I have been fishing for quite some time now and have found out that after the physical aspect of the sport is learned (casting, flipping, and pitching) that bass fishing is 80% mental. I often hear fishermen say they did or did not have any luck today. Well, my definition of luck is: When preparation meets opportunity. The harder I work at bass fishing, the "luckier" I become.
To rule out the luck factor, I follow the three C's of bass fishing: Confidence, Concentration, and Contact.
1. Confidence
Covers a whole range of items. To be a successful fisherman, you must have confidence in your equipment (your boat, rod/reel, etc.), but most importantly, you must have confidence in yourself. No one else will either if you don't have confidence in your abilities. Along those same lines, you must have confidence in the bait you are using. The more confident you are using a particular bait, the better you will fish that bait.
If you don't have confidence in those three things, you may as well go home.
You may ask, "How do I gain confidence?" I can sum that up in one word, experience. Go fishing as often as you possibly can. Pick three or four different baits and master them. I suggest the following:
1. topwater
2. spinnerbait
3. plastic worm
4. jig
You can become very confused when you walk into a sporting goods store and see the huge tackle selection. My advice is to keep lure selection as simple as possible. Topwater-white/baitfish color, spinnerbait-white, white/white/chartreuse, plastic worm- purple/blue/black/green pumpkin, jig-black/blue. This should put you on the track to be a more confident angler.
2. Concentration
Concentration means no matter what bait you are using. You must give 100% concentration under any conditions. Easier said than done. It's real easy to daydream when fishing is slow, but you have to concentrate on what your bait is doing at all times. This is very difficult to master. If you are thinking about something else (home, work, etc.), you could miss a bass picking up your bait. You have to envision and expect a bass eating your bait on every cast.
3. Contact
Contact goes along with concentration. You must maintain contact with your bait at all times. For example: If you're fishing a plastic worm with a 1/8-ounce weight and you lift your rod to move the worm, and you no longer feel the weight, SET THE HOOK! This takes complete concentration to maintain contact with your bait. A topwater bait is the easiest of all to maintain contact with (sight and feel contact)
Following the 3 C's of bass fishing takes time and effort, but you will find yourself getting better and better by practicing these every time you go fishing.
Good Fishing and Good Luck
