A Student of the Game

A Student of the Game

Like any other sport we must be students

By Brad Durick

I recently read an article about one of my favorite hockey players, Mark Schiefele. The article talks about his upbringing in the sport of hockey and how even as a now established professional in the NHL he is always trying to learn more about the game and how to make himself better and more competitive.

If you are not into hockey, how about football. North Dakota native and now Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Carson Wentz is also considered a true student of the game. They always talk about when he experiences or fails at something on the field he will go back and study it to correct the problem or improve to make himself a better player.

This desire to learn and be better is a trait that can help us all in anything we do, even fishing. I have been preaching for years that we must learn and do our homework to be better anglers. In every seminar I give I discuss understanding and being better mentally will help you see more success on the water with time on the water being the best teacher. Time on the water for a serious angler, especially the tournament angler as practice. Even the famous Kevin Van Dam of BASS fame does not say pre-fishing before a tournament but “practice”.

As catfishing has exploded over the past decade and more tournaments pop up every year I have been critical of many new anglers who are looking for that next great product or easy cure all tip on the web to be competitive. I contend that to be better there has to be practice time to hone the skills and develop the ability to react on a fundamental level to changes.

It is true that you learn a lot in tournaments (god knows I did) but to truly learn the craft and master the art you have to just fish without the pressure of deadlines and payouts looming over you. You have to allow the time to experience the failures, learn from the mistakes and enjoy the success. Extra time spent learning about the bait the seasons and the patterns as well as taking good notes will make you a better angler.

While on the being critical of the catfish industry, I also see a lot of new people coming into the catfish world who are quickly swept up in the sponsor and jersey game, putting more pressure on themselves to fish more tournaments and be seen with the jersey for photos to make social media. Going back to the NHL, Schiefele had to endure years of practice and minor leagues. He had to study to become a professional, all we see are the games and not the hard work that goes into the final product. First comes the becoming an expert, then the “pro” status.

In my own way I am a student of catfishing. I have told the story many times about how I thought I was a good catfish angler when I became a guide. It took one hard smack down from Mother Nature to tell me I didn’t know anything about catfishing. I was a one trick pony so to speak. I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about rivers and about catfish. Once I started finding answers I also had more questions.

Here I am 10 years later, still trying to refine my skills as an angler, trying to get better at putting fish in the boat for my guests. I still have my bad days but one thing my catch records have shown over the past eight seasons is that I have become much more consistent in number and average size. I can confidently give my guests what an average day should look like.

I have also become fairly good at understanding seasonal patterns and how the patterns change with weather fronts and environmental changes that happen. This ability to adjust on the fly is where the consistency comes into play. I am no longer that one trick pony but have established the fundamental ability to identify changes in conditions or patterns and make adjustments as needed.

How have I done this in my fishing? First, I spend a lot of time on the water. Second, I have good records dating back 11 years now to refer to. Third, I have a solid method to gain information. This is all due to practice.

Catfishing is important to all of us and society tells us that everything must happen NOW. We must fish all the tournaments NOW and be the pro NOW. Think back for a moment to all the greats in sports, it did not come over night but yet with much study, practice and determination.

Lastly, this is fishing and it is supposed to be fun. Don’t make something that is fun into work until you are ready. Fishing, learning and honing your skills should be fun. Being in the occasional tournament to test those skills should also be fun. Don’t forget to have the fun and enjoy the moments of success, failure and just being there at the time. The rest will fall into place with time.

Captain Brad Durick is a nationally recognized catfish guide on the Red River of the North, seminar speaker, and author of the books Cracking the Channel Catfish Code and Advanced Catfishing Made Easy. For more information go to www.redrivercatfish.com