"Expert" anglers

[Seth]

Depends on what metrics you use to determine if your day on the water was a success. Some people just like to go out, relax, have a beer and catching anything is just a bonus. Others, such as myself,  go out with the sole purpose of catching fish. The quantity and/or quality of the fish we catch is the metric that we use for judging the success of a trip. There is nothing wrong with either method. Just don't be the first guy I described and then complain to the second one about how the fishing stinks, even though the other guy caught plenty.

[Mitch f]

 

 

I rarely agree with JoeD but he nails it here. 

Everyone has their own version of success. 

[Flysmallie]

 

Everyone has their own version of success. 

Agreed. And THAT is what we have to understand. 

Let's say Al and I go float a river one day. Al catches 4 20's, 6 18's and about 47 other fish. I float along and make a few casts, catch a few fish, take a few pictures. Who has the most "successful" day? You can't answer that question because that answer lies in the minds of the individual and their perception of success. 

I'm not trying to create a mountain out of a mole hill but I see a lot of people that get into fishing only to abandon it because the results they get don't match the "success" that is portrayed on the internet. I just want them to know that success is mostly an opinion. And that goes for more than just fishing. 

[Seth]

That's because people can't think on their own and have to do things the way they are told on TV. They are called sheep! If you have the ability to pay attention and learn, you can become decent at catching fish and just about any hobby that doesn't require god given talent. That would be like me picking up a paint brush and expecting to produce an Al Agnew masterpiece on my first try. Heck, I can barely sign my own name legibly!

If you think fishermen are bad about this type of thing, you should be around a group of deer hunters! They take the stinking cake. The guys on TV are hunting prime ground that is strictly managed for large deer. They somehow convince the average Joe who hunts a small piece of private ground or even public ground that they can go out and do the same thing. If a new hunter goes out and kills a "sub standard" buck, you get the guys who do have really good ground and years of experience talking down on them.

You just gotta have thick skin and do your own thing if you want to be an outdoorsman these days.

[Haris122]

 

You just gotta have thick skin and do your own thing if you want to be an outdoorsman these days.

Outdoorsman or just about any other thing. But you did say it perfectly about deer hunters.

That being said, I do like to know where I can improve. And easiest way that happens, is if I know someone consistently catches fish where I can't (darn you Unger lake lol). That way I at least know it's not just that the particular body of water is devoid of fish that will bite, even if I'm doing things right.

[Al Agnew]

Agreed, but I started this thread to talk about what makes an expert, or at least a good, river bass angler, and not what constitutes a successful day.  I think most people would consider somebody a good angler if they catch fish consistently and big fish are more than just pure accidents for them.  Not whether they consistently enjoy their fishing trips.  I enjoy every trip I take on Ozark streams, no matter whether the fishing is good or not.  But I also enjoy catching fish.  So do lots of other people.  In fact, I'd say that nearly everybody who fishes these streams enjoys their trip at least a little more if they catch fish.  Most would probably like to catch more fish, or bigger fish, than they do.  The only question is how badly they want to do better.  For many, if they have to relax a little less and concentrate on the fishing a lot more, it isn't worth it.  That's fine, because I sometimes would rather relax than work myself hard trying to catch fish, and like I said before, my mantra now is that I don't have to catch every fish in the river.  I keep in mind that the fishing isn't the only reason I'm there, and in the final analysis, not even the primary reason I'm there.  But the fishing is still important to me.  Do I brag about it when I do well?  Yep, although I also try to impart information about how and maybe why I did well, and I also report on trips when I don't do as well, and try to let others know why in that case, too.  That's kinda the point of posting fishing reports.  And when I have a mediocre day of fishing, I hope I can still talk about how great it was being on the river.

I think those who DO want to be good anglers by my definition, probably need some kind of yardstick for measuring how good "good" is.  In reality, I don't have a perfect grasp on that, either.  I catch plenty of fish, but are there others who catch a lot more?  Just like the guy I saw fishing the other day on the same stretch I fished...I had a pretty decent afternoon of fishing, but I wonder if he had a better one.  I know he didn't have a better afternoon just being on the river than I did, because I loved every minute of it.

[fishinwrench]

 

 

Where is it written that catching the most and the biggest is the apogee of fishing success?

 

 

It's in the Bible.  

Don't pretend not to seek more and bigger, Joe. 

[JF660R]

 

  I know this fishing luck may seem silly like a magical unicorn, but there are times even when I have had it, where 2 of my buddies using same line, lure, technique, and in some cases the same rod setup who stand next to me and cast and cast and cast, while I'm reeling in fish consistently.

Not sure what to call it, but I do love when I get to be that guy.  One thing I always try to remember is to always fish happy.  Getting frustrated for me always ends up in just more frustration and negates the whole point of me being out there in the first place.

This has been on my mind alot lately. I've never been great, but I've been "on the fish" at least occasionally in the past. The last couple years it seems I've developed a jinx. Can't seem to have a good day, couple shorts, several skunk days. Sometimes I think it's just how the weather and my days off align. 

Even my fishing buddies have asked me if I brought a banana with me etc. And some of it may be the frustration. I'm reading more, buying more, and watching more videos than I ever have trying to become more knowledgeable. ..and yet I did better back when I was winging it. Idk, I try not to think on it too much. 

[JestersHK]

This has been a really good conversation.  I agree that folks have their own opinions of what success is to them and the view of other anglers.  And right or wrong it is their opinion that they are entitled to.  At the end of the day I think its a large part of the diversity that makes this forum great.  I know we have some really amazing anglers here who fish both for them selves and some competitively in the tournament world.  I know I have zero desire to ever fish for competition, not because I am scared or embarrassed to not do well, but for the simple fact I fish to get away from the day to day grind of my busy life.

I know one thing I appreciate is the ones who do share their experiences.  I'm sure we have some awesome anglers here who choose not to post pics or report anything and thats fine too.  I try to share my experiences here in the hopes there other other guys like me, who are stuck at a desk most of the time and have crazy busy lives, and maybe the pics I can post up will make the day brighter for them as they also are stuck indoors or buried in kids activities and sports every weekend.  I hope maybe it inspires them to find time to take a break and just get out there and fish.

 Sure I'll fish the occasional tournament for fun, and yes you'll see a clicker on my vest as I like to count my fish totals for the year, but I am doing that for me and nobody else.  Well maybe to rub it in a bit with my fishing brothers   

 

 

 

[ozark trout fisher]

I am pretty sure that I am a bad fisherman in almost every sense except that I really like it.

I have absolutely no desire to improve. I get on the water a lot and get exactly what  I want out of the experience. Sometimes that is getting out of the water and going for a hike. Sometimes it is switching to something smaller because longears are pretty and I really want to look at one. Sometimes darn it I'm on a smallmouth stream but I still want to use that Ausable Wulff, so I do and catch small sunfish all day long. When you legitimately do not care it frees you up to do things exactly how you see fit any given day. 

What is a "good" fisherman again, and do we really hope to objectively answer that? There are enough things that are "important", that we have to do well in, without bringing one of my few, pure, true loves I have left in this world into the equation.

Sorry to get all philosophical on you, and this is in no way directed at you, Al, or anyone else. Just my personal musings.