overcoming stubbornness

[jbmaine]

Hi all,

I think it's safe to say I can be stubborn at times. Most of the time it's a good thing. I will push thru at work to get things right even if my boss is not sure it can be done. At home I've been known to stay on the phone for hours just to solve cable issues etc. I'm just too stubborn to give up.

When fishing I have been known to fish for hours with out a bite just to get one last fish.

However there are times fishing when my stubbornness keeps me from doing what I should to catch more fish.

This year my wife and I have only fished one body of water. All spring I used a KVD swim bait, and could do no wrong. Every fish I caught was on this bait, and I caught them everywhere at any time.

This summer the heat and other issues kept us off the water, but yesterday for the first time in months we went.

We were in a cove in about 3-6 ft. of water and could see bass swimming around. I started throwing the trusty swim bait and it soon became apparent the fish weren't interested in it. I saw a couple of bass watching it go by, or even swam away as it came close. Part of me thought it's time to try something else, but the stubborn part of me thought it's a good bait, it's worked before, so I kept throwing it. Nothing.

After far to long I gave up and started throwing a spinner bait, then a frog. Nothing.

By this time I knew my whole presentation was wrong. I should be doing something totally different , but the stubborn part of me kept going.

Finally( again after far to long) I threw a Senko. I love Senko's. they catch fish. But I hate the wait and pause, watching for the smallest line twitch. I have  trouble being that patient.

First cast I hooked a fish. I posted about this fish in the fishing report section yesterday, but to recap it was by far a new PB. 7.1 LB around 24" I posted pic's in the other post but they really didn't do it justice, so at the end of this post I'll put another one in that might show better how big it really was.

So at the end of this rambling story I'd like to think I could learn to be less stubborn at times, but I'm 62 and it hasn't happened yet.

      Thanks for listening

                  Jim

                     The other pic

[BassB8Caster]

Nice! thats a tank! In Maine im guessing from your screen name? stubbornness is a tough one when it comes to fishing. You can really see the good and bad in it. The alternative i see is perhaps changing baits too soon not giving it enough of a chance. When is it too soon, or too late to change baits? Unfortunately there probably isnt an answer to this. But the big thing is changing things up when they are not working. You did this and it worked.

Atleast  you are admitting you are stubborn. Your story makes me wonder though, what would you have done say if you didnt see the fish and see them passing over your bait? 

["hamma"]

Nice bass! and congrats on the the new personal best,...way to go!  Maine rules.

[watermeat]

Congrats! I know your heart was pounding outta your chest when you saw that one. My exact personal best as well

[jbmaine]

51 minutes ago, BassB8Caster said:

Nice! thats a tank! In Maine im guessing from your screen name? stubbornness is a tough one when it comes to fishing. You can really see the good and bad in it. The alternative i see is perhaps changing baits too soon not giving it enough of a chance. When is it too soon, or too late to change baits? Unfortunately there probably isnt an answer to this. But the big thing is changing things up when they are not working. You did this and it worked.

Atleast  you are admitting you are stubborn. Your story makes me wonder though, what would you have done say if you didnt see the fish and see them passing over your bait? 

Yes, that fish was from Maine. I'm very lucky, that pond is full of bass and has very clear water. I have seen schools of bass thirty ft. from the boat. If I don't see bass in a cove etc. I don't stop.

 Ever since I started bass fishing I've had the same problem. I have tackle boxes full of baits, but I almost always use only a few, the ones I like or am in a mood to use. One a good day it doesn't matter, but on a fishless day I spend the ride home kicking my self for not trying more things.

I need to stop being so stubborn and learn to use different baits for different conditions.  I'm not sure why I have such a hard time doing this but I always have.

                             Thanks

                                        Jim

[Catt]

Not real sure I would call it stubborn!

You made the necessary adjustments & who is know if the would have hit the Senko earlier!

Elimination & duplication

Eliminate patterns and waters that are non-productive and duplicate places and patterns that are productive.

Ya did that & the result is a new personal best!

[jbmaine]

40 minutes ago, Catt said:

Not real sure I would call it stubborn!

You made the necessary adjustments & who is know if the would have hit the Senko earlier!

Elimination & duplication

Eliminate patterns and waters that are non-productive and duplicate places and patterns that are productive.

Ya did that & the result is a new personal best!

Thanks for the nice thoughts.

The thing is, within the first 20 minutes my gut was telling me I was doing it all wrong. I could see the bass weren't going to go for anything that needed to keep moving, but I love casting / retrieving so I didn't listen. By the time I switched to a Senko the sun was pretty high and  the bass were scattering out into deeper  water. This was the only bass caught. I bet if I'd listened to my gut sooner I'd have caught more. I need to learn to be more responsive to changing circumstances.

                                 Thanks

                                           Jim 

[Torn Thumb]

A one fish day with a new PB is the best day of fishing for me.

[A-Jay]

Nice Bass ~ Congrats

Stubbornness can also be described as persistence.

When applied effectively it's a very desirable characteristic.

A-Jay

[Reel Guy]

jbmaine, You sound just like me. 62 and stubborn when it comes to using the same bait. You know what they say about doing the same thing and expect different results. I also have a tackle box full of every kind of bait and use the Strike King Shimi Stick worm 95% of the time. I go home and ask myself, Why didn't I try something new as long as what I was using wasn't working. Stubborn, stubborn and more stubborn. Maybe next time.

[WRB]

Don't confuse determination with being stubborn. You were determined to catch bass and found a way to to it. If you were being stubborn you would have have fished the KVD swimbait without changing.

Interesting fish weighing technique and nice bass.

Tom

[Reel Guy]

Forgot to tell you, that's a nice bass! Congratulations!

[papajoe222]

At least you overcame your stubbornness. I fished a lake today that I've fished for years but haven't been to this season. Despite my own recommendation to others not to, I fished 'history' for four hours. Nothing, but that didn't stop me. I kept pounding the outside weedline of the only point and then worked the steeper drop on its inside turn. Two more hours and still nothing.  I started up the outboard and headed in.  On my graph I could see baitfish and what may have been bass at 15-18ft. in 35ft. of water.  Had I taken the time to check before I grabbed a rod, I may not have gotten skunked. 

My head has had a few more years than yours to get harder.  Hope you can continue to overcome your stubbornness, I'm a lost cause.

Awesome fish BTW

[NYWayfarer]

Nice northern bass. Congratulations!

"When fishing I have been known to fish for hours with out a bite just to get one last fish."

I have that stubborn streak as well.

[geo g]

I have two confidence baits that I will go to when things are tough.  I know these baits will catch fish, when nothing else gets a sniff.  I will stick with them for long periods of time, because they have pulled though during tough times.  Nothing wrong with being a little stubborn if you believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[soflabasser]

Nice bass, I like to use the word persistent instead of the word stubborn.Being persistent is one of the best attributes a bass fisherman can have,and a truly persistent bass fisherman usually catches more quality bass than someone just going through the motions.