The Reality of Confidence in Fishing- Blaukat Blog

One of the mysteries of tournament bass fishing is the phenomena of streaks and slumps among professional anglers.

The energy behind streaks and slumps are the same in the fact that success breeds success and failure many times perpetuates that failure.

When you are fishing well, you tend to make all the right decisions. You are in the right place at the right time almost every day. Fish come unhooked after they are in the boat instead of along side the boat. You do not second guess your decisions on the water.

The same is true when anglers are in slumps. Fish jump off. You miss the key bite windows in your prime areas. Strong practices are washed away by a combination of controlled and uncontrolled variables.

If you fish long enough, you will experience both above scenarios. There has never been an angler alive that has not. It is the reality of the sport.

Through this all, anglers must learn to strengthen their confidence. And there are some concrete rules to remember that will help you do this.

Here are some key points to remember and consider…

1.     Confidence cannot be faked. Many times, younger anglers who have experienced early successes build a confidence that is temporary because it has not been tested by time. Eventually all streaks and fake confidence fall away with the reality of failure that all anglers must deal with. Developing a humbleness towards success early on will serve any angler well.

2.     Experience will strengthen your confidence. Having a background knowledge of fish behavior and movements will allow you to not get frustrated by slow days. Confidence will instill a peace within you that says it is just a matter of time before you figure things out.

3.     Developing trusted relationships with other good anglers is a confidence booster. Work to develop working relationships with anglers who are positive and focus on solutions instead of problems.

4.     Perfect your equipment. Make sure your tackle and boat are well-organized, clean and working properly. Taking care of these controlled variables will help your confidence.

5.     Stay in shape. Regardless of your own unique physical abilities or limitation, focus of being fit and healthy. This is a controlled variable that will help with your focus on the water, and therefore your confidence.

6.     View what are negatives to some, as opportunities. Weather changes, water level and clarity changes and fishing pressure are all things anglers must deal with. Whatever comes your way, immediately look for a way to turn it into a positive.

7.     Do your homework. Study and gather as much information on the body of water you will be fishing. The more information you can gather, the better. Then work to discern what will work for you, and what you need to discard.

And finally, as the namesake of this website says, Fish the Moment! Bass are constantly changing in their moods/ behavior and personality. More times than not, what worked yesterday will not work as well today or tomorrow. Developing the confidence to change or adapt to your approach take time, because so many anglers fish from a level of fear.

Learn to fish with a relaxed, almost a “I don’t care if I catch one or not” attitude. This relaxed state of mind will free your mind and intuition up to make good decisions and fish at the right pace.

By utilizing some of these tips I’ve learned over the past 40 years of bass fishing, I’m confident YOUR confidence will grow more each day you are on the water.

Best of luck!