You can't teach courage. You can't teach heart. Etc.

[Glaucus]

We hear it all the time in sports: the things we can't teach that separates one athlete from another; when, all things being physically equal, something makes one person better than the other. The intangibles. The unreachable things.

 

Is it this way in fishing? I think probably most of us a really good anglers. Few of us are professionals, and certainly not me, but I'd say most of us have something most other fishermen don't have. I've spent a few years reading and getting to vaguely know many of you, and we're a pretty experienced bunch. We're all here for a reason, and we quarrel over this and that because we care, while the average person doesn't really care about this or that.

 

There are intangibles and unteachables that separates the addicted from the weekend warriors. We all have "something" that can't be taught, hence why we "got good", persevere, suffer through the hard times and terrible weather, and are never willing to give up.

 

What do you think you have that makes you a good angler? For me it's scanning a body of water and knowing where to find fish. And then it's the things we can't see but an enthusiast can envision it. I become one with the water. All my senses are in tune. Every bump, every nick of something, anytime something is brushed, it paints a picture of the underwater world in my head. I can vividly imagine what I'm fishing and how a fish would relate to it. It's something unteachable. 

 

This is sort of a late night spiritual thread with perhaps a splash of ego boost, but I'm serious. We all have something that makes us different than the rest, even if we aren't quite gods (pros).

[schplurg]

I'm not one of the good anglers yet but I'll reply since everyone else is probably asleep   Then again my friend who has fished his whole life gets outfished when I'm around. And I believe I will be very good in time.

 

------------

Edit to add: He isn't into it like me and that is the difference between us. He's casual and I'm...well I'm on BassResource!

------------

 

I tend to pick up things quickly - very quick learner. After 52 years I have seen it enough in myself and heard it enough from other people - ya I have a knack for a lot of things.

 

For instance, learning to skip was easy for me. I got it the first time I tried. With a baitcaster too, only after reading advice here at BR (raise the tip!!!). Handling the rod in general just feels natural.

 

For me I think some of it is just natural ability, but also I get "into it". I learn, I read, I join forums. Whatever it is that I'm into I go for it I think.

 

And now I will tell you how I know I love bass fishing forever. I went 6 months this year without catching a single fish of any kind (I bank and yak fish). SIX MONTHS!!! Now it is very tough around here, but ZERO? Dude, I was not in a good place. But I struggled on and eventually got on track. Now I feel like a pro!

 

And while NOT catching fish, I still customized my yak, added a fish finder, stocked up on baits. Dude...I'm in this man.

 

But I'll tell you, I had serious doubts about myself. It's my 3rd year of fishing and second year of serious bass fishing. I think this was one of those tests that make you or break you. I kicked its butt! But dang it really got to me.

 

Anyways, others will come and answer the question you asked better than I can. But I guess I can give you my perspective, and that is that the only great skill I have right now is the will to never give up!

[TnRiver46]

I go fishing more often and for longer than most. I figure the rest will take care of itself. “Time on the water”

[Dens228]

I have a tendency to try to be the best that I can if I'm going to do something.  Anything is more fun if you're successful.

With bass fishing over the past few years I can point to a couple things that have led to my improvement, to what degree each one has I have no idea.  

 

1.  Watch video, read info, apply those tactics

2.  I simplified my color choices......no more paralysis by over analysis

3.  Learning to eliminate water as much as find water

4.  Prior success doesn't mean future success (or failure for that matter)  Mix it up.

5.  If I want to catch big bass I'm going to lose lures

6.  In the summer don't just fish banks and shallows  IE: learn to fish deeper water

7.  FISH........time on the water is vital. 

8.  Enjoy the process 

[Hook2Jaw]

I don't know if I'm good yet, and that's what puts me at the level I'm at.  I'm constantly pushing to get better.

[the reel ess]

I have friends, a married couple, that have a small back yard pond they let me fish whenever I want. I go there and catch more and bigger fish than they even thought were there. And they'll ask questions like "How did you know that fish would be there?", "How did you get bigger ones to bite?" or "How do you know what they'll bite right now?" And I'll tell them it's from lots of years of experience and watching YouTube videos and trolling this very board for advice and ideas. And they'll act as if they're interested in catching more. But the next time I go they ask the same questions. Most people just aren't as interested as we are. Most of us are fanatics.

[Catt]

I understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, and then fish it effectively.

When most anglers first look at a topographical map they immediately look at the shoreline & shallow water. The first thing I wanna know is where is the river/creek channels. That is the lifeblood of the body of water.

