Do as I say, Not as I do has never been more true than when it comes to fishing!
I spent a few weeks fishing stock pond trout and, routinely, failed to get my limit. In fact, I frequently failed to even catch one. I became rather hard on myself for being so unsuccessful. That was when I began racking my brain for answers as to what I was doing wrong. It got to the point that I almost didn’t want to keep trout fishing…Almost.
I have close to 20 ponds and rivers within a “close” area to choose from when fishing for stocked trout, but AJ and I had chosen 4 locations for this year. There were two we knew very well from our past years of fishing. Two selections were new challenges. We make a point of fishing new waterways at least 4 times a year and this years trout drops seemed to be an excellent opportunity for continuing this challenge.–The problem became apparent almost instantly.–AJ and I each have our three “go-to” methods for catching stock pond trout. We have been very successful with it and fell into the angler’s inevitable trap. We stuck to those methods we “knew” to be tried and true and refused to waver from our convictions.
If you’d like to hear more about what we’ve learned from trout, and fishing in general, check out Just Do It
The true challenge to fishing; the only truth to the fishing process; is that there is one golden rule every angler must follow if she hopes to continue growing. It’s necessary to maintain a successful routine and gain stronger fishing skills. What is that golden rule?
Flexibility in all that is fishing!
You must be flexible to learn to fish. Is your new boyfriend or your grandpa an avid fisherman who swears by this “one and only” method for catching that giant bass. Have you watched video after video of popular and famous fishermen who swear by this one color jig for all their crappie adventures. Or is your stumbling block that you caught 20 trout last season on this one rooster tail so that’s what you’re going to use this year? None of these mindsets are flexible. When you fall into the trap of rigidity, you will find yourself in a metaphorical vat of quicksand almost instantly.
If you’re new to fishing, check out The Three Rules for Becoming a Successful Angler.
When you’re learning to fish with a new style; say a bait caster when you’ve only used spinning rods, or you’re using a jerkbait or Alabama rig for the first time; you will often gravitate to one clear example that resonates with you. It could be that you watched a tutorial that broke the process down step by step in a way that you could easily wrap your mind around and the very first time you went out to try that method, it worked for you, so you have stuck hard and fast to that method ever since. Why could that possibly be a problem?
Without flexibility, you will get stuck
Inevitably, you’ll come across that one fish, spillway, or mysterious river that just doesn’t work like it’s “supposed” to. This is when you must remember: even though it’s not right for you, it’s still right. Nature doesn’t make mistakes. Us humans expect consistency. That is why we are so dependent on consistency and reliability. Animals have a very different perspective on life. They don’t expect tomorrow to be 51 with 10 miles an hour north winds and no clouds in the sky. They don’t know the sun comes up at 538 and will set at 623. What does a fish know? The light above the water is bright and hurts my eyes so I need shade; the water by this rock is hot and uncomfortable but I’ll be comfortable in that deep hole I found a few tail flicks back that way because the water was nice and cool.
Our dependence on conformity and rigid consistency sways our perspective on the wildness around us. Nature is where we learn to let go of that drive for consistency. It is where we learn to explore new options, methods, and environments. Some will be comfortable and easy to embrace, like the deep hole the fish finds to cool down. Others will be unsettling, maybe even a little scary. What matters, if you truly want to build yourself up to being the best woman of the outdoors that you can be, is to embrace the flexibility of every adventure you set out to complete.
How do you do this?
First, you have to determine what you’re doing. Say, you have been fishing for 5 years and you’ve caught 10 pike at the local lake every year during those five years. This year, though, you decided to go to a river that feeds into your lake. Same water, kind of; same fish, for the most part; same county; so you should be able to fish the same way…right? The real answer is, maybe. If it works, great. But, if it doesn’t work, instead of falling into the ditch I got myself trapped in, ask yourself what. Not what are you doing wrong. What can you do different?
Now here’s the real kink in the line. Don’t ask yourself what grandpa would have done. Don’t ask your boyfriend what he wants you do do. Ask yourself what you are seeing. This is where the real learning process begins. It is in this step that you find your own flexibility. If you see your target fish reacting to a lure you “always” use, but you’re missing the hookset, use your own instincts. Do you think a smaller hook might help, or a larger one? Could it be that you’re using a mosquito hook but you should really be using a treble hook? Maybe your fish are checking out your power bait but not biting. Do you have something with you that might be unique enough for them to be willing to take a taste?
Think Outside The Box!
AJ and I were fishing for bluegill once. We were using the same nightcrawlers we’d used a hundred times before. The worms were the same size we’ve always used in that pond. We couldn’t get a bight for anything. Two hours later, we could still see the creatures swimming around. They’d even stop, back up, and go around our hooks rather than take a bite. I had switched to jig hooks with tiny little scented plastics. AJ had tried crickets. Nothing was working. AJ took a break to eat her lunch while I kept at it. I was determined to get them to bite.
The mistake AJ and I had made, we had our three go-to methods for fishing bluegill and nothing was going to sway us from that mission. The reality, we needed a new method. We needed to find something they weren’t used to. AJ accidentally dropped a piece of her jerky into the water as she was leaning over the rail. The bluegill went wild. For the next hour we were catching bluegill almost as fast as we were casting. Why? Because we finally realized we weren’t being flexible.
Your Assignment
The next time you go fishing and your go to setup isn’t catching your target fish. Stop fishing completely. Put your pole down, completely out of reach. Then watch the water. Think about the animals in there. Consider what they are thinking. The old adage “think like a fish” isn’t all that far off. If you were in that water, what would you be feeling and thinking?
It seems strange before you do it. It’s even stranger the first time or two that you try to do it. The more you practice though, the more successful you will become. For the final step of your assignment, pick the most outrageous and strange solution you can think of and try it. This isn’t about being successful at catching the fish you’ve been missing on your first attempt. This is about being successful at giving yourself room to be flexible. The more you learn to be flexible; the more you allow yourself to be flexible, the easier the process will become and the more overall success you will have.