ARE YOU MENTAL?

Welcome back! Been a while since I did one of these and I sincerely apologize for that. Needless to say, January through March was crazy busy while fishing over 22 days a month which left little time to put together a good blog especially while trying to balance family and work. I cannot thank my clients and supporters enough, I absolutely want to be busy and even though the winter and spring are my busiest times of the year this year it was extra busy. Thank you to all!

So, back to fishing. March threw some curveballs at us like it does every year. Over the past two years it seems that our tide has not been making it back into the Baffin complex until mid-April, which seems a month late. Are things changing? Who knows. Regardless, the early spring months can and will put up some of those wildly impressive days that these months are known for. With that, they will also present some challenging days like ones we had last week and the week before last. During these tougher days it can be hard to stay focused on the task at hand, which can be detrimental to our day since a slow day can turn fast and furious in the blink of an eye.

We’ve all been guilty of it. Letting our mind drift from our current situation, making the same cast over and over again, with the same retrieve or maybe even no retrieve at all, all of which will result in being less than prepared when that big bite comes. I have seen some truly great anglers go into what I call “autopilot”. Same cast, same retrieve, same spot, zero results. Some may say it doesn’t matter because the bite isn’t happening at that time. Sure, but what happens when it does? Great technique is useless when not applied under the right mindset. 

So for this month we will be discussing things I like to focus on when I feel my mind is drifting from where it needs to be. While speaking on BUDS SEAL Training, Navy SEAL Rob O’Neil (the Team 6 Operator who took out Usama Bin Laden) said “You do not achieve a long term goal by thinking of how far you have to go. You achieve it by focusing on the little victories.” He further goes on to explain that for a SEAL in training that is waking up to make your bed the right way, a win. Then making it to PT on time, a win. So on and so forth. For an angler, we can focus on the little things like every cast, or every area.

MENTAL PICTURE

Every cast should be its own mission, with it’s own purpose. Having a mental picture of how you want every cast to play out is extremely important and a great way to maintain your mental focus. Let’s say you’re wading a flat with scattered grassbeds. With each cast, from the moment it hits the water until you reel up, play a mental picture (like a video game) of how you want that cast to go. Find each little runway between grassbeds, or a series of grassbed edges you want your cast to come across. Stay in tune with where your cast is with each twitch of the rod. Not only does this keep you focused on every cast, but it also helps you determine where you get every bite in your cast. Which, in turn, helps you duplicate each cast to make each one more productive. Eliminating dead casts is just as important as eliminating dead water. Especially with topwater fishing, I have seen where strikes will come almost exclusively from one angle versus another. Same is true for plastics or suspending baits, we just don’t think about it often because we can’t see the bait most of the time. While a certain angle may work for topwaters, we can pinpoint where the fish are striking in relation to the structure with suspending or plastic baits. Keep a mental picture for every cast to stay focused every cast!

GIVE EACH AREA AN EXPLANATION

Those of you who have fished with me know I like to drift the boat into each area we wade if possible, all while looking and watching carefully. I do this for a couple reasons. One, I am a firm believer in fishing areas not spots, so I like to watch where the bait is most active within the area I am planning to fish. Second, I am making the area make sense to me. Each season has preferred structure of areas that tend to hold larger fish given the time of year. By explaining the area in my head (or out loud to most clients), I gain confidence that what I am seeing is evidence that what we area after is here. Water clarity, bait, birds, swirls, all of these are factors that play into making an explanation for an area that makes sense to me. Remember the old lion and gazelle analogy I like to tell way too much? Well, here it is again. Trout are ambush predators, so where is the most logical place for them to set up an ambush. Is there off colored water? Is the bait in a place that makes sense? Based on the activity level, how should we fish this area? Explain each area in your mind so that it makes sense to you like it would a trout. This grows confidence and helps develop a plan that you can execute every cast and every step.

CONFIDENCE

We’ve all heard it. Confidence is key. There is more truth to that statement than we care to admit. It is no surprise that the person in the wade line with the most confidence is usually the one who catches the first or most fish, and this usually stands true on tough days as well. Sure, we can all be a little unsure at times. But keep your head high and have confidence in your area. I remind myself daily, you stopped for a reason. That reason most of the time is I have caught large trout in this area before under similar conditions. So, why wouldn’t they be here today?

Staying focused on tough days can be one of the more challenging things to do when the day isn’t fast and furious, but keep this in mind. Small wins lead to large victories, so make each cast a victory even if it doesn’t result in a strike. Explain each area and make it make sense to you. Most importantly, have confidence. Every trout angler has tough days, there is no angler that hasn’t had one. Staying focused through those tough days is how you learn and adapt to make those tough days turn into great days.

April and May dates are still available for anyone looking to chase big springtime trout in Baffin or Port Mansfield. I have more dates available in May than April. June I will be fishing the first week or two of the month and then I will be taking time off to welcome our new twin baby girls into the world. I will be returning to fishing late July most likely so if you’re looking for summertime dates chasing big trout or sight casting redfish, get with me!

Tight Lines!

Capt Eric Gonsoulin