Picture this, you are all set to fish but you are still not sure to match your friend’s luck. Why? Is there anything that holds you even when you think you have taken all measures? I know there is always something that shakes your confidence while fishing and face the same question.
Is Fishing a Skill Activity, or is it Mostly Luck?
Well, the answer is it’s mostly luck when you have no skill. Jokes apart, not only luck you got to have two more modules to be a perfect fisher. You need to have education, skill & obviously luck. Don’t freak! They all have their own value in fishing.
People may have different perception about these things and make you wonder if it’s all about luck, then why do you need to be skilled? Well, If you ask me I would say you need 60% education, 30% skill and 10% luck. Yes, you are right, you are so hesitant only for that 10% luck!
Education:
Education is what makes you a real angler and if you want to educate yourself about fishing you need to have knowledge. Don’t assume that it is only about bookish knowledge that is necessary for fishing. You also need wisdom.
Book knowledge will help you know about the basics of fishing for example, where the fishes will be available in different seasons or what are the perfect foods for certain types of fish or it will also help you know the techniques of fishing.
Wisdom is what we call as tested knowledge. You need hands-on experience to have wisdom. It grows gradually and becomes an instinct for experienced fishermen. When something different happens, the anger immediately reacts and knows what to do next.
You need to have both book knowledge and wisdom to secure your 60%. Most of the anger has the same type of book knowledge. But not everyone has the same wisdom. It differs from person to person according to their experience.
For example, the same species of fish can have different behaviour from the lake to lake. The only way to learn their traits is to fish in that water area. That’s why professional bass fishers pre-fish on lakes. If you want to win the tournament you must know the most about the lake along with its fishes among all other participants.
That means to be educated in this area you must try to learn as much as possible no matter what the source is. You can learn from the internet, magazines or textbooks and obviously, you must go fishing frequently.
Skill:
Well if you have the fishing experience you might already know that it involves both your body and mind. You need to have the strength and ability for perfect casting, setting the hook or throwing the net. You even need to have the mind and skill to present lures in a realistic manner.
Your mind and bodywork as a combo to make you a skilled fisher. Imagine that you have the ability to cast but not the mind to catch the big ones, what will happen? Yes, you will only get what you have settled for.
Your goal and ability will determine what you will get. But the thing is you need to practice a lot to be skilled. Casting, setting hooks and lures-all can be mastered through practice. You just need to give yourself some time for that.
So prepare yourself to set for big goals and guess what! You’ve secured 30% more!
Luck:
Yes, yes. This is the thing that plays the biggest role right? Of course not! It plays a very small role in your fishing. Yes, sometimes others can get the bigger one than you, but it doesn’t mean they will get a large amount of fish. It’s your skill and education that makes you a pro at fishing, not luck.
You might have seen the newbie gets the biggest one but have you noticed how many fishes they catch? Well, that explains everything. One day’s luck cannot beat your everyday experience. It plays a very small role in your fishing experience and makes you uncomfortable around your companions.
Just relax. Just remember that it is more fun to catch the toughest ones with skill than catching the big ones with luck.
Conclusion:
Fishing is a critical sport. It may seem simple and makes others believe that it is only about luck. But the real angler knows how much dedication and skill it requires to fish. Luck can make you happy for only some days, but your life-time satisfaction can only come from your education and skill.