By Rob Newell
When it comes to performing better in bass fishing tournaments, you can learn just about any fishing technique you want, from skipping docks to cranking rocks. If you want to get better at a technique, pick up the tools and practice over and over to improve.
But can you learn how to win bass tournaments?
Can you learn how to close angler-of-the-year or team-ofthe-year titles?
Some anglers fish for decades and don’ t win. Other anglers seem to make winning look easy. Why is that? Did they“ learn” to win? Is that even possible?
These questions were asked of some of the FLW Tour’ s top money winners. Included in the discussion were Andy Morgan, Clark Wendlandt, John Cox and David Dudley. All of them have won their fair share of big events and titles in FLW competition, and they have the ability to“ close” when the pressure is high.
Across the board, this collection of anglers believes that some of the basic components to winning can’ t be found in a tackle box. Instead, intangible concepts and traits such as confidence, mental toughness, focus, determination, resiliency and rhythm are more important. Some of these traits can be exercised, honed and ultimately improved upon. However, some are not taught or learned as easily. They are simply inherent in individuals.
PART 1: CONFIDENCE
It can be cultivated
Confidence is key, say the pros we queried. They all agree that some anglers are more confident than others by nature, but confidence is something that can be cultivated. Each pro offers his take.
John Cox: Improve confidence by learning from mistakes
“ Looking back on my career, I can now see a distinct difference in confidence levels,” says Cox.“ These days, before a tournament starts, I may have no idea how or where I’ m going to catch a bass, but deep down I know that sometime during the day I’ m going to get five to 10 hits on my lure. There is no doubt in my mind about it.”
Cox believes he cultivated that confidence over time through experience on the FLW Tour.
“ When I first started fishing tournaments, I can honestly say I did not feel that kind of confidence,” he adds.“ I took a lot of butt whippings out there, but I learned from them all, and it helped forge the confidence I have today.”
John Cox
David Dudley: Learn the“ access code” to your confidence
Dudley sees confidence as being a big vault or bank account of experience and knowledge to which he is always making deposits.
“ The problem, though, is the password or access code to that vault is always changing,” Dudley offers.“ I know the information to win a particular tournament is in that vault, but I’ m going to have to keep trying passwords until I can access it. So confidence is not just the knowledge and experience you store up, but it’ s also being able to quickly access it and apply it.”
Clark Wendlandt: Give confidence time to develop
For Wendlandt, confidence is defined by effortless and accurate decision-making on the water, which is something that can get better with time.
“ There is no doubt that experience on the water bolsters confidence,” he offers,“ but only to a certain degree. I still maintain that confidence is a super fragile thing. Some tournaments you’ re brimming with it, and other tournaments it just sinks away. When that happens, I think those who inherently have more confidence can rise above that sinking feeling and keep themselves from cratering.”
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
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FLWFISHING. COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017