How to Play the Mental Game of Fishing

Fishing can be a relatively simple activity. Cast bait or a lure, set the hook, reel in a fish. Unless fish aren’t biting. Then, we may find ourselves in a battle involving fishing psychology, trying to think like little green fish. Many enjoy the mental game of fishing process of gathering clues, assembling puzzle pieces, and trying to put together a pattern. But even experienced anglers struggle sometimes. Here are a few tips to keep you mentally in the fishing game.

Perspective

One method on how to deal with frustration when fishing alone, or with others for that matter, is to learn to enjoy just being on the water. “That’s why they don’t call it ‘catching,’ ” is a sentiment commonly expressed between struggling anglers. Part of overcoming fear of striking out in fishing starts when one accepts the fact that sometimes the fish simply are not biting. Not catching fish actually helps one appreciate the times when the fish are biting. One year my son and I struggled to find cooperative fish so often that we started referring to our fishing trips as “birdwatching trips,” to keep our experience positive and fun, no matter what the results.

Pivot

One of the potential mental blocks for anglers can occur if they remain too committed to a technique. For example, the topwater frog bite window may have closed by mid-morning. Be willing to pivot to alternative lure presentations such as from “power” to “finesse” techniques. And when the time comes, be ready to pivot back as we study fishing psychology in our watery classroom.

Move

Another common angler frustration can occur when one remains in a spot, hoping the fish will “turn on.” Although there are times and places where this can occur, one of the mental exercises to improve fishing performance is simply to go try a new location. Fishing in a different area provides renewed hope in your ability to connect with fish. If you are confident in the original location, returning after letting a spot “rest,” often helps the bite reset too.

Listen

A big part of fishing is being aware and paying attention to what is happening in and around the water. Successful concentration techniques for fishing involve staying off the cell phone, and not playing the radio. Did the wind switch directions? Is that bank of clouds advancing? Did a splash just give away the location of an actively feeding fish?

Learn

When building confidence for beginner anglers, it is hard to beat the old bait and bobber setup. Even this technique may require modifying the depth or changing the bait, however. Once dialed in to the fish, beginners can be developing a growth mindset for fishing by switching to lures as their casting and fish locating skills grow.

Fishing can be a humbling sport, even for experienced anglers. And one challenging aspect is how to stay calm while fishing. Tournament professional anglers who are used to competition against other anglers and the clock, will admit that even when fishing recreationally, they have experienced “the shakes” when around big fish. But in a way, that excitement is why we fish. And why we should look forward to our next Mental Game of Fishing.