What is the key to becoming a better fisherman? The best answer I came up with is "Never Stop Learning." Your goal every time you get on the water is try to learn something new or do something better. To help you in this process, think about this before you launch your boat. As is often the case, you may need to bring something with you to help you learn and expand your tactics that day, so think ahead. Thinking more about this, I have come up with a few topics that you can use along the way to help you develop your own plan and put it into motion to become a better fisherman.
Study And Learn A New Tactic or Presentation Each Year
A few new tactics come to the forefront of fishing every year. If you have not kept up with the times, pick a new tactic to learn. In your off time, start researching what you will need to get started. If there is something new, I start by watching a few videos to get an overview. Next, talk to a few fishing friends about this tactic and get a few tips and pieces of info from them to help shorten your learning curve. Once you get on the water, start your day of fishing, and once you have caught a few fish, if the new presentation fits the conditions, try it. If it works well, keep on fishing it. If you do not catch anything with it, do not hesitate to put it down, as it may not be its time. Continue working it into your plan until you can catch fish, gain confidence in the technique, and feel comfortable using it.
Fishing In All Weather Conditions
When it comes to fishing, learn how to fish in all weather conditions. If you want to be a tournament fisherman, you will not have a choice when you can fish; you must be ready to fish in all weather conditions, good and bad. To tell you the truth, this has made me a better fisherman. Now that I have cut back on my tournament days, I can pick and choose when I get out on the water. I am more of a fair-weather fisherman by choice later in my years. If you want to be a better fisherman, learn to fish in all weather conditions, so the only thing you have to contend with on the water is focusing on how to get the fish to bite.
Keep Records Of Your Days On The Water
If you want to shorten your learning curve, keep a record of every day you are on the water. Keep a log of how many fish you caught, where you caught them, and details of how you caught them. Also track weather conditions and water temperatures throughout the season. The log will give you a shortcut for putting patterns together over the years. If you stay diligent about keeping these logs, you will start to see patterns develop and a clearer view of the details and how they can change over the years. It will give you more insight into the bigger picture of what happens over the years, how conditions can change, how bass adjust, and how bites are affected in different bodies of water by these conditions and changes.
As you start to see patterns change, you will gain knowledge in how the bass react and adjust to these changes. I also use these records to look back on the years as a way to help me cope with the long winters we have and not being in the boat all winter long. It helps you to dig deeper into the tactics that work best in your area throughout the season. When is the best time to throw a Texas rig or fish a crankbait on the weedline? You will have all this data at your fingertips after you get a few years under your belt and start breaking it down.
Try To Add A New Piece Of Equipment Each Year
It could be adding a new rod-and-reel setup to your collection, or adding the newest technique or technology to your boat, like Forward Facing Sonar. Make this a well-thought-out process so you can pay the right amount of attention and time to learn this new technology or tactic correctly, rather than just put it on your boat, struggle with it all year, learn nothing about it, and end up wasting your time. Often, equipment investments require a lot of your attention. Try to attend a few seminars in your area to not only show what your new depth finder or equipment can do, but also to share shortcuts for running it. If it is electronics, you can often attend seminars at Sport Shows or dealer open houses. If you are looking for more of a one-on-one teaching experience at the sports show, ask dealers if they know anyone who does on-the-water training, where they get into your boat, set up your units, and then teach you how to run what you have. It will cut your learning curve in half and give you very good insight to help you expand and improve what you have invested your hard-earned money in.
Attend Fishing Seminars
Try to attend a few fishing seminars each year to gain insight into proven fishing techniques in your area. Many local sports shows have local and national speakers each year. National speakers will give you general information, while local anglers can give you better information about your local fishing patterns and waters. All these many times will add up to you catching more fish over time. Local boat and tackle dealers are another source to keep an eye on, as they may have their own pro staff members who will lead many of these seminars. It is another way to get better local fishing techniques and information. Most often, these seminars are free for customers to attend.
Join A Local Bass Club
In my early years, when I got the bass-fishing bug, I got a lot of my early information about fishing from a few friends. I also got a ton of information from In-Fisherman magazine and other fishing books and publications. Where I really started to ignite my passion for fishing was when I joined a local bass club. Yes, I knew a few things about catching bass, but there were better anglers in the bass club that I joined, and I used that to my benefit.
During club meetings, I would ask questions to help build my basic bass-building blocks, but it was during club tournaments that I was able to expand my bass knowledge manyfold. I had a one-on-one with anglers who were better at catching bass than I was. Soon, I started fishing more with other fishermen, and my knowledge and skills quickly improved. After a few years, I started winning club tournaments, and I translated that success into local money tournaments, which then grew into regional tournaments, with more wins along the way. Looking back, it has come down to these early years, when I started bass fishing, that have set me on this path to what I have accomplished today.
YouTube Videos
Watching today’s YouTube videos is one of the best ways to get insight and information on all of the current baits and tactics, how to, and the best part, you can do all this and never leave your house, that is, until you head to your favorite water source to practice what you have just learned. I even use YouTube as a learning platform to find new tactics and information about new waters and techniques. Use this to your benefit; this will cut your learning curve in half. Watch a few videos, take a few notes, and get the baits or terminal tackle you need, then head to your local waters and start working on the newest technique to add to your bass-fishing arsenal.
All the ideas I have talked about will help you come up with additional tactics to put into motion to become a better fisherman.
