The short answer to that question is "not much," or as explained in an article I read online, about the only thing you can do is "wait it out."
Thus wrote the late-Jim Chapralis, who went on to suggest that all anglers periodically find themselves in a fishing slump. "I've never asked any of the 'big boys' if they ever experience these slumps," he clarified, because, after all, "that would be like asking the world's greatest lovers if they...ahem...ever have that problem.
"A fishing slump is no different than a baseball batter's slump. Take the player who hits .321 for most of the season, leads the team in RBIs, and is second in homers. Then, during the pennant stretch, when the team really needs him, he goes 0 for 23 and then 2 for 43. This guy is so defeated, so devastated, that he wonders if he'll ever get a clutch hit again in his life.
"Your competitive friends start feeling sorry for you and give you the front of the boat all day. They hold back on casting into the great-looking spots, opting instead to give you first dibs. They even offer you their best lure. Adding to the misery of missing a lot of fish, your casting accuracy takes an unexplainable nosedive. To put it bluntly, you now couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if your life depended on it.
"You watch how your angling companion is retrieving his lure, and you emulate it. Nevertheless, he keeps getting all the strikes. You find yourself wondering if maybe you should forget about all these dumb fishing places, dumb fish, and dumb sport and maybe take up bridge...golf...anything but fishing.
"What you need to do is relax, take a deep breath, and lighten up. There's absolutely nothing you can do about a fishing slump, except to wait it out. Periodically, I have one of those %&@# angling slumps, and I simply try to grin and bear it, even though it really hurts. Through experience, I know it will pass, and suddenly I find I'm getting back on track.
"The trouble with most slumps is that the 'slumpees' often get stubborn. They refuse to listen to suggestions. They are going to do it their way.
"If there's one thing I've learned about a slump, it's that it won't leave until it gets good and ready.
"So there you have it--advice based mostly on watching and listening to the 'big boys,' as well as some personal observations. Hope you find this advice helpful."
I will admit I didn't just accidentally stumble across the foregoing item. I purposely went looking for something to assuage some of the frustration I've been dealing with for some time now as the result of a sudden downturn in my fishing. Don't get me wrong. I'm catching fish nearly every outing; I just can't put together a limit of keepers. Day's end usually finds me with only two or three fish measuring 12 inches or more.
I've reached a point where the same question keeps repeating itself in my head over and over again anytime I start planning another fishing trip. That question is: "Why keep doing this when I already know how it's going to turn out?"
It's a good thing I don't hear a little voice inside me saying, "Just give up," 'cause I might be persuaded to listen to that advice, especially after a day like I had during our Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney this past Saturday. Two of the six fish I boated that day were no bigger than the one in this photo.
As it is, I think I'm going to follow the suggestion of the man who wrote the previous account and simply try to be patient and keep plugging until better days return. Maybe I also should adopt the philosophy I once saw ascribed to the former New York Yankees great catcher Yogi Berra. He was quoted as having said, "Slump? I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting."
Ken, excellent piece. Slumps---rassin' frassin'. We all get them, but, like you said, if you keep fishing, they will pass and better times will come. The key is to persevere through them, and to continue to be adaptable and willing to change as necessary.
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