by Jay Striker
Introduction: In the life for of a professional bass angler there are always times where you see you made a bad decision that cost you the event, whether it’s not retying a knot when you know you should and losing the winning fish, or perhaps not practicing as much as you should have before an event. In the world of bass fishing there will always be times when you regret something that squarely falls back on you that you know if you changed, could have made a big difference in the outcome. While fishing an event on Lake Sinclair, I was disqualified for having too many fish in my live well. Being caught up in the moment, I forgot to cull and did not know it until weigh-in. I do believe I would have had the second place finish that event, however, it cost me the entire event. I was bummed out, and I did regret it. However, not taking the loss as a setback, I took it as a setup for my next event. Because I was looking forward, staying focused on my goals and never giving up, allowed me to not have any regrets about the past.
Looking Forward: Too often, I hear anglers at a current event criticizing themselves about the past events. It is important to be as relaxed as possible for any event, and dwelling on the past will only make your current event that much tougher. Learning from my Lake Sinclair setback sent me to the next event on Lake Guntersville with another opportunity; a second place finish and a check. I truly believe if you dwell on the past, it will be hard to find your future, so keep looking forward.
Staying Focused on your Goals: At each tournament it is important to remain focused and goal oriented. Know that most things you do in bass fishing are always moving forward. You don’t cast backwards, you don’t drive your boat backwards, your electronics are not oriented backwards, the scales don’t move backwards. All these and much more all move forward to accomplish a goal. You too should be moving forward. J. Mason once said “Regrets look back. Worry looks around. Visions looks up!” If being the best angler you can be is your goal, you have to have a vision and say focused on that goal. Don’t let yesterday use up too much of your today, because today is all we have.
Never giving Up: Never giving up is pretty self-explanatory. In bass fishing this sport is very humbling and can make you wonder if it’s worth it. Having a positive attitude is the number one key to being successful. Your attitude is directly tied to your results. If you allow your results to dictate your future, it will also dictate your attitude. In competition bass fishing you are going to lose more that you win. Winning is always fun, however, you best get used to this sport humbling you because when it does, the only thing you got to hang on to is your dreams and goals, which are tied directly to your attitude, which is the fuel that gives you the power to never give up.
I leave you with this. Never let anyone steal your dreams. Don’t let yesterday steal your tomorrow, and always keep looking forward staying focused on your dreams, and no matter what, never live with regrets as they will only hold you back especially in bass fishing.
Striker Nation thanks you for the support and I’ll see you on the water. Let’s go!