Fish Like a GIRL

About 20 minutes ago, I was loading the boat and getting ready for the first tournament of the year. It seems that way, anyway. But here we are at the beginning of December. Time to put away the gardening tools and make sure the snowblower is ready for the season. Those are not my favorite words to say, but we do have Christmas to look forward to and, of course, my birthday in January. After that, I would be fine with the snow and cold packing it in for the year. I am sure I would feel differently if, like many of my friends, I owned snowmobiles. But I do not and the odds of me putting out that kind of money that would be required for one at this stage, is probably about as likely as flying monkeys taking up residence in my attic. We may buy one more new boat, but that would likely be the only major purchase we would make on “toys.”

What does a tournament angler do all winter, you may wonder. We mostly think about fishing. We go over all of the things that went wrong and all of the things that went right all season long. That in itself can take days. I have started keeping a fishing journal, which is nice to look back at from year to year. 

One of the important things I do with my fishing journal is to not just record what we threw as far as baits and on what we caught our fish, but I also write down information about other people, too. I record the top three teams in a tournament and their weights. To me, this is as important as recording our information. We are all creatures of habit. We all have ways we like to fish. Often knowing who won a tournament can be a good clue as to what we should have been throwing if we were near the top of the field. 

Some of us are power fishermen while others enjoy finesse tactics. Those of us who prefer power fishing, throwing big baits and fast moving baits, but are forced to slow down and throw things with a smaller presentation, will usually talk about it at the weigh in. I wish I was more of a finesse fisherman, but I find it boring, for the most part. That said, catching four pound smallies is not boring by any stretch, so when the conditions call for modifications, I tend to make them, whether I like it or not. But if anglers are fishing with a technique they do not like, they will most likely be more apt to talk about it. I make note of all of these things.

I listen to “dock talk,” but I do not hold a lot of credence in it in the moment. Guys are much more apt to say what worked and what did not much later on, at another tournament or even at our kick off event the next year. I try to make note of all of those things, too. Granted, the next time we go to that same lake, an entirely different bait and presentation may be needed, but if we are not catching them doing what we are doing, there is always a chance we could try what another angler talked about catching them on and maybe have a bit better results. For the most part, though, each angler approached things differently and, even when fishing in the same boat, using the same bait, even partners have completely different results. 

Having a fishing journal to look back on year after year is a starting point, however. I have been through multiple journals. Some of them worked OK and others were way off from what I wanted to record. The one I have been using for the last few years has categories fairly close to what I want to record, and it seems to work well. An angler could conceivably make up their own journal, be it digital or a paper notebook. No matter which way an angler goes, empty pages do not help on the next trip out. Before we leave for a tournament in the morning, or even if we are just pre-fishing, I set our fishing journal on my table next to my laptop, where I will see it as soon as I get a chance to sit down. This reminds me to write everything down before I forget it.

It may seem like a person would not forget what they threw and where they threw it and how it worked. We tell stories about those things to each other all the time. But honestly, the longer a person waits before they record the day, the greater the chance they will miss or forget something. Also, I find that the longer I wait, the less likely I am to record anything at all. And, as I said, empty pages do not do anyone any good, except, I suppose, the competition.

With Christmas coming up, I would venture to guess many are wondering what to get the outdoorsman or outdoors woman on their list. I would suggest something tailored to their favorite sport where they can record all of their adventures. Whether a hunter, angler, bird watcher, or lover of some other outdoor pursuit, recording all of those observations from year to year is not only a fun way to look back at a season once a snowstorm hits in December, but it can help improve results in years to come.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].