Stoner continued that train of thought by saying, "Imagine having a similar comforting feeling all the time, on any fishery, all over the country. You'd think an angler who harnesses that kind of comfort and confidence would be able to catch them most anywhere and everywhere, and if you were talking about Blanchard, Oklahoma pro Zack Birge, you'd be right."
Here's a young man who, in 2015, began his rookie season as an FLW Touring pro with a victory at the Rayovac Championship on Wheeler Lake and ended it by capturing Rookie of the Year honors, with a ticket to the Forrest Wood Cup. Not bad...huh?
"What's so intriguing about Birge's award-winning year," said Stoner, "is that he was able to rack up these accolades while fishing his way...fishing in his comfort zone."
"With the exception of Lake Chickamauga," noted Birge, "my boat didn't see water deeper than 8 feet all year. I grew up fishing the Arkansas River in water no deeper than the length of your fishing pole. Fishing shallow is what I know how to do best, so it's usually what I look for when fishing a tournament."
As Stoner explained, "It's like you've moved away from home but brought along your favorite old recliner. Your surroundings may be different, but hey, you get to sit back and relax in your homey chair each night. Same deal with fishing your comfort zone. Whether you get five bites or 50, you're going to be happy, because you're doing what you like to do.
"Birge keeps it as simple as possible when he's looking for his comfort zone on any fishery," continued Stoner. "Of the six stops the FLW Tour made in 2015, Birge had only ever fished Beaver Lake. Instead of getting all hung up with dock talk or where and what he 'should be' fishing, he would go out and let the current conditions tell the story."
"When I fish," said Birge, "I just launch my boat and go with my gut. I prefer to fish shallow, so I go out with a handful of lures I have confidence in and cover water 'til I find quality fish. I learned pretty early on in my fishing career that you can't always judge a book by its cover.
"Take Lewis Smith Lake, for example. I had heard time and again that you needed to be fishing for big spotted bass to win there," continued Birge. "But after my first day of practice, I had pretty much committed to fishing for largemouth in skinny water. And wouldn't you know, that largemouth pattern turned into my leading days two and three of the tournament."
Stoner pointed out that unfavorable weather conditions, coupled with local pressure, resulted in Birge finishing the Lewis Smith event in sixth place. Even though a victory slipped his grasp, Birge was able to go against the grain, fishing his comfort zone, with great results to show for it, and he maintained his confidence. Birge attributed that confidence to being able to focus on fishing his strengths and being confident in what he was doing.
"For me, confidence is absolutely everything in fishing," said Birge. "It gives you that positive mindset that you need throughout a fishing day. It is much easier to lose your composure or psych yourself out if you aren't confident in what you're doing. Being confident also is going to make you ready for the bites you get, helping with your execution."
There's a long list of anglers who have thrived with this same plan of attack, according to Stoner. Among them are guys like Tommy Biffle and Denny Brauer, who have made careers out of flipping and pitching in shallow water, as well as Kevin VanDam, who favored fishing fast with a crankbait. These anglers found what worked for them and parlayed that into long-term success on every fishery they visited. Instead of trying 20 different lures and techniques that the fish should have been biting, they stuck to what they knew and made it work, regardless of the body of water, the conditions, or the time of year.
As Stoner explained, "My dad often stressed the importance of using the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) philosophy. That's exactly what we fishermen oftentimes fail to do. If you're confident in a certain style of fishing, there is usually a way to catch fish doing it on any given fishery. There is no need to over-complicate the game of fishing at any level.
"Of course," he continued, "if we're talking about winning high-level events, there are going to be some exceptions to this rule. But if you're looking to catch some fish on an unfamiliar fishery, take Birge's advice and give fishing in your comfort zone some time."
Much like the other facets of his game, Birge keeps his bait selection simple, especially when dissecting the shallows of a new fishery. He sticks to a few lures that have produced for him and expands on them only when necessary.
Squarebill crankbaits are among his staples. He uses the 6th Sense 25x and 50x to fish shallow rock piles, laydowns, edges of bushes, and grass lines. He adjusts the size and color, depending on the forage present in the body of water. If there are fish in the area, they usually will eat a squarebill.
Swimbaits also are among Birge's staples. He uses the Spooltek Fatty Swimbait to cover a lot of water. "I've found that a lot of guys will ignore throwing a swimbait in shallow water, and bass aren't yet conditioned to it," he said. "I throw the 4-inch version of this bait because I grew up fishing for numbers of fish. It's not really my forte to go out and fish for five big bites. I'd rather catch 20 or 30 in a day and weed through some smaller fish. That's exactly what this bait will do, while giving me the opportunity to have a few of those bigger bites."
Another staple for Birge is buzzbaits. "It's hard to beat a Santone buzzbait or a topwater frog for tournament fish," he said. "Not only can you put these lures in places you can't get a lot of other lures, they're also fun to fish. Watching a topwater bait come across the water, you just always have that feeling that a giant bass is about to grab it."
And if conditions call for a slow presentation or getting real tight to cover, Birge picks a Tightlines UV Beaver or Tightlines Whisker Beaver. "Again, since I like fishing shallow, I want to show the fish something they haven't seen," he said. "Something like 80 percent of the light in shallow water is UV, so I believe fish can see these baits better, which gets me a few more bites."
As Stoner explained, "Whether you favor shallow-water power fishing like Birge, or you would rather use your electronics and fish offshore, make a habit of giving your comfort zone a chance next time you go fishing. The time of year and transitional phase the fish are in certainly moves them around, but it's worth trying to fish with what you're confident in, no matter the conditions or the fishery.
"You are likely to find that you can apply 'a little home-cookin' to most any body of water throughout the year. It will give you confidence to stick with proven techniques longer and find ways to apply them to different bodies of water. Many guys in professional bass fishing go on stretches of top finishes because they carry one technique from lake to lake and keep making it work through confidence and that comfort with what they are doing is the right thing for their fishing."
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