What Does Confident Fishing Mean To You 2024

Ersteman reply :

What does confident fishing mean to you?

What are things you've done to increase confidence?

Bluebasser86 reply :

I'm fishing confident when I'm doing what I know and what I feel should be working, and it's producing for me.

Nothing increases confidence like going out, fishing, and having success.

Oregon Native reply :

Time on a body of water....being open and not stuck on a plan

Ersteman reply :

Agreed Blue.

Yah, Oregon, I need to shake the 'being stuck on a plan' thing, but I get torn at times, when I'm trying to increase confidence in a weakness I have, but if the fish don't like that particular presentation, then how am I supposed to gain confidence in it. It's quite a conundrum.

scaleface reply :

Fishing is easy and I have caught a lot of fish not just bass . I just feel confident whenever I go fishing

If I dont catch fish on a lure or technique , so what , I know they work and I just wasnt in the right place at the right time .

tander reply :

Knowing I got all the tools in my boat to catch fish, All I got to do is choose the right one and use the correct technique.

Nice_Bass reply :

A confident day of fishing results in me only having 2-3 rods or less on the deck of the boat.

Catt reply :

Experience tells you what to do...confidence allows you to do it!

scaleface reply :

I have never been salt water fishing in my life . I am confident that I can walk down one of those peers with my Bass fishing gear and catch something . I would be surprised if I didnt .

soflabasser reply :

Confidence is by far the most important attribute anyone can have in anything they do!

Gundog reply :

For me confident fishing means fishing slow with flipping and pitching techniques. Its spending time on the water, reading the conditions & changing when you need to change.

scaleface reply :

I'm going to make one more post on this thread .

I have taken a lot of people fishing . Those that get discouraged easily dont develop into competent anglers . Those that dont get discouraged learn quickly . Bad days of fishing are good learning experiences .

A-Jay reply :

For me fishing confidence has been developed over time.

More time & experience on the water equates to more understanding.

It's this experienced based understanding that helps enable me to apply concepts learned that provide confidence.

Finding & catching fish "right where & how" I expected certainly boosts confidence.

However, putting it all together in a way that's not what I expected and / or doing something different in a new location is a very empowering.

I roll out of bed confident, doesn't guarantee anything, but it certainly doesn't hurt either.

A-Jay

J Francho reply :

It means I'm content to concentrate on what I'm doing without question.

When there is a question, I try a solution, and go back to the first sentence.

Preytorien reply :

I think confidence, as you can see by the posts above, is the confluence of a lot of different things. The right gear, conditions you like, maybe a body of water you historically have success on. But I've learned that confidence doesn't always mean success. Sometimes those fish, despite excellent weather for fishing, having the right gear, and being on the best lake, will not bite, and you never know why - they tend to keep it a secret.

For me, confidence is simply knowing I've done all I can do for the factors that I CAN control. It's knowing that despite the conditions I'm faced with, I'm using the right gear, an effective lure, and breaking down my presentations to cover and structure, and I'm giving it my focus and best.

That's all we can do really......be confident

iiTzChunky reply :

On 7/27/2016 at 9:36 PM, scaleface said:

I have never been salt water fishing in my life . I am confident that I can walk down one of those peers with my Bass fishing gear and catch something . I would be surprised if I didnt .

I would be surprised if you didn't either, all you gotta do is drop the line down with some shrimp on the end and reel it back it.

blckshirt98 reply :

For me confidence fishing means a bite is just a twitch of the rod away; confidence in the lure I have tied on, to how I'm working the lure, to the location I'm at. Time passes by faster as I'm focused on fishing. On days when I'm not fishing with confidence I feel like I'm just going through the motions, and I think of what other things I could be doing instead of fishing. I'm not paying attention to my rod or line, I'm not alert to properly set the hook because I'm not expecting a bite, I'm not working the bait properly (usually too fast), which all leads to fewer bites/no bites/missed bites.

Master Bait'r reply :

To me confidence isn't necessarily confidence in catching but more of confidence in what the bait is doing and the look I'm giving. It's also knowing how the rod loads, the hooks sets stick nice and the drag behaves with X size fish on Y combo.

When I am familiar with all the variables in my control, I'm fishing confident. When I'm learning, experimenting or just trying new things/equipment I fish more tentatively because I am still maybe unsure of what the bait is doing and how the fish tend to react, or maybe dialing in a new combo and getting the feel of the cast control, brakes, spool and rod loading etc.

MassYak85 reply :

Confidence to me is going the entire day without so much as a bite, but on that last cast of the day still saying to yourself "I am giving myself the best chance to catch a fish right now". That's a combination of conditions, lure selection, and gear.

