Clik here to view.
But isn’t that one of the really amazingly cool aspects of our sport? You can never know it all and there’s always room to learn and grow as an angler. You start with getting the basics down, then you start zeroing in on the smaller details. Next you narrow your focus again and learn about the tiny factors that can influence your success (or not). And with every new level of knowledge you reach, you’ll find more questions that have to be answered.
One of the things I tell young anglers and would-be guides: Spend less time on message boards and social media bragging and instead just be a sponge. Listen. Talk to old-timers. Talk to guides. Talk to the guys at the local tackle shop. Read. Read some more. Do research. Learn everything you can about your favorite species and the places they call home.
Do less talking and more listening at the boat ramp or gravel bar too. Pay attention to what others are saying—there are nuggets of wisdom to be gleaned out there and most anglers like to talk. Some of my favorite little tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way came from chats with anglers on the water. Maybe it’s something big like an egg cure or a hot lure, but more often than not you’ll get something smaller from these streamside interactions with other fisher folk: A new way to rig the hooks on your plugs, a better braid knot, a way to keep sand shrimp fresher longer, etc. Trust me, all these little things add up over time!
Don’t ever let yourself believe that you have something completely wired or dialed in…because you don’t. Fish can and will humble you. I’ve found that those tough days can actually have a silver lining, though. They force me to carefully analyze what went wrong and learn from my mistakes so I make sure it doesn’t happen again (though it probably will…we are talking about fish after all!).
Knowledge in this game is powerful and the more open you are to taking in new stuff, the better you will become. And the better you get at this sport the more you will realize that there are more questions than answers!
