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The Three C's
of Bass Fishing
by Bob Popp
I have been fishing for quite some time now
and have found out that after the physical aspect of the sport is learned
(casting, flipping and pitching) that bass fishing is 80% mental. I often
hear fishermen say they did or did not have any luck today. Well my
definition of luck is: When preparation meets opportunity. It seems like the
harder I work at bass fishing the luckier I become. It would be like Michael
Jordan saying I hope I have good luck tonight. To rule out the luck factor I
follow what I call the three C's of bass fishing, which are:
1. Confidence 2. Concentration 3. Contact.
1. Confidence- Covers a whole range of items. To be a successful
fisherman you must have confidence in your equipment (Your boat, rod/reel
etc.) but most important you must have confidence in yourself. Because if
you don't have confidence in you no one else will either. Along those same
lines you must have confidence in the bait you are using the more confident
you are using a particular bait the better you are going to fish that bait.
If you don't have confidence in those three things you may as well go home.
You may ask "How do I gain confidence?" I can sum that up in one word,
experience. Go fishing as often as you possibly can. Pick 3 or 4 different
baits and master them. I suggest the following: 1. Topwater 2. Spinnerbait
3. Plastic Worm 4. Jig. You can become very confused when you walk into a
sporting goods store and see the huge selection of tackle. My advice is to
keep lure selection as simple as possible. Topwater-White/Baitfish Color,
Spinnerbait-White, White/White/Chartreuse, Plastic Worm-
Purple/Blue/Black/Green Pumpkin, Jig-Black/Blue. I hope this puts you on the
track to be a more confident angler.
2. Concentration- Concentration means no matter what bait you are
using, under any conditions, you must give 100% concentration. Easier said
then done. Its real easy to daydream when fishing is slow but you have to
concentrate on what your bait is doing at all times. This is very difficult
to master. If you are thinking about something else (home, work etc) you
could miss a bass picking up your bait. You have to envision a bass eating
your bait on every cast.
3. Contact- Contact goes along with concentration, you must maintain
contact with your bait at all times. For example: If you're fishing a
plastic worm with a 1/8 oz. weight and you lift up your rod to move the worm
and you no longer feel the 1/8 oz. weight, SET THE HOOK! This takes complete
concentration to maintain contact with your bait. A topwater bait is the
easiest of all to maintain contact with (sight and feel contact)
Following the 3 C's of Bass Fishing takes time and effort but by practicing
these every time you go fishing you will find yourself getting better and
better.
Good Luck and Good Fishing,
Bob Popp
www.basschamp.com |
