Who else overthinks things?

So I’m finally getting a little fishing in tomorrow. Only my second time this year.

We are hitting a lake none of us have fished before. About 690 acres and max 25′ deep. Numbers indicate it is a great lake for eater walleye and big pike.

Once we decided to go I immediately brought up lake maps and started analyzing them. Then I thought I’d start researching techniques and tactics.

Then later it dawned on me; “I know how to catch walleye and pike. Why and I taking time away from my kids to be on the net researching and digging.” Anybody else fall into that trap?

Digging into it… over thinking, and getting excited about a trip is what makes it fun.

I have a buddy that just shows up, then within five minutes says he nothing ready… so what are we doing? Happens every time. I live through the expectation, and anticipation.

This said, when plans don’t work I usually am the one that can get more frustrated and disappointed, guessing it is because of all the pre-thought.

This said, when plans don’t work I usually am the one that can get more frustrated and disappointed, guessing it is because of all the pre-thought.

That’s exactly what I was driving at. I to really enjoy setting my gear up and planning. But I believe it also enhances my disappointment when the day doesn’t work out as planned.

I think sometimes we forget to just enjoy the adventure for what it is.

I’m heading up to LOTW on Wed. I just told my wife that I’m really excited to get up there. She laughed and said “you’ve been excited for 3 months!”
For me it truly is the journey, not the destination.
If a fish ends up on the ice, then its a bonus.

You don’t look up the last 3 weeks of weather and try to create a pattern of where they might be off that as well?

Guilty! Did it again yesterday!

Went to my local lake way over-thunk it! Instead of the conditions dictating what to use and where to look or fish. My regret was that I fished in the same spots I did last January, but last year in January we were in the mid-winter pattern, this year, we are closer to a first-ice kind of pattern. At least here around the twin cities metro area.

Old habits!

Wade Boardman wrote:

This said, when plans don’t work I usually am the one that can get more frustrated and disappointed, guessing it is because of all the pre-thought.

That’s exactly what I was driving at. I to really enjoy setting my gear up and planning. But I believe it also enhances my disappointment when the day doesn’t work out as planned.

I think sometimes we forget to just enjoy the adventure for what it is.

Same here…did exactly that this weekend!

I’ve been accused of being a little analytical in the way my thought process works….more than once in my life. People are all wired differently. Some are very passive and goes along with what/how things go. Others are aggressive and try to make things happen. But that also ties into the risk/reward. For those that just go with the flow…they have a more flat line reaction to things. Those that risk more time and effort get a higher and lower ride on the roller coaster. When they put it all together, they are on a higher rush….and when it all falls apart…they take it personally.

I do this all the time whether it’s ice fishing or softwater. At least it feels nice to think you’re as prepared as you can be. Then you get out there and realized it’s not the first time you’ve fished after a cold front.

I do like that you can really build up a knowledge base that you can go back and refer to at some point in the future.

I agree, the anticipation and living vicariously through the planning is part of the fun. It’s also just plain funny sometimes when, after months of planning, you get to the actual place and things are nothing like what you’d envisioned.

People have been doing this since the beginning of time. The explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were advised by the best planning minds of the day that the trip to the west coast would involve a long, gradual uphill walk to the Continental Divide and then it would be all downhill to the Pacific Ocean. As it turned out, this was only partially correct…

Grouse

I bet I spend 3-4 hours per night just looking at and researching lakes. My girlfriend thinks I’m anti-social, I like to call myself prepared. 9 times out of 10, I’ll never even go to the lake. But I like looking at potential destinations as it’s part of the fun. I’m obsessed with every facet of the game and for that I’ll never apologize.

i stand with you and the rest brother. Guilty in this corner. Pretty sure i was caught on my navionics app while on a date with my wife the other day. She didnt buy that i was ordering her a gift online. Busted!

Here here Alex! I do the same, and that is part of the fun for me.
Heck, I will wear out the buttons on my iPad looking at area lakes, and then gear, and then weather, oh and boats! Gotta look at boats! Then there’s fish houses, rods, rain gear, and the list goes on and on!
JMT

Another thought is how your hobbies or leisure time fits into the rest of your life. How hectic is your home life? What are your job demands? I think it comes down to: what gives your life balance? Personally, I have a very detail intensive job that requires a lot of front end thought and preparation. After a 40+ hour dose week after week, year after year I’m more interested in pursuing curiosity, exploration and the experience side of the outdoors. It’s kinda nice winging it sometimes without expectations. If things don’t go as planned it’s all part of the adventure.

Well, we didn’t find the target species yesterday but I was able to reconnect with the outdoors for a number of hours and we did manage to stumble into a nice school of crappie while learning a new lake. Plus I got to test out a bunch of new gear. All in all a good day.

Oh, and still be careful out there. We had 8″ total of ice with slush on top and in some spots it went down to 5.5″ of ice.

And we were joking about how while preparing the excitement level is high, thee fish in my daydreaming are aggressive and big and I’m always warm/comfortable.

Along those lines. My gear is always in top operating condition. My buddy showed up yesterday morning and his tip ups and rods were literally in a massive tangled mess. Good thing I own enough for everybody. We threw his “ballot gear” in his truck and just took mine.

Alex W wrote:

I bet I spend 3-4 hours per night just looking at and researching lakes. My girlfriend thinks I’m anti-social, I like to call myself prepared. 9 times out of 10, I’ll never even go to the lake. But I like looking at potential destinations as it’s part of the fun. I’m obsessed with every facet of the game and for that I’ll never apologize.

Funny you say that. I pre scouted 5 lakes this fall (so were long walks through rough terrain). Spent many hours on line looking at research data and the Navionics maps. I still have yet to fish any of them.

Wade Boardman wrote:

I bet I spend 3-4 hours per night just looking at and researching lakes. My girlfriend thinks I’m anti-social, I like to call myself prepared. 9 times out of 10, I’ll never even go to the lake.

I click over every other day to a site/thread on fishing Lake Erie. I post questions now and then, and read every report I can find. After my short trip there for late ice last season, I look forward to putting the boat in some spring. It may be just a dream… but it sure is great having something to dream about, and look forward to. Even if I never get there to do it, the process of over-thinking it is great.

This is a photo from the trip… I have it as the desktop on my computer…. Never feel bad about dreaming of a fishing trip.

Attachments:

1. 

   Erie2.jpg
   

Chuck,

Not to get off topic, but we traveled from SE WI to Huron, OH on a whim, based on all of the reports we had read back in early December. Man, what a blast that was! We do a lot of fishing on Lake Michigan, but for being rookies over there, we did pretty good! I would say definately go to Erie when you get the chance.

Attachments:

1. 

   FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg
   

In response to the question of overthinking things,not me. At this point in my life I want things to be as simple as possible when it comes to ice fishing. Give me a familiar lake and biting fish, don’t care what kind or size, and I’m pretty much happy.