The never ending quest to improve

[OldManLure]

10 hours ago, Bankc said:

The better you get at something, the more you realize you don't know about it.  There's always room for improvement.  It's the Dunning-Kruger effect.  You have to be pretty good to realize just how bad you are at something.  And the better you get, the better you can see how much further you have left to go.  

 

Every day, every bait, every body of water, and every fish is unique.  Until you've lived every day, fished every bait on every body of water and caught every fish, you'll have stuff you can learn.  Until then, you're just trying to find patterns in the noise.  And sometimes you learn new patterns or recognize old ones.  But there are a nearly infinite amount of patterns that you miss, and nearly an infinite amount of ones that no one has even seen yet.   

Actually, the Dunning-Kruger effect describes just the opposite.  It describes an individual’s tendency to overestimate a skill, a competency, an ability, etc. even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

A person who knows enough about something to understand that there is much they don’t know is experiencing insight with maybe a touch of humility.

[TnRiver46]

Well, whatever I was doing to improve on the water today didn’t work. I think I got a little bit worse matter of fact 

[padon]

ive been fishing primarily the same 4 lakes for 30 years. i fish others too but these 4 are the main ones,they are not huge lakes and theres a core group of guys who fish them. we all know each other and we all know the areas that usually produce at different times. lately with the aid of maooing and better sonar than weve ever had ive been trying to locate subtle things in areas that arent commonly fished by the group. found a few so far and still looking . its made it more exciting and im confident as i keep looking im gonna eventually find a few gems.

[Big Hands]

There's primarily one thing that I want to accomplish when I go fishing. If I accomplish that, the rest will take care of itself: Enjoy my time/have fun. The older I get, the more important this is to me.

 

If I do that, the rest will take care itself. I'll want to do all the things that should allow for me to improve. I'll study, learn, practice, read, watch videos, organize tackle, maintain gear, try new things, get better at things I already do. Sometimes fishing is just about getting out on the water, maybe going for a swim and just soaking in the water on a hot summer day. Sometimes it's about helping someone catch fish, or learning from someone else how to do something. Sometimes it's about spending time with friends, or meeting new friends. Sometimes I just want to cruise around in my boat.

[T-Billy]

On 12/24/2021 at 9:43 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Well, whatever I was doing to improve on the water today didn’t work. I think I got a little bit worse matter of fact 

You weren't dragging a worm on an A-Jay Fishing SkunkStick were ya?

[TnRiver46]

31 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

You weren't dragging a worm on an A-Jay Fishing SkunkStick were ya?

I was trying a spoon and an underspin , bit correctly according to the smallmouth haha

[T-Billy]

I'll be out all day Tuesday. Might be the last trip this winter. We'll see what mother nature brings. I'm gonna spend some time fishing a T-rigged Fat Impact through treetops. Never done it before, but after catching that 6# suspended in a pine top a couple weeks ago, it's seems like it could be a good tactic. Musky love wood this time of year. It could get crazy.

 

[geo g]

After 70, I don’t consciously work on improving new techniques, but on consciously doing what I enjoy, and what makes me happy.  I avoid everything else purposely!  Joy and happiness are the only reward!

[Zcoker]

I agree with a lot of what is being said here on continually trying to improve oneself with fishing knowledge, skill, fishing products, etc. It does help move this sport forward. Personally, though, I find myself actually trying not to improve so much anymore lol

I mean, literally, one can get completely and totally saturated in this bass fishing scene today, almost to the point of drowning in a sea of videos, lures, rods, presentation, sales pitches, spots, opinions, etc. It can actually take away the clarity of fishing altogether....IMHO. Because of this, I find myself actually reverting a little, going back to the basics and enjoying the success of catching and winning. Sure, I still read, listen, and observe places like this site. But I keep in check my original ideas and styles that got me here in the first place.  

 

 

[padon]

8 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

I agree with a lot of what is being said here on continually trying to improve oneself with fishing knowledge, skill, fishing products, etc. It does help move this sport forward. Personally, though, I find myself actually trying not to improve so much anymore lol

I mean, literally, one can get completely and totally saturated in this bass fishing scene today, almost to the point of drowning in a sea of videos, lures, rods, presentation, sales pitches, spots, opinions, etc. It can actually take away the clarity of fishing altogether....IMHO. Because of this, I find myself actually reverting a little, going back to the basics and enjoying the success of catching and winning. Sure, I still read, listen, and observe places like this site. But I keep in check my original ideas and styles that got me here in the first place.  

 

 

Yes its a good idea to me at least to do that sometimes. when im feeling that i take my kayak to a couple remote ponds i fish and just use wacky rigged senkos and frogs and catch a bunch of bass.

[Junk Fisherman]

There is some outstanding information and advice in this thread.  I like Zcoker's advice of not drowning in the bass fishing scene.  This is my perspective as well.  I know what my core confidence techniques are and while I am constantly trying to refine them, I never deviate too far from what I've been using for years.  I only fish about 6-8 different bodies of water a year and I know them all pretty well so I when I come across new techniques or hot new lures I instantly know if and when they have a place in my arsenal.

 

In terms of the OP's question, I am trying to improve by listening and watching pros.  I love the Bass University videos and watch the videos that apply to my fishing style and locations.  You can learn things even on your confidence techniques when you listen to the pros talk about about the presentation for 30-60 minutes.  Besides those videos, I will watch guys like Zona, Seider, KVD, and other smallmouth guys who have videos on Youtube.  The Smallmouth Crush podcast is an excellent source of information as well.

 

And when I go out I'm always working on something.  I'll have my 4-5 confidence presentations always ready but I always have at least 1 presentation I am working on.  In the past, the Ned rig and dropshots were presentations I was simply working on and now they are mainstays in my arsenal.  Nowadays I am working on cracking tubes, hair jigs, jerkbaits, and dragging swimbaits in deep water.  Besides presentations, when I go out maybe I am trying a new knot or line.   Plus, I always scout a new spot every time out especially on Lake Michigan where I am always side scanning and looking for new structure.  So to summarize, while I have my confidence presentations and locations I fish, I am constantly trying to learn and improve different presentations and locations to fish.  Listening to pros is the main way I try to learn and improve when not on the water.  

[QED]

In Silicon Valley, we refer to this process as "continuous learning."  Technology moves quickly so what you learned in college, graduate school, or your last job quickly becomes outdated or disrupted, so if you are not always learning new skills, then you're obsolete.  This applies to many things in life, including fishing.

[Boomstick]

I'm always reading stuff and watching various videos to see what people are using and what's working.

 

And I need to break bad habits. I mean I know what to do and when to do it, chances are if I ever give anyone advice, it's legit but at times I get stuck in a rut or get lazy and tend to focus on a handful of presentations too much.