What's Luck Got to Do With It???

Do you believe in lucky poles, magic baits, or lucky hats? If so, this one might hit a little close to home!  Ask a good fisherman and they will often tell you that you make your own luck. In other words, luck is the result of preparation, planning, location, and timing. 

First let's deal with a few common superstitions:

Magic baits

 

Read about catfishing and you'll frequently see people that favor one bait over others. If there was ONE magic bait, would there be a thousand different prepared baits on the market for channel catfisherman? I don't think so! Not to mention how everyone has their own favored natural baits. Cats are attracted to specific baits based on scent/taste, vibration, etc; and cats can become conditioned to accept baits often fished in an area. However, most of the best catfishermen I know believe bait placement is a more important factor than bait selection.    

 Lucky pole

Okay, there might be a bit truth to this one; if you're more comfortable and have a better feel with a certain rod, it might work better for you. On a regular basis, I do see certain rods being hit a lot. Maybe it's because I like the rod so they're the first baits out. Whatever the reason, I can't totally rule this one out. 

The big ones come when there's no camera in the boat!

With the advent of cell phone cameras, there's really no excuse any more on this one. However, for years I've been a believer in always having a camera in the boat and still live by that rule. So this one has been a non-issue for me for years. Sometimes the camera strap accidentally gets in the picture or the flash goes off at the wrong time.

 

Lucky hats

Come on, let's get serious now. How does the fish know what hat you've got on? I have a confession to make on this one...I have two catfishing hats and I ALWAYS have one of them one. When I recently misplaced my favorite fishing hat, my old Procats hat, you would think I lost my wallet with all my credits cards. Actually, wallets and credit cards can be replaced. Fortunately, the missing hat turned up and all is right with my world again!

Hit came when I wasn't watching!

This one perplexes me. It does seem to happen a lot where a rod goes down and I'm tying a knot, checking my phone, snapping a few pictures, taking a whizz, whatever. But how do the fish know?!? Maybe I'm just tinkering around with stuff a lot some nights. Again, I can't rule this one out because sometimes I've joked around saying I'll start rigging another pole to get some action going and it's happened. Crazy.

Okay, enough about superstitions.

I do feel that as fishermen become more experienced, they naturally become less superstitious (hopefully). I do think it's somehow an integral part catfishing lore to talk about superstitions and good luck/bad luck. I also think the best catfisherman don't spend a lot of time worrying about luck and superstition. Other factors are much more relevant.  

Confidence 

Confidence is highly underrated. He who hesitates may miss the hook-up... a habit of successful fishermen is to remain focused when things get exciting. Become overexcited when the big fish finally hits your less likely to land the big fish. Human error inevitably raises its ugly head! When you keep your cool, stay focused, and confidently wait for the right time and set that hook assuredly and confidently - without hesitation - you increase your chances of landing that fish.   

Discipline 

Most of the best fishermen I've talked to about fishing for catfish, especially big catfish, reiterate the same message - you have to be prepared to NOT catch fish, in order to catch fish. This means knowing you will go out and spend some time when the fish either aren't home, or aren't cooperative. You may need to wait very patiently several minutes or more for the right time to set that hook, after the initial signal you received. Most importantly, discipline is sticking with your plan and not switching to worms or cheese bait because the flathead bite is slow fishing with bluegills. Or breaking out the oars to get to the next spot when you had engine trouble but still want to fish. You have to stick with the plan, because you don't know when that big cat is going for a take-down. If you switch to cheese bait because the flathead bite was slow, you'll never find out.

Discipline is having your gear organized and knowing where all the important stuff is in the boat at night. And having the right gear and tools in your catfish bag every time out. For those of us with a short attention span, waiting for that next hit definitely requires concentration and focus. Staying focused when the bite is slow can be a real challenge some nights and the ability to maintain concentration is often the difference between getting that next catfish in the boat and getting skunked. 

Experience

Experience really is the best teacher. The best way to learn it to be out on the water. Successful fisherman may talk about luck, but it's more likely they are successful because they've taken the time to search out prime fishing spots and learned how to present their offerings in the right place at the right time to catch fish. Most importantly, time on the water leads to success. Night after night every summer the better catfishermen are out there searching for the next big cat. One thing that's guaranteed - you won't catch fish sitting at home.

    Blazing a new trail

Another habit of successful fisherman is exploring new spots each time out, instead of only visiting their favorite "honey holes" over and over. The fishermen who aren't out there exploring new territory won't learning nearly as much about the body of water they're fishing as the guys who consistently search out and fish new spots (another confession, I don't do nearly enough of this myself). We've all been told over and over not to just keep going to the same spot you've caught fish before. As Denny Halgren says, "A spot has to prove itself to you over time." So while it is good to have a catalogue of "top shelf" spots in your mind, don't be afraid to explore and learn about new places. Even if you've found the best catfish habitat ever, just remember there was that first time you anchored there not knowing what would happen...   

So the next time you're feeling superstitious because you can't find your lucky hat, just forget about it. Luck is being in the right place, at the right time, with the right bait. That's all it is.