 

I understand what the predominate prey species are in my bodies of water & how those species relate to structure with each passing season...morning, noon, and night.

Not only do I wanna know what the bass are doing during the pre-spawn/spawn under prefrontal conditions, I wanna know what their food source is doing!

 

I understand that next after location is timing; just because I don't get bite does not mean the bass weren't there or I tied on the wrong lure. Are they biting in the morning, mid-day, evening, or night?

Edited August 24, 2020 by Catt
Operator Error

[A-Jay]

6 hours ago, Glaucus said:

We hear it all the time in sports: the things we can't teach that separates one athlete from another; when, all things being physically equal, something makes one person better than the other. The intangibles. The unreachable things.

 

Is it this way in fishing? I think probably most of us a really good anglers. Few of us are professionals, and certainly not me, but I'd say most of us have something most other fishermen don't have. I've spent a few years reading and getting to vaguely know many of you, and we're a pretty experienced bunch. We're all here for a reason, and we quarrel over this and that because we care, while the average person doesn't really care about this or that.

 

There are intangibles and unteachables that separates the addicted from the weekend warriors. We all have "something" that can't be taught, hence why we "got good", persevere, suffer through the hard times and terrible weather, and are never willing to give up.

 

What do you think you have that makes you a good angler? For me it's scanning a body of water and knowing where to find fish. And then it's the things we can't see but an enthusiast can envision it. I become one with the water. All my senses are in tune. Every bump, every nick of something, anytime something is brushed, it paints a picture of the underwater world in my head. I can vividly imagine what I'm fishing and how a fish would relate to it. It's something unteachable. 

 

This is sort of a late night spiritual thread with perhaps a splash of ego boost, but I'm serious. We all have something that makes us different than the rest, even if we aren't quite gods (pros).

I do not fish tournaments.

So there's no need for me to compare myself or be better than another bass angler.

I am however, forever competing against the bass and myself.

Consistently learning any aspect of the sport and any success I may have are my measuring sticks. 

Net, scale & camera use tells the story for me. 

Some trips I manage it all, others, not so much.

I do not feel like I was born with any angling skills. 

But I fell in love with it early in life.

And over the years have built a decent set of usable angling skills through time on the water as well as trial & error.

Finally, I'll never know it all, nor would I want to. 

YMMV

A-Jay

 

[scaleface]

I try not to emulate the pros . I have not tried every technique and dont own every  lure . I just go fishing . Select lures that excel in the cover or structure I encounter , make the best and quietest cast I can and like Tririvers said , stay out there a long time .

[Mobasser]

I don't really have anything special I can mention about my own fishing, other than casting. I've tried very hard over 40 yrs to become an accurate caster, and I still strive to hit my targets with my cast. Most days I can hit dead on eight out of ten cast. I have no doubt this has helped me land more fish over the years. I still firmly believe that for the average weekend fisherman, accuracy with your cast is more important than speed.

[Koz]

I'm going to blow this all up with one question:

 

Are you a really good angler or are you just familiar with the waters you fish?

 

Aye, there's the rub! I think most of us that are experienced are pretty good on the waters we fish regularly. But drop us off two states away and most will need considerable time to figure it out and consistently catch fish there. Don't believe me? How many times have we seen pros get skunked on MLF while another guy catches 35 pounds worth in a round?

 

Over the years when we fish the same waters over and over again we consciously and subconsciously pick up a ton of information that we employ each time we go out. But that information does not always translate into the same level of results on foreign waters. Experience tells us where the fish should be, but different bodies of water have their own cycles as to when the fish are more likely to be in those locations.

 

Anyway, I'm a really good fisherman on the bodies of water I fish consistently. But put me on water that I haven't been on before and it's going to take me a while to achieve that same consistency.

[scaleface]

11 minutes ago, Koz said:

I'm going to blow this all up with one question:

 

Are you a really good angler or are you just familiar with the waters you fish?

 

Aye, there's the rub! I think most of us that are experienced are pretty good on the waters we fish regularly. But drop us off two states away and most will need considerable time to figure it out and consistently catch fish there. Don't believe me? How many times have we seen pros get skunked on MLF while another guy catches 35 pounds worth in a round?

 

Over the years when we fish the same waters over and over again we consciously and subconsciously pick up a ton of information that we employ each time we go out. But that information does not always translate into the same level of results on foreign waters. Experience tells us where the fish should be, but different bodies of water have their own cycles as to when the fish are more likely to be in those locations.

