First cast = fish; bad luck?

[jimf]

I don't put much stock in stuff like this, but it's kind of mind blowing when something like this happens to you.   Yesterday I motor over to start my day fishing a rip-rap section of shoreline that drops off quickly into 12 feet of water.   Throw a 7.5" grape shad Culprit plastic worm and end up with 2# on the first cast of the day.   I thought I was just going to kill it, but what happened was I went 4 more hours before I put another bass in the boat.  A few light hits, a lost fish at the boat, but nothing in the boat.   I did finally move on and ended up finding a pattern late in the day that produced well, but I wasted time because of that one fish.   In my defense, recent history played a role in this.   Last spring, first part of April, I just killed it on that exact section of rip rap throwing worms on a day very similiar to yesterday weather-wise.   When that first fish hit I was like "Here we go again!".   

 

Lesson learned is take the first fish of the day, but don't assume you have magically found the killer pattern just because of that one fish.   

 

 

[scaleface]

i've had it happen more than once . You remember those days and it can sure seem like bad luck . There are some good places that I expect to catch a bass first cast and if it happens , its going to be a great day .

[shovelmouth83]

we are all always learning. whoever you can't teach a old dog new tricks has obviously not been bass fishing. just keep at them and learning and figuring out what is going on is the trick.

[JustinCT]

I'll never forget a day that a buddy and I fished a local, 8 hour tournament.  Mid-fall, cooler than normal and breezy.  First cast of the day I boat a 14" keeper largemouth and into the livewell it goes.  We were pumped, thinking we were going to absolutely kill it.  The next 7 hours and 45 minutes go by without another bite.  Weighed in 1 fish and finished 4th out of 12 boats.  Brutal day.

[RoLo]

Yup, that happened to me on several occasions, and one time

that was also the last bass of the day 

I'm not at all superstitious, so I chalked it up as a comedic coincidence.

To be fair though, a 'first-cast' bass is more commonly a harbinger of a good day.

 

Roger

[Gundog]

We've all been fooled by isolated fish. You think you have the beginnings of a pattern and spend the next few hours realizing we don't. Use it as a learning moment. 1 fish is luck, 2 fish are a start to a pattern, 10 fish is a good day.

[WRB]

First cast bass means you started at the right place, nothing more or less and a lot better then nothing.

Tom

[Choporoz]

@jimf, you didn't mention it.....but....did you have a banana in the boat?

[Tucson]

Many times I've failed to catch a fish on the first cast and still been skunked all day.  Just a question of odds.

 

Also, there have been several time using a new lure (to me) when I've caught a bass on the first cast and seldom caught another on that same lure.  It's entirely possible that luck has something to do with fishing!

[jimf]

To me it almost seems too fluky to be a fluke.   @Gundogsaid it perfectly - spending the next few hours realizing you don't have the pattern.   You get stuck because you lucked into one, and it screws your thinking up.   

 

@ChoporozI did not have a banana in the boat, is this a bad luck thing I've never heard of?  

[geo g]

Yes, lol!

[Choporoz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZxew2iiURs

[Hez]

 

@jimf HAHAHA - My son and I joke about this.  Every time that we catch a fish on the first cast...it always ends up to be a tough day.  The last time my son caught a fish on the first cast...we lost at least 6 fish that day before I was able to break the curse and boat a fish.  Once I boated that fish and the curse was broken...all was good.  

[razor6570]

Well that explains why I had a bad day Saturday. I had a banana in the boat!

I am not superstitious but I have had that 1st cast fish also. I cringe when I think about it due to the fact it is usually a rough day.

 

Like other have said though, I bet I fell in a trap of not trying to find THE pattern. Used that one fish to setup my day!

 

[jimf]

I never knew that about bananas on the boat.  Good to know, yet another excuse not to bring fruit with me when I'm fishing.  

 

[OCdockskipper]

If I catch a bass on my first cast and then don't catch another for a few hours, I figure one of three things:

 

1. That bass is a blabbermouth & told all the other bass to run (swim) away once he was released;
    
2. That bass has eaten everything, including other bass, who lived anywhere near him;
    
3. That bass is a social outcast, no other fish wants to be near him & he only hit my lure because he was looking for a friend.

 

 

[Hez]

1 hour ago, razor6570 said:

Like other have said though, I bet I fell in a trap of not trying to find THE pattern. Used that one fish to setup my day!

 

 

The last time we caught a fish on the first cast - we didn't have trouble finding the fish after that....THEY ALL KEPT GETTIN' OFF!!!  

 

HAHAHAHAHA...it's hilarious thinking back on it...but it sure wasn't funny then 

[BCline]

My two cents is that I have never been skunked on a day with a first cast fish, I have been skunked plenty of days when I didn't catch a fish on the first cast.  Regardless of the rest of the day, catching one of the first cast is always a good thing.

[Darren.]

First cast/bass has happened to me a few times,

once I caught nothing until I came back in to go

home...so a couple/few hours after the one fish

and nada until nearing the launch...

 

Another time I was a great day all around.

[Hez]

51 minutes ago, BCline said:

My two cents is that I have never been skunked on a day with a first cast fish, I have been skunked plenty of days when I didn't catch a fish on the first cast.  Regardless of the rest of the day, catching one of the first cast is always a good thing.

 

Great philosophy

[RMax]

That has happened to me more than enough and I've learned to never stay at a spot too long unless I keep catching them.  I was shown an example of this when my friend caught one little fish in a pocket and he wouldn't move because he believed it had to be stacked. No fish until a few hours later.

[Bankbeater]

I have always thought that a bass on the first cast was a good thing.

[38 Super Fan]

It's definitely bad luck. I always make a short first cast and burn it back in just to be sure I don't catch one on the first cast.

[lonnie g]

had the days too. man i'm introuble, I like bannas! have hit a spot like that that ive had great luck on before, went back to it later in the day and it started producing