|
|
10 Ways to be a TERRIBLE Fishing Partner
by Jeff Samsel
 “Mr. Congeniality?” Most bass clubs don’t award that one, and if they did, it surely would be as a joke. With that in mind, why worry so much about being popular? The truth is that the average fisherman’s favorite partner to draw in a tournament or hook up with for a season is the guy who doesn’t care which way the boat turns, who stays out of the way and who always does more than his share. Here are 10 ways to ensure that you’re NOT that “most favored” club member.
Compete Against Partners
Placing well in a team event might be good enough for some folks, but what glory do you get if everyone else in the club figures out that your partner actually caught the fish? Reject all suggestions about using complementary baits, working together to pattern fish or “working the back angles” while your partner takes the front angles. Everyone knows those are just ploys to leave you gleaning crumbs.
Cast to everything that looks good, whether it’s in front of you or behind you, and seize all opportunities to catch every possible bass. And don’t bother with the net ’til your partner’s fish are in sight. When guys call for a net as soon as they hook a fish, they’re really just trying to prevent you from hooking the bigger fish that they think are in the same area.
Let Your Complaints Be Known
Tournament rules, lake choices, schedule dates, last night’s dinner, the weather, your aching back… If you don’t tell anyone that something’s broken, then how can they possibly see that it gets fixed, and what decent partner would want you to be alone with your personal woes? Tell him all about everything that’s wrong with everything, which, by the way, tends to be quite a bit if you take time to look.
Sharing your problems also provides well-deserved sympathy and at times a little extra favor. If your partner figures out that you’re hungry and that no one at home packed you any lunch, then maybe…just maybe… he’ll think to share his sandwich and cookies! At the same time, he’ll never know to adjust the way he’s running the boat if you don’t point out that he’s giving himself all the good casting angles.
Never Be Wrong
If you remember the lure Kevin VanDam used to win a specific event, don’t let other club members convince you that it was some other bait. Even if they all seem to agree with one another, one loud-mouthed member probably just tossed that out and the others jumped on the bandwagon to make it look like they actually remembered.
Waver in your confidence about fishing trivia (or anything for that matter) and the next thing you know it, other members will question whether you truly know the fastest route to a lake or the best barbecue joint in town. Worse yet, draw partners are apt to notice wavering confidence in you and question whether you’re right about where you should be fishing and what you both should be throwing.
Don’t suggest something the two of you might want to try. State confidently what needs to be done next, and don’t back down.
Watch your Wallet
It’s not your boat, and your partner would be fishing today with or without you sitting in the back of it. So why should you get pinned with the cost of gas? Just sort of pretend that gas is free and don’t mention anything about chipping in. Same with ramp fees, bags of ice, etc. While you are fishing, it doesn’t hurt to mention tough financial times at home, just to make sure your partner knows how poor you are and what a stretch it would be to ask you for money.
Of course, if it’s your boat, that’s different! Make sure your non-boating partner pays his share, which really ought to be more than the actual cost of gas. After all, you’re putting wear and tear on your boat, and you’re having to pay insurance and do maintenance.
Do Everything in Your Own Time
Promptness is over-rated. If you arrive somewhere on time – or, worse yet, early – the only thing you’ll gain is the opportunity to wait for other people. Stroll in at your convenience, and your partner (and everyone else) will be ready and waiting, with boats in the water and motors started. And you will have had more time to have taken care of other business while the other folks were gathering and tarrying at the ramp.
The same concept applies to club meetings and various other events, because few group events of any sort ever actually start on time. The only real pitfall is that occasionally another club member or two will figure it out, and you’ll have to start showing up a little further beyond the appointed time to keep from being forced to wait for them.
Talk Endlessly—And Only About Yourself
If you want interesting stuff to talk about, you have to take charge of the conversation. Otherwise, you’ll spend a long day learning about your partner’s recent fishing trips, political views and children’s accomplishments. Or worse yet, he might ramble on about what he thinks the fish are doing in a semi-subtle attempt to affect strategy decisions. The only good way to keep all detrimental conversation doors tightly closed is to keep talking about truly interesting stuff… like your recent fishing trips, political views and children’s accomplishments. Of course, if you don’t approve of the team strategy that seems to be developing, do be sure to talk plenty about what the fish are certainly doing on other parts of the lake.
Take All Credit
This one’s important because it goes beyond bragging rights and has important future implications. If you want other partners to listen to you about fishing strategies (which of course, you do!) you’d better make certain that everyone knows who really was responsible for that big bag you and a partner brought to the scales.
Even if your team doesn’t fare so well but the club enjoys a good overall catch and the sun shines warmly on an early-spring day, it was probably some comment by you that influenced the schedule committee to select that particular lake on that particular date. If you think that’s the case, it doesn’t hurt to remind folks about it so that they know who to thank for their fine day on the lake.
Accept No Blame
It’s not your fault!
What’s not your fault? That part doesn’t matter. It could be a poor finish in a team tourney, problems with your boat or a larger club issue. Whatever it might be, no one ever wants to be the one at fault, so they’ll do everything they can to push the blame on you. Don’t let them. You know that it wasn’t your fault, and everyone else needs to know it, too.
Partners are especially bad about trying to pass the blame. They’ll insist on fishing with crankbaits and then try to blame your net jobs for fish that get away. Or they’ll forget about their own poor execution and blame your game plan when the fish don’t bite.
Avoid Extra Work
When another club member grunts and groans over an armload of stuff as he stumbles downhill toward the lake, you can pretty well assume he’s being overly dramatic in an attempt to get you to take the heaviest part of the load. Act as if you don’t hear the grunts or groans or make sure he can see that you’re carrying something already. As soon you begin lightening other anglers’ loads and volunteering for odd jobs at club meetings, it won’t be long before you’ll be backing in every boat and taking on every task that no one else wants to do.
Top All Fish Stories
When someone else in you bass club starts spouting stories about some great place he’s fished, you’ll often remember having fished somewhere even better. Or it could be that you have been to the same place when the fishing was even hotter. Make sure everyone hears the best story so that they won’t get too enamored by that other guy’s tall tale.
Keep in mind, too, that if his story sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Assume he’s exaggerating and feel free to take the same liberty. It’s part of the story-telling game, and you know that you’re a better fisherman and actually probably caught more and bigger fish on your trip than he did on his.
|
