Gut Feeling

["hamma"]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

After we done all the homework, research, preparation next comes real time on the water where we react to the changing conditions based on past experience.

 

Sometimes it pays off sometimes it don't

 

  There is what I was asking for, my whole reason for starting this thread, and asking this question.

 

 Although gut feeling is the title of this thread, it was really a doorway for me to touch upon a more in depth discussion.

 Because frankly, if you've done the info thing, but havent had much time on the water. It must be just a barrage of ideas that run through a newer anglers minds. To articulate all that stuff we see on the web every day, and not have experience to put it on the water must be a mind blowing concept.

    The only thing that truely produces not just a gut feeling, but a "productive" gut feeling is,... experience.

   Hey, anything can happen, my soon to be born grandson might someday "gut feeling" point at my winnipesaukee map while gettin his diaper changed, and find the golden ticket spot of huge smallies of all time for all I know. But what im hinting towards is this.

 Without experience your not on the right track, your caboose is headin the wrong way. The input your intuition is banking on was robbed by the joker, it does not exist in the realtime natural world anymore and thats where the proof is in the puddin! If you dont stare down mother natures wrath, she doesnt offer up her best. That realtime natural world will wear you out;

 To gut feeling your success, is a feat,.. be it big? small? medium?? doesnt matter. You've run the gauntlet of all the info, put in the time. Now you reacted properly and facilitated success. But can ya do that again?, and again? and so on?

 

   Each and every time I gut feeling a situation, I get a natural high, Im guessing you all probably do to. It's natural, but ever so important for a bass angler, our confidence playing a necessary part in our success demands it. I can go out on a day and just catch a few fish and be happy with that.,. But the days that you say to yourself,.."this could be one of those days", and all of your assumptions. pan out twice as good as you've expected,..you just did something there. Your experience and confidence are gaining a big boost whether your aware of it or not. Solidifying and adding to experience like a rolling snowball rolling down a hill gaining speed.

   Experience isnt the one and only true ruler of the bass angling worlds questions and demands, Timing, is another huge factor,..Opportunity, yet even another. I cant leave out the big daddy,..Location,.or Selection.. But the doosy of them all must be ,..Diligence.,..if you dont apply diligence all the others are worthless. What fish are you catching if you aint fishin? (hence why I sign off "keep ya line wet!")

 

    Sometimes I wonder if the natural high, is the addiction we all have, "I been buying all manners of tackle and I dont know why!",..."Im jonesin baby, I gotta go get more tackle,",..."IT'S NOT MYYYY FAULT!"...lol

 

 So In summary? Fish,...thats all   fish,...the more you do it the more experience you gain and if you keep on fishing you will get better.     Eventually you will gain enough experience to have these dead on gut feelings and if you follow through with them and they pan out for ya. You most likely will be on the best fish you've ever caught. The more experience? the more dead on the gut.

 

 In the end its like Catt said,

   Sometimes it pans out and sometimes not

  Put a period on the end of that sentence. Cuz, that's where its at.

 

[SWVABass]

So my gut feeling paid off last year. I had been on a fire for a week and was headed home for days off. The weather had warmed nicely after a couple late spring cold fronts. My boy wanted to go fishing so I said ok. We headed to a cove that we had caught some bucks in the last time I was home. My gut also said let him pick his poison, he chose a luck e strike crank the freak cause it looks cool. I lined up a good cast that would take him by a big stump and some brush. Next thing I know she came out from under the brush slammed it and he was yelling. That's him in my avatar with his pb, no clue what it ways but his smile made it the best day ever for me.

[Catt]

Control the things ya can & work with the things ya can't!

[jimf]

If I'm being honest my gut feeling is correct more often when I have a gut feeling it's going to be a slow day of fishing rather than the other way around.  

 

 

[Spankey]

This is a great post. Was a fun read. Gut feelings, intuition, experience telling you, just plain feeling it about a situation and going for it is all good stuff. Has you doing the happy dance when you're out there and it pays off.

