How much does CONFIDENCE really matter to you?

[bigtimfish]

To me confidence is everything. My weakest point in fishing is a jig. I have absolutley NO confidence in a jig. my parasite weight and craws and creatures are a total confidence thing for me. they do the same thing as the jig. I have found if i have no confidence with something i aint gonna catch ***t. i have thrown a jig a lot and it has NEVER produced quality fish for me.

[tyrius.]

I posted something along the lines of this a while ago and disagreed with most everyone.

To me confidence is one of the last things that I care about.  Knowledge of how, where, and when to use a given technique is what is the most important thing.  After you apply your knowledge successfully you will gain confidence.

To go along with your point about the jig, I used to have no confidence in it.  That's mainly because I didn't have any real knowledge on how to fish it.  Once I did the research and started applying my new knowledge I caught more and bigger fish than I ever had before.  Now I almost always have a jig tied on.  On the flip side I know anglers who have confidence in a particular bait without the appropriate knowledge and end up using it in situations that are not ideal resulting in low to no catch rates.  This fisherman's confidence in a particular bait is inhibiting their success.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

I remember that thread, and to me your point is valid Tyrius.

[Eddie Munster]

Confidence is pretty key for me. I usually will try to catch SOMETHING upon first getting to the lake to kind of put some money in the bank so to speak. I don't fish for numbers but I don't want to get skunked either. Catching that first fish gets it off my mind and allows me to enjoy the time out there more.

If I throw a bait for several trips in a row (giving it plenty of time) and get nothing with it, chances are it will seldom be used unless I'm very bored.

[J Francho]

My confidence starts when I locate fish.  I have confidence in just about every bait I use, if its the appropriate bait for the situation.  As I catch fish, my confidence grows.

I really can't help you with your jig fishing, because it sounds to me that you have decided it isn't for you.  That's OK, but I can assure you, a jig is not like a Texas rig bait.

[pondmaster32]

if you want to gain confidence in a lure then go to a pond or lake that is jammed packed with fish and when you catch fish you'll thing that you can catch fish in other places and the more fish you catch the more confidence you will get using that lure. if you don't catch fish at first, look up tips for that lure so you can catch a lot more fish than before. then if you still don't catch fish then stop trying to use the lure because your just wasting time you can be catch fish with lures you have confidence in. and i don't blame you, jigs are pretty hard to fish and keep your confidence in one. here's a way i got confidence in jigs. i found a lake with a lot of timber and rocks and i started to fish and with still no luck i tried a jig and got all excited and when i pitched the jig to the first log i saw i pulled up a giant 5 pound bass and thats how i got into jigs.

[WRB]

To me confidence is everything. My weakest point in fishing is a jig. I have absolutley NO confidence in a jig. my parasite weight and craws and creatures are a total confidence thing for me. they do the same thing as the jig. I have found if i have no confidence with something i aint gonna catch ***t. i have thrown a jig a lot and it has NEVER produced quality fish for me.

A pegged Texas weight is a bullet head jig. It's how you fish the jig that counts and has given you confidence, not the name.

WRB

[bigtimfish]

My confidence starts when I locate fish. I have confidence in just about every bait I use, if its the appropriate bait for the situation. As I catch fish, my confidence grows.

I really can't help you with your jig fishing, because it sounds to me that you have decided it isn't for you. That's OK, but I can assure you, a jig is not like a Texas rig bait.

how so, a t rigged paca craw with a parasite weight does the same exact thing that a jig does. i punch them through grass, and also flip docks with them. they may look different, but other than that i fish them just like i do a jig and IMO they outfish the jig. Maybe you dont know what a parasite weight is, basically it is a weight that attaches to the hook that prevents the weight from sliding up and down the line.

[CRFisher]

I don't see how a fish is going to bite a bait based on how confident you feel.  Unless a lack of confidence impacts the action of a bait I don't see it making any difference.  There may be just as much impact as being overconfident in a bait.  

[SoFl-native]

Unless a lack of confidence impacts the action of a bait I don't see it making any difference.

It totally effects how a person fishes a bait. If you have ever seen a person fish a bait they dont like.....they reel it in way early with disgust.....they work the bait with frustration.....it is horrible. No surprise they never catch fish on it.

