Super User Felix77 Posted June 22, 2015 Super User Posted June 22, 2015 really ... really ... stinks ... I have been blessed over the past 4 years. I have had some rough days but never came in without a fish. Yesterday I fished a tournament on Chatauqua Lake and came in with zero bites. Not even of another species (Rock bass, perch or otherwise) For the record my boater ended up with 3 small keepers all on docks and lost another one. So between the 2 of us only 4 bites all day. It was a rough tourney and I wasn't alone with zero catches BUT I can't help but still feel like I could have done something different. Boy it stinks! Quote
Super User ww2farmer Posted June 22, 2015 Super User Posted June 22, 2015 Don't sweat it, happens to everyone. I spend more time on my home body of water (Silver Lake) than just about everyone else I compete against combined, and while I am consistently in the money, I am not immune from a couple of real stinkers a year, and you never know when those flops are coming. Often times they happen for me after I have been killing it all week fun fishing and get too stubborn to adapt to a change that has taken place, or when I get spun out and lose focus after a slow start to the day. 3 Quote
bradc36 Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 really ... really ... stinks ... I have been blessed over the past 4 years. I have had some rough days but never came in without a fish. Yesterday I fished a tournament on Chatauqua Lake and came in with zero bites. Not even of another species (Rock bass, perch or otherwise) For the record my boater ended up with 3 small keepers all on docks and lost another one. So between the 2 of us only 4 bites all day. It was a rough tourney and I wasn't alone with zero catches BUT I can't help but still feel like I could have done something different. Boy it stinks! I know the feeling, I fished the tournament as well. What was even more deflating is that my boater came in 6th and did very well, but the way the fishing was, I didn't have a chance since we fished around docks (my boater skipped a weightless senko on casting gear incredibly well, and didn't give me a shot all day). I caught 1 fish, 3.33 lbs, and if I would've had one more bite I would've gotten paid as a non boater. I am beyond frustrated after this weekend. 6 keepers in 3 days. Quote
Global Moderator Mike L Posted June 22, 2015 Global Moderator Posted June 22, 2015 Don't feel like the Lone Ranger..It happens to all of us once in a while. No matter the water, what or how we throw whatever we throw, it happens. As mostly a tounament co angler it's easy to blame the boater, his decision of where to fish, his timing, his moves or lack of moves, his boat position etc etc. But it didn't take me long to realize those were all excuses to make me feel better because I didn't make better decisions. Didn't Improvise, Overcome or Adapt enough or at the right time to what was happening as it was happening. Fortunately, it doesn't happen often now a days, but when it does it just brings the focus back with a vengeance. Mike Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted June 22, 2015 Author Super User Posted June 22, 2015 Don't feel like the Lone Ranger..It happens to all of us once in a while. No matter the water, what or how we throw whatever we throw, it happens. As mostly a tounament co angler it's easy to blame the boater, his decision of where to fish, his timing, his moves or lack of moves, his boat position etc etc. But it didn't take me long to realize those were all excuses to make me feel better because I didn't make better decisions. Didn't Improvise, Overcome or Adapt enough or at the right time to what was happening as it was happening. Fortunately, it doesn't happen often now a days, but when it does it just brings the focus back with a vengeance. Mike I have learned to never blame the boater unless they are clearly back boating me. That wasn't the case for me. The conditions did put co anglers at a disadvantage because the predominant pattern was docks but in my case we covered a lot of open water and weeds as well. We just didn't get bit. In my case literally. My friend did well. He caught 1 bass. A smallmouth which weighed in at 5.86 lbs. It was enough for lunker and 7th. place. I made him buy me dinner or else he was going to have to walk home. Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted June 22, 2015 Author Super User Posted June 22, 2015 I know the feeling, I fished the tournament as well. What was even more deflating is that my boater came in 6th and did very well, but the way the fishing was, I didn't have a chance since we fished around docks (my boater skipped a weightless senko on casting gear incredibly well, and didn't give me a shot all day). I caught 1 fish, 3.33 lbs, and if I would've had one more bite I would've gotten paid as a non boater. I am beyond frustrated after this weekend. 6 keepers in 3 days. Dock fishing as a co angler is tough. To put things in perspective I fished here 2 years ago as well. In that tournament I came in 13th and cashed. All we did were docks. The difference was finding angles to docks that the boater didn't hit and using something different to attract the stragglers. The problem yesterday was the fact that the bite in general was off. I feel your pain buddy. It can get frustrating. I threw everything at them and got nothing. Heading to Massena? Quote
bradc36 Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 I'll be at Messina. All that I can say is my boater was an incredible fisherman, and I've never seen someone skip weightless senkos like he did on casting gear. I can't complain I was back boated, he was just a machine and never missed a target. That's why he wins consistently I'm sure.....lol Quote
Super User scaleface Posted June 23, 2015 Super User Posted June 23, 2015 I've been skunked a bunch of times. Usually my plan A and plan B falls apart and I end up running around . Quote
corn-on-the-rob Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 ouch, it happens though. Chautauqua is so much fun to fish, love it. Quote
Super User Ratherbfishing Posted June 23, 2015 Super User Posted June 23, 2015 Of course you COULD have done something differently but there's no guarantee that would have worked much better and, regardless, there is only so much time in a day. Fishing is a mental puzzle which doesn't stop when we get out of the boat. Only afterwards we can no longer test our theories. BUT we can extrapolate from our experience on a given day and, perhaps, either repeat or avoid triumphs and failures (or something in-between). If you don't get skunked occassionally, you're not fishing enough. 1 Quote
wnybassman Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Been there, done that, will do it again I'm sure. I got skunked on one of the three days of the Eastern Divisionals as a boater several years back on the Connecticut River. Not only do you let yourself down, you let your whole team down! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.