10-25-2010, 02:02 PM
"So I have started fishing about a year ago and loved it."
[cool][#0000ff]So...I started fishing over 60 years ago. And I loved it so much that it has become a lifelong passion. And I continue to learn something new on every fishing trip. It is a long journey but the journey is its own reward.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The good news is that all fishing can be enjoyable. The bad news is that to become consistently successful requires more than just enjoyment. And it is MUCH more than simply a choice in rods. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After one year you have fished several waters for several species. No doubt you are forming preferences as to your favorites. But you are also looking to add new species to your growing angling resume. That is good. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]However, at some point you should step back, analyze your situation and focus on what you REALLY want to do well. Pick a lake or pick a species...or both. Go with someone who can REALLY teach you something USEFUL...not just how to put a worm on a hook. Read reports and hang out at the local tackle shops to soak up more info by osmosis. Spend time online researching as much as you can about your target topic. Much of it will not be very useful but there will be bits and pieces you can plug into your growing mental database.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It is your choice how far you take each new quest. Do you adopt a multi water, multi tackle and multi species outlook? Or will you narrow it down to chucking big lures for tiger muskies? At this point you do not know enough to make an informed decision.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Getting skunked? It happens. Deal with it. Any angler who claims to catch fish on every trip will lie about other things too. But, with time and experience your success ratio will increase...as will your enjoyment.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Skunkings do not happen to me very often. That is mostly because I plan most of my trips around waters and species during periods when I have the greatest expectation of success. Very little "chuck and chance it" on most of my fishing trips. I have accumulated many years of experience on the waters I fish most often...during entire years...under a wide range of conditions. And, I keep fishing logs to consult on future trips. That takes time. Not gonna happen during your first year as a fisherman.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As you have the opportunity to fish and learn different waters...and add different species to your LIST...you will learn the factors that improve or lessen your chances of success. You will have a good selection of lures or baits for the conditions you anticipate finding when you get there. You will have Plan A, B & C...just in case. Much better than just driving up to a lake you don't know, with tackle you are unfamiliar with, with unproven lures that the guy at Walmart sold you...and fishing for a species about which you know very little.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]No magic formulas. No pills or shots you can take. And the "learning curve" is different for everybody. Start by learning to use the tackle you have efficiently, so that you can focus on the fishing and not on fighting with unfamiliar gear. Then practice different casting and retrieving techniques, with different lures. All of that should be automatic.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The real biggie is learning the ecology of the lakes or rivers you fish. In Utah there are constant changes throughout the year...in water levels, water temperatures, visibility, chemistry, food availability, etc. Factor in the spawning cycles and the movement patterns for searching out food resources or more comfortable temperature conditions and there are a lot of variables. Just because you caught a fish on a lure at a particular spot last week is no guarantee that it will work again this week...or ever again.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Spring and fall are "transitional" times in Utah. When water levels and temperatures are changing drastically...over short periods of time...the fish usually go deeper and become less active. They are harder to find and harder to catch...for everybody. But, if you can find them you can sometimes finesse them into biting...something...if you at least know the options.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Again, all those things take TIME. There are thousands of books and websites available that have been generously put together by seasoned anglers willing to share their accumulated knowledge with serious students of angling. I can't stress too highly that these resources are going to be a great place to build your knowledge of basic fishing...and to conduct advance studies in your areas of special focus.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The rest of it must be acquired on the water and by keeping records of your successes and failures. And when you DO have a blank day, don't beat yourself up. Instead, turn it into a learning experience. What did you do right as well as what you might need to do differently?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It is said that Thomas Edison conducted over 1000 experiments before finally discovering the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail 1000 times, he was heard to say "I do not look at it as failing 1000 times. I merely found 1000 ways it would not work before finding one that would work."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Good luck and enjoy your education. And when you have learned enough to help others, pay it forward.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[cool][#0000ff]So...I started fishing over 60 years ago. And I loved it so much that it has become a lifelong passion. And I continue to learn something new on every fishing trip. It is a long journey but the journey is its own reward.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The good news is that all fishing can be enjoyable. The bad news is that to become consistently successful requires more than just enjoyment. And it is MUCH more than simply a choice in rods. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After one year you have fished several waters for several species. No doubt you are forming preferences as to your favorites. But you are also looking to add new species to your growing angling resume. That is good. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]However, at some point you should step back, analyze your situation and focus on what you REALLY want to do well. Pick a lake or pick a species...or both. Go with someone who can REALLY teach you something USEFUL...not just how to put a worm on a hook. Read reports and hang out at the local tackle shops to soak up more info by osmosis. Spend time online researching as much as you can about your target topic. Much of it will not be very useful but there will be bits and pieces you can plug into your growing mental database.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It is your choice how far you take each new quest. Do you adopt a multi water, multi tackle and multi species outlook? Or will you narrow it down to chucking big lures for tiger muskies? At this point you do not know enough to make an informed decision.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Getting skunked? It happens. Deal with it. Any angler who claims to catch fish on every trip will lie about other things too. But, with time and experience your success ratio will increase...as will your enjoyment.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Skunkings do not happen to me very often. That is mostly because I plan most of my trips around waters and species during periods when I have the greatest expectation of success. Very little "chuck and chance it" on most of my fishing trips. I have accumulated many years of experience on the waters I fish most often...during entire years...under a wide range of conditions. And, I keep fishing logs to consult on future trips. That takes time. Not gonna happen during your first year as a fisherman.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As you have the opportunity to fish and learn different waters...and add different species to your LIST...you will learn the factors that improve or lessen your chances of success. You will have a good selection of lures or baits for the conditions you anticipate finding when you get there. You will have Plan A, B & C...just in case. Much better than just driving up to a lake you don't know, with tackle you are unfamiliar with, with unproven lures that the guy at Walmart sold you...and fishing for a species about which you know very little.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]No magic formulas. No pills or shots you can take. And the "learning curve" is different for everybody. Start by learning to use the tackle you have efficiently, so that you can focus on the fishing and not on fighting with unfamiliar gear. Then practice different casting and retrieving techniques, with different lures. All of that should be automatic.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The real biggie is learning the ecology of the lakes or rivers you fish. In Utah there are constant changes throughout the year...in water levels, water temperatures, visibility, chemistry, food availability, etc. Factor in the spawning cycles and the movement patterns for searching out food resources or more comfortable temperature conditions and there are a lot of variables. Just because you caught a fish on a lure at a particular spot last week is no guarantee that it will work again this week...or ever again.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Spring and fall are "transitional" times in Utah. When water levels and temperatures are changing drastically...over short periods of time...the fish usually go deeper and become less active. They are harder to find and harder to catch...for everybody. But, if you can find them you can sometimes finesse them into biting...something...if you at least know the options.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Again, all those things take TIME. There are thousands of books and websites available that have been generously put together by seasoned anglers willing to share their accumulated knowledge with serious students of angling. I can't stress too highly that these resources are going to be a great place to build your knowledge of basic fishing...and to conduct advance studies in your areas of special focus.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The rest of it must be acquired on the water and by keeping records of your successes and failures. And when you DO have a blank day, don't beat yourself up. Instead, turn it into a learning experience. What did you do right as well as what you might need to do differently?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It is said that Thomas Edison conducted over 1000 experiments before finally discovering the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail 1000 times, he was heard to say "I do not look at it as failing 1000 times. I merely found 1000 ways it would not work before finding one that would work."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Good luck and enjoy your education. And when you have learned enough to help others, pay it forward.[/#0000ff]
[signature]