Does Getting Skunked Bother You?

[wngan9447]

When I first started fishing seriously about 3 months ago, I use to get very annoyed/aggravated if I didn't get any bites. After a few months of learning religiously on this forum and through fishing, i've been pretty successful with landing decent fish just about everytime i go out.

 

So it hit me last night. My girlfriend asked if I caught anything. I said no, the fish just wasn't in the mood to bite. No frustration.

 

It might just be confidence thing. After trying wacky style, texas style, walking the frog..... if nothing bites, it's ok.

 

Anyone feel like this or am I crazy? When I had the fishing bug, I litterally hit the water about 4-5 times a week. Did that for 2 months.

[AK-Jax86]

It depends if I am by myself or fishing with someone else. If I am by myself and I get skunked I get mad/frustrated but if I am fishing with someone and I get skunked and they are catching fish I am cool with that.

But to me I'd rather go out and not get a single bite than go out and see a bunch of fish and have a bunch of missed hook sets and not land a single fish

[aquaholic]

when i get skunked, i do get a little irritated because i start to question what im doing wrong. IMO the fish are always biting just not what im throwing. Before i joined this forum it was extremely rare if i caught anything, i never got frustrated because i went home empty more days than not.

[Nice_Bass]

It depends if I am by myself or fishing with someone else. If I am by myself and I get skunked I get mad/frustrated but if I am fishing with someone and I get skunked and they are catching fish I am cool with that.

But to me I'd rather go out and not get a single bite than go out and see a bunch of fish and have a bunch of missed hook sets and not land a single fish

I am the opposite actually.  By myself I usually am big bait/big fish fishing and can go without a fish.  When I have someone with me and somehow we get skunked I am mad as I was supposed to put them on fish.

[Felix77]

When I first started it was easy to use the "I'm a noob" excuse and not get frustrated.  As I gained more experience I would get frustrated if I happened to get skunked.  At some point though I realized that I wasn't taking the opportunity to learn from my mistakes.  Not only did I begin improving much quicker but I found I was getting skunked a lot less.

 

I swear that fish can sense stress through my rod, into the line and on the bait.  LOL

[AK-Jax86]

I am the opposite actually. By myself I usually am big bait/big fish fishing and can go without a fish. When I have someone with me and somehow we get skunked I am mad as I was supposed to put them on fish.

If I am with someone and we both get skunked then I get mad, but if it's only me who gets skunked and they are catching fish I don't get mad. I just like to see a fish out the water everytime I go out, that's the goal, so if its someone else pulling em out then I'm cool

[flyfisher]

I get ticked when i get skumked.  Luckily i haven;t been skunked in a very long time except when the water temps drop in the high 30's low 40's.  To me it is more about being mad at myself for not figuring it out on a given day.  There are always fish teo be caught somewhere in any condition and i want to be able to catch those fish. 

 

All of this only applies to lakes i fish regularly....on new water it is a little different story as usually my first trip out is as much exploratory as anything because being in a kayak i can't just zoom from spot to spot.  By taking a little non-fihsing time it helps me on my next trip out to eliminate spots i don't feel will be as productive.

[JunkYard814]

I mean I'd always rather catch fish than not, but anytime I get out on the water, I enjoy it regardless of the outcome. It helps me get away from work, school and what not. It's a mental rest for me. 

[MIbassin]

ill get mad if i get skunked when i drive 3 hours to a fishing location and get nothing

[bluezed]

I fish because it's relaxing and therapeutic.  I get away from the stress of work and life in general to enjoy some peace and quiet on the water or on the shore.  I think if ever starts to frustrate me I will need to step back and reevaluate what I'm doing.

