Fishing With Kenny | There Should be No Such Thing as a Bad Day

article by  KENNY COVINGTON

When you think about it, fishing really isn’t  that complicated of a sport. No matter if you are pole fishing for bream or crappie, tightlining for catfish or slinging your favorite lure, chasing bass in your best fishing hole, it usually comes down to this: was I using the right bait in the right area at the right time. Pretty simple.

Aside from the deep analytical aspect of our opening, in reality, fishing is a simple sport that anglers take pride in making it complicated. A bass angler, for example, may have ten to fifteen rods, ready and rigged for his next trip and end up using only a few of them. Why is that? Well, when we scale things down to just a few lures and techniques we have confidence in, the need to over-complicate takes care of itself.

I have noticed many times over the years, at the end of a tournament day, I can tell if I did very well based on the number of rods being used on the deck of my boat. If I am only using a select few, chances are I had a good day. If I am still using several different lures, my day wasn’t particularly good because obviously, I didn’t narrow down what I needed to be doing to be successful.

So, what is the difference between a good day on the water versus a bad day? Well, obviously it can be measured by the number of fish that were caught but another way to determine your day’s success can be measured by what you learned. It could have been a technique you became more comfortable with, or you scouted a new area you’ve never fished in before and found success. You may have worked with your electronics and began to understand its effectiveness for locating and catching fish. It is all relevant.

A bad day on the water can usually be identified as just one of those days when things just didn’t go right. No matter if you are a seasoned angler, tournament competitor, or a weekend warrior, we all have bad days on the water.  I would like to give you a few tips to help deal with negative situations and make the most of your fishing opportunities.

Pay attention to details. This can be a broad topic, and I will try to make it a bit clearer. Let’s say you are throwing your favorite topwater lure and you hook two fish in a row and lose both of them coming to the boat. Your first instinct should be to check your hooks.  Are they sharp? Do they need to be replaced? The next thing you need to consider is if I am using the right rod, reel, and line combination for this lure and technique. One lost fish is part of the sport; multiple lost fish is often negligent on the angler’s part.

Aside from the fishing what about due diligence with your boat?  Are the batteries charged? Does the boat have enough gas in it, are the live wells working properly? All of these things go towards having a good day on the water. Leave no stone unturned and your good days will far outweigh your bad ones.

Have a specific plan. There is such a thing as knowing too much about a lake.  I have fished on the lakes in our area more times than I would ever care to count. When I am pre-fishing for a tournament I have to make sure I block my previous successes out of my head and focus on the particular set of circumstances I am fishing under. An open mind is necessary.

I want to map out areas of the lake I want to cover. I may have lures I want to experiment with and techniques that might prove successful and even more important than catching fish, is the task of eliminating unproductive areas.  This takes a lot of time and effort, but this is an excellent way of taking what can be a dull, boring day on the water and making it a positive learning experience.  Some of my best trips have been days when I caught little, but I learned an awful lot.

Leave the rest of the world at home. Most of us have jobs, careers, family issues, or whatever the case may be, but I can honestly say, when I am on the water, the only thing on my mind is my next cast, next location, or what lure I am going to throw next.  I leave as much of the world on the bank as I can, so I can focus on what my day on the water is going to bring.

During a tournament, I put my phone on silent.  I make sure I take snack and water breaks. I give myself every opportunity to enjoy the day. Now, this isn’t to say I won’t get aggravated at times because I do, but I have found it is much easier to avoid aggravation if my mind is in the right place before I ever put my boat in the water.

It’s just fishing. I was asked recently how long I thought I would continue to fish competitively and I answered, “as long as I can physically do it and more important, as long as I still enjoy preparing to fish.” Pretty simple and straightforward of an answer but it was also the truth.  Fishing, no matter if you are drowning crickets, running trot lines or tournament fishing, is meant to be fun.  Be careful not to lose that most important aspect of the sport.  Your good days should far outweigh your bad ones.

Well, it looks as though we have run out of space and time again for another month.  I sure hope we were able to share some thoughts and ideas that will help make your next trip to the water a more enjoyable one. As summer makes its way towards us, and our lakes and rivers get more crowded, be extra careful while out on the water.

Take care and catch one for me! See you next month!