K_Mac reply :

On 7/27/2016 at 10:44 PM, J Francho said:

It means I'm content to concentrate on what I'm doing without question.

When there is a question, I try a solution, and go back to the first sentence.

I think this sums it up well. It is knowing that what you are doing gives you a good chance of catching the size and/or numbers you are looking for. It takes time and patience, but real confidence only comes with knowledge and experience. What allows J Franco to concentrate on what he's doing exclusively in any situation? He's paid his dues by learning about bass; the what, why, where and when of their behavior, and spent countless of hours refining his skills.

I have spent far too many days on the water manically trying everything in the box. I still get caught up in that occasionally, but not very often. Most of the time I have done my homework, and know what techniques and locations gives me the best chance of success. That confidence allows me to relax and focus on what I'm doing.

Relaxed and focused is the real secret to success in my opinion.

J Francho reply :

On 7/28/2016 at 3:38 AM, K_Mac said:

I have spent far too many days on the water manically trying everything in the box.

I still have days like this. My statement above is when I feel like I did everything right, even if I didn't have success. I know I've said this in the past, "I gain confidence through success." However, I'm gonna shift on that, and open it up to gaining confidence through failure. Meaning, I'm confident that won't work. There those days too, lol.

It's a game of educated guessing. Sometimes I'm more educated. Sometimes I'm more guessing.

Darren. reply :

I've always thought of confidence in fishing
to be a nebulous term. I.e., say Joe is "confident"
in that bubblegum worm. Works all the time.

But then I try it and can't buy a bite. Confidence
is one thing to one person and something else
to another.

I experimented though, once, following a suggestion
here at this forum, by taking only a bag of a new
BPS Stik-O out, and only that bag, none of my
fall back baits, or usual Senkos.

Actually had good success to the point I felt...
"confident" in using that bait that I would catch bass
on 'em. And I have. But my buddy has had no such
luck with it.

So ... for whatever it is worth, my .02 on the matter.

Montanaro reply :

Confident means feeling giddy that I could get a bite on any cast. Love that feeling.

How do i get confidence? Listening to music. It gets me out of my head and puts me in a good mood

whitwolf reply :

Confident fishing; Most everytime on the water I start with a supreme amount of confidence. I usually know the what, where, and why so I pick my bait and go to work. There are times I catch and there are times I don't. I never sweat it and always take a positive approach to the day from start to finish. If experience has taught me anything It's a "knowing" what to do. I might go fishless or I might catch my personal best but no matter what I put myself In what I feel Is the best possible place(location) to catch some fish which In turn breeds an Incredible amount of confidence.

On a side note: For those of you that find yourself merely going through the motions I suggest this. Everyone has those days and It's quite common. What I do Is simply set everything down for a few minutes, think about the day while eating a bite or drinking a drink and just enjoy the down time.

To the OP, good topic, thanks for posting!

Cody Krehbiel reply :

Confidence to me is a Texas rigged gitzit in submerged timber.

BiteFiend reply :

I tend to associate confidence with trust.

Fishing with confidence to me means that I trust my plan and my abilities.

N Florida Mike reply :

I have kept it simple.I started out using a few different baits( mostly t- rigged plastics.)And I tried to learn a few areas well instead of fishing all over.

JPascavage52 reply :

A few things:

- Finding areas on a body of water that produce with the techniques you're most proficient at, and being able to catch fish on them, while still being able to use a wide variety of techniques, not allowing yourself to become one dimensional and make adjustments for weather changes, bite turning off, etc. With that said, in my opinion, eliminating water and unproductive spots is almost just a successful as finding productive spots.

- Developing a system for preparation for trips, and getting everything ready ahead of time. Making sure everything works before you leave. There is nothing worse than getting out on the lake and getting stranded, or arriving to the lake and finding your trolling motor doesn't work, or arriving the morning of a tournament, only to discover you forgot that new bag of baits, or that your motor won't start. This immediately takes you out of your bubble, and makes you lose focus.

- Not panicking if you don't have success at first, and focusing on staying in your bubble, and grinding it out. If you lose focus, you increase your chances of missing a bite.

- At tournaments, avoiding chit chat and "dock talk" with your competitors as much as possible until you arrive at the weigh in at the end of the day. It's okay to be friendly, but chances are they will only try to "trash talk," "one up" you, and even psych you out with stories about catching big fish there on another day. Couple years back, in a club tournament, had a rider who would not stop talking for a second. Seemed like every spot we went to, he had a story to tell about "catching a four pounder here, catching a six pounder there, hooking a fish easily over five that jumped and threw the hook last week, etc." Those are good for photos and stories, but keep in mind, for tournaments, the only thing that matters are the fish that you physically bring to the scale at the end of the day, and that the official scale doesn't lie.

