He Changed More Than Just One Day's Fortunes

Until a little more than six weeks ago, I never had considered the difference between a generalist and a specialist bass fisherman. That all changed, however, on June 8th, when I bumped into what, at the time, I thought of as a "fellow angler," but whom I now consider a "friend," by the name of Dave Anderson.

We both happened to be fishing Albright's Creek that day. And when we met, I made it a point to inquire how Dave was doing.

"I've caught about 12 small ones," came his reply, to which I only could say, "Wow!" I had boated a mere couple of dinks and really was struggling, but that was before I asked Dave if he minded my asking what he was catching 'em on. He did better than tell me. He showed me what he was catching 'em on and made sure I took note of the one modification he had made to the bait.

Turns out I just happened to have the same topwater bait in my arsenal, minus, of course, the modification. However, I had the means to make that modification on the water, which I promptly did. And for the rest of that day, I went on to catch bass weighing 1-8, 1-10, 2-2, 2-12, and 2-15, for a total weight of 10-15, all on that one modified lure. In return for sharing with me, Dave asked that I keep our conversation a secret, which I have done and will keep doing. I simply refer to the bait as my INT (I'll Never Tell).

And I've used different color versions of the same INT bait, along with a few others in the topwater family, in the six weeks since that day to log five-fish limits on all but one of my trips. That one exception was purely my fault--not the baits.

On three of those trips, I have put fish in the boat with topwater baits, even with a bright sun overhead and a water temperature reading 90+ degrees. This past Friday, between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m., with water so shallow my boat was resting on bottom, I boated three bass that couldn't wait to hop all over my topwater bait. And there were about three more that slapped the bait hard but didn't get connected.

When Dave and I bumped into each other back on June 8th, I'm certain he had no idea that our meeting would become the turning point it has been for my fishing. I wholeheartedly believe he felt he just had done someone a favor--no more, no less. In reality, though, our meeting has served as the catalyst for my switching from a "generalist" to a "specialist" with my bass fishing. The mere fact I went on to use Dave's secret bait to boat fish all day long June 8th was all it took to change me.

As I see things, there are a couple of distinct advantages to being a specialist. For openers, I no longer find myself sitting on the water, mentally sorting through the many baits in my multiple tackleboxes and wondering which ones, if any, I maybe should be throwing, instead of the ones tied on at the moment. This distraction, of course, leads to one thing: a loss of focus and, most likely, a badly timed hookset if/when a fish hits.

The choices now are much more closely defined. It's a matter of picking this topwater, that topwater, or maybe that one over there. Once you decide and tie one on, the focus is automatic, immediate and lasts throughout the day. I honestly don't find my mind wandering any longer, and I'm ready whenever the fish hits. As I said earlier, I've only missed getting a five-fish limit one time since making the switch, and I can't tell you how much of a boost that fact has given my confidence level.

Another advantage of being a specialist is the reduced requirements for tackleboxes and rods. I travel light enough nowadays I shouldn't ever again have to worry about getting a hernia.

And finally, I've encountered fewer hangups since switching to an all-topwater arsenal. The major difference is that those submerged stumps no longer are claiming my crankbaits.

I'm not, in any way, advocating everyone become a specialist. Those generalists who regularly come up with winning bags of fish are better off not tinkering with something that's not broken. If, however, you routinely are encountering the kind of non-productive days I was having prior to June 8th, you might be wise to consider joining the ranks of a specialist. Pick a lure or a style that you enjoy and may have had some success with, then do some online research like I did, and go for it.

I have no idea how long I'll maintain my current strategy. I simply see it as a work in progress at the moment, and I'm having a blast every time I go to the water. Things haven't been this good in a mighty long time. And, Dave, I know I've said it once before, but "Thanks!" again for sharing.