One fish is not enough to establish anything that would constitute a “pattern” –something repeatable, by definition. I can guess why Mattlures says “1” and that’s bc he’s a trophy fish expert. He’s looking for the often rare big bite. But for anglers trying to put a numbers catch together (say, a limit) it helps to get enough of a bead on what a good number of fish are doing during the time you’re out there, to put a good catch together. There can be any number of combinations of things that put fish in the boat, and lots of combinations that won’t.
One fish could be a complete fluke. A pattern is something you can repeat. That’s what you are hunting for. You’ll know you’ve got a solid consistent pattern going when you’ve got several in the boat. Then you assess whether you want to continue hammering away, maybe fine tuning things to catch even more, or maybe look for another combination that puts even larger fish in the boat.
There is no magic number that says you’re onto something. You’ll know it when you find it. It’s when you stop hunting and start catching.
Often it’s a rate of catch: 3 fish over 3 hours isn’t providing much. The number may vary too, depending on the quality of the fishery, the time of year, the sky and water conditions, angling pressure, etc.. What's satisfying depends on what you're trying to accomplish: have some fun, vie for a top spot in a tournament, catch a trophy, ....
Oh yes, search presentations are usually just those that allow you to cover water to locate fish, since fish are almost never equally distributed. Usually these are “faster” presentations but not always. Some locations and conditions require a slower or more targeted approach right at the outset. Being versatile in approach and arsenal, and recognizing appropriate circumstances to apply that versatility allows more experienced anglers to “dial in” quicker to the tempo of the day.
Hope this helps.