The confidence factor IMO is more important than the color of the bait.

Sexy Shad is a shad clor with a chartreuse stripe for god sake........its not the color......its the confidence in that color.

[Eddie Munster]

Confidence in a bait = time spent fishing said bait

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a very diverse bait fisherman. I have different kinds but they don't get equal time in the water mainly out of lack of knowledge and/or confidence.

[J Francho]

My confidence starts when I locate fish.  I have confidence in just about every bait I use, if its the appropriate bait for the situation.  As I catch fish, my confidence grows.

I really can't help you with your jig fishing, because it sounds to me that you have decided it isn't for you.  That's OK, but I can assure you, a jig is not like a Texas rig bait.

 how so, a t rigged paca craw with a parasite weight does the same exact thing that a jig does. i punch them through grass, and also flip docks with them. they may look different, but other than that i fish them just like i do a jig and IMO they outfish the jig. Maybe you dont know what a parasite weight is, basically it is a weight that attaches to the hook that prevents the weight from sliding up and down the line.

Trust me, I know what a parasite weight is, LOL.  They are two unique tools, both catch fish.  I suggest both doing a search here, as jig vs. T-rig has been dicussed ad nauseum, and dedicating some time to learning about all the different jigs, how to use them, and catch some fish on them.  Once you are proficient with both, you'll see there is a difference.

[daviscw]

I posted something along the lines of this a while ago and disagreed with most everyone.

To me confidence is one of the last things that I care about. Knowledge of how, where, and when to use a given technique is what is the most important thing. After you apply your knowledge successfully you will gain confidence.

To go along with your point about the jig, I used to have no confidence in it. That's mainly because I didn't have any real knowledge on how to fish it. Once I did the research and started applying my new knowledge I caught more and bigger fish than I ever had before. Now I almost always have a jig tied on. On the flip side I know anglers who have confidence in a particular bait without the appropriate knowledge and end up using it in situations that are not ideal resulting in low to no catch rates. This fisherman's confidence in a particular bait is inhibiting their success.

Wow, I actually agree with you!  ;D

Well said IMO.

[bigtimfish]

Confidence in a bait = time spent fishing said bait

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a very diverse bait fisherman. I have different kinds but they don't get equal time in the water mainly out of lack of knowledge and/or confidence.

I can totally agree with you 100%.

[tyrius.]

how so, a t rigged paca craw with a parasite weight does the same exact thing that a jig does.

You may fish the two in exactly the same places, but they are not the same bait.  A skirted jig and a t-rigged craw are different.  One has a skirt and the other doesn't.  They fall differently, the look different when resting on the bottom, etc, etc.

[CWB]

I posted something along the lines of this a while ago and disagreed with most everyone.

To me confidence is one of the last things that I care about. Knowledge of how, where, and when to use a given technique is what is the most important thing. After you apply your knowledge successfully you will gain confidence.

To go along with your point about the jig, I used to have no confidence in it. That's mainly because I didn't have any real knowledge on how to fish it. Once I did the research and started applying my new knowledge I caught more and bigger fish than I ever had before. Now I almost always have a jig tied on. On the flip side I know anglers who have confidence in a particular bait without the appropriate knowledge and end up using it in situations that are not ideal resulting in low to no catch rates. This fisherman's confidence in a particular bait is inhibiting their success.

Tyrius does have a solid point. Confidence is gained thru success which is gained thru applying knowledge in the correct situation.

You don't just grab a bait off the rack and immediately have confidence in it. You must have had success with it at some point.

Having confidence in a topwater bait but fishing it over 30 feet of water in 20 mph winds won't get you many bites. That being said, to me confidence is very important because without it you start second guessing yourself and that never is good.

Knowledge leads to success which leads to confidence. Not just in fishing either!

[J Francho]

I think that old thread was the "knowledge or confidence" deal.  I remember it.  I'm sure I said something boneheaded in there, too.  The more I read his post, the more I agree with tyrius.

[Catt]

how so, a t rigged paca craw with a parasite weight does the same exact thing that a jig does.

