Sometimes that is just how it works….or in this case, how it does not .
Recovering from a day on the water that results in a BIG FAT ZERO is tough, but it is something everyone goes through and can learn from. Much like a pitcher giving up a home run and still needing to face the number four hitter in the line up, you need to get back in the saddle…engage the mechanism and just flat out grind it until you figure out where the fish are, what they are feeding on and what you have in your arsenal that they cannot resist.
For Jake, Day 1 of the Kayak Bass Fishing Western Open on Clear Lake was that day. We intentionally got out on a late start based on the full moon with one problem…we did not bother to pre-fish, as we decided to stay a little longer than planned over at Fallen Leaf Lake with the family for the annual end of summer camping trip, which turned the pre-fish day into a travel day. While I will not bore you with the details…it was not pretty.
Day 2 results were much better with Jake getting on 4 fish in a hurry, though only getting 2 that would measure, one of which came off the board, and after a few flops on the Big Rig ended up in the water without a picture to enter the fish. What happened next can only be described as a mass murder of a Hawg Trough as Jake beat it into submission across the kayak. For the record, the Hawg Trough lost and there are no dings in the Big Rig.
The day after the tournament Jake and I got out for a little evening bite and like clock work, 5 casts and 3 fish. No pressure, relaxed and just fishing.
And that, well that is the point now isn’t it? Go out and just fish. Play your game, not someones else’s. Don’t let the early skunk get in your head, clear your mind, pay attention to your surroundings, your electronics and fish. It is just you against the fish anyway.
Oh yeah…pre-fishing is usually a great idea.