- Realizing that you can fish all you want, but sometimes, it can be a crapshoot, and be a matter of luck. That hawg may just happen to be at your favorite dock/ laydown/ brushpile/ piece of offshore structure at the same time as you or someone else.

Molay1292 reply :

Confidence in fishing for me is knowing that I have taken care of the things I can control. Sharp hooks, quality line, perfect knots, ensuring my rods and reels are in top shape. Knowing that I have asked questions and studied enough that I can read the conditions, wind, water, cover, structure, seasonal pattern and develop a plan that I will have success with.

bigbill reply :

Confidence?..I'm not sure if I have any.

I have continued to hone my skills to perfection with most baits and presentations. Don't get hung up with one bait for too long. If it isn't working change presentations. They change baits. What killed then yesterday may not work today. It can be a color thing too. Change colors. Skill is more important than confidence to me anyway patterns change.

In fishing the same places what was hot last year might not be hot this year. Throw something different. We're like a baseball pitcher try the change up pitch.

Confidence? I have no time to think I just fish. Confidence to me maybe is using the best fishing line I can buy. Excaliber Silver Thread Copolymer Line.

Dont ever panick on a tough day, regroup and stay going forward. Finding the correct pattern along with the right presentation will load your boat. It not confidence it's faith in yourself with your skills.

hawgenvy reply :

Confidence is fishing hard all day long in the heat of the summer or after a nasty cold front.

Confidence is when you haven't had a bite in four hours, and you're not only still fishing, but concentrating 100% on your rod tip and line to detect the tiniest tick.

Confidence is when you've got credit card debt but still ordering stuff from TW, even though you haven't caught but 12 pounds all year.

Confidence is going fishing after you've been skunked three times in a row.

Confidence is when there is a lure or lure category that you've never caught anything on, and you fish with it exclusively until you figure out how to catch fish with it.

Confidence is skipping docks with a bait caster.

Confidence is a virtue that a reasonable man would find that we bass anglers have beyond reason.

An Outdoor Guy reply :

Confidence to me is going out there knowing that every piece of tackle I have catches fish, and all I have to do is figure out which one the fish want. (Color/size/retrieve)

If I'm trying a new lure and I want to boost my confidence in it I will DOWNSIZE. get a smaller lure of what I'm fishing. Smaller lures means smaller fish but more of them. I started with a little jerkbait from rapala. the husky jerk HJ6. and now I'm up to the rapala shadow raps. the smaller lures buld your confidence because you WILL catch fish just not monsters.

another good example. Chatter baits. Never used them till last month. got 4 regular sized chatter baits and 3 smaller ones. guess which ones have caught the most? yep. the smaller ones. still haven't caught anything on the regular sized ones but I'm still trying to gain confidence in them so I'm using the smaller ones for now.

wnspain reply :

IMO confident fishing results from applying proven techniques with proven lures in areas that have the right characteristics (structure, cover) so that the anticipation of catching a fish remains very high from cast to cast. Many times, unsuccessful techniques, presentations, lure selection, or other factors will cause you to loose some of your confidence. That's about the time I change some aspect that renews my confidence, and revives my anticipation of getting bit. Fishing with confidence is a whole different world than those who let unsuccessful periods affect their attitude adversely resulting in giving up. This applies not only to fishing...

ClackerBuzz reply :

technique/lure confidences: you've fished a lure for so long, the wrong ways, that you've eliminated all possibilities and know the right way.

BASS959 reply :

Confidence to me is; Knowing I have the skill and experience, knowing I have the tools, knowing I am up for the challenge, knowing I can succeed but don't always do it, and understanding that even Van Dam doesn't always hit the mark. Hit or miss fishing is the most enjoyable hobby I have. Love your time on the water.

kilroy9988 reply :

confident fishing comes in many different forms, and can have many different outcomes. sometimes it can prevent you from having a good day if you are to confident in one specific technique. up until the last couple years I was spending to many fish-less days pounding shore lines with spinners, when I should have been working slow and low. I have had some fantastic days on Mepps spinners, and had a lot of confidence in them. I still do have confidence in them, but only at specific times of the year. I had to force myself to try and gain the same type of confidence in other baits better suited for the time of year. Don't waste days on out of season confidence.

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What Does Confident Fishing Mean To You 2024

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