tournament

[BJ Laster]

I fished the season opener for the mini boat club yesterday. This is the club I am the president of. To make a long story short I caught about 7 fish....3 short fish and 4 white bass. I blanked in the tournament. Instead of getting down or discouraged...this just makes me more ready for the next one.



I think I have figured out why I am doing so poorly. I changed my attitude at the end of last year towards tournaments. Because I got on a hot streak and finished 4th in the Angler of Year Race for the club and qualified for a bigger tournament I decided that I was now one of the best. I just forgot how to have fun I entered each tournament thinking I can beat everyone...the only thing I thought about was winning each tournament. I blanked in those tournaments and got discouraged. Thinking back to the tournaments I won the only thing on my mind was fishing and the job at hand...not trying to catch more than the other guy.



Here is my new thinking:



Only worry about the job at hand.



Don't be arrogant



HAVE SOME FUN AND FISH!



I think when you stop having fun and start being arrogant you get into trouble.



BJ

 

[Staci Matheis]

LOL! "I think when you stop having fun and start being arrogant you get into trouble." Boy, BJ, did you say a mouthful!



Always do YOUR best, BJ!

Concentrate on YOUR game!

And YOU will be a Winner!



me!

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Keep a proper perspective BJ.. Years ago, while fishing a tournament on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I hooked a huge fish. The wind was howling, the boat was being pushed around and trees were cracking all around me. I didn't mind though because I knew I had this tournament won and maybe a state record Bass at the same time.

It took me fifteen minutes to get that fish to the boat and then worried me because we did not allow nets. I finally get him to the boat and he looks up at me and I see he is about a twenty five pound CARP, and on a spinnerbait yet. I was instantly mad and actually slammed my rod and reel into the water. Being a lot faster those days than now, I instantly grabbed my rig before it could sink, and then released that Carp.

I then started thinking what an a&&hole I was. I was on the water, doing what I loved to do, on a beautiful day (albeit windy), with a lot of friends and had hooked a fish that fought me very hard and fair and square. That he wasn't what I WANTED to catch should not have mattered. He gave me a great fight and I should have enjoyed that experience.

BJ, it made me get my head straight and though I continued fishing tournaments, and wanted to win, I put my fishing priorities in order.

Try hard and fish hard but remember what it's all about..

Good Luck, Bill

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Always remember, it's you against the fish not you against another angler.



TOXIC

 

[fatrap]

BJ.

Have fun is the key words. I fished a money circuit around here for years. It was team fishing and the harder I tried the better we got the more money we won. It got so I hated Saturdays, and everytime a saw a crowd of bassboats at the ramp I wanted to go the other way. What I loved to do more than anything in the world got to be so stressfull, I quit. I almost quit altogether. Last year was the first time I really started enjoying fishing again. So don't get burned out at your young age. When you start stressing about winning and not doing well affects your mood better take a look at what your trying to accomplish with fishing.

fatrap