Stubborn fishing partner.

[Bird]

My long time fishing partner is recovering from heart surgery so for the last month or so I've been fishing with my 1st cousin who also is retired, he's 68.

 

He's always been stubborn but today it was really on display.

We got on the water early and fish were hitting the top of the water so I started with a Devils horse, caught a few.

He was throwing a frog in open water, nothing.

As the sun rose I proceeded to a shaded bank with a finesse worm and the fish craved it.

 

My cousin is still throwing a frog so I offered him the front of the boat and exactly what I was throwing, he declined and proceeded to skunk.

He was grouchy on the drive home but had the roles been reversed, I'd gladly except a bait that was catching fish.

 

[Woody B]

Thanks, that's a reminder why I like to fish alone.  I fish for fun.  I ain't putting up with grouchy.  

[12poundbass]

We went on a Salmon charter as part of a bachelor party. There were two boats, the boat I wasn’t on was slamming them. The captain radios to ours telling him to come on over! Our captain an old grouchy, stubborn man kept saying “we’re going to stick around here for a while”. The four of us each caught one, while the other boat caught their limit and then some. ?

[MediumMouthBass]

I can understand the part about him using the frog, sometimes when i know i can use a lure that will catch fish i will use something else because i either spent alot of money on a bunch of those lures, or i will try to catch fish on something i dont use alot.

[DaubsNU1]

Invited relative on smallmouth trip at last minute...Dad could not go. Relative was big LMB fisherman, and the whole drive up to spot was trying to convince us to ditch the smallies, and go to his favorite lake (adding 4 hours on to our already 3 hour long drive). We declined. 

 

We were hammering smallies on NED rigs, and offered them to him...he refused, kept trying to catch fish his way, and kept asking us to ditch the smallies and head to chase LMBs. 

 

Our main excuse, the Air BnB was already paid for. About two days in to our trip, he offered to pay off the Air BnB completely, pay for gas, and pay for hotel at the LMB spot. We were having none of it. 

 

He finally tried NED and actually caught the biggest Smallie of the entire trip. But the entire time kept talking about his special LMB lake, and how great the fishing was.

 

I'm sure we will invite him again...we do often...but I doubt he will join us. He's still trying to get us up to his favorite spot.

[TOXIC]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve guided a husband and wife with the husband having a little oversized ego.  Everything I suggested he would question and interject his own opinion.  I would then turn to the wife and devote my time to her.  They always listened and did exactly what I suggested and almost all of the time would out fish the husband.  

[Born 2 fish]

I fish with my 12 year old son and he soak’s up everything I tell him. Otherwise I prefer to fish alone.

[Jar11591]

Sometimes people just wanna catch them

their own way. I’ve been in the boat with a buddy, slaying them with a spinnerbait while they struggle with a jig. I’ll tell ‘em “my spinnerbait box is open, help yourself” but they’ll keep chucking the jig to no avail.

[GRiver]

“What ya gonna do” some things ya just can’t fix

[gim]

I've experienced this many times before too.  There is this one guy that fishes with me about 3 times/season and he absolutely refuses to use a slower, plastic presentation.  Flat out refuses.  He'd rather chuck a moving lure for hours waiting for that one active fish to bite than slow down and catch fish with a plastic.  One time I had caught 15 bass in about an hour span and he finally looked over at me and said "you and your rubbers."

[Blue Raider Bob]

My fishin' buddy from my youth recently spent a few days on the river with me. I'm tossin' what I like to toss and he's tossing a 2" Chartreuse and white curly tail. He's catching fish and I'm offering my Ned Rigs. He's still catching fish, I'm not but I'm still offering my Neds. Next day, more of the same. He caught double what I caught but I'm the brick skull that was determined that he fish what I liked to fish instead of what he liked to fish. Never have outgrown stubbornness.

[TnRiver46]

18 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Sometimes people just wanna catch them

their own way. I’ve been in the boat with a buddy, slaying them with a spinnerbait while they struggle with a jig. I’ll tell ‘em “my spinnerbait box is open, help yourself” but they’ll keep chucking the jig to no avail.

Impossible 

[roadwarrior]

Guilty...

I will fish a jig when I know something else would be a better choice.

 

 

 

                                                        

[Alex from GA]

Back in the very back of a cove where the water was 2' deep I saw stripers had bait cornered and told my partner to throw his bucktail back there.  It's too shallow was the reply so I caught a 15 lb striper and still he said it's too shallow.  It boiled down to I caught another good one and hooked up with another that I handed off to him.  To this day that place was still too shallow.  He's 92 and can't fish much unless his SIL or a guide takes him now.

[Skunkmaster-k]

My wife is the one fishing with a stubborn partner. There’s been more times than I can count where she’s been catching fish and I’m too proud to copy her. Like Laverne and Sherly, I’m going to do it my way, yes my way. 

[Jeff Zurawski]

I don't mind when invitees refuse advice and stick with baits and presentations that aren't working, so long as they're having a good time.  Complaining about how bad the catching sucks gets them dropped from the list. 

 

In a flipped situation, I'm like Bird.  Last time it happened was a couple months ago when a buddy and I were on a float during tough conditions. 

 

We'd been cycling through all the stuff we like catching em on and which most often works good, but had little action.  Eventually he switched to something that I had doubts about even though I'd seen him do good with it on dinks last year under similar conditions. 

 

Fifteen minutes later he caught a gorgeous C-class Smallie.  I anchored up in the middle of the River so we could catch our breath and take photos before releasing the fish.  Being the good partner that he is, he asked if I needed one of his baits and hell yes said I.  First cast with it I caught a plump sixteen-incher.  No lie. 

[Susky River Rat]

My dog isn’t stubborn in that way. He doesn’t care if I catch fish or not lol. My dad will put on whatever I tell him to. I like to find something they are eating then get him to use it and I’ll explore other options.  I enjoy watching him catch fish.

[Swamp Girl]

On 7/6/2023 at 6:03 PM, Bird said:

I'd gladly except a bait that was catching fish.

 

Me too! I fished with my brother once in northwestern Ontario and the smallmouth ONLY wanted leeches. I'd catch a bass as soon as my leech neared the bottom. My brother, in his canoe, kept fishing a tube, catching nothing.

 

"Want some leeches?" I asked.

 

He'd glare at me.

 

"I have plenty of leeches," I said.

 

He'd continue to glaring at me.

 

No lie: When he died, he was still mad about that day.

 

On 7/10/2023 at 8:01 AM, Jeff Zurawski said:

I don't mind when invitees refuse advice and stick with baits and presentations that aren't working, so long as they're having a good time.  Complaining about how bad the catching sucks gets them dropped from the list. 

 

Atta, Jeff!