Skill Or Luck 2024
CDMeyer reply :
I hate the word luck I mean I hate it!!!!! I believe that fishing has absolutely no luck in it once so ever..... I believe we work hard for every bass we catch. So naturally it makes me made when someone says that fishing is no skill it is all luck. I would love to go one on one with them and show the what "luck" or lack there of is there in fishing.
Sorry for the ranting but my question is what do you guys think, luck or SKILL
rippin-lips reply :
It takes skill for sure but there is a bit of luck involved also. There's no way around that part.
Brian6428 reply :
I agree with Rippin-Lips. Skill is the main factor to success, but there is definitely luck involved.
Dwight Hottle reply :
The harder I fish the luckier I get.
tomustang reply :
There is no such thing as luck, well maybe to the irish 
Catt reply :
We would like to think we're that good 
wnybassman reply :
You need skill to put yourself in the position to be lucky.
NorcalBassin reply :
The kid that catches a 12 pound LM on a Roostertail while throwing a spinner for planter trout is lucky, someone that consistently catches fish has some skill. At least that's what I keep telling myself after seeing that little kid double the size of my PB. 
AK-Jax86 reply :
I think it's a combo of both.
Like when you make a cast and you catch a fish that's skill but when you catch a double digit then that's luck... Unless you take that trip to lake Barracac lol
buzzed bait reply :
Finding fish - that takes skill....
Catching fish takes plenty of luck to go along with it.
BassWhole! reply :
I dunno, but I'm either really lucky or really skilled....
gobig reply :
There is definitely an element of luck. Increasing your skill set helps you get lucky more often.
Jaiden reply :
Skill is when luck becomes a habit 
EvanT123 reply :
There is a difference between skill and luck. I'll use another sport for an analogy. It takes skill to get 3,000 hits its luck to make number 3,000 a home run.
tomustang reply :
On 1/9/2014 at 11:20 AM, Dwight Hottle said:I think I have heard that one before.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Nitrofreak reply :
The only luck in fishing is that god chose you to be the one blessed enough to experience it .
What you do with it is all skill , fish just don't hook themselves .
WRB reply :
There are two types of luck one is good.
Tom
Frog Turds reply :
only time i personally feel luck is involved is when i catch a fish doing something unintended...
pbrussell reply :
I must have bad luck, or no skill. Haven't figured out which yet. 
A-Jay reply :
For Me, Fishing is all about Luck ~
I feel Lucky that I'm healthy enough to go ~
I feel lucky that I have good friends to go with ~
& I felt especially lucky when the bait fell from my PB's mouth in the net . . . . . . .
A-Jay
slonezp reply :
A properly placed bait trumps all. Call it skill, call it luck, call it divine intervention. I don't care. The results are the same. Skill allows me to identify the places to throw the correct bait under certain conditions. Luck is the gamble that a fish is at that spot under those conditions. Divine intervention is...well...only God knows.
Fish'N Impossible reply :
Understanding a bass and how it acts based on its environment at any specific time takes skill. Then utilizing that experience or intellect to put your self in the location of where bass should be also takes skill.
Casting, positioning a lure to the sweet spot, and working a lure propperly in order to elicite a bass to bite is also skill.
Unfortunately the most important factor in compitition angling is the part that greaty relies on luck...the size of the fish on the end of the line. you can use your skill to get you in an area loaded with fish, but you never know what size fish is gonna bite at any given moment.
SirSnookalot reply :
I'd rather be lucky than good any time. Skill is learning how to use your equipment. Luck is being in the right place at the right, it's a game of inches and timing. Perfectly placed casts often yield no results, and off target casts can catch some great fish, that's luck. Having a 10# fish get to the lure faster than a 2 pounder, that's luck. Catching a hot day when 50 fish are landed with any lure thrown, not skill just a lucky day. By contrast being fairly proficient with your equipment, knowing your water and you have a lousy day, that's luck too.................bad luck. Being on a great body of water doesn't take skill or luck to catch fish it just takes being there and putting your time in. However being on that great body of water that yields 10# fish and you are only catching smaller fish using all techniques, multiple rods, every lure know to man,hi speed boats and electronics are you unskillful or unlucky. When a person on the bank with 1 rod and 1 lure catches more or bigger fish, is he/she more skillful or just luckier?
