Questions of Great Anglers

What separates a good fisherman from a great fisherman? I have come to the conclusion that great anglers ask a lot of questions and are very observant to details. Some of these basic principles can be applied however regardless of skill level. Along with everything else in life other than fishing, we are typically always questioning if we are doing the right thing or if there is something more we could be doing to better our chances at succeeding. This same mind set I am talking about off the water, is what any fisherman should be doing on the water. Most great fisherman continue to always question themselves by trying to decide if there is anything they could be doing differently to get more or bigger fish in the net… simple basic components of fishing like boat control, bait selection, and putting yourself in the right place at the right time. Great anglers seem to evolve as conditions change and continue to refine techniques looking for better or more efficient ways to present a presentation. This evolution however starts with simple questions.

Considered one of the best walleye guides, Jason Mitchell of Devils Lake, North Dakota sums up this evolution by stressing the fact that we don’t have all the answers and so often we come to conclusions with incomplete data. “We can never gather enough information because if there are a few parts missing, we get thrown off the pattern. Details like what the fish are eating, how water temperature and time of day affects fish movements, are the fish making large moves or small patrols on a spot, all of these little details can help us make better decisions,” explains Mitchell.

Fishing is all about percentages. Success can be increased by having your bait in the right spot for the longest amount of time. In other words if you have good control of your boat and place it in the correct spot your percentages of that bait being in front of a fish is going to rise which is going to raise the percentage of fish caught. Boat control is a simple question that you should be asking yourself at all times. Is there a better way to control the boat to stay on fish? Is the strategy to sit on a spot or cover large areas? If you locate fish or know that they are there, always question yourself and know that any fish is located in the spot for a reason, if it’s a specific rock hump, weed point, specific depth, and so forth, never approach a spot without thinking what would be the best way to do so. Once this is accomplished you can then start asking yourself how to position the boat so that your bait is located in front of the fish the longest amount of time possible. Jason Mitchell also adds the insight of using your watch when sitting on good spots. “The time keeps you honest and helps slow you down so that you can give good spots justice. If you are fighting to control the boat because of wind or other reasons, subtract the time you are knowingly not in the zone so that you give the spot its due. I will generally give a good spot an hour and when you go twenty minutes without a bite, it feels like forever so a watch helps settle my nerves and slows down the day,” adds Mitchell..

While boat control is often most important, asking yourself what the best presentation is for the fishing situation you are in is also a must. We all know that live bait produces fish but have you ever thought about artificial presentations? Where the fishing industry is at today with technology, you notice a lot more artificial baits on the market. Why do you think this is? I personally believe it’s because they work, but let’s use a little common sense as success can be skewed if there are more fish getting caught just because more people are using them. There must be a reason that some of these lures work better in specific situations. Soft plastics will never replace live bait in walleye fishing applications but they can make you much more efficient in many scenarios.

While casting, for example… soft plastics stay on the hook better. The durability and extra action and color can make these baits much more effective than bait in some situations. Some of the most impressive biodegradable water soluble soft plastics include both Gulp! and Trigger X. On the water, the Trigger X is incredible as it has a lot of action and most of all catches fish. Relating back to percentages, this can be a must. Re-baiting after every fish caught or bite is time consuming. This article was not written to promote a product but to simply open your eyes to what questions you could be asking yourself on the water. I still often have shiners in the boat but this season the Trigger X Swimming grub has been a go to bait the last few times I have been out because I am snapping the jig hard back to the boat and that is what the fish want. Guess what, the shiners tear off much easier and I am catching more fish with the soft plastics because of the durability.

Anglers who master the craft of finding and catching fish do not seem satisfied with what worked in the past but continue to refine and evolve. From observing how many of the best anglers operate while on the water, there is one common theme… the best anglers always seem to be questioning what they are doing and also what they know. This simple analysis can help us become much more successful on the water.

The Author, Joe Andersen, believes that anglers can evolve when they question how, why, and where they fish.

Photography by Jeff Andersen