Rick Clunn's Zen

[Weapon X]

I was reading a magazine online about Rick Clunn and his Zen approach to fishing. I found the "fish the moment" philosophy very helpful. This has peaked my interest in this approach. Anyone here ever employ this and other tactics when bass fishing?

[deaknh03]

I believe it is best to employ any practice such as this to your entire life, and it will naturally translate to fishing.

[roadwarrior]

No

[Kevinator1]

Ummmm....no I haven't tried this. No disrespect to Mr. Clunn but I saw an outdoor show that had him and others on the ground crawling around trying to become one with nature........Now I'm no expert on Zen but it really seemed a little bit on the nutty side to me. And if you have seen some of RC's interviews in the last couple of years, there's something not right there. Just saying. I believe you can improve your fishing by understanding your surroundings but nothing beats more time on the water and paying attention to the normal details.

[Weapon X]

That reminds me of something Plato said " The mark of an educated mind is to entertain a thought without accepting it". Point well taken gentlemen.

[WRB]

It's hard to argu Rick Clunn's success, harder yet to accept unconventional thinking. Zen is eastern and I don't mean east coast of the North America. We have a lot to learn from other civilizations in medicain and nature. The American Indian developed an appreciation for their spirite, becoming one with their environment.

Zen is Ricks way of being focused or in the zone. With the pressure of catching bass for a living, being focused on what is going on around you helps to figure out the activity level of the ecosystem and knowing when the bass will be active and where and eliminates a lot of distractions.

Watching the sun rise and the activity in the water and animals around the shoreline to determine if the ecosystem is active is one of the joys of fishing, staying in tune takes a lot of dedication and practice and Rick Clunn is the master.

Tom

[SirSnookalot]

" Be the ball".........Chevy Chase in Caddyshack.

Pure nonsense! Learning the characteristics of your quarry, understanding the water, baitfish, birds, weather and experience will catch fish of any species.

A Buddhist monk may help with ones inner spirituality, but it won't catch you any more fish.

[West Coast Bass]

i totally dig the zen fishing idea and have taken this approach to golf for years. When I am on the water, I always try to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible. living in the moment, not getting down on one's self, and the ability to keep grinding is what fishing is all about.

to each his own, i don't think there is any underlying spirituality involved, but it sure beats clouding your head with unnecesary negativity. that is the worst thing you could do to yourself. stay positive and the fish will come.

[Sam]

If it works for you then do it.

No, I don't do Zen or any other type of meditation.

Can't give you any pros or cons about the subject.

[Will Wetline]

Please, don't anyone get spooked by Eastern philosophy!

"Zen and the Art of . . . " has been so overused as to become meaningless, much like the overuse of the word "awesome."

What meditation does is calm you down and helps you focus on whatever it is that's in front of you at the moment. You don't need to put on a robe and chant in a foreign language.

The great Rick Clunn understood the value of clear thinking - a mind uncluttered by all the hype and hoohah that we're exposed to on a daily basis - back in the '70s and investigated different means, different schools of thought to put the mind at ease so he could more fully concentrate on the conditions at hand.

My friends in fishing, we're not talking any sort of mysticism; we're talking mental clarity.

[Weapon X]

Any man named Greatest Angler of all Time may have a few pearls of wisdom to pass along to the rest of us. I guess you take what benefits you and forego the rest. I don't subscribe to everything he says but then again who does? Speaking of "The Greatest" I'm sure if polled all of us would have varied opinions of who we have learned the most from. All the greats bring their unique strength which benefits those of us who try to imitate certain techniques they use. Who is the most consistent in catching them in any condition or season? KVD, Chris Lane, Skeet Reese , Ish Monroe, Ike , or Gerald Swindle? This list could be expanded to former pros or current ones depending on perspective . Thanks for the comments ,I learn something each time I visit this site

or post on the forum.

[hooah212002]

I am remiss to ascribe "spirituality" to anything at all, but the core of the idea, one of not having a clouded mind when performing a task and merely concentrating on what you are doing, is something I think we all do to a certain extent. Some people just ascribe that to something "spiritual", whatever that means. There is nothing metaphysical about it. If you concentrate on the task you are performing, you will do better than if you are thinking about other things. Simple as that. The opposite of what this "zen fishing" is, IMO, would be to just toss your bait anywhere and pay no attention to how you work it, if there are likely to be fish there or what presentation the fish want. It doesn't take meditation or "zen" to understand the biology and habits of fish. That said, if meditation or whatever works for you, fine. Just don't tell others that they are wrong or misguided if they don't buy into it. No one worldview is universal. Human beings are far too unique.