In the end the fish makes the decision whether to strike or not, yeh I'd rather be lucky.
Catt reply :
Any time you feel all that "skill" swelling your head...take a kid fishing!
*Hootie reply :
Success is all luck. Just ask anyone who is unsuccessful.
Hootie
Oregon Native reply :
Luck is when your fighting that good un and there's no line grabbing structure with mussels on it between fish and the boat
BassinLou reply :
Just like someone's is lucky enough to win a lottery, someone is lucky enough in one cast, to catch their bass of a lifetime.
Fishing Rhino reply :
Luck plays a part, no doubt.
If you're fishing, and a lunker wraps you around a couple of snags, that's bad luck. But, if you give the fish some slack, and it untangles itself, that's good luck.
If you have a bait dangling over the side of your boat, and a nice bass grabs it, then you land it, that's good luck. If you have a bait dangling over the side of your boat, and a bass grabs it and pulls your rod into the drink, that's bad luck.
Now, the argument can be made, and I agree, that it's foolish in the first place to leave an unattended bait dangling over the side. If a fish takes it, and your pole over the side, or snaps the rod at the gunnel, it's your fault, and luck had nothing to do with it.
Raul reply :
On 1/9/2014 at 10:48 AM, Catt said:We would like to think we're that good
I am that good ! 
Bankbeater reply :
Luck is being able to find a new PB in the lake, skill is getting the PB in the boat.
Catt reply :
On 1/10/2014 at 1:36 AM, Raul said:I am that good !
Uhh! We talking fishing!
Raul reply :
On 1/10/2014 at 3:00 AM, Catt said:Uhh! We talking fishing!
That´s what I mean, I´m THAT good !
Montanaro reply :
burning a frog back to the boat and having a DD hit it at the boat is luck.
I'd like to see someone get "lucky" by punching mats silently and pulling bass out. that's all knowledge and skill. no rooster tail and zebco combo is pulling that off.
roadwarrior reply :
Skill dominates the most challenging task: Finding the fish!
Uncle Leo reply :
I feel lucky anytime I get a chance to go fishing.
mjseverson24 reply :
there is most definitely both luck and skill in fishing. An example I like to use is tournament fishing, say you go to a spot early in the day that you know holds numbers of small to medium size fish to catch your "limit fish" (2-3 lbs) and you pull up a five plus lb fish, that is luck. now say later in the day you are trying to get that "kicker fish" in a spot that is known for bigger fish and you again catch a five plus llb fish. that is a well designed plan coming together aka "skill".
Mitch
Team9nine reply :
The best answer I've seen on this question came from a Bassmaster interview with Rick Clunn back in 2010.
QuoteHow big a part does luck play in fishing?
That is up to the individual. If you don't study fishing and the water and don't apply the art and science to fishing you need to, luck will play a much larger role. Also, luck factors into tournaments depending on how long they are. If you're in a one-day event, a 10-pound bite will go a long way, whereas the longer the tournament goes, the more skill neutralizes that luck. In a one-day tournament, I'd say there is 30 percent luck; in a two day, 10 percent; three day, less than three percent; and in a four-day event, luck is reduced to less than one percent.
-T9
K_Mac reply :
On 1/9/2014 at 11:53 AM, Jaiden said:Skill is when luck becomes a habit
That is well said. There is no question that luck is a part of fishing. I know a guy with a 9# plus personal best caught here in So. Illinois. He doesn't know beans from buckshot when it comes to bass fishing, but he is lucky enough to fish a private lake that is very well stocked and managed. I may never catch one that big around here, but given equal opportunity I will out-fish him most of the time. Put me up against an elite pro and I will get smoked regularly. Yes luck plays a part, and pulling into a cove just as schooling bass explode on shad right next to the boat is serendipity and is the sort of thing that sometimes wins tournaments. There are many qualities that define a good fisherman; knowledge, skill, dedication, and perseverance are high on the list in my experience. Luck plays a part, but it is not what separates good fishermen from all the rest.
