Fishing with Kenny: Confidence and Confidence Lures

article by Kenny Covington

There are three kinds of fishermen: one who likes to go fishing, one who hopes he catches fish when he gets to go and the one who expects to catch fish every time he puts his boat in the water. All three are passionate about what they are doing and all three, upon first look, would be hard to tell a difference between them. But the thing that sets them apart is one word: confidence.

One of the things I believe separates the average from the good and the good from the great is the amount of confidence in the individual. Regardless of the sport, confidence is the thing that separates the competition. It takes years to develop but can be gone in an instant if you don’t guard it carefully.

Kevin Van Dam is often regarded as the greatest tournament bass fisherman that has ever wet a hook, and his confidence level borders on genuine arrogance, when it comes to finding and catching bass. It is this mindset and his competitive drive that has allowed him to become as great as he is and why he continues to get better. Where other anglers competing against him hope they can win the event, he expects to win each time he puts his boat in the water and, like everyone else, is always surprised when he doesn’t.

So now that I have set the table for our monthly fishing topic, you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t fish tournaments or I don’t fish all that much, what does having confidence have to do with the way I fish?” My answer to that: everything!

Like other sports, fishing is a learned activity. The more you do, hopefully the better you get at it. The better you get, the more enjoyable it becomes. For example: Golfers spend their lives going insane trying to put a non-moving obstacle (golf ball) into a hole someone with a sick sense of humor put a few hundred yards away. It’s the challenge that becomes the addiction, becoming better at it creates the passion. Fishing is no different.

Today’s generations of fishermen are getting better and better at even younger ages. Ability wise they are extremely proficient regardless of the technique. Mechanics aren’t an issue. They can do it all. What is their weak point? They rely heavily on technology and as long as that is their ace in the hole, they are competitive. If it’s a scenario that requires them to make an on the water adjustment or something that requires them to make an instinct decision, they struggle. Their confidence is based totally on the technical aspects of the sport.

Techniques that took me years to learn and gain confidence in, I did so by trial and error. That is no longer the case. With all of the information that is available now all it takes is for someone to see a video of fish being caught with a new technique, before they are convinced it will work. Seeing breeds confidence! I still work at trying to find new ways to catch bass or maybe a lure that people over look, but I also know that “secrets” don’t stay secrets for very long. I am very confident in saying that!

Every serious fisherman I know has confidence lures. Lures they will go to when they just can’t seem to catch fish on other lures and techniques that should work on a particular day. These lure choices aren’t fancy, flashy and are what many would consider to be old school but when the chips are down, they will catch fish.

A Zoom Baby Brush Hog would be my first choice for a confidence lure. Watermelon/red with the tips of the tails dipped with chartreuse is a soft plastic application that will catch fish on any body of water in this state or even the nation for that matter. It’s arguably the best soft plastic creature bait ever created for bass fishing. I don’t think I have seen a soft plastic fishing application that the Baby Brush Hog isn’t a good choice for.

Another good confidence bait for our area is a Bandit crankbait. When it comes to color choices that is a matter of opinion but the Splatter Back and Chartruese/Black are two colors that I have seen probably more than any other in both the 100 and 200 series versions. This crankbait has probably accounted for more fish than any other brands combined in our area especially on the Ouachita River system.

Every bass fisherman loves to catch fish on a topwater lure. If I had to pick one topwater that is probably a staple in most angler’s tacklebox, it would be a Storm Chug Bug. To a lot of anglers I know, it is THE topwater of choice. No arguments, no debates. If you aren’t throwing a chrome/blue or shad pattern Chug Bug, then you won’t catch them. How is that for confidence?
One angler friend of mine will throw a Caroline rig with a pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail lizard on it every time he goes to the water. No matter where he fishes, he will have it tied on. When I asked him why, his answer was simple, “It catches fish.” Another friend of mine feels the same way about a Texas rigged tequila sunrise worm. Another one swears by an old Rebel Pop R. And….well, you get the point.

What makes a lure or a technique such a good fish catcher? The confidence that is displayed by the fisherman using it. All lures will catch fish at one time or another, but it is the thought process and the ability of the angler that makes it come to life. This can only be done, if you have the utmost confidence in what you are doing on the water. Confidence is the best lure you have in your tackle box!

Well, it looks like we have used up our space for another month. I hope we have given you some things that will help you the next time you are out on the water. It will be scorching hot this month, so please take care and drink plenty of water. Best of all, catch one for me! See you next month!