How well do You deal with getting skunked?

[TnRiver46]

Same as anything else in life, do better next time. Skunking makes me want to go fishing again really bad. 

[Peddiesake]

I still enjoy the day and I learn something new every time to employ tomorrow. I tell my buds .. they’re going to pay tomorrow.

[Aaron_H]

22 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Anyone who claims they never get skunked when fishing is the same person who claims they always win at the casino.  ?

 

I was fortunate this past year, fished 110 days with only 2 skunks. One of which was a new spot that receives a lot of pressure so I went into it figuring I wasn't going to figure them out that quickly, but the second was at one of my favorite spots so the skunk was a bit more frustrating.

 

I look at a skunk as a learning opportunity. What piece of the puzzle did I miss? It can be frustrating when the bite isn't what I expected, but I just try my best to reframe it in a positive light. It helps to not get angry about it.

 

What hurts is losing a big fish. Had a couple over the past year that I just had to sit down after they came off. Gotta have a second to grieve lol. Happened a few weeks ago, lost a biiig girl on the jerkbait but I was trying to get a hang of the technique and must've flubbed something and she came unpinned. Those are a little harder to let go of than the skunks IMO. But I don't throw a tantrum or throw my rod, just a quick little heartbreak and then back to casting. At least I know I'm fishing the right areas and triggering big bites, gotta keep that positive spin in mind.

 

Not saying I don't feel angry sometimes, I just try my best to manage it quickly.

[T-Billy]

46 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

What hurts is losing a big fish. Had a couple over the past year that I just had to sit down after they came off. Gotta have a second to grieve lol. Happened a few weeks ago, lost a biiig girl on the jerkbait but I was trying to get a hang of the technique and must've flubbed something and she came unpinned. Those are a little harder to let go of than the skunks IMO. But I don't throw a tantrum or throw my rod, just a quick little heartbreak and then back to casting. At least I know I'm fishing the right areas and triggering big bites, gotta keep that positive spin in mind.

I'm with ya 100%. Broke two PB LM off in two years on 20# invisx. That put an end to flouro for me. Had two 30"+ saugeye shake off at boatside. All four fish woulda been on the wall had I landed them. Deflated is the best I can describe the feeling. Nothin you can do. Set down a couple minutes, get your head right again, and get back after it. No point getting mad.

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m not great with a skunk.  But my sour mood magnitude is directly proportional to the number of fish my friends gets.  
 

it’s a bad feeling gooseegging a day when friends are giddy and hauling them in.  That means I suck, and i can’t blame the fish. 
 

But it lights the fire in me to get back after them. 

[king fisher]

When I get skunked( yes it does happen in Mexico)  I buy more tackle and ice cream.  If I get skunked and loose a giant bass on the same day, I buy more tackle, and Vodka.

[dodgeguy]

I used to hate it. Then it started to happen less and less. Now I'm down to about twice a year. There are lots of tough days in there also. A lot of people also don't put enough hours in. You may fish for 3 hours and not get a bite because the fish aren't feeding. 15 minutes after you leave it may turn on. I fish 8 to 10 hours in a rowboat when I go . You have to be dedicated. So as I grow older I deal with it better by trying to learn from it.

[DogBone_384]

Not well. Just ask @Mr. Aquarium and @Saltysmalljaws…

 

They’re great @ listening to my rants.

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

I used to hate it. Then it started to happen less and less. Now I'm down to about twice a year. There are lots of tough days in there also. A lot of people also don't put enough hours in. You may fish for 3 hours and not get a bite because the fish aren't feeding. 15 minutes after you leave it may turn on. I fish 8 to 10 hours in a rowboat when I go . You have to be dedicated. So as I grow older I deal with it better by trying to learn from it.

I like that. If you spend 8 hours in a row boat, your hook stays in the water more often than most people with a bass boat 

[Bankbeater]

It depends on how well the trip went as a whole.  Sometimes I can look back and say I still had a pretty good trip, and other times I say why did I even go fishing that day.

[Sphynx]

To begin with, I skunk very seldom, not to say I'm landing monster fish every outing, but it's honestly an unusual event that I don't catch a few fish, next because skunks are uncommon, I tend to be very susceptible to the event, it doesn't make me a poor angler, but it does have a brutal way of telling me "you don't know what you think you do" so I tend to look at them as moments worth serious examination, it's not often kind or gentle, but I almost always learn more from getting skunked that from being successful 

[Gera]

Just being out on a nice day its a win, I would take it over being here at the office and the freezing temps outside. 

