Is it YOU...........or is IT the Spot?
 

interested in sum opinions about this rhetorical,,,,,,,
meaning that there is no right or wrong answer, here.

from my view, i think that it has very little to do with the
angler and more to do with being there when the stripers are there. i mean once we've found
our BIGGS producers, providing that conditions repeat (and they do);
then it's pretty much just about showing up at the right place,
right tide, right moon, with the right offering and yer landing lahhhhge, right?

i do get it that we have to put in the time, learn our spots, and improve upon technique, but how else does one explain the occurrance of fiddies being landed by virtual "rookies", and me ~who knows nothing~ doing pretty good for only a coupla years in this striperin' game? go figure................but imho, i think it's in the SPOT and Sir Saxatilis, rather than in me/you the surfangler.

I completely disagree - It has nothing to do with the fish being there, it's entirely dependant upon the angler. There are some anglers, (yes, even on this site) who WILL catch fish even when the fish AREN'T there !!! :shocked: - SHOCKED? Well don't be, it's true. Some fishermen actually ATTRACT the fish TO them.

That being said, I'm NOT one of them. The 2 fish that I caught last year involved a LOT of hard work, and a LOT of LUCK due to mere confusion on the fish's part, as I must have been wearing the same cologne as the attracting angler. That's normally how I catch my fish, the fish thought I was someone else.

You want proof ? Do a search on this site......the same people say they catch Large after Large...
............and the same people say they don't catch much at all.

:spin:

.....and be careful how you reply, .........this thread too, may soon be "Closed".

:bsod:

Maybe if you have found a blitz.....anyone can catch, agreed

knowing what and how to use your gear, and powers of observation will always give you an edge over someone less knowlegable. That is unless that someone has lady luck in his waders. Pretty tough to beat her.

I will have to agree on the "spots" there's places that are well known to the general public that hold fish and have seen many a newbie hook up with large and land them.

both, or sometimes one or the other...you'll never know unless your underwater watching or can talk to the fish :hihi:
seriously though I think it has alot to do with being there when the fish are....

They say poker is a game of luck just ask a pro.:eek:

I think it has alot to do with being there when the fish are: that simple:fishin::fishin:

25% SPOT

75% ANGLER

A combo of the 2. I was on MV last week and my partner and I had about 25 keeper size fish on darters. Some guy next to us didn't have a fish all night on bucktails. We gave him a darter and first cast he had a huge windknot. The fish were there and we were competent enough to catch them. Next night same spot but no clouds, wind, rain and a bright full moon, I had 2 only 2 fish.

where has ALOT to do with it, but its up to the fisherman to decide where to go on a particular tide and set of conditions. so to me its the angler, but more in terms of deciding/learning when and where to go. how is important too, and the angler has to learn how and what to use after deciding where. but if you decide to go to the wrong place in the wrong conditions, you can probably throw whatever you want out there and present it in the best possible way, and still end up skunked.

yes people get lucky (if you stand in one spot long enough, you'll eventually catch something good there), but the guys who do it consistantly, year after year, do it because they are able to decide the where part as conditions change. That's what we should all be striving for and what I hope to be able to do someday.

I'm still a bit of a "rookie"

lady luck was on my side when I first stepped on the beach with my yard-sale rod and reel with what ever was on there for line... I pulled in the biggest cow I've seen to date...

I've gone back to that spot many times and got skunked but at some of my favorite hiding holes I can produce 3-4 on a good night but none as big as the first.....

So I would say its luck or the right spot at the right time that gets you into the game and then its skill that keeps us going back.....

like poker none of the pro's would have kept going if they didn't have a little luck to get them hooked and the skills to work it into a career

I think this is just about right. If there's a blitz, sometimes all you have to do is throw anything out there and you can catch a fish. Other times, you'll see some people catching while others are getting skunked a few yards away. Do you think that every time you get skunked there are no fish there? Maybe you're just not using the right bait (or lure), or you're not fishing the right depth.

I've gone to spots where guys are leaving saying "don't waste your time" and had great nights. Other times, I've thrown everything in my plug bag to breaking fish well withing casting distance and got only a couple of hits and no hook ups.

A great example is the canal. Some people know how to fish it and will catch big fish consistently. Others spend hours and hours trying without so much as a bump. If you've ever seen underwater footage of the fish swimming in the canal, you'd think fishing there was easy. Truth is, there are a lot of variables and the angler has to know what they're doing.

