Thanks to the good lord above, when Mike/HOF and I go fishing, we are usually met with success.
Do we catch fish, lots of them, yes.
Do we enjoy a good fish fry on occassion, yes.
Do we feel confidant with our techniques and presentation, yes.
Most importantly, are we happy during and after fishing, yes again.
With that said, are we still missing out by not broadening our horizons and experimenting more?
When we head out, we always tie on our favorite jig/lure/bait. Those we precieve as our high per centage go to baits, because of past success.
On those slow or bad days, we think to ourselves, stupid fish, they don’t know what they are missing out on.
When it is the fish that are saying, hello, feed me something different or try and locate me elsewhere.
Will we change or adopt, no we become either lazy or pig headed, thinking, well if it worked before, there is no reason is shouldn’t work today.
Usually our boat makes a bee line to honey holes that have produced in the past. Our ace up the sleeve. When that fails, we sit there with dumb founded expressions, scratching our heads and come up with all kinds of philosophical excuses, too hot, too cold, water is too high or too low, water is too clear, too stained and dirty, etc., etc., etc..
On the way to those so called honey holes, we pass usually at high speed other locations that in our mind, we know probably hold some promise. Usually we avoid them because, well, we want to catch fish and not be disappointed by what might seem like a waste of time.
We forget it was exploring that we accidently discovered prime and productive waters. Lets try and find new spots.
I was recently digging through my tackle bag and it dawned on me, wow Ron, you sure have accumulated a lot of crap over the years. I have got over 30 different choices. Some of them, I can’t even recall what they named them.
At the time I purchased them, they looked like they would perform. That is why I bought them.
Why then am I not using them or experimenting? Probably that old mind set of have confidence in what I know for sure what works. Well maybe it is time to switch it up a little bit. Who knows, might discover another high per centage go to.
I am going to make a deliberated effort to start tying on something new and something different,,,,,,just to see.
We enjoy and expect to catch fish, however, the actual catch is only a part of the whole picture.
This old dog is going back to school.
July 29, 2007 at 5:43 pm
#1318169
Fortunately I have found the learning curve to be shorten by Mike at HOF carrying the right lures for catching fish in our local bodies of water. It helps to have someone who sells these already proven lures to actually use and test them himself which is what Mike does. I just need to take a real good look at the habitat and bottom of the lake/river and use them in these new areas to fish. 
I know one more old dog who hasn’t joined in yet. 