You may fish the two in exactly the same places, but they are not the same bait. A skirted jig and a t-rigged craw are different. One has a skirt and the other doesn't. They fall differently, the look different when resting on the bottom, etc, etc.

The bass know the difference

[tyrius.]

I think that old thread was the "knowledge or confidence" deal.  I remember it.  I'm sure I said something boneheaded in there, too.  The more I read his post, the more I agree with tyrius.  

Patience vs. Confidence

My whole point in these discussions is that putting Confidence first very likely leads anglers to make bad decisions.  Confidence is certainly important, but an angler's first question shouldn't be "am I confident in this bait/color/scent/technique?", it should be "based upon what I know and what I have experienced is this bait/color/scent/technique the right application for the given situation?"  If you put confidence first then you can dump a bunch of money on ineffective scents or colors, waste a bunch of time fishing unproductive water, fish productive water ineffectively and end up becoming frustrated with one's lack of success and the confidence that you used to have will be gone.

Professional anglers talk a lot about confidence and how much it matters and it likely does to them.  The difference is they've already got the knowledge and experience to know WHEN, WHERE, and in WHAT to be confident.  For the weekend angler they'll probably be much better served gaining knowledge and experience and trying to ignore confidence.  Not that easy as I've got a box full of Traps that never get wet because even though they are supposedly a great bait, I can't seem to catch anything with them.  I've been working on that though.

[grimlin]

I think that old thread was the "knowledge or confidence" deal. I remember it. I'm sure I said something boneheaded in there, too. The more I read his post, the more I agree with tyrius.

Patience vs. Confidence

My whole point in these discussions is that putting Confidence first very likely leads anglers to make bad decisions. Confidence is certainly important, but an angler's first question shouldn't be "am I confident in this bait/color/scent/technique?", it should be "based upon what I know and what I have experienced is this bait/color/scent/technique the right application for the given situation?" If you put confidence first then you can dump a bunch of money on ineffective scents or colors, waste a bunch of time fishing unproductive water, fish productive water ineffectively and end up becoming frustrated with one's lack of success and the confidence that you used to have will be gone.

Professional anglers talk a lot about confidence and how much it matters and it likely does to them. The difference is they've already got the knowledge and experience to know WHEN, WHERE, and in WHAT to be confident. For the weekend angler they'll probably be much better served gaining knowledge and experience and trying to ignore confidence. Not that easy as I've got a box full of Traps that never get wet because even though they are supposedly a great bait, I can't seem to catch anything with them. I've been working on that though.

Well said tyrius...with that being said my least confidence bait is the senko.Believe it or not i hate stickbaits. That however is not going to stop me from tieing on one.It's not the bait...it's me. :-/

[J Francho]

Great points tyrius!

I will say another thing about "confidence."  I have confidence in my gear, my knots, and my ability to land the fish once hooked.  I caught the second biggest smallmouth in my life this past Friday, and it never once entered in my mind that I'd lose this fish because of some knot failure or break off due to a reel malfunction.  I had to keep the fish moving in figure-8's next to the boat, with my rod buried in the water while my partner grabbed the collapsible net.  I was never worried, and not because it never happened to me (believe me, I've broken off some good fish in the past!), but because I knew the knots were strong, the line and leader were fresh, and the fish was well hooked.

[Paul Roberts]

tyrius Wrote:

To me confidence is one of the last things that I care about.  Knowledge of how, where, and when to use a given technique is what is the most important thing.  After you apply your knowledge successfully you will gain confidence.

Bingo.

Great thread.

[tyrius.]

I had to keep the fish moving in figure-8's next to the boat, with my rod buried in the water while my partner grabbed the collapsible net. I was never worried, and not because it never happened to me (believe me, I've broken off some good fish in the past!), but because I knew the knots were strong, the line and leader were fresh, and the fish was well hooked.

If you were so confident in your gear why didn't you just swing it in?!?!?

;D

[George Welcome]

First level of confidence is knowing that you are on fish. Bait is very much secondary to that.

[RoLo]

To me confidence is one of the last things that I care about. Knowledge of how, where, and when to use a given technique is what is the most important thing. After you apply your knowledge successfully you will gain confidence.

I'll drink to that

Roger