Ratherbfishing reply :
There is a bit of luck in just being able to take that next breath. But luck is random and inconsistent. Skill is steady and can be, more or less, relied upon. If you took a poll of heart patients and asked them if they'd rather their heart surgeon be lucky or skillful, I'd venture to guess that most would prefer the skillful one.
Catt reply :
On 1/10/2014 at 3:44 AM, Raul said:That´s what I mean, I´m THAT good !
Dude you're lucky...you live in Mexico!
Lucas Li reply :
Its skill and experience. When I first started fishing I went with 7 of my friends to Irvine Lake and none of us knew what we were doing. We caught 1 trout amongst all of us in 8 hours and got drunk as hell.
Next time I went with someone who's been fishing for his whole life and we all limited out.
Lucky bites do happen when the fish will bite anything, but you gotta be someone special to be consistently lucky enough to throw out anything and catch fish every time you go out.
Bluebasser86 reply :
<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right??
SirSnookalot reply :
On 1/10/2014 at 10:41 PM, Bluebasser86 said:<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right??
Pretty much the same for me. I was untangling a wind knot, my top water lure was sitting a foot off the bank and I hear a giant splash. After the knot was untangled I start reeling in and the rod gets heavy, it was a really nice bass, but I'm sure it was skill by having the lure sit in just the right place.
aceman387 reply :
I think we would all catch more bass if we had the patience to just let our lures sit like we have to do when we have a line tangle or a snag. unfortunately most of us aren't wired that way. 
georgeyew reply :
I agree with several of the other posts. There is a certain amount of luck involved. The only time when it is "all skill" is when you can actually see the fish.
Catt reply :
Y'all ever make a cast, miss the target by 25', & still get bit?
Is that skill or luck?
WRB reply :
It's far better to be a skilled angler with good luck than a skilled angler with bad luck. Some days on the water you can't do anything wrong, then we have days you can't do anything right, good luck verses bad luck.
Making a cast and getting a backlash doesn't require skill, getting the backlash out and finding a bass has eaten your lure isn't skill, it's good luck!
Far better to be lucky than unlucky.
Tom
Raul reply :
On 1/11/2014 at 1:48 AM, Catt said:Y'all ever make a cast, miss the target by 25', & still get bit?
Is that skill or luck?
Skill.
It´s all in the wrist.
RoLo reply :
Raul reply :
On 1/10/2014 at 10:41 PM, Bluebasser86 said:<<<The fish in my avatar ate my crankbait off a rock while it was snagged and I was trying to get it unstuck, all skill right??
Yup, that was the right presentation.
SirSnookalot reply :
On 1/11/2014 at 1:11 AM, aceman387 said:I think we would all catch more bass if we had the patience to just let our lures sit like we have to do when we have a line tangle or a snag. unfortunately most of us aren't wired that way.
I always try and get the knots untangled, fishing for fun and relaxation I've got nothing but time, even more so if I only have 1 rod with me.
Cryoglobin reply :
Luck is very paradoxic in that it really doesn't exist. What appears to be luck is simply variance outliers on a normal curve. No one is lucky all the time, and eventually, for every lucky day or event, there will be an equally unlucky one. Skill and preparation push an angler down the bell curve a greater percentage of the time. In the long term, the skilled and prepared will always enjoy more success, but can be crushed in the short term by someone who had one of those outlier (lucky) days.
tatertester reply :
Don't ya just love those OUTLIER DAYS?
CDMeyer reply :
I see all you guys have a great point, I guess I just hate the word luck period..... in anything..... so I still stand with my no luck involved theory
ww2farmer reply :
Let's put it this way...................your lucky to be around such skill here
ColdSVT reply :
I always say 10% of anglers catch 90% of the fish...in other words its 90% skill and patience with 10% luck
I.rar reply :
I catch fish 60% of the time, all the time.
I agree though, there is a bit of both involved in this sport no matter how you look at it.
Raul reply :
On 1/12/2014 at 7:43 AM, ww2farmer said:Let's put it this way...................your lucky to be around such skill here
S_Miketa6 reply :
I try to tell myself it's skill..............but my friends would say otherwise haha!!!
RoLo reply :
Luck can save the day but it lacks the repeatibility of skill.
