The right fishing buddy can make or break your day on the water. Here are some tips
The longer I’ve fished, the more I’ve seen the impact of picking the right—or wrong—fishing partner can have on every aspect of your angling success, improvement, and satisfaction. The space between the extremes can be massive.
Your angling buddy can be one of your top assets—or a real liability. If you’re a serious angler, choosing someone to spend a whole day with you doing what you love is a big decision, because it can have huge consequences, pro and con, on every aspect of your trip.
First, let’s consciously consider a buddy who is a positive influence on your trip. These anglers are usually right on time—or before—because they are excited. They have a great attitude, and are ready to go the distance, and their focus is on making the trip as successful as possible. Being prepared and willing to help with everything is usually one of the signs of a great partner.
A good buddy also magnifies your catching success because they’re aware and totally immersed in what you’re doing and don’t miss important subtle fishing cues. In addition, they look at this trip as a precious “time on the water” adventure, and they’re not going to waste a second with anything less than their best. We also tend to reflect and become like the anglers we fish with.
These folks go the distance, carry their own weight, are always thinking, encouraging, never complain, and enhance everyone around them to do and be their best. It’s a big win, win!
My point: consciously selecting the right fishing buddy has more positive impact on every part of a trip than we may realize—’til later.
By contrast, going on a fishing trip with the “wrong partner” is a disaster waiting to happen.
I can vividly recall some of my more memorable experiences with these anglers. These trips started out exciting, but after they arrived late to our meeting place, I began to see a pattern that showed they didn’t take their part of the bargain very seriously.
Low energy, a general pessimistic attitude, lack of focus, and wondering how long we were going to fish were all alarms it was going to be a long day. Was I going to have to carry this angler (figuratively) on my back all day, just to be able to keep him going? Fishing “up” to another good angler’s level is a blessing, but fishing “down” can be a grind and a burden to be avoided.
I’ve also seen it where the buddy—after just 3 hours fishing—prematurely says “he’s had enough” and that “we” should probably call it a day and head home! “We?” That’s bad, but the real kicker is when, in the middle of a good bite, and only a few hours into the trip, your partner turns to you and suddenly says, “Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you, but I need to go home soon, because we are having a special family dinner tonight!” (He came with me in my rig!) What! “No problem!” I say. “I also have a pressing appointment—with a large striper coming up very soon—right there on the other side of the lake! Could you be so kind and swim back to the dock while I call for an Uber to take you home?” (Well, that was what I was thinking!)
A trip where your partner has to be continually motivated, re-energized, and cajoled is nothing any of us want to repeat. It’s a total energy drain and waste of an irredeemable and irreplaceable day on the water. A trip that should have recharged us has left us wondering what happened. Seeing this situation coming ahead of time can sure help prevent regret and avoid lifetime conflicts.
Upon further reflection, a good fishing buddy can have an enormous impact on your attitude, fishing success, and the satisfaction that you both did your best—leaving no stone unturned. Memorable. Yes, planning to go fishing with a friend, buddy, or acquaintance sounds like it’s a no-brainer, but carefully and wisely choosing the people you fish with can have lasting consequences. Choose wisely! Never give up!
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