How long to become a good angler?

[The Maestro]

I know that "good" is a subjective/relative term, but do you guys consider yourselves to be good anglers?  How long until you started to think of yourself as a decent angler?  What was it that made you start thinking of yourself as a good angler?  I know for a lot of guys it's when they start competing and beating others whom they consider to be good.  What about for those of us who don't compete, so we have no direct way of comparing?

 

I started to think of myself as a decent (not great, just ok) angler just this past year.  It's been almost 10 years since I got more serious about fishing, and I can honestly say that I would have told you that I straight up sucked at it until just recently.  I know the learning never stops but I finally feel like my bank of knowledge and experience is to the point where I can usually catch them or at least scratch out a few on a really tough day.  How about you guys?

[A-Jay]

 I do not fish competitively however getting out on new & especially bigger water and producing results is very satisfying. 

 

 Having success on places that offer different types of bass habitat and require an adaptive approach can help one feel confident & excited about the prospects rather than anxious & mostly lost - which is often seriously detrimental to success, it is to mine for sure. 

 

As for being 'good' - like you said, that's a relative term.  One thing's for sure "I'm an excellent driver".

 

A-Jay

[the reel ess]

In my estimation, it takes longer than 47 years.

 

[slonezp]

Some days I'm good. Other's, not so much...

[the reel ess]

2 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Some days I'm good. Other's, not so much...

Just when you think you know what you're doing and have it figured out, the fish show you otherwise.

[slonezp]

2 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Just when you think you know what you're doing and have it figured out, the fish show you otherwise.

That and the fishing shows tell me I'm doing it all wrong if I'm not using bait "brand xyz" rigged on hook "brand abc"

[NHBull]

I will never be as good as I want to be.

 

I live by a moto

" Don't practice until

 you get it right, practice 'till you can't get it wrong, so I figure a lifetime should just about do it

[WRB]

Angler is a board term that includes catching all types of fish.

This being a bass fishing forum I will assume the OP is inquiring about becoming a good bass angler. The definition offered is consistantly having the ability to catch a few bass without regards to size. So I think size is a factor so let's add keeper size bass of 1 lb or more. A good bass angler needs to be able to catch keeper size bass in multiple lakes, ponds and rivers, not just one.

I considered myself to be a good bass angler at age 12 based on the above criteria and continue to be a good angler to this day.

Tom

 

[Angry John]

6 minutes ago, WRB said:

Angler is a board term that includes catching all types of fish.

This being a bass fishing forum I will assume the OP is inquiring about becoming a good bass angler. The definition offered is consistantly having the ability to catch a few bass without regards to size. So I think size is a factor so let's add keeper size bass of 1 lb or more. A good bass angler needs to be able to catch keeper size bass in multiple lakes, ponds and rivers, not just one.

I considered myself to be a good bass angler at age 12 based on the above criteria and continue to be a good angler to this day.

Tom

 

Add to this in all seasons and then I suck.  Dog days and mid winter I struggle a lot.

[Lucky Craft Man]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

 I do not fish competitively however getting out on new & especially bigger water and producing results is very satisfying. 

 

 Having success on places that offer different types of bass habitat and require an adaptive approach can help one feel confident & excited about the prospects rather than anxious & mostly lost - which is often seriously detrimental to success, it is to mine for sure. 

 

As for being 'good' - like you said, that's a relative term.  One thing's for sure "I'm an excellent driver".

 

A-Jay

 

A-Jay,

 

If you are referring to being a good car driver, I have driven around all parts of Michigan from Detroit to Mackinaw and reaching an "excellent" status in that State is not a hard thing to achieve...heh heh.

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Lucky Craft Man said:

 

A-Jay,

 

If you are referring to being a good car driver, I have driven around all parts of Michigan from Detroit to Mackinaw and reaching an "excellent" status in that State is not a hard thing to achieve...heh heh.

I was mostly referring to this ~  . . . 

A-Jay

 

[Bluebasser86]

Most days, I think I'm pretty good, then I take someone out who has just started fishing and they beat me bad and I realize I still have a lot to learn.

