When I was asked to contribute to the “The Fishy Spot” and write about fishing tactics that provide consistent success for me, I had to think long and hard about what I found most pertinent. I would like to share the information that I remember bringing me success, my fishing epiphanies from almost 25 years of fishing experience.

In just about every article about fishing you will hear something that resembles “Be the fish”. When I write about “being the fish” I write about knowing your quarry, their seasonal movements and diet. This refers to the locations that fish typically take residence up at different times of the year. Matching the hatch with the right presentation at the right time involves awareness of their seasonal diet. Many more details will fill in the blanks of the puzzle we love and affectionately call fishing. It is here that I will attempt to convey why “Being the fish” is important to success on the water. I intend to achieve this goal by describing the lessons from the many fishing mentors I have learned from that have made the most important impact on my success on the water hard or soft.

I’d like to begin with a little background about how I became hooked on fishing. Unlike many that went fishing and had success, I was enamored by my father’s tales before ever wetting a line. The stories he told me as I was growing up and inquiring about his past thrilled me to the point I could not wait to wet my first line. After much of the “dad, dad, DAD, lets go fishing!” tugs on his sleeve he finally gave in.

Before our first excursion he made a point to explain that fishing was “fishing” and not “catching.” He explained that he had a system he used with great success when he was a young boy and he would teach me the system. “Success requires patience when fishing, we’ll have to wait until we figure out what they want to eat,” he said. He proceeded to show me how his system worked. First we needed the proper gear. Then we needed to pick the right day, “west winds are best.” He had a set of rituals that had to be adhered to for the system to work. Over the years it became evident that there were many details involved that when put together led to consistent catches.

It wasn’t long before my patience was rewarded that first day out on the “Montrose rocks” of Chicago’s lake front. I was screaming about this “tiger fish” he just caught. Even though he had explained we would be Perch fishing, I had no idea what that meant. It was here that my father and I developed a strong trust, he told me what was going to happen and then it happened just the way he described it. My HERO was never more evident with that very first fish. I never felt safer than sitting next to him on those rocks just fishing, watching the sunrise and talking about the proper behavior required if I intended to continue having fun fishing with him. Dad made it clear that fishing could be fun but even clearer was his respect for the dangers that water brings with it. This huge city at our backs but it was just him and I and nothing else in the world mattered but what the fish were doing.

We employed a system of trolley lines. A trolley line has six hooks spaced out led by a large torpedo weight with wheels that takes them down the anchor line and then is attached to a bell to detect bites. We started with the rope line with an anchor off to the left thrown close, the other was off to the right and thrown out as far as he could get it. One line was sent to the bottom then pulled back one pull and the line was set on the bell while the baits were positioned near bottom. The other line was sent down but was pulled an extra pull or two back off the bottom to cover the water column. Attention was paid to which hook was bit and what bait was taken. As the perch would show a preference we would make adjustments to the lines and baits. We worked the water column until we were successful. These were my first memories of “being the fish.”

It was these first and most important lessons about patience and using a system with my dad that I discovered how to work the water column and actively search out the answers to the burning questions of fishers everywhere. What are the fish doing? How can I catch more and bigger fish? How can I succeed with more consistency? From my start it was noted that success fishing was able to be duplicated. After all, it had been about 25 years since my dad fished last before he took me out for the first time almost 25 years ago. This system worked as good then as in the past when his father taught it to him and guess what, it still works today. Although many anglers prefer the rod and reel angling over the trolley line fishing today.

By now I’m sure you’re asking yourself, how can I “be the fish?” I only hope the insight I will offer through subsequent writings will prove valuable to you as it has to me. I have absorbed any and all info that I could from my fishing mentors willing to share. I’m sure we have all found that one tidbit that makes a huge difference in our success at anything. We don’t always find an entire system for success but rather these tidbits that prove invaluable when put together. I often hear others claim “I knew that.” Knowing something and profiting from it are two very different things. Many of these concepts I will share are common sense to some. So why is common sense not so common? For some reason I too am guilty of not profiting from lessons the first time. Some lessons I had learned too many times until, finally, one of my mentors said it just right and it stuck. Albert Einstein summed it up best with one of my favorite quotes ‘doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.’ Fish are creatures of habit and are predictable for the most part. When does the “sciences of fishing become an art?” It’s thru time on the water, having an understanding of your quarry and being able to sort thru the clues you find along your adventure and put it all together, that’s a “be the fish” state of mind. Essentially, would you make the same presentation again and again while others around you are pounding the fish? Or, would you ask some questions and make some adjustments?

It’s been almost two years since my dad passed away now and if you could have asked my father about me, he would have told you “I created a [fishing] monster. That kid eats, sleeps and breathes fish.” If you’d like to “be the fish” more often than not, I invite you to join me here regularly as I delve into the concepts that I feel have impacted my consistent success and desire to “Be the Fish.”