In search of the bite, this fishing guide admits he got bit by his own assumptions

Preconceived ideas and conclusions can be helpful at times, but in many cases they can also be a bane to developing a rational, fact-based strategy. As an angler, I’ve been reminded many times that allowing myself to get caught up in what I’m sure the fish must be doing is not usually a great way to begin a fishing trip. Not long ago, I was taught this lesson once again.

The fishing at San Luis had been tough for the prior several weeks with the inactive, suspending stripers going deep. It was work just to find the fish, and like pulling teeth to get them to bite. The best bet had been for me to troll deeper than normal and hope I intersected a hungry striper. I hadn’t seen it this hard for a few years and there didn’t seem to be any rational reason for the fish to be doing this. I had done about three scouting trips in the preceding two weeks, so I was pretty sure I knew what I had to do.

A few hours into the trip and I’m checking all my key spots, but the fish are absent and not biting. I try going deeper and a little shallower, but no one home. However I was seeing some random fish around the 30- to 40-foot range, something I hadn’t seen recently. I discounted what I was seeing; it didn’t fit what I was looking for.

Around lunch, a buddy called me and told me he was almost ready to launch. I told him the bite stunk and I couldn’t figure out why. I kept looking for active fish in the regular spots hoping things would change. Hey, I’m the guide at the lake, I’m supposed to know! Guess not this time. We had released two stripers in four hours. That’s when I got the call.

“Roger, you catching anything?” Dejected ,I had to say, “Not much.” There’s a slight pause and my friend says that they’re closing in on 20 nice school fish. What?

My buddy had just gone out and fished an area that was shallower (below 50 feet) than I thought the fish would go at that time. He had just gone in looking as usual, found ’em and began catching the active fish — no preconceived ideas at all. The fish hadn’t been there the other trips (I had checked!), and I had assumed it was going to be the same again. The fish had moved up and into a cove I hadn’t taken the time to check out in my scouting.

I pride myself on trying to begin each fishing day as a new one, looking for potentially different patterns and nuances. It was evident that after fishing a hard cycle for over two weeks, I had gotten lazy and irritated. It’s easy to assume the fish are acting and biting the same when it seems nothing has changed. That’s usually when you get a wake-up call.

I had become blinded to the facts in front of me, impervious to another answer, even though I could see there were shallow fish. I wanted my narrative to work — it was more convenient. Thinking you know can short-circuit your reason.

It’s easy to get stuck in our assumptions; remember, they can bite you at times. Stay humble, fish hard, be a good sportsman, learn all you can — and never give up!

This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 10:49 AM.