 

[Columbia Craw]

I'm all about a gut feeling. It happens every time I try to snap the button on my pants.

God gave us a series of senses and we have a history of acquired experiences. Some times the lizard side of our brain  actually works and those senses and experiences come together and we come to a gut feeling.  The deductive reasoning side of the brain doesn't get credit so it's a gut feeling. If it isn't that, it's a little Roland Martin standing on your shoulder whispering ' Shallow Son....shallow and a little KVD on the other shoulder whispering, "go deep dummy."

[Paul Roberts]

On 2/17/2017 at 9:13 PM, A-Jay said:

Interesting Paul ~ 

'Hunting' a big bass, especially in a target rich environment, often sees me trying to tune into the next level. 

Looking & listening for the most subtlest of signs that may give her position any.  

See now what you've gone and done . . . . . .I'm all jacked up and we're still weeks away from soft water.

Grrrrrrrrrr

A-Jay

Jacked up over signs. I guess that sums it up for me.

 

I hate to tell you this, since you're all iced up there, but... it's relevant to the topic...

 

We've had an early ice break here and I'm into fish. Yesterday, if I'd fished "gut" I'd have failed. Despite the spring-like weather (60s and 70s), the bass are still in winter mode. Mature bluegills have come shallow the last few days to soak up the first shards of heat offered by that winter sun. But not the bass. I found them in winter holds, stacked like cordwood -(and they had the red teeth of winter bass). It was really fun. 

 

I knew what to do (from experience) but had forgotten! What corrected my course was walking the banks to observe, and taking some temperatures. What I found was the usual pattern here: Mature bluegills in but not the bass. So when I came to choose water to fish I spent about 10 minutes fishing a great shallow S-facing flat that boiled with the ripples of fish. I could not see in there due to the low bank, but I knew that those were all bluegills. They'd bite at my jig -hard! Pop! Pop! And Grab-n-run strikes. They were aggressive enough it felt like I was missing bass, or bass that were short-striking (not uncommon in cold water). But I KNEW better. They were bluegills and not bass. Someone not in the know could spend some time casting there and end up frustrated with all those fish rippling, boiling, and nipping on that flat. I got outta there and went to a wintering hole and... Pow, Pow, Pow, Thump, Thump, Thump!... those bass were stacked in there and they were thumpin'!

 

I used my eyes and head, not my gut. I'm sure there's plenty of "gut" in there; I've been fishing for a long time. But there are enough variables that I like some hard info, when I can get it. In this case, on my small shallow waters, my eyes are my sonar, and a pocket thermometer my ST gauge.

[OCdockskipper]

I have multiple "gut" decisions every outing, as I get more & more information of what is happening in the environment and how the fish are behaving.  If I would put a number on it, I would estimate that 2 out of 3 of these decisions or choices don't pan out.  However, when that third one pays off, immediately I congratulate myself and know that the current Elite pros are fortunate that I never chose professional fishing as a livelihood  . 

 

Being an eternal optimist is helpful.  As the saying goes, "often wrong, but never in doubt".

["hamma"]

On 2/18/2017 at 6:20 PM, Swbass15 said:

So my gut feeling paid off last year. I had been on a fire for a week and was headed home for days off. The weather had warmed nicely after a couple late spring cold fronts. My boy wanted to go fishing so I said ok. We headed to a cove that we had caught some bucks in the last time I was home. My gut also said let him pick his poison, he chose a luck e strike crank the freak cause it looks cool. I lined up a good cast that would take him by a big stump and some brush. Next thing I know she came out from under the brush slammed it and he was yelling. That's him in my avatar with his pb, no clue what it ways but his smile made it the best day ever for me.

 

 

15 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

 

Thats AWESOME!,...

 what better way to benefit a gut feeling than to put a kid on their PB!

 Congrats to you, and your son,.. Swbass,... way to go

[SWVABass]

43 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

 

 

Thats AWESOME!,...

 what better way to benefit a gut feeling than to put a kid on their PB!

