Years ago I was casting an artificial hard bait over the submerged rocks at the jetties catching bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The fish were really aggressive and you could see them chase down the lure and strike. After catching several fish I noticed the fish coming at the bait, but they would turn away at the last second. I threw a few more times with the same result and could not figure out why the fish were suddenly not striking the bait.
I retrieved the lure and looked it over and did not see anything wrong, but something caught my eye as the sun hit it at a different angle. Apparently, somehow a small amount of water had gotten into the lure and it was causing it to run just a little bit off from its design. I threw it out again and watched as I brought it back and sure enough it was running leaning to one side and had lost some of its twitch. I could not believe that fish as aggressive as these fish were acting would not strike due to what I perceived to be a small detail. I quickly tied on another lure with the exact same pattern and started catching fish again.
You will hear many successful anglers tell you that success if found in the smallest of details. Maybe it is making sure a lure is running how it is supposed to be or even making sure a knot is tied straight and the tag end cut just right to make sure your lure it performing exactly as it is designed. It could be any number of things that go into planning and executing a successful fishing trip from rigging, to weather, to tidal stages.
The point is that successful fishing trips do not just happen. The guys that consistently have success are paying attention to every detail down to the smallest that many of us may overlook or tell ourselves, don’t really matter. Next time you head out on the water make sure and take the time to think things through and do it the right way and you will probably be rewarded for your efforts more often than not.
Andy Pickett
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