The way in which I approach a competitive situation is very often influenced by the knowledge of those who have gone before me. These are valuable lessons that are often, not always, freely shared by those in the know. That said, the competitive environment has its share of fishy tales and I often find myself comparing different tactics and making the call for myself.
Coming to terms with a new set of rules is something that helps me to grow and develop as an individual. Becoming accustomed to a new way of working has broadened my horizons and helped me to think ‘out the box’. We all have our confidence or ‘go to’ baits and in all honesty, my perspective on jigs, cranks and spinnerbaits has completely changed due to the competitive environment. These are absolute essentials in certain situations and a choice I would have previously veered away from as these were out of my comfort zone.
Watching fellow anglers produce fish on baits I previously disregarded has
opened my eyes to different
techniques, strategies and
ways of working. This, in turn,
has had a massively positive
spin off on my non-competitive
fishing and for that I am
grateful.
So to the newbie and the social
anglers contemplating the
step up to competitive bass
fishing….my advice is ‘GO
FOR IT’. You will never look back
and your approach to bassing
in general will most certainly
benefit from this exercise. This
new environment will pull, push
and stretch your current ways
of thinking and most certainly
make you a better angler. Do
not worry about having the
best tackle; the right attitude
will quickly compensate for
certain tackle shortfalls (just
ask a certain member of BFSA
who used a hamster cage as
a live well at one of our comps!).
I find myself often saving a lot
of money on tackle by
purchasing the correct tackle the first time after discussing my needs with fellow anglers.
The people I meet, the places I see and the way in which I approach certain situations is definitely changing due to competitive bass fishing whether those situations be on or off the water. All in all I’ve had an amazing experience this season and maintaining top 10 finishes has made the deal that much sweeter. I’m definitely hooked to this community and look forward to every opportunity to get out of town and get onto the water. My social game is improving and I am forever grateful to the competitive bass fishing community for helping me to learn and grow as an angler.
You see, the very same experience I feared would be tainted by fishing competitively has only been enhanced. The experience of that early morning solo session out on the water with no competition or pressure, the experience of escaping from the reality of the world around me, the experience of bass fishing is one I just cannot shake….
Article & Images by Rory Heidmann
Bass Digest/May, 2014