[cyclops2]

I allow myself to not be perfect in fishing. I am playing.  Good mental health requirement.

Done

[Choporoz]

18 hours ago, scaleface said:

Not catching a keeper is getting skunked on keepers . Not catching anything at all is a true skunking . We counting  keepers or bass ? 

Good point.   There are different species of skunk...I'm not a fan of any of them.

1.  No fish.  At all.  Even if you just spend 20 minutes on the bank.

2.  No bass...but maybe 4 crappie, one pike, and a 20# catfish.

3.   A couple of hookups...both lost at the boat.

4.  Tournament day: six 11 inch bass when the minimum is 12.

I might refer to all of those as a skunk

[Mike L]

I hate it!

I hate it with a passion!!

 

Yeah I know it happens, it happens to everyone one time or another, It happens to the best of us. 
 

Did I say I hate it!!

 

 

 

 

Mike

[scaleface]

The  best way to avoid skunkings is to go to good waters under good conditions . We all know the places bass like to hang out .

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, scaleface said:

The  best way to avoid skunkings is to go to good waters under good conditions . We all know the places bass like to hang out .

I can’t think of any places they don’t hang out. Catching them far trickier than locating them 

[Mr. Aquarium]

It’s fishin, it happens to everyone. I usually get mad if it’s some badass fish and I’m on a charter. Or something like that. Like tuna fishing fishing for 12 hours straight no fish. I HATE THAT I HAVENT CAUGHT A d**n TUNA YET!!!!! Or I get invited to fish on someone’s badass boat for some speices I don’t get a chance to chase often.  Then get skunked! 
or when I’ve been up since 1 am, bustin ass and get skunked. 
 

but bass fishin, it happens. Roll with the punches and learn from each time your on the water, fish or no fish 

[thediscochef]

It depends. If there's an obvious reason why the bite is off, it's no sweat. Just makes me eager for better weather. On nice days that should be good days but aren't or if I lose fish without catching one, I tend to get a bit salty. It always just makes me want to get lines back in the water

[Jaderose]

On 2/7/2022 at 7:11 PM, Way north bass guy said:

Same here. Not saying it hasn’t happened, cause it certainly has, but not in a long time that I can remember. Now I’ve had days where I didn’t get too many at all, or it was a grind to catch one good one, but it’s been quite a while since a truly stinky day. 

 

On 2/7/2022 at 4:02 PM, Captain Phil said:

Anyone who claims they never get skunked when fishing is the same person who claims they always win at the casino.  ?

Gentlemen, Gentlemen.....when I say I can't remember the last time I got skunked, I AM telling the truth but that doesn't mean I'm an expert fisherman or all my days are great...lol.  It does mean I know my lake VERY well and I know a couple honey holes where there's always at least ONE dink or 2 hiding.

[Skunkmaster-k]

I’ve never been skunked either. 

[PhishLI]

On 2/8/2022 at 7:32 PM, dodgeguy said:

You may fish for 3 hours and not get a bite because the fish aren't feeding. 15 minutes after you leave it may turn on.

Correct. That's usually all the time I can grab after work, dinner, listening to a story or ten from my wife, then walking the dog. When I leave is often based on a gut feeling, or might depend on how it went the previous trip, or favorable changes in the weather. I can't tell you how many times I dug in for a little bit more than my friends could manage to stay then went on a run. When my buddy Pete taps out he'll always laugh and say "send pics". I usually do. A hot wolfpack bite usually lasts about 40 minutes, then poof. We're on them, then they're gone.

[cyclops2]

Schooling ANIMALS.  Deer or fish only eat so much of a area up in 1 feeding.  They can eat enough to make it to the next stop for a munching.  I have a lot of roving schools of all types doing that.

[schplurg]

I guess I handle skunking pretty well or I'd have quit long ago.

 

So far this year I've fished 4 times (all in the past week) without a bite. From the bank, local lakes in the south bay (which sucks). Of course it's winter still.

 

I've had extended periods with no catches. It can be a downer - seriously bad one year - but so far I'm still here.

[KSanford33]

On 2/7/2022 at 5:01 PM, BayouSlide said:

Back when I was working, I had a saying: "I don't pay $ (costs of hunting, fishing, shooting competition, etc.) to be miserable, people pay my hourly rate of $$$ for the opportunity to make me miserable." ?

This. I play golf as well and have played with some people that you would’ve thought they were sitting in the dentist chair. Like Mr. Slide said, I don’t pay money to be miserable.