 Congrats to you, and your son,.. Swbass,... way to go

I always remembered growing up as a kid and fishing as often as I could, searching for a big ol bass to bight but it never happened. Now I'm glad I can put my son on fish so he enjoys it and never looses enthusiasm, this spring it's my daughters turn!

[Catt]

On 2/17/2017 at 10:13 PM, A-Jay said:

Interesting Paul ~ 

'Hunting' a big bass, especially in a target rich environment, often sees me trying to tune into the next level. 

Looking & listening for the most subtlest of signs that may give her position any.  

See now what you've gone and done . . . . . .I'm all jacked up and we're still weeks away from soft water.

Grrrrrrrrrr

A-Jay

 

["hamma"]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

   

   If that isnt hard water torture, I dont know what is. Now I'm itching to get out there. Thanks Catt, did u just release that? or is she hovering a bed?

 Dang I got alot of work ahead, to be ready for this season!

[Catt]

2 hours ago, "hamma" said:

   

   If that isnt hard water torture, I dont know what is. Now I'm itching to get out there. Thanks Catt, did u just release that? or is she hovering a bed?

 Dang I got alot of work ahead, to be ready for this season!

 

That be on a bed!

[J Francho]

Absolutely, though I have a feeling the body of knowledge I've acquired (admittedly not that much, lol) over the years contributes.  Some things just look "fishy."

[Sam]

Yes. Sometimes it is right. Other times it is wrong.

And sometimes I do stupid things that my gut says is wrong but I still do 'em.

Like not retying after catching two or three bass.

Like not moving to another location.

Like not changing colors or baits or retrieves.

But then there are the times when my gut feelings are totally correct and I follow them.

Have had some nice rewards while fishing using my gut feelings.

[WRB]

I will repeat this story because it was one of my best days on the water regarding numbers of big bass.

Dana a friend and tournament angler asked me to teach him how to jig fish, he was a finesse bass angler and wanted to catch a kicker when needed. Dana also wanted to fish out of his boat so I could only take a limited amount of tackle which was OK as we were jig fishing. I decided to take only 3 jigs rods, 1 for Dana, 1 for me and a back up. 1of the rods had a Scrounger jig already rigged sonI cut it off then decided to tie it back on so I had a faster moving lure to fish just in case, grabbed a bag of Sluggo's for trailers as a second thought. Put my jig box together and some bottles of different sizes and colors of pork trailers.

The day started out good except another boat was sitting on the spot I wanted to start at, so I just waited for the boat working the point to move on and pointed out where bass set up on this spot and where to cast. Got into position pointed to where Dana should cast and watched. I am looking at the line entering the water for any movement that Dana isn't making, it moved and said to Dana to set the hook, he said why? You just missed a strike Dana! After about half dozen cast without detecting strikes I asked Dana to let me try a cast and watch closely. My line stopped about 2' off the bottom, set the hook into a DD bass, Dana was in shock! We fished for about 3 hours before Dana figured the bite out and caught a nice bass about 4 lbs, he was thrilled.

I decided to run up another arm about 3 miles away before quitting for lunch, Dana was driving his boat about 70 mph I am setting in the wind trying to watch were he is going and noticed 3 Blue herons standing in the water feeding on something at the base of a point as we flew by. I yelled to stop the boat! Asked Dana if he minded if see what the herons are feeding on trout, got on the trolling motor grabbed my sluggo rod and started catching big bass for about an hour and half on nearly every cast. Offered Dana to take the rod, he said he just wanted to watch. After using up all the Sluggo's and the Scrounger jig losing it's collar the bite stopped. Dana said the total was 18 big bass released.

Gut feeling to take the Scrounger, gut feeling to stop were the herons were feeding who knows but trust your gut feelings and things often work out.

