The "zone" Revisited

[Mitch f]

More thoughts on the "Zone".....Is the zone just the sum of all the patterns you've learned over the years?Is the zone the combination of those patterns combined with the right time, the right place, the right size and the right action?Does the zone have a time limit? Is it tied into the lunar tables?Maybe the zone happens to some people without realizing it ever happened, maybe that's the big mistake.Is the zone "positive energy" transmitted thru the line like Rick Clunn says..regardless of the pattern?Does it even exist?darn, this gets complicated.(Sorry, I'm at home sick, too sick to pour lead or tie hair jigs)

[Feathers and Fins]

Mitch to me the ZONE is just being out there. Everything else is years of experiance and being able to put them all togeather to find the tool that works for that given moment and be adaptable and smart enough to know when to search for the next palce or pattern based off those years to accomplish the goal.

Hunting, Fishing, relationships or even work it is past experiance in a "zone" that will produce the pattern of success.

[fishinwrench]

It is a state of mind. A comfort zone that you fall into when you know in your gut that you're doing the right thing at the right time so all of your concentration can be applied to the act of carrying it through.

[Greasy B]

For me the zone is the look on my partners face when their line tightens.

[Football Head]

When everything you do works. When every move leads to a spot that produces, every presentation works, each cast lands perfectly, your hook sets are rock solid, boat position is precise, and it always helps when your partner don't miss with the net.

[Al Agnew]

In thinking about it, maybe there are two kinds of "zones". One is the sum of all the experience you've had on the water, where you've gotten proficient enough that a lot comes without consciously thinking about it. You don't have to think about accuracy of casts, or about where to place the next cast. You don't have to worry about backlashes or boat control. You "know", surprisingly often, that the next cast is going to result in at least a strike, even if you've been fishing a section of bank that all looks good; there is just "something" about that particular spot and that particular cast, even if you can't articulate why.

And then there is the other zone, which can happen to about anybody, no matter what their proficiency level is. For whatever reason, on that day or that hour they picked the right lure, got the right presentation, caught some fish to give them confidence, and it's a good biorhythm day and their casts are more smooth and efficient than usual and their hooksets are as well. That kind of zone may be more luck, while the first kind is more skill and "instinct", instinct honed by many hours on the water.

Or maybe the best zone is a combination of both. Having luck and good biorhythms and skill and experience all come together in the perfect day or hour.

I was thinking about that day before yesterday as I was fishing. I was in the back of the boat. Didn't have any control of the boat myself. Wasn't catching any fish while my partner was. Didn't have confidence in anything I was trying. Kind of the opposite of the zone--maybe the Twilight Zone instead. No matter how much experience you have, you can have those kind of days and hours, too. Times when you're definitely not at the top of your game. I was thinking that I'm much more likely to be in the zone when I control all the factors, including boat positioning and making the decisions on where to fish. I don't get in the zone much, if at all, when I'm a passenger in somebody else's boat, even if I'm catching more than they are.

And really, a large part, though far from the only thing, about my fishing is seeking the zone. Fishing with somebody else in their boat or canoe, or even wading on water where they have a lot more experience, my "goals" are different. I'm not seeking the zone much. Fishing with a partner in MY boat or on MY water, it's often hard to even seek the zone because I'm concerned as much or more with how well my partner is doing. But seeking the zone IS a big part of why I often fish alone.

[Mitch f]

I guess you're right Al, it's maybe a little of both. An argument could be made that KVD is the best bass fisherman of all time, maybe he's got it figured out!

BTW, has he been tested for performance enhancing drugs yet?

[stlfisher]

I'd say the zone is something that just happens. You can't force it and you can't make it happen. It just does. It is your reward for all the hard work and time spent on the water. It is almost and out of body type experience...like you can predict what is going to happen next. When I am in my "zone" I don't necessarily think of it as intense concentration. It is more like a calm relaxed and confident feeling. I just know i am going to make that 80 foot cast between the trees, off the bluff face, under the rootwad and land a fish.

[exiledguide]

I agree with stlfisher, my zone is when everything is posative when I'm on the water and lake fishing becomes as predictable as river fishing for smallmouth. I've had periods where no matter where I'm fishing every target I cast too the lure lands exactly where I intend it to and more often than not catch a fish. It didn't seem to matter if it's a farm pond , a lake like Table Rock or a Canadian shield lake I've conversly had periods when it seemed I couldn't catch a fish in a barrel.

I had a discussion with Clun a long time ago when I had started to experience being in the zone and hadn't talked to anyone about it because I found it hard to believe myself that you could have these priods when you would get in the zone.It also happened when I fished a lot of days in a short time. I think maybe you accumulate a lot of knowledge over the years of fishing and if you don't overthink the situation and go with your gut feeling you can do quite well. But I also would like to figure out what causes someone to get out of the zone.

[joeD]

Zone is a defense one might play in basketball, as opposed to man-to-man.

With regard to fishing, being in the "zone' is ridiculous. Fish bite because THEY want to bite. It has nothing to do with what you are throwing. Get over it. The mistake you make is thinking that YOU are catching fish due to your skill and knowledge.

Insulted? Big deal. I can catch a big brown trout with a stupid glittery salt water fly on the Current River. I can catch pompano in Destin Florida with a Bass Assassin or a Rooster tail. Skill? Hardly. Put something on and chuck it.

Bass Pro and Cabelas are counting on you to be in the "zone."

Really. Have you seen the absolute myriad of choices one can make? The rod/reel/line/lure permutations are endless.

Except for you. YOU know what you're doing.

Remember, a supple tree branch, string, safety pin, worm, and a patient 8 year old child can be in the zone too.