Let's say an angler is fishing for a trophy pickerel, but winds up catching a trophy bass.
Whether he's thrilled or disappointed depends on his luck/skill orientation
Roger
etommy28 reply :
Luck is a part of it, but some one once told me luck is where preparation and fate come together. I believe it, I look back at a college tournament I fished last week, I had a very good bag day one, but day two I fished the same water, but never got a good bite. I cant control what bites, all I can do is catch what does.
Bigbass37 reply :
Well Mr. 6 to 7 pound personal best, looks like u dont have much of either
K_Mac reply :
On 1/13/2014 at 10:33 AM, Bigbass37 said:Well Mr. 6 to 7 pound personal best, looks like u dont have much of either
Really? Seven pounds in Wisconsin is a really good fish-unless you use the method of weighing used by most anglers. By the magic of the internet we can be as good or lucky as we want to be though...
Raul reply :
I´m where 10+ lbers are common, a 6 - 7 lber is a very nice fish no matter where you are at, most of the guys here have never caught a 6 pounder.
RoLo reply :
On 1/14/2014 at 12:58 AM, Raul said:I´m where 10+ lbers are common, a 6 - 7 lber is a very nice fish no matter where you are at, most of the guys here have never caught a 6 pounder.
Ditto Florida
Frog Turds reply :
On 1/13/2014 at 10:33 AM, Bigbass37 said:Well Mr. 6 to 7 pound personal best, looks like u dont have much of either
out of my years on this board, that statement has got to be the single most rudest unprovoked comment I've ever seen another fisherman tell a fellow fisherman...says all anyone needs to know about your character...
A-Jay reply :
On 1/13/2014 at 10:33 AM, Bigbass37 said:Well Mr. 6 to 7 pound personal best, looks like u dont have much of either
Never does a man portray his own character more
vividly than in his manner of portraying another's.
That was weak.
A-Jay
Caylub reply :
I believe skill trumps luck, but luck plays a major role in my success. I caught my personal best sitting on my kayak looking down at my cellphone holding the rod in the other hand. I guess while I was texting I drug my Texas rigged trickworm over a partially submerged log and a 2-3 lb. bass was sitting there waiting to inhale my bait. The rod was almost gone, but I was able to set the hook and bring it in. I would absolutely call that luck. I'm not very skilled but I get lucky once in awhile.
RoLo reply :
On 1/14/2014 at 7:51 AM, Caylub said:I believe skill trumps luck, but luck plays a major role in my success. I caught my personal best sitting on my kayak looking down at my cellphone holding the rod in the other hand. I guess while I was texting I drug my Texas rigged trickworm over a partially submerged log and a 2-3 lb. bass was sitting there waiting to inhale my bait. The rod was almost gone, but I was able to set the hook and bring it in. I would absolutely call that luck. I'm not very skilled but I get lucky once in awhile.
Your luck is exceeded by your honesty 
Roger
Caylub reply :
On 1/14/2014 at 8:06 AM, RoLo said:Your luck is exceeded by your honesty
Roger
We are all friends here right?
Mainebass1984 reply :
On 1/13/2014 at 10:33 AM, Bigbass37 said:Well Mr. 6 to 7 pound personal best, looks like u dont have much of either
Well that was just plain not nice.
Catt reply :
On 1/14/2014 at 12:58 AM, Raul said:I´m where 10+ lbers are common, a 6 - 7 lber is a very nice fish no matter where you are at, most of the guys here have never caught a 6 pounder.
Ditto Texas/Louisiana
MarkH024 reply :
On 1/14/2014 at 7:20 AM, Frog Turds said:out of my years on this board, that statement has got to be the single most rudest unprovoked comment I've ever seen another fisherman tell a fellow fisherman...says all anyone needs to know about your character...
I wrote out a paragraph portraying my same feelings on that comment made. I decided to delete it as it's not even worth wasting time on Internet tough guys.
Congrats for sticking a red flag on your backside BigBass. You may as well delete your account now.
RoLo reply :
Why dignify this fellow's statement by giving it more attention than it deserves?
Dwelling on the negative it just so Twitter
Roger
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