Nearing the end of another season

[John Bales]

Well guys and girls............. Around here, we are getting close to the end of another season. Right now we still have open water and I am off work till the 4th. Outside of a few family days, I plan to give one last effort till the end. Now is also the time to look at where you are in your fishing and realize what you need to work on. How was your season? Did your catches satisfy your efforts? If not, then fix it!!!!!!! Take the time to work on those things that are giving you trouble. Re-study the books. Do whatever it takes to get better. I found out a long time ago that you can't make someone do anything that they really don't want to do. So it's simply up to you.
When I was a young guy, I was fortunate to be able to hang around Denny Coulardot and he instilled in me the amount of effort that we needed to put into this in order to see results. In every instance where I found a new way to catch a fish, I spent enough time doing it so when I needed to pull it out of the bag, I could. And I am talking about every way to catch a fish that there is. I didn't do it to beat the other guy, I did it so I could learn everything that there was to learn so I would be ready. If that particular thing took three months, I did it till it was learned. I can still remember looking at the large stringers of big bass in the green book and getting very upset that this was not happening enough with my catches. My goal was to be as good as Terry O'malley who was a hero to me. Eventually, I realized that there is no such thing as being as good as the best because you really never stop learning. You learn something every time you go out.
I think that Mr. Perry was so good because he not only had so much experience on the water but his genius mind allowed him to interpret a fishing situation better than anyone else. There will never be anyone come along that compare to his knowledge and efforts.
These days call for working harder and longer to achieve any results that compare to the past. Successful fishing is not difficult. It does require a certain amount of time in study and time on the water. All of the basic knowledge that is needed has been written and can be sucked into your brain if you want it. There are many ways to catch a fish. If you learn to become a good troller, anything that you would like to learn and put into your pocket can be easily learned.
Mr. Duplex and I had a chat a while back. If you are wondering what you can do to improve your knowledge, you can carry your depth control a little deeper. This is one way to improve. Have a safe a happy Xmas and new years. John

[Steve Craig]

Thanks John,
that right there says it all.

Have a Merry Christmas yourself, and I hope that 2016 will be better that 2015 was.
Steve

[Team9nine]

Yeah, the season is coming to a close, but I have to say, this has been one of the best overall years of fishing I've experienced. Put in a lot of time and effort this year to get better in several areas, but also realize what I really need/want to work on next year - my deep water game. Really looking forward to getting better at that in 2016. Still hoping to squeeze in a couple more hours on the water despite the terrible weather forecast for the coming week. Actually got out for 3 hours this morning. Hoping to do the same tomorrow if things work out.

-Brian