Why Is Confidence Key?

[Dalton Tam]

I've been thinking very hard on this for the last few days. Why is it that when we are just fishing for fun, that we catch more and better fish than when we are fishing in a tournament? I also catch more and better fish everytime I fish alone. Why is it that when I am fishing in a tournament and I am nervous or upset, I do not catch the quantity or quality that I am looking for? I fished a tournament this passed weekend that I missed atleast 5 fish right off the bat that morning that would have given me 15 lbs or better. After the morning bite was over, I swapped to a crankbait and began trying catch fish but could not get bit. It took me just sitting down and relaxing for a few minutes to just realize that I would have to relax to get back in "the zone". Once I did, I caught one good fish, a 6.3 lber, that gave me the win and big bass. I feel horrible that I missed those fish but I realized that the only reason I caught the big one was because I realized that calming down was necessary to catch another fish. Now, I have a theory. Feel free to comment your opinions about this. I believe that when we are nervous or upset, we do not fish our bait at just the right way to get those strikes we want. Or the fish can actually tell that something is wrong because we are fishing too fast or not twitching or popping correctly. I believe confidence lies in being calm and serene. What are your opinions?

[BrianinMD]

When your confident about what you are doing you are calmer and patient which helps catch fish. In a tourney you get the nerves going and work to fast, hooksets become to quick. My last tourney I had to sit down to force myself to slow down. After a couple hours of no bites I was nervous and the bite was when the baits were worked slow. After sitting down I catch 2 decent fish and won.

[TimJ]

confidence and experience go hand in hand, in my mind. look at most any sport...a hitter gets in the zone and sees the ball like a beach ball...or...a golfer is hitting and putting better than usual...the zone!

its not a cliche to me. Ive had my days in the zone where everything goes right and, especially, everything slows down...in hockey and in fishing.

as many here can attest to, when you stick and land the first few fish of the day, your self-pressure is lifted and those days almost always continue to be great. it seems like whatever you do, it works. at that point, you are confident in your abilities and your experience is making decisions for you, almost like a reflex. just my 0.02

TJ

[BlackBass19]

There's an old saying: "Success breeds confidence." IMO this translates to everything in life from fishing, to picking up woman, or even to telling jokes.

In fishing confidence is key because the objective of the whole deal is to catch fish. Succesfully locating fish, enticing them to bite and landing them gives a fisherman confidence that they can repeat this same success in the future. The problem with fishing is things change constantly. You need to possess the skills and knowledge base to land fish in any given scenario to feel confident. A confident fisherman can draw on past experience to replicate results in the future.

The second part of the deal is that fishing like golf is a mental game. You must be in the "zone" or in the moment to succeed. You need to visualize your goal and think positive thoughts to allow your body to relax and draw on muscle memory. When you relax you notice your surroundings and can utilize these observations to enhance your game. If you lack confidence in yourself you will question everything you are doing making success nearly impossible.

Hope that helps...

[Getfished]

Confidence means you are on track. Confidence means there is no need to second guess. Confidence is looking forward not backward. Confidence is the demonstration of optimism. Confidence is the demonstration of faith. When you are on track with all these positive attributes you know you are going to get bit. You look forward to it and are ready when it happens. You pay attention to where your feet are right now. You are in the moment.

[Grey Wolf]

Knowledge = confidence !!!!!!!

[Fishing Rhino]

Why do you catch more, and better fish when you are alone? Simple. You aren't sharing the fish with anyone else on your boat. In addition, unless you are selfish, you have to position the boat to give your buddy lines to cast to productive spots, which means you cannot/should not set the boat position to give yourself optimum casting lines.

Another reason is that when the pressure is on, such as in a tournament, to perform, the human body tends to tense up, just like a golfer who has to make a critical shot. Fishing alone, not in a tournament, you are more relaxed, there is nothing at stake.

You're putting pressure on yourself.

[J Francho]

How about just fish a tournament for fun? It's supposed to be fun anyway, right?

[Raul]

Turn the switch into "fishing for fun" position when you are fishing in a tournament.

Like JF said: heck, it´s supposed to be fun !

[clayton86]

i go fishing to relax and unwind some times like when me and the wife go to battle and the D word gets tossed around i grab my rods and storm out to get level headed. my first few casts are usually crappy and im fishing fast and sloppy then like a switch i slow down throw a jig catch some pigs and im grinning from ear to ear happy as can be go home and apologize lol. i always catch my biggest fish when fighting with my wife idk why lol. when i go just for fun i catch numbers just no real size usualy there are occasions when i get a biggin

[Blue Streak]

I think that is a pretty easy question. It is human nature, whatever you are confident about you will do better and you will stay at it longer. It is where we go when nothing else works.

[Morelures]

I think everyone pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. But Im going to throw a few things in as well. Confidence plays a major role, because if you think you can’t or won’t, most of the time you won’t!

One thing I try hard to do is not let the other person in the boat get in my head. Who cares what they are catching them on, fish how you feel comfortable fishing and stay in your own zone. (Don’t get me wrong if the other guy in the boat starts catching 4 to my one on different bait, it’s getting tied on by me)

Sometimes you can trick yourself into thinking there is no fish where you just casted and you will not be as alert a feel a soft pick up. Think about it there is no need to make the cast if you don’t think a fish will be there in the first place. And always keep in mind that there might be something down there that you can’t see, that may be holding a fish. So always think you are going to get bit even though you aren’t…

I learned a good lesson in confidence the last time I went out, I was fishing as a non-boater and had no faith in the area we were fishing. I was thinking the water was to clear and we were too close to be pitching into the cover, I thought we spooked all the fish away. I felt like I could see the fish if they were there, because of how clear it was. I was wrong and because I didn’t have the confidence when I would pitch into the brush I knew I wasn’t going to get bit before I even put it in there. This is the worst thing you can do!

On the other hand the next day I pulled it together and out fished my boater. I told myself if I’m going to catch fish I have to get in the zone and skip this bait farther and lighter since I’m fishing docks that he has already casted under. It worked I put a lure on I knew I could get back further then he was skipping and I caught some nice fish.

Keep your confidence up! With confidence you can achieve so many things in life. Fear will destroy and consume a person’s mind rotting like a cavity, if you let it take control of you.

[Catt]

Fun or tournament fishing

I approach every day with the same amount confidence