being able to consistently locate active fish in any season on any body of water. 

This is the differentiator. Some guys just seem to have a nose for where the fish and how to land on them… consistently better than the rest. 
 

@RHuff I would say it still all applies. Just the higher the level the higher the skill and the more skill you are fishing against. 

It’s a mindset. Once you get “it”, you know it…whether you’re aware or not. People forget there are weekend guys that can and would hang with pro fisherman. It’s just not everyone’s bag to tournament fish and while you may be competitive on the water, it’s not “that” serious to you.

 

I can’t overstate confidence in all things fishing. Like I’ve said before, if people could be in my mind on the water, you’d likely laugh at my mindset. I’m forced to fish mostly smack dab 9-5 or 10-6 most every trip, so it’s forced me to be better than average if I don’t wanna be another shore casualty who just stands there and doesn’t make any adjustments. You HAVE to believe YOU will figure out something even if others haven’t. I always always fish this way and I very rarely get shut out

5 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

 

I am willing to bet even the guy at the bottom of AOY will go and clean up everyone at your local Tuesday nighter without a day on the water there. 
 

 

That would be an interesting wager actually. There’s a lot of “Tuesday Night” guys that clean the “big” pros’ clocks at the US Open every year, but don’t have the resources or desire to go touring. Hell, Aaron Martens came from backseating with his mom and questioning Dick Trask.

 

 

No one trick ponies anymore but at that level, better have absolutely solid electronics and know how to use them. 

6 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

I am willing to bet even the guy at the bottom of AOY will go and clean up everyone at your local Tuesday nighter without a day on the water there. Pros are pros for a reason in any sport. Hard work and time will make you better. It will never be better than talent and hard work. 

I beat a local pro who has won on the Bassmaster tour and was a past AOY winner, in a team tournament, from a 2 man, on his home lake that I only got to occasionally fish because it's a private, country club lake.

 

The pros try to jump into local jackpots all the time, and they do win some, but more often than not, the local guys take their money. Time on the water and knowledge of the local bite and conditions is a huge factor in catching fish. 

41 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I beat a local pro who has won on the Bassmaster tour and was a past AOY winner, in a team tournament, from a 2 man, on his home lake that I only got to occasionally fish because it's a private, country club lake.

Personally, I am not the least bit surprised by that.  I do realize by now, the following is not your style.  However by all rights, you certainly could have started the quoted paragraph with "Being a Wicked Good Stick Myself . . . ."

A-Jay

I’d actually love to see a lot of them up there in the current AOY standings come out and fish a local jackpot tournament on pretty much any lake in the country and just see how the leaderboards work out. 

3 hours ago, F14A-B said:

No one trick ponies anymore but at that level, better have absolutely solid electronics and know how to use them. 

 

Most boats showing up to the Tuesday night derbies where I am look like they belong on the Elites now.  They are 20 foot glass rigs with 5 enormous graphs.

 

I hate how the pro-level style of fishing has filtered all the way down to the local level at the smallest scale.

 

It's like whoever can rig their boat with the latest and greatest are the ones who can compete most consistently nowadays.

 

Some limitations at the local level would do some good IMO

1 hour ago, ElGuapo928 said:

I’d actually love to see a lot of them up there in the current AOY standings come out and fish a local jackpot tournament on pretty much any lake in the country and just see how the leaderboards work out. 

Wheeler does it all the time on chickamauga, you can guess how he usually does haha