Tom

[Team9nine]

I've never been a big fan of "gut feeling." I blame a childhood watching Star Trek for that - lol. Spock was it for me, and as you probably know, he used "logic" and not "emotion" to make decisions. In science, "gut feeling" is also referred to as "emotion-focused decision making." If you follow the research, especially in the area of AI, then you know there are a lot of studies which support "intuition-based" decision making (basically considered to be the same thing as gut feelings) as equal to or even better than traditional logic based decision making. However, you might have also seen the rise in the power of "big data," which is beginning to swing decision making power back into the hands of 'logic.' You see this with computers like 'Watson' and 'Deep Blue,' or some of the learning based computer medical devices now being tested. 

 

To get this back on fishing, my personal favorite professional has always been Rick Clunn, primarily because he was the first to push the idea of intuitive based decision making in the bass world. But more recently, I developed a lot of respect for Shin Fukae because he is the equivalent of "big data" out on the water, and his record reflects that as a compelling challenger to intuition.

 

So in the end, I certainly use experience to help drive decisions, but don't have any great stories about "gut feelings" to share....well, except for that one tourney I won a boat in 

 

-T9

[Will Bass]

On 2/17/2017 at 4:41 PM, "hamma" said:

 

 Oh,..im not knocking it at all, that was just hanging there so I went for it. 

 I know many times, when I shut the truck off after finally returning home from a gut feeling day,.. that I wished I had a go pro, or someone with me to take pics at least.. Because without one? Im the only one that knows what I did, where I did it, and with what.

 OMG! that really just hit home. The amount of good days, with multiple pigs, I have experienced without a gopro, is right now freaking me out.

 If I had footage of all the pigs I ever caught? Holy moly,...there'd be volumes of videos.. How much is one of those?

   But with my luck lately? If I put a gopro my boat now? I'd probably be destined to catching nothing but dinks for the rest of my days,...lol

 

  by the way,...Nice bass A-Jay!, way to go buddy! good candidate for a pigpen! brotha!

 

Man, I have more pictures of bass on my cell phone than of my family lol!

 

["hamma"]

20 hours ago, Catt said:

That be on a bed!

if thats a male shes looking at (lower right corner of bed)? she must be a beauty!

["hamma"]

LOL,... talk about gut feeling!

 

 within the last year of employment, one day at work I hurt myself, I tore some stomach muscle (lol) and produced a "umbilical hernia" in my belly button, so at the docs office my surgeon says "I'd rather you loose some of the areas fat, and quit smoking before I do this mesh implant surgery. There's to much risk for infection."  facing surgery for the first time, my gut feeling was strong about not going under a knife for some reason, like a "I may not survive", feeling... Plus, surgery was being scheduled for early april,. Umm, aint happening!, maybe reschedule... winters over, and I fish, But, quit smoking? another difficult red flag.. So I didnt have the surgery. (I just push it in if need be) feels weird at times but, no biggie

 

 Just turned on the tv and a commercial came on about the surgeries mesh implant for "umbilical hernias" causing complications. "Call 1-800-blah blah blah laywers. And you too, may have monies due to you."

 

I got a good laugh, cuz I was thinking of this thread when the commercial came on. 

 There's a gut feeling for ya!

 

 

[Paul Roberts]

23 hours ago, J Francho said:

...  Some things just look "fishy."

I want to know why they look fishy. It can be tough, to impossible, to get the info and there will be a whole lot of hypothesizing/guessing. But over time, experience and knowledge provide at least "educated guesses" and "best information".

 

Let me follow up with the outing I described above, bc it was interesting, and relevant to the "data vs intuitive" apparent dichotomy T9 described...

 

I was back at my hot-spot -a wintering hold that bass had yet to expand out of yet. Another angler -a good one by gear and mien (how's that for intuitive judgment! See I told you I probably use gut in my fishing too )- stopped to chat a bit and he commented that it's still February and the water's likely cold. I told him I got 57F skin deep on the N (incident) shore. 

 

He said, "You took the temperature?" 

 

"Yes, real number. The water in front of us here is probably 53 maybe 54. Cold front coming in though with snow (hence the wind), so enjoy it for the time being. The bass sure are." A few of the bass I caught were jumpers! A tad labored -couldn't quite get the air- but it was cool to see in February. The guy, was going on gut and assuming cold water. Easy enough to do.

