Does Getting Skunked Bother You?

[TC235 <*))))><]

Yes especially if im on a boat with the whole BOW available to me.  As silly as it can be to others it will bother me... Even fun fishing. Only certain days when NOBODY can get bit i will let it go. It's kinda funny too cause as said above some actually hate getting a bite and losing it. Ovb no ones gonna like loosing a fish, but to me as long as it wasn't a 6lb+ bass i don't mind... IMO it means im at least doing something right.

[BadContrakt]

Typically I just get irritated slightly. More days than not I come home with stories for my girlfriend of the fish I, or we, caught. The days I come home and didn't see any fish or even any SIGNS of fish I get slightly irritated but it never lasts longer than a few minutes. Like last night, for example, two buddies and myself took my boat out for some night fishing. We used multitudes of different lures, techniques, and spots on the lake and we did.. not.. see.. a.. thing.. for 2 1/2 hours and after that long of no activity we called it a night and went home. I do not think it was me but rather the fish were just not into it. It was extremely dark last night, overcast with no moonlight, zero wind and parties all over the lake (saturday night).

 

When my friends are all catching the fish and I'm not it doesn't bother me a bit. I sort of fish vicariously through my friends. When they get a fish on I reel in quick and join them for the fight and excitement.

 

Typically I'm not bothered too much by getting skunked but after several times on a lake and getting skunked every time, I tend to avoid that lake and try others, with much better results.

[Loop_Dad]

If I get skunked, I usually feel that effect later that day after I come home. I'm tired, possibly from waking up early, but on the days I get skunked, I am tired and in bad mood. On the day I got a good fishing, I'm tired but nice tiredness, just like after a good exercise.

 

I also noticed that I get mad when I try new body of water and get skunked. I tend to go back there until I get a fish or two. Sometimes this makes the situation worse by getting multiple skunks. Once I have good fishing on that water under my belt, then subsequent skunk bother me less.

[Revival]

When i get skunked i break my pole over my knee like Bo Jackson used to do with baseball bats.   Then I hang my lures in the tree in the form of a wind chime.  Just kidding, but I do let the bass know that its not over, and I will be back.....probably tomorrow around 5am give or take.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

It comes with the territory. Just have to accept that it's gonna happen.

[Fish Chris]

^{Being skunked doesn't bother me in the slightest. I truly enjoy being out on the water, under a blue sky, and surrounded by nature.}

^{I mean, if I "had to catch fish" to have a good time, I'd only fish in April and May, targeting dinks, with night crawlers, and I would catch fish, every single time ! But 10 or 20 dinks, would leave me feeling exactly the same sense of accomplishment, as if I had caught nothing at all.}

^{So instead, I might cast a big, heavy swimbait all day, and never get bit. That's fine, because at least I was in the running for a truly meaningful catch}

 

^Peace,

^Fish

[gotarheelz14]

In short, it depends.

The vast majority of the time, I expect at least one fish, anywhere I go. I enjoy being out on the water but if I really enjoyed it that much, I would go out kayaking and taking pictures of wildlife. I'm a fisherman. I like to catch fish and wouldn't go out if I didn't think I had the chance of catching one. If I am bass fishing, I expect at least one bass every time I put the kayak out. 

Now, if I am feeling particularly adventurous and have decided to target another species I am not as good at, I am more acceptant of a skunk. If I am out for a fish I have never caught before, I am even more acceptant of a skunk. If I were out for a once in a lifetime kind of fish (sturgeon, giant catfish, maybe even trophy bass, etc,) I would be perfectly fine not coming home with a single fish. 
 

[CayMar]

I don't usually get upset but lately I've been in one heck of a slump. Like haven't caught a fish in months.Frustrated would be an understatement. But I am far from giving up and still enjoy the opportunity to get out as much as I did in the beginning. I'll bust this slump soon enough.

[SirSnookalot]

Some times yes and sometimes no.  This scenario is extremely common, twice in the last couple of weeks I had snook busting bait all over the place, without a single strike.  This has happened to me dozens of times, often this can be the hardest time to catch them as so they are so busy inhaling live bait.  It's so frustrating, but it's the nature of the beast, you just learn to accept it.

[fadetoblack21]

The way I see it is that a bad day on the water is better than a good day at work. Same for deer season, I would rather be in the woods seeing nothing than at a desk.

 

It may hurt my confidence a little bit, but I don't get on the water every day like some so I appreciate the chance none the less. 

[Bankbeater]

When I get skunked I feel like I have had a very unproductive day, and that maybe I should have been doing something else.

[vikingbear8]

I wouldnt throw big swimbaits exclusively if getting skunked bothered me, its all part of the game

[Fish Chris]

When I get skunked I feel like I have had a very unproductive day, and that maybe I should have been doing something else.

 

Night crawlers in the Spring.... or take up Golf

 

Fish

[FrogFreak]

Reminds me of an old tale of a guy who died and when he arrived in the afterlife, he saw a beautiful river and this guy was fishing. Well, he started watching and every cast, this ole fella caught a beautiful 10 lb plus bass. The newly arrived fella exclaimed, "I must be in heaven!" and the other fella who was fishing looked up and said, "Nope this is hell, everyday every cast I catch a fish!"

