The Confidence Factor. Fact or Myth?

It was well over ten years ago when I was taking the Favorite Wife on the St Croix for the second time that week. She didn’t do very well even though she was using the same gear as I.

On the way to the launch I explained what having confidence will do for an angler. I don’t recall how many fish she caught that day, but she caught her 4.5 pound personal best walleye that day.

Coincidence??
or
Confidence??

Personally I think it was some of each for her that day.

But we all know if we have confidence in a lure and presentation we sure feel like we catch more fish.

So tell me, how can a fish sense a person has confidence? Wouldn’t it say…WOW! There’s a bait that looks confident. I’m staying away from that as opposed to the bait that look weak and confidential?

Might have to give this one to Myth Busters!

Get some coffee to clear out last night drinks or to shake off your dreams! Myth

You sound awful confident in your comments Mr. Captddh.

Should I go with the odds in your comments above? Two out of three are incorrect.

I completely agree that confidence catches fish. You have given me some key fishing tips over the past year or so for cats and one other species I won’t mention. After talking with you, I headed to the river and ironically, those were my best fishing days on the river! I had fished those spots before, the same way. The only difference now was that I had confidence I was on the right track to getting bit. No coincidence in my book. Confidence makes us more alert which leads an angler to pay attention to details. When we are expecting to get bit, we are much quicker to react and put more fish in the boat. I received a PM from a guy on IDO who summed it up best, “Confidence kills big walleyes”.

I noticed this while starting to learn pitching blades.

If you are confident you’re paying attention to every little detail, focused in on what you are doing.

Without confidence I find my self thinking more about not catching fish and second guessing my technique or the spot I am fishing. So yes I do think it makes a difference.

The fish don’t sense it, it shows up in your presentation. How often does a subtle change make a difference in catching fish. Making that little change is confidence, or dumb luck in my case,

I think it is about intuition. Some days I’m just more intuitive Along with this is how aware I am of my surrounding. If I’m feeling connected with the water, temp, surroundings, etc; things just go better. I like to think that we fish as much with our gut, as we do with our head.

I have unshakeable confidence that every time I throw a blade bait into the river, it will immediately be snagged on a sunken barge and never seen again. And so far, I’ve been 100% right.

I think it has a lot to do with a cocentration factor that happens when some one has a favorite go to bait. You can see it in the way they fish it, they are focus in on their presentation, more aware of subtle changes going on.

Fact IMHO

I’m going to go fact here as well. When you are using your favorite combo with your favorite presentation at a time of year that you are confident in catching fish I think it is definitely true. I know on late ice for gills and crappies as soon as I tie on a Genz-worm or a bro bug with a plastic of my choice I can practically see the fish coming up the hole, its kind of like a basketball player saying: seeing the ball through the hoop just gets them in the zone and from then on it’s lights out. In a lot of ways that’s how it feels fro me when I have confidence in my set-up.

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I have unshakeable confidence that every time I throw a blade bait into the river, it will immediately be snagged on a sunken barge and never seen again. And so far, I’ve been 100% right.

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Been there. Thanks for the laugh

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I think it has a lot to do with a cocentration factor that happens when some one has a favorite go to bait. You can see it in the way they fish it, they are focus in on their presentation, more aware of subtle changes going on.

Fact IMHO

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I agree. You know how that bait works or should work. You know that if worked properly fish should hit it. You have no problems presenting it over and over again until you feel it has been fished just right.

There is confidence in fishing locations to. About the same things can be said there. Ill stay longer on a confidence spot knowing there should be fish there. Work through a number of presentation to see which one the fish want or make several more casts to that location until I feel the baits have been presented just right. On spots Im just not feeling it it might just be a light hearted attempt.

One gains confidence AFTER success. A reasonable person first has to be successful in whatever endeavor they pursue to gain confidence in it. A good example for me would be shooting pheasants. When I first started hunting pheasants as a kid, I missed more often than I hit them. As time went on I started hitting more than I missed. I learned to anticipate the flush, look at the bird and know which way it’s going, get the gun out and up and shoulder it smoothly, cheek the stock, both eyes open, swing, swing, swing, I didn’t start to hit those roosters because I had confidence, rather I had confidence because I started to consistently hit them. I realized I had gained a high level of confidence when I could miss one and not get rattled. Generally I knew what I did wrong… didn’t anticipate the flush and was too surprised, or perhaps I didn’t follow through on the swing.

I’ve often heard people say that you have to have confidence to be successful but for me it’s basically the opposite. I need success to have confidence.

Boone

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I think it has a lot to do with a cocentration factor that happens when some one has a favorite go to bait. You can see it in the way they fish it, they are focus in on their presentation, more aware of subtle changes going on.

Fact IMHO

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I agree. You know how that bait works or should work. You know that if worked properly fish should hit it. You have no problems presenting it over and over again until you feel it has been fished just right.

There is confidence in fishing locations to. About the same things can be said there. Ill stay longer on a confidence spot knowing there should be fish there. Work through a number of presentation to see which one the fish want or make several more casts to that location until I feel the baits have been presented just right. On spots Im just not feeling it it might just be a light hearted attempt.

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This is much how I thought of it as well. I also want to add that confidence can come by actually visualizing what is happening under the water.

I think its alot like golf. If you can visualize every detail of your shot before you attempt it, your confidence increases along with your success.

Sorry for the golf analogy, BK .

I always would read it takes this lure, this location, this and that and of course confidence. Confidence equaled BS to me for long time but I had to realize confidence just doesn’t come with a mentality. We fisherman are basically trying to sell a fish our lures. After some reading of sales tactics and persuasion techniques for proffesional growth they can be applied to fish as well. Took me some time to make the connection but it makes perfect sense. Any sales man knows you can’t walk into a home or business and just sell them anything you want BC if you don’t apply the tools of your trade(rods,reels,terminal tackle) well, or know the product you are selling(lures,presentations), and most importantly knowing your consumer ( fish species). You will end up looking like a fool in you office/boat. What kind of demographic are they from(lake,river) and so in and so forth. After thousands of articles, forums, TV shows, movies, books and magazines do you develop a feel for the fish and actually out on the water where the tire meets the road you put all the information you gathered over years and have it materialize into hopefully many many sales with practice. Confidence is developed by hard work, knowledge gathering, and eventually selling the fish the presentation they want and not the one you want to give them.