 

But, the story got even cooler ... Here's my take:

 

There was a strong breeze blowing right down the pipe of that elongated wintering hole, bordered on each side by rubble berms. A wind-generated current set up, pushing down that “channel” and I found my fish in very specific locations. One was along the opposite berm in an “eddy”. I’m “guessing” the bluegills were corralled by the current in that eddy, their movements compromised, controlled, and readable as such by the bass. Those ‘gills were vulnerable and the bass took advantage. So did I.

 

The second spot was a rubble hump and once I found it -bump, bump, bump, with my jig- I immediately fished the upwind “cushion” and the downwind “eddy” and it was Bam! Bam! Bam! in both those spots. I drew blanks when I got away from those kitchenette sized pockets.

 

Now I have a lot of experience with current, being a long time fly-fisher and river rat. Also, I’ve seen, and taken advantage of, some cool current influenced things in my stillwater fishing too. I’ve had the appropriate rewards etched into my limbic system concerning current to say that intuition/emotion/gut was indeed at work, and… I could actually feel it in the moment -"Ooooooo!" And, at that berm eddy, I only got fish on long casts into that eddy. If they fell short, which often happened in that breeze, NADA!

 

Here was the final piece of “data”. The wind died at sunset and the current stopped. I revisited my berm eddy (that had fish stacked in it) to do a final milk run. And it was DEAD. I cast and cast, and it was entirely shut down. Those fish were still there, I'm quite sure of it -they don't have a lot of options in that shallow pond; The whole wintering spot is not a large area. 

 

Funny thing, I’d been griping about that strong crossing breeze knocking down my casts and affecting my detection. But after the wind died and I could make long accurate casts and have complete detection, the fish were done.

 

Could I be wrong that current was the big reason the biting died then? Absolutely. I can think of other possibilities, any or all of which could have factored in. But, I “believe” that current was the major factor. My gut told me so. So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. It’s already in my journal, and will be made into a video journal. As I’ve said in the past, “I generally start writing history as soon as I leave the water.” Not sure how else to "make sense" of a set of experiences.

 

I'm not so sure that "data" and "intuition" can be easily separated. I'm aware of the research T9 mentioned, and it's real stuff. But of course the two are, or end up, bundled together. A good (but in depth) book on the subject is "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.

[WRB]

This topic reminds me of trying to explain faith to a athious, you believe or you don't.

Rick Clunn's seeking the truth or belief in Zen as in getting in touch with your inner self  and surrounds seems out of place with western thought or intuition we term gut feelings.

Women are charterized as being more intuitive then men and that thinking is hard to dispell, my wife always seems to know what I am thinking about and I rarely know what she is thinking about. When your gut says don't do it, listen! If it says go for it use caution, men are not good at intuitive thinking, better at analytical thinking.

Tom

 

 

 

[J Francho]

12 minutes ago, WRB said:

This topic reminds me of trying to explain faith to a athious, you believe or you don't.

 

A Christian rejects 2,999 religions, atheist rejects 2,999 + 1.  Not really that far apart from that perspective, lol.

 

Interesting point on gender and intuition.  I think there are gender differences in what we observe, but I don't think it's evolutionary.  Rather programmed through dogmatic patterns in cultural upbringing.  I also think women have a bit more of the "self preservation" intuition thing going on, since they by and large have traditionally been tasked with rearing children.

 

What's this got to do with fishing?  I dunno, but when my lady says fish there, we do it...more often than not, she's right.  Where's the science there?  I wish I knew.

[Paul Roberts]

Hey, I was talking about fishing! 

[WTnPuddleJumper]

Ask FLW pro Mark Rose about a Gut Feeling.  His little feeling won him a big a$$ check.  I believe in the last hour of the final day he ran 20 minutes to a place (on a gut feeling) to fish for 5 minutes( that's right--5 minutes) before he had to leave for weigh in.  The last cast gifted him with a bruiser that put him on the top of the leaderboard.