Join the Discussion "Does your attitude affect your catch?  If so, how do you change it? " Ronnie

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Past Articles One Year Ago - 4/9/01 - Catching Crappie Two Years Ago -4/03/00 - Access to Public Lands Three Years Ago - 04/12/99 - Fishing Memories Part 4 Four Years Ago - 04/13/98 - One More Boat Tale Five Years Ago - 04/14/97 - Bream Are Bedding

Ever have one of those days when you just knew you would catch fish - and you did? Or just the opposite - you did not feel lucky, did not feel like you would catch much and your expectations came true that way, too?

Each year I look forward to the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Top Six, hoping to do well and catch enough to fish to place.  My biggest hope is to make the top 12  team but I also hope to place in the top 25 and get a check if I don't make the team.  

Since 1979 I have fished 22 of these tournaments, missing only one when I was too sick to get in the van.  During that time I have made the team twice and got a check five other times.  That is an average of making the top 25 once every three years, not great but not too bad, either.

This year all the way to Seminole I was wishing I was not going.  For some reason I just did not want to be there.  Not only did I not expect to catch fish, I just did not even want to try to find them.  I was looking forward to getting home from the beginning.

My expectations came true.  I caught a total of five bass in five days, three during practice and two during the two day tournament.  

Looking back, if I had just tried harder I could have done a lot better.  It was a tough tournament and over 100 of the 444 fishermen did not catch a fish either day.  One good catch could have put me in good shape.

One of the keys to winning tournaments is attitude.  If you don't  have a burning desire to go out and catch fish and win, you will not.  If you don't expect to catch fish, you probably won't.  The top pros expect to win every tournament they enter and they work at it, fishing hard during practice and doing everything they can to find enough fish to win.

Can you change your attitude?  I don't have much luck changing mine. Maybe there is some secret to attitude adjustment.  If  there is, please share it with me.