Never Give Up!

“Never give up!” Mike Iaconelli screamed as he boated the winning fish in the last minutes of the 2004 Bassmaster Classic. That phrase is more true to a competitive fisherman than one tends to believe. There are times in a tournament where something goes and an angler has got to somehow overcome it. It is one of the hardest mental things to do as a fisherman. You hook a giant bass. You fight him all the way to the boat. Then for no reason, he comes off. What do you do? Do you A, sit down in your boat and totally give up. Or B, do you shake it off and forget about the missed fish and go back to fishing like nothing ever happened? It sounds easy to forget about it, but the truth of the matter is the majority of fishermen cannot let it go and it ends up ruining their tournament. Rick Clunn said that you have to fish in the moment. If you think about it, he is exactly right. You cannot worry about the past or the future. The cast that you are making at that exact time is what you need to concentrate on. Not the previous one or the next one. The one right now.My cousin Jason and his partner Craig Cowen got to experience that first hand in the USA Bassin Classic held on Kentucky Lake this year and how a missed opportunity turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to them. Jason and Craig went down to Kentucky Lake and practiced for three days before the event. They hit several areas that had produced good stringers in years past for myself and my cousin. They ended up with two spots that were holding quality fish. Day one of the event they took a treacherous boat ride to their first spot. The fish were in all stages of the spawn and they were targeting shallow areas associated with deep water close by. Their bait of choice was a Strike King 3/8 oz. Premier Pro Model jig. They quickly caught a limit of bass but were still looking for that kicker fish. Around one o’clock Jason flipped into a tree and a giant bass hit his jig. After a brief fight the bass came unbuttoned. Jason was gutted. As far as he was concerned the tournament might as well be over. He called me in disgust. “ I just lost a giant. That just cost of big bass and a chance at a boat.” He said. I told him that there was plenty of time and not to give up. He got back up and composed himself and put a four pound fish in the boat. They weighed in thirteen pounds and sat in 40th place. That night we talked a while on the phone. I told him that he should go back to that fish and try to catch it. He listened to me but I don’t think he believed it. Now I have fished with Jason all of my life and if there is anyone on this earth I could fish with, it would be him. He can flat catch them. Furthermore his attitude toward fishing had matured in the last couple of years. “You’re in the hunt, now you just have to go out and catch 20 pounds and win the thing.” I encouraged him. Craig and Jason spent the next hour or so re rigging their equipment and getting pumped up for day two. The next morning they sped off to their same spot. They quickly put a couple of nice fish in the boat. Around 10 o’clock Craig motioned to Jason that he saw the tree where Jason had lost the giant the day before. Jason flipped into the same tree and the bass hit. He buried the jig deep in his mouth. A comedy of errors proceeded with Craig going after the net but he finally landed him. It was the same fish. There was a noticeable hook mark in his mouth where Jason had previously hooked him. That was a game changer. From that point forward Craig put a five pound fish in the box and they ended up catching two more and culling once. After they weighed in Jason called me to tell me they had a little over 21 pounds and were currently leading. After what seems like an eternity sitting in the hot seat, Jason and Craig hung in there and finished in 3rd place. They received a Nitro boat for their efforts and big bass honors for their day two 6.87 pound giant. Jason and Craig did what most fishermen cannot do. That is to not let a lost fish eat you up so bad that it causes you to self destruct mentally. They hung in there and got the job done. Congratulations to both of you for sticking together and never giving up.