 

When I get skunked it makes me think about how I'm going to get em next time. If the results were preordained, I'd find something else to do. I will say when I bring someone else, I do feel extra pressure to find the fish so they can have a good time. My grown boys are the exception to that rule, they always out fish me.

[Ratherbfishing]

The more experienced I become, the less often I get completely skunked. But it still happens. And I'm not above fishing for bluegill or crappie if the bass aren't biting. I have plenty of fun with those, too. Especially with my flyrod. I'm also fine with targeting small bass if I have to. Generally the only time getting skunked bothers me is if there are already other things in my life that are stressing me out, the wind is blowing to beat the band, and/or I'm either really, really hot or really, really cold. It doesn't help if I've gotten up at 4 a.m. (I hate getting up early) and driven 2 hours to get somewhere.

[BrianSnat]

I have no problem whatsoever getting skunked.  Catching fish is only part of why I'm out there.  I enjoy the hunt just as much as the catching - finding the fish, determining what they are hitting. Sometimes I beat the fish, sometimes they beat me.  If every time I went out I was able to pull fish in one after another with no thought whatsoever, it wouldn't be fun to me.  Don't get me wrong. I enjoy days when the bite is really on, but I truly don't want that every time.

 

I'm also out there for the fresh air, sun (or rain, or fog), beauty of the lake or stream and just being outdoors.  A few weeks ago I was on my home lake in the evening and the bass just weren't cooperating.  I went to my go-to spots and nada. My go-to baits didn't produce.  I threw everything I knew at them and still nothing.  Soon the sun set and the stars came out. The lake was as smooth as glass, temps were perfect, not too hot or cold.   It was an absolutely gorgeous evening.  I kept fishing and kept coming up empty.  Then I lit my cigar, popped open a beer sat back in my chair and did some star gazing.  After about a half hour I went back to fishing and was still not catching anything. I stayed out until midnight, alternately fishing and just drifting under the night sky. After 6 hours on the water, zero fish caught. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I would have had I caught 20 bass.

[wngan9447]

Woke up early, drove 50 miles to a reservoir, got skunked..... yeah it's annoying now.

 

I had one on my second cast, but played around with the fish to tire it out.... ended up going airborne and got off the hook.

 

Blah!

[CountBassula]

it depends on how i'm fishing. if i'm throwing my confidence lures and I don't get a bite i know it ain't me. but being who i am, i get bored of using the same lure / technique all the time so i try to learn new ways to catch fish. when i started top water frogging i would go out for 8 hours with LgMouthGambler and i would watch him in frustration catch fish after fish while i got totally skunked or hooked ONE in 8 hours while he hooked 30. now given it's the hardest time in FL to catch bass, or so i'm told, i also decided to learn the jig. 3 days ago i landed a 19" bass on it and was very satisfied even though I only got 2 fish in 3 hours. last night i went out again with a jig, got 1 small bass after over an hour, and then hooked a nice 5.2lbs snakehead (see the FL tournament thread) and i actually got really mad that i got this stupid snakehead! see when i used to target snakeheads this would have made my day, but now i want to go after bass again, and literally seeing the fish hit my jig with a craw trailer right as i was about to pull it out of the water was the crappiest feeling in a long time! i now i shouldn't be complaining, i landed a nice fish, but I was REALLY trying HARD to catch bass and it felt like catching trash fish instead. so bommer

 

i think as i progress in the hobby and get better at different techniques it will bother me less when i get skunked. but trying to learn a new technique for few weeks now (jigs) and so far catching total of 3 bass on it, i feel extremely frustrated

[jignfule]

yes, very much so.

[ToadTorcher]

In one way yes, in another no. It's fun catching them and I don't like not catching them. But I still enjoy it because It helps me improve my fishing for next time. If I get skunked I'm always asking myself "why" and "what?" Why didn't they bite, and what do I have to next time to get them to bite. Through research and experience I'm usually able to come up with a good answer to both questions. This helps me figure it out what I have to do next time I'm faced with a similar scenario. 

 

Their's no such thing as an unsuccessful day on the water!

[AK-Jax86]

I've been getting skunked by the BIGGENS lately and if they bite my frog I miss the hook set!!

[wngan9447]

I've been getting skunked by the BIGGENS lately and if they bite my frog I miss the hook set!!

 

Yeah i'm having the same issues with my hula popper.... it's fun as hell trying to get them to bite though

[SirSnookalot]

Disappointed sure, but not overly bothered.  Based on past performance I don't catch too many quality bass this time of year anyway I take it in stride.  When I'm fishing for other species there are variables that need to come into play, tide, wind, surf, water clarity, and bait fish.  At times it's easier than bass fishing and at times it's harder.  I don't get frustrated, even in losing a big one, I know it's just a matter of time till I get another.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

nope just learn from it  im sure someone said but its called fishing for a reason..... I except to catch fish but some days  its hard.. I don't get skunked  very often but when I do I take notes on what the conditions were like.. so next time there's a day like that ill try something else. 

[derekxec]

i dont get upset when i get skunked because im not out to go catching im out for fishing...fishing is a whole experience you can go catch some fish with bread and a hook...i like to try new spots and different areas, different types and styles of fishing, i like to learn why the fish are where they are at that time etc etc

 

and when i do get skunked it makes me feel like the fish was smarter than me that day like the fish won the battle but there is still the war haha...then again i like to learn i have to know everything about everything