[OCdockskipper]

Back when I was a teenager, I joined this organization called BASS, read their magazines and after a year or so, thought I was a pretty good bass fisherman.

 

In my 20's, I got married and would vacation at the California Delta or Lake Mead.  After fishing those lakes, I realized I wasn't so good as a teen, but had become a good angler since then.

 

I cut back my fishing when my kids were young, but as I got in my late 30's, I started taking my youngest out to catch catfish & bass.  I realized then that, as a 20 year old, I really wasn't that good but the experiences I gained fishing with my child had made me pretty good since then.

 

In my late 40's, as my kids became more independent, I started back bass fishing more consistently.  As I gained skill & knowledge by spending more & more time on the water, I realized how ignorant I had been just a decade prior.  Now in my mid 50's I believe I finally have reached that status of being a good bass angler.

 

To Be Continued...

[Lucky Craft Man]

11 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I was mostly referring to this ~  . . . 

A-Jay

 

 

I assumed that's what you were referring to, but I couldn't help take a jovial jab at those Michigan Car Drivers. 

[A-Jay]

3 minutes ago, Lucky Craft Man said:

 

I assumed that's what you were referring to, but I couldn't help take a jovial jab at those Michigan Car Drivers. 

Yea - might explain why we have such a high number of collision repair joints per ca pita . . . 

All a bunch of Raymond Babbit wanna be's - with & without the snow.

A-Jay

 

[jbmaine]

I really don't think of myself as good, bad, or otherwise. I think more of a good day, if we caught fish, if it was just a good day on the water,or just a good day together, my wife and I. As far as a scale, If we see a spot we think should hold fish, and we caught some, we did good. If we catch fish when no one else seems to be , we did good. If we see fish on the fish finder, and then catch them, we did good.

 We love catching fish, but at the end of the day,( at least for us ) it's the company, being on the water, and having fun.

                                                                       Jim

[newriverfisherman1953]

I wouldn't worry about how long it takes. Just enjoy the trip. Days on the water will be your friend. 

[soflabasser]

I have noticed that the best anglers tend to be the ones that learn which techniques work best in the area they fish in and master those techniques. These anglers tend to be very persistent and determined in the way they fish, so its no surprise they do so well in fishing.

[HookRz]

Being good doesn't matter, getting better is the fun part. 

[BillP]

I consider myself to be a very novice angler even after fishing for the last 50 years.

I really enjoy spending time on the water and catching a fish is the day's bonus.

[scaleface]

One and a half years until I started consistently catching bass . 

 

I struggled big time   , but when I caught that first bass on a Texas rig   I became a lot more successful at it .

[Oregon Native]

I think I'm better when I just fish the basics....if I try to catch them on "what I want to catch them on" sometimes I struggle.  I'm finding as I get older I still "LOVE" all the tackle but am slowly taking things out of boat to kind of clean it up you might say.  Time in and time out there are just some baits around here that always seem to work.....

More time using the right baits .... usually gives me better results.

Tight Lines

[Deleted account]

To me a "good" angler is one who more often than not consistently catches fish and can figure something out when the bite is tough, or when fishing unfamiliar waters. Assuming one fishes a lot, and isn't too stubborn, and has an average to somewhat above average learning curve, a decade or two.

[Wildbillb]

The fish will tell you.

[Sam]

When the family touring New York City wanted to go to Madison Square Garden, the father stopped a local New Yorker and asked, "how do I get to Madison Square Garden?"

 

"Practice, practice, practice," replied the New Yorker.

 

You need to do the same thing plus study the weather, water, temperatures, bass and forage movement cycles during the year, physics, math, English, setting up fishing logs, boating safety, tides, currents, structure, cover, electronics, mechanics, electrical systems, trailering, types of line, reels, rods, guides, hooks, weights, techniques and few other things.

 

After you master all of that then you can go out and become a good angler.

 

Then, with all this knowledge and high end tackle those small little green monsters will still make you look like a fool at times!!!