 

Anyway, I'm a really good fisherman on the bodies of water I fish consistently. But put me on water that I haven't been on before and it's going to take me a while to achieve that same consistency.

Of course I catch more fish on waters I know . Thats part of the time on the water thingy .Put me on the deep clear Ozark lakes and my success drops off significantly . They dont get to skunk me though . 

[the reel ess]

37 minutes ago, Koz said:

I'm going to blow this all up with one question:

 

Are you a really good angler or are you just familiar with the waters you fish?

 

 

I'm a decent fisherman who specializes and is familiar with the waters he fishes. I usually don't even target any other species. I'm not the kind of person who can be good at a lot of things. Nor do I have 3 days a week to devote to fishing different locales. i have to concentrate my efforts for results. Sometimes I want to go somewhere different because the bite has not been good at my main lake. But I go there anyway because it only takes one fish there to make a trip worthwhile. It actually only takes one big fish every few trips. I'm also mostly confined, voluntarily, to smaller waters because I use the kayak. I'm 50 years old so I'm not really chasing twenty 1 lb fish anymore. I'll fish a place with big fish for fewer bites.

 

I had to abandon a lot of things I learned running and gunning on the big lake. And even then i was fishing familiar water.

[Mike L]

I know and understand what my strengths and weaknesses are, and don’t force either.

My biggest strength is picking apart a hydrilla or hyacinth mat or acres of moderate to heavy vegetation and making thought out changes in baits, presentation, location and yes, even equipment. 
 

I guess My biggest “weakness” is that 
I don’t necessarily agree with the prevailing thought that you must be constantly moving to cover water quickly to be successful in finding fish to establish a pattern. 
 

As a FLW tour co angler for years, I was forced to make quick decisions and rely on experience. 
Experimentation in unfamiliar waters with no opportunity to change locations when it got tough, taught and forced me to always fish my strengths when given the opportunity. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Mobasser]

I'm 100% sure I wasnt born with any special angling talents. I had a brother, dad, and grandpa who liked to fish, and I was around it from an early age.Any skills I'm good at in bass fishing, I developed on my own, through years of fishing.

 

[Koz]

30 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Of course I catch more fish on waters I know . Thats part of the time on the water thingy .Put me on the deep clear Ozark lakes and my success drops off significantly . They dont get to skunk me though . 

I get that, but the OP's question was "What do you think you have that makes you a good angler?"

[BrianMDTX]

Just getting back into bass fishing, the choices (can be) overwhelming. Other than pros, I never saw anyone 30 years ago with dozens of rod/reel combos set up for one particular presentation. Most angler had two or three rigs and used them for various baits. Maybe a BC with a MH for TR, Rapala plugs and other crankbaits and topwater baits, and a spinning rig for smaller baits (I never heard the term “finesse” used back then). So any new angler today can be challenged by the myriad choices in rods, reels, lines, etc. 

 

I’m trying to keep it simple. I have four rigs: a BC on a MHF rod and one on a MF; and a spinning rig on a MHF and another on a MF.  I’m trying to fish a few certain baits and get proficient with them vs casting anything and everything and not really learning much about the do’s and don’ts. And if I get no bites in 20 minutes, I’ll stick with it until I’m fairly confident that bait just doesn’t work. Which may not actually be true for an angler with more experience than I have, but I’ll keep at it to learn the process. 

 

I’ll never start a day casting a 5” Senko WR. I’ve probably caught 75% of my bass since I got back into fishing in May on that bait. I know I can catch at least one bass on that if cast it long enough. But it’s not helping me learn other presentations if I constantly fall back on the reliable. Taking time to learn how and when to fish new baits can be frustrating. Many give up after 5-10 casts and say the lure’s no good. Most of the posters here know that’s untrue...because they’ve stuck it out. 

 

I’ve seen the same exact thing in bowhunting. You can teach a new bowhunter how to shoot a bow, read sign, play the wind, set up good stands, etc. But many hunt an hour or so, see no deer and pack up and leave, and spook a nice buck that was just approaching their stand. Patience and perseverance are something many find hard to master in many aspects of life. Including fishing. 

[Herbert Lorenzo]

I was just telling my wife that bass fishing is not like any other type fishing I've done . It's seems amazing to me that almost every single outing is unique in that what worked so well for a day or two , it seems will never ever catch another fish from day three on . Expect to do something totally different , in order to have a successful outing . This is challenging  and is what makes it so satisfying when we have a great day bass fishing . Places like Bass Resource provide hours of entertainment and knowledge that help make fishing so much fun .

