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Uncanny things make me wonder, like when a good fisherman says to me, "Why don't you try pausing your retrieve?" I stop it, and half a second after that, I get a bite. Or, "This cast you'll catch a fish," and I hook up. Or, "We're getting into some party boys tonite, I know it," and two fish just about 40" come in, back to back. Perhaps it's luck, but it seems to be more than that. Good fishermen just...know things, it seems.
Also, I find that the ability to teach another person how to fish, including all the finer points, seems to only come with lots of experience and knowledge. You can tell when someone's BS-ing you, trying to sound like they know a bunch about fishing when they really don't. The good fishermen have a broad knowledge of all things fishing, and a great passion for that knowledge, along with the passion for the actual fishing. A passion, which, it seems, can be greater than that of personal or familial relationships sometimes. I don't think it's worth that sacrifice if to be the best fisherman, you need to put fishing before people. I'll settle for being a mediocre fisherman; that's fine with me.
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