[Raul]

I´m 49, I´ve been fishing since I was 9, 4 decades, wow !, looking at it from that perspective ....... man I´m getting "old" and what I do ? well, I go FISHING , where it´s guaranteed in the word you will be catching fish ? You go out there and try to catch fish in a way that by no means gurantees you´ll catch them. That´s why it´s called "fishing" and not called "catching fish"

 

Certainty when fishing is that sometimes you will catch fish and sometimes you won´t, life is too short to bother about not catching fish ( getting skunked ), better enjoy you were doing something you like ---> fishing. There are a lot of satisfactory and enjoyable things in fishing.

[aceman387]

I don't get angry if I get skunked. I fish solo most of the time out in my kayak and I enjoy the peace and tranquility of being out in nature. I look it as being my quiet time with God.

[aqualkinbush]

 I don't get mad if I get skunked once but if I go out and get skunked 2-3 times in a row then I get mad.

[OkeechobeeAngler]

Nope. I only get more determined to figure them out. As stated above been doing this 4 decades and It's relaxing, Same with hunting. I enjoy the solitude in the outdoors. 

[fstr385]

depends. if it was for a short time, I shrug n leave. If I woke up at 4 am with 4 hours of sleep and drove triple digit miles to get an early start, spent triples digits in gas, and bake in the sun all day to get jack.. or even just a few, Im mad!! For sure!

[Daniel My Brother]

Yes

[BassinLou]

Wngan, great question. The timing of this question is a good one. Before, when I bass fish alone and I get skunked (which is rare) I had an oh well attitude. Recently, however, that has changed. We have a friendly tournament going on in Fl, and I am not doing to well. In grand scheme of things its not a big deal, but it bugs me that when its time to showcase my skillset although friendly, I am missing the mark. The good news, and I realize it now, the experience is making me a better bass fisherman.

[wngan9447]

Wngan, great question. The timing of this question is a good one. Before, when I bass fish alone and I get skunked (which is rare) I had an oh well attitude. Recently, however, that has changed. We have a friendly tournament going on in Fl, and I am not doing to well. In grand scheme of things its not a big deal, but it bugs me that when its time to showcase my skillset although friendly, I am missing the mark. The good news, and I realize it now, the experience is making me a better bass fisherman.

 

I agree that competition definitely adds or creates emotions.

 

Just like most of us, if I am driving far and spending some dough on gas.... i would definietly be ticked. I like seeing the competitiveness out of us. I believe it's what drives us to learn and better ourselves.

 

At the end of the day, make sure we all enoy the sport. It is meant to relax us at times.... or a reason to escape from the house.

[pdmc1]

If I get skunked I just remember my dad always tells me its called fishing not catching lol so I really don't let it get to me

[stk]

If I get skunked, I don't get mad, I chaulk it up to learning.  And the other posters were right, it's called fishing and not catching.

[MichBassMan]

Nope, not unless it's in a tournament, then I get crabby.

[loudcherokee]

I usually just make sure I don't get skunked.

I do that by always taking live bait with me. If after 4-5 hours of walking the banks throwing various lures and plastics doesn't produce a bass, I grab my spinning rod and throw a nightcrawler on and usually end up with some sunfish or catfish or something. Fishing is enjoyable for me just being outdoors and enjoying the peace and quiet.

LC

[moguy1973]

I always say, A bad day fishing is way better than a good day at work!

[GoneFishi'n]

It really depends on how far I ride my bike, or how long I'm out there. If I'm fishing big baits like a Huddleston 8", I'm fine getting skunked because I know when I do get one, its a brute. But if I'm fishing just to catch fish and don't come out with anything, I get a little ticked but I look at all the things I did wrong and adjust. I've been catching them a lot latley and some big ones so when I skunk, I will remember those fish I caught and that I will get some bigger ones sometime. I really just like being out on the water, it takes any stress away and makes me think about my life and where I want to go with it. I really just love being outdoors.

[CPBassFishing]

It kinda depends. If I am pond hopping and I fish one pond for an hour and get skunked there I go to a different pond. I get skunked occasionally at one pond, but I hardly ever get skunked in a day of fishing. If I fish multiple ponds in a day and get skunked (highly unusual), then I get frustrated.