Try Something Different to be Better

 

EJ with a nice Smallmouth caught on a JIG

I have been bass fishing seriously for about 30 years.  Over those years I have been able to fish with a lot of different people, many older than me and some younger too.  The sport of fishing has always enthused me, even from an early age...the thought of finding where a fish lives or is feeding, then giving them an artificial bait that they think is real is an awesome felling.  It is a thrill that I still get excited about.  Along the past few decades I have learned so much about the different bodies of water in Iowa, rods and reels, techniques and the many...many different baits out there for anglers to use. 

 Learning...that is what is important in fishing.  When you stop learning things, you will plateau as an angler.  Sure, you will continue to catch some fish, but as fishing pressure increases and fish get smarter (yes, I do believe in this hypothesis) anglers must get better to improve their game.  This can simply be trying a lure that you may not have ever caught a fish on.  It may be trying new areas of the lake or river, a place you have never been fishing before.  Both of these situations can be learning experiences.  When you learn, you become a better angler, perhaps not on that day, but down the road on a different day or body of water that lesson or technique might be key.  

I was reminded of this "learning" recently when I was a captain for a HS team during a tournament.  Ranger and EJ had their limit of bass in the first few hours, but really needed a couple bigger ones to move up the standings.  EJ, in the boat with me for the first time ever asked what I would be throwing in the later hours of the event to try and get something bigger.  It took me a half of second to answer that question; "a jig".  I knew my son Ranger had never caught a bass on a jig and he was using a Texas Rigged tube, a great bait in itself for bigger fish.  EJ, the other student said "I have never caught a bass on a jig before."  "I would be throwing one right now if I were you", I replied.  I grabbed my jig box, EJ  picked out a nice crawdad imitation colored jig, tipped it with a craw and he was fishing a jig.  We talked about specifics of the bait, bite tendencies and the overall feel of the bait.  It wasn't long after that, EJ did something for the first time ever, he caught a bass on a jig.  Guess what...it was their biggest bass of the day too!  

Learning...a little lesson that the boys probably won't forget anytime soon.  Baits matter, technique matter and rod/reel/line setups matter too.  It was a fun ending to the event with the boys, they both learned a few things, something I try to do every time out too.  They ended up 2nd out of 19 teams, which might help them remember that good day on the water too!  To be better at something, you must continue to learn and study the topic of importance.

Coincidental or not, one of my podcasts had this same message on this morning.  If you like short podcasts you have to listen to "Catch a Better Life" on YouTube with Jimmy Houston (He also has a book).  Jimmy Houston is fishing legend and a spiritual man.  He combines fishing with a biblical message every single day on his YouTube channel.  It is typically 10-minutes long and always has a great message to start your day off on the right foot. (he records them at 6am each morning)  He has a quote from the bible, how he lives his life and always a fishing tip for the time of year you are listening.  Give it a listen, I have found it to be a great way to start the day.

Link to Book

LINK TO YOUTUBE Channel