Karl F. I could not have captured it better. Also MikeToole, and TattooBob
Quote: “I think the "secret" is that fishing for them, comes first and foremost.
First over wives, kids, jobs, bills, everything. That is the price they pay for their "secret"
They will move, before the fish do, so they can be at the next feeding station.
And finely this Nebe. Quote: its not a passion, its an obsession which has made them sacrifice all in life to possibly catch the one fish out there that will validate everything that they have sacrificed so much for..
I agree!!!!
Great subject. Habs! I will respond to
“Please share your thoughts.”This is a view from the boat!
I would imagine I will take my yearly beating on this! I don’t post often because, where I go can be controversial! Any way here I go!
The following may only pertain to my area. I cannot elaborate on other areas. May be some one else can. I could right a book about this stuff. 99% of the people will think I made this stuff up, or it was totally fiction. I still and currently, am in training under the wing of a person such as this, and I am 61. I have been in training for 25 years now. I am still being shown new things. Old tricks of the trade, new ideas that come out of the winter hibernation. And, I am not a slow learner.
They just have trouble giving up the knowledge that sets them above the rest. We fish for and target large fish only...
The down fall is, many of night coming home with nothing.
It’s worth it for the stories alone.
My mentor says, when they asked you a question, where did you get the fish, he says, tell them the truth, they won’t believe you any way. And that will keep them guessing where we got them. They don’t and wont tell you when, where, or how, because, if the “secret” got out, they would be competing with these same folks on the spots they have spent their life time finding out, or something that was passed down in secrecy, the when’s and where’s. You can fish on either side of there boat, as close as 5 feet on either side, even on the very spot when they move off of it while they are fighting a fish, and still not take one! Only to have that person move on to that spot and hook up almost immediately. It drives people nuts! You could not learn in a life time what these guys know. The person I fish with was taken under the “wings” of some Kings!
I have and still joke to other people that, these men must have sold there very soul to the devil him self to acquire such knowledge about bass. It’s like they are in the head of the fish, or have been re-incarnated from a striper, keeping the knowledge of their past life, as a bass.
An insight to this hierarchy! I consider my self third layer. There is a group of fisherman that are incredible fishermen. After fishing “only” stripers for my first twenty years I came upon a group of men in the early 70s. An old time bass purchasing agent and fisherman in his 70s said that the men on the list of names I was putting my name to were the “
elite!
They are your, best of your best! I thought, may be I should take a hard look at the names on it. I consider these folks the next layer above my self. “They” look at people such as the person I fish with in both revered, envy, and hate at some times. The hate comes in because no matter how hard they try, they cant out fish them. Surprisingly all of these men know each other and share knowledge, times, places, and how they did the night before, with each other.
They are shown places, times, and tides that they are sworn to secrecy. Not to reveal. You are not even allowed to fish their even if you know the fish are their, if some one can see you. You get one of these tid bits when you are willing to give one up in trade, or in most cases
have earned the respect of said fishermen.
This is a good size group. Could amount to as many as 15 to 25 people in my area. Three of these men have lost there marriage over the fish.
I have always said, fishing stripers is not a sport, it is a
sickness. Some will and have risked there lives for the fish. Three of these men have taken and weighted fish over 60 pounds. All have taken multiple fish over 50 pounds. They don’t even bother to enter them in the Massachusetts state yearly tournament. Nor do they belong to clubs!
They just don’t care. The small acknowledgement that they get from there peers is more important to them.
It’s this level of men that select the next layer up, Kings! Kings are men who will take fish on nights when no one can! Consistently take fish over 30 pounds every time they fish. Even if they fish daily. You take one, they take five, you take five they will take ten.
You can stop them, they are doing something that even the elite don’t know, or can’t figure it out.
It’s that dam secret; we would all love to know.
I don’t know if the people they call Kings, know, if in fact, that they are a king.
When you get this title they give you, it’s yours for ever. Their can be more than one king. I still do not know if the man I fish with has received the title of king, because I don’t run with the elite.
I have had the privilege of knowing three kings and have fished with two of them. Both of these men shared some of their knowledge but not all with me. Like pirates the take their treasure/knowledge to the grave with them, telling no one what they were really doing. May be they figure that they owe this to the fish that they have revered, and have developed such a respected for such a great opponent! Well I’m ready for my beating. For those that understand this stuff, I hope you have enjoyed this small insight to a world that not many people know exist. May be its only exist in the minds of these elite group of men that slip away into the night when people try to follow them.
They all say, they can loose any one. You don’t get good fishing in large quantities of people. You do better alone with the fish. I know I will get shot for this. I will leave you with a piece of knowledge that I am not supposed to share.
I bet, some will say, wow guy, why do us a favor. Some may and will take it to the bank.
You can not whip the fish you “
all” seek.
You need to fool them and out smart them!
There is more going on with the moon faze than most people think. Some people have looked very hard at it and think there is no correlation, others know it’s there, but just can’t figure it out. I could be shot for this.
You need to look at the moon and the water at the same time. That’s all I will say about that!
Your Mustard 4/0 triple (XXX) strong hooks are not large enough!
Rat, you need to fool the fish, go with wood!!!
No gill nets here Sam, just tons of knowledge!!!!!!!!!!!!
That will do it for now. Hope you have enjoyed some of this, Stuff!
My Quote:
You are only as good as the man who drives the boat!
Peace All! 