[scaleface]

6 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I'm 100% sure I wasnt born with any special angling talents. I had a brother, dad, and grandpa who liked to fish, and I was around it from an early age.Any skills I'm good at in bass fishing, I developed on my own, through years of fishing.

 

I think being introduced to fishing at a young age makes a huge difference . I can honestly say I've been an angler as far back as I can remember .We would go on family vacations , guess what I wanted to do?   Look what I have going on now . My tent on a small  river on private ground  . I'm going to keep it there for at least a month and spend some evenings there bass and cat fishing by myself for some therapeutic healing .

[Mobasser]

Just now, scaleface said:

I think being introduced to fishing at a young age makes a huge difference . I can honestly say I've been an angler as far back as I can remember .We would go on family vacations , guess what I wanted to do?   Look what I have going on now . My tent on a small  river on private ground  . I'm going to keep it there for at least a month and spend some evenings there bass and cat fishing by myself for some therapeutic healing .

That looks like a great place and great idea!

[scaleface]

29 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

That looks like a great place and great idea!

After I set the tent up Sunday I didnt fish . I walked the gravel bars and found this .

 

   Sorry for hijacking the subject .

[Bluebasser86]

I'm not afraid to fail. A big part of fishing is failure. Every cast I make that comes back empty is a failed attempt at catching a fish, so Ifail a lot. I'm fortunate to have lots of good lakes in the area so I don't have to fish the tough lakes, but I choose to anyways because I don't learn anything catching the dumb ones. The thought of intentionally going somewhere that is tough when there's a good bite somewhere else seems crazy to a lot of people, maybe it is a little bit, but I learn more earning those tough bites than catching those fish that are jumping in the boat.

[gim]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I go fishing more often and for longer than most.

I agree with this.  Naturally, if you spend more time fishing, the odds of success go up.  However, there are also better time periods to fish than others too.  Fishing during those time periods will maximize your chance of success.

 

Targeting fish that are not as pressured and have seen less lures seems to increase my success too.

[FishinBuck07]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

I try not to emulate the pros . I have not tried every technique and dont own every  lure . I just go fishing . Select lures that excel in the cover or structure I encounter , make the best and quietest cast I can and like Tririvers said , stay out there a long time .

I need to do this also!  I have so much tackle and lures that I will probably never catch a bass on it is sickening!  I am starting down the path of just simplifying stuff I am using, and have noticed I am starting to figure out my local lakes better!

[Bankc]

In sports, there are things like size, speed, and coordination that can't be taught.  But most everything else can be learned.  Some people learn quicker than others.  And that helps.  Some people think more intuitively and less analytically, and that can help in sports where split second decisions are often made.  You have to hone your intuition, of course.  But I don't think that even that helps much in fishing. I think fishing is something anyone can learn to be great at, if they're willing to put forth the effort.  There are no physical demands that lie outside the realm of the average person.  There are no mental barriers that Joe Schmo can't overcome.  The path might be easier for some than for others due to life circumstances, but I don't seen anything that would prevent the average person from becoming a pro, so long as they have the passion, curiosity, and work ethic to make it happen.

 

It's a bit like drawing.  I can draw with near photo realism.  I often hear people say things like "Oh, you're so lucky that you can draw well", or "I wish I could draw like that, but I can't".  Things like that annoy me.  It's not that I was born with a talent that others don't possess.  Anyone who can write their name possess the skills to draw well.  It's the same mechanics, the same concepts, the same principles.  If there's something different about me, it's that I developed a passion that most don't have.  As such, I spent decades practicing drawing, and studying it very carefully.  I got good, because I put in thousands, if not tens of thousands of hours of hard work. I put in that hard work, because I enjoyed the hard work itself, not because I was trying to get better.  Getting better was just a side effect.  And saying my accomplishments are due to a natural inclination is insulting, not just to me, but to yourself.  

 

Being tall, coordinated, strong, fast, smart, etc. doesn't give you an meaningful edge in fishing.  And we all can muster up the courage or the heart to chase down our goals.  That's not something only a select few are born with.  We just have to want them bad enough and be willing to make the necessary sacrifices.  And that's something you learn.  Now, whether or not we all learn it, and what we learn about it, that's a different story.  

 

If there is something that you can be born with that will help you excel at something like fishing, it's being born into a family that will support you in your quest.  If you're family has the financial means to allow you to chase such a goal from a young age and the desire to help you along on something that's seemingly so impractical, that can put a lot of road between you and the wannabe's that follow.