Anyone can catch a stupid fish, but the better anglers can catch the smart ones. And the big ones don't get big by being stupid.

i say both...

if its a spot where there are TONS of feeding fish, it's pretty damned hard not to catch one.

on the other hand, there are spots where there are plenty of fish that wont take a damn thing, and its up to the angler to make them take it.

i've never found a honey hole, and i cant make fish bite.. so i'm screwed.

Definitly Both
For instance even at a hot spot and a rookie next to you you could have better luck and succes but being a better angler outcasting him, working a lure better, or even knowing whait bait to use at that time of year at that specific place which increases our odds for success. Granted a lot of our sport is luck we however we know we are non rookies by making choices and actions to increase our odds.
Even rookies make it to the Million dollar pot in Texas hold'em but chances are there are a few masters at that final table to and have been there a couple times themself.

i definetley agree with this 100%. being relatively new to fishin for stripers and not having a list of honey holes to go to on a given night, im going through learning where to go on certain tide/weather/moon conditions and ive been able to do fairly well so far this year. hopefully i beat the luck streak and turn into a master

Clogston has it right IMO, being a good surfcaster is knowing the when and the where. How do the "sharpies" know this? In my opinion, it's tons of time on the water and having that knack for being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Of course, you need to know HOW to entice fish to bite and that's a lot of skill in itself as well, but that is a much faster learning curve if you ask me, especially if we're talking eels (plugs maybe not). Also, I think the sharpies are so damn good at learning how to entice and land big fish because they have had a lot of experience in dealing with big fish because of their skills of finding them.

Botton line, knowing when and where is more imporantant in the long run.

think of it this way, if you caught a 50 with a charter captain, who took you to the spot at the right time, but you presented the plug/eel/bait and enticed the fish and fought and landed the fish, would you still feel like YOU earned that 50? I sure as hell wouldn't....

Its nice to know were the fish are, and luck that you get your line in the right place at the right time!!

But thats were the luck stops, and the angler that knows what they are doing will win the fight!
I have a friend that can just read the water and say yes or no if the fish are there!! And no matter if he fishes one day a year or one day a week, in the end he always catches and always has the big fish!!

I wish I was him!!

As a few sharpies on this site often say. Consistancy is the true indication of angling ability. (Something I sure can't claim at this point btw.)

Sure every dog has his day. A perfect novice can catch a cow on his first cast however I think over time those who put their time in and learn which spots will produce when will most often catch more and bigger fish. Like anything the more you do it the better you get.

I think it takes skill to find the Fish, hook the fish, and land the fish.

Its luck that determines the size of whats on the end of the line.

I'll take my ratio one step further and say that the quality of your gear is 25% as well. 75% is simply whats between your ears and your stamina.

Alot of variables need to be taken into consideration,percentages,scenarios and walk throughs for some instances.

To answer this question you would need to be a highly experienced angler.I'm not one so carry on.....

Thats wayyyyy to funny to be serious hahahahahaha:eek5::hihi:

Another silly thread.

It's ALL about the spot.

Having the right bait in the right spot, where a fish is is critical to catching.

-spence

thanks gentlemen!

some very interesting responses and takes
on what IT is and the nature of our surfcraziness.

i do agree that many of the sharpies out there have become fish-like with their aquired and honed abilities; while some were just born that way ~with an innate fish sense. likewise, experience is an excellent teacher and confidence builder and has been said to play a huge factor in this thang that we do.................

it's very curious, to me, this whole luck/mojo variable and is not something that is easy to quantify, nor should it be equated, imho. i tend to favor the intangibles, since that seems to be my strong suit ~~for now!

good stuff by everyone as ALL opinions are welcomed and
thanks again, gents, for taking the time to respond :kewl: :kewl:

Clgston and Squbby are right on. Rockport too!

You need a few things like location, ability,time, and of course the fish must be available.

It's uncanny how you can predict when and where the fish will be within a night or two season after season. This takes alot of time on the water.

I have a spot I have caught some qualtiy fish out of over the years.Good fish in current that will test ur tackle.Over time I have it narrowed down pretty good.Time of year ,tide,even time of the night.But They don't always feed the same way.I have let the fish tell me how they want it.Each year seems to be different.I like to believe my skills has allowed me to be consitant when catching these quality fish.Now without confidence in my belief that quality fish where present.I might not have taken the time to explore other options.U put it all together an it adds up to experience/time on the water.

NIB, I have a spot just like that in RI. The big fish are there every season in late May to the day.