There’s a point in every angler’s career where things just don’t go right. You’re around fish but not catching them. You’re making good decisions but not getting bites. You lose a big one. You miss a check by ounces.
Nothing feels terrible, but nothing feels right either. That’s what a slump feels like in professional fishing. And if you fish long enough, you’re going to go through one.
I’m in one right now, so this isn’t coming from someone who just won and is trying to sound smart. This is real-time, in-the-trenches stuff that every Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series angler deals with whether they admit it or not. For me, it started far before the season even started.
Slumps don’t start on the water
The biggest mistake people make is thinking a slump is about fishing. Most of the time, it isn’t. It starts in your head. You start second-guessing decisions. You start running history instead of fishing the moment. You practice differently. You fish not to mess up instead of fishing to find something special. Instead of committing to an area, you leave too early. Instead of junk fishing, you try to force something. Instead of fishing free, you fish tight. I hate fishing tight, and that’s what I’ve been doing lately.
Tournament fishing is one of the only sports where you have four full days to sit with your decisions and your thoughts. That can be dangerous when things aren’t going well. I start doing the math in my head: points; checks; Classic qualification; Angler of the Year standings. I start thinking about everything except catching the next bass.
That’s when the spiral starts for me. I try to do too much instead of doing one thing well. Before you know it, you’re fishing against the lake, the fish, the field and yourself. You’ll lose that battle every time.
How you actually get out of a slump
People always talk about getting out of a slump. They expect some secret bait or technique to help. But the truth is, you don’t get out of a slump by doing more. You get out of a slump by simplifying everything. When I’m struggling, I try to go back to three things:
1. Fish the moment, not the past.
History is the most dangerous thing in professional fishing. Just because you caught them somewhere in 2021 doesn’t mean they live there now. Every event is new. The anglers who adjust the fastest are the ones who cash checks.
2. Commit to something.
Indecision will sink you faster than a bad pattern. I’d rather commit to the wrong thing for half a day than run around all day doing nothing. Momentum matters in fishing.
3. Slow down.
When things are going bad, everyone speeds up, including me. I am particularly bad about this. I run more, change more, think more, panic more. The best thing you can do is slow down and fish clean. Not fish harder.
Confidence is everything
At the Elite Series level, there are only minor differences that separate the top from the bottom. The real difference is mindset and confidence.
Confidence makes you stay another 30 minutes.
Confidence makes you pick up the big bait.
Confidence makes you run to new water.
Confidence makes you fish slow when you only have two bites.
I could go on and on. Confidence is so key because it allows me, in high-pressure situations, to just go fishing again. It reminds me why I’m good at this.
Perspective matters
It’s easy to forget, but we get to fish for a living. That was the dream when we were kids. Somewhere along the way, pressure, points, money and expectations start to crowd that out. Whenever I’m struggling, like I am now, I try to remember that kid who just wanted to be a professional fisherman. That has been helping me lately.
Because the truth is, slumps don’t last forever. But how you handle them says a lot about you as an angler and as a person. For me, I think this slump is exactly what I need to get even better than I was before.
