Insightful Perspectives on This Course of study

[yaaintdeadyet]

Uh oh,,,,,just from the link title there's gonna be trouble over this one

[joseph radunz]

I don’t know how insightful my perspective is but here it is-

There’s no substitute for time on the water- you can’t catch them sitting on the couch. You can read all the literature and talk about something with others all you want, the best way for information to sink in is by experiencing it yourself. A mentor can shorten your learning curve, but when it comes down to brass tacks- what and how much you learn is on you. There’s no substitute for hard work.

Every day is a brand new day. Each time you’re on the water is a fresh start. Days and lakes may be similar, but each one is its own experience. This is why following the guidelines is so important, it’s the fastest most consistent way to arrive at fish.

Persistence will pay off. Stay after it and don’t give up. A few tough days can weigh heavy on the most season spoonpluggers confidence. Weather and water change- they will move and if you stay the course you will be there when they do.

You never know it all- just when you think you have a lake figured out you will get thrown a curve ball and it will all change, and you have to start over. Never stop trying to learn.

Depth and speed, depth and speed, depth and speed. Nuff said.

Good luck to all,
Joe

[MuskyAddict]

Well said, Joe.

[joseph radunz]

Thanks Ken,

So I’ve been studying spoonplugging for 30 years now, you sir are on the other end of the spectrum- 3-4 years? What’s your take on it all? You’ve been putting in the work and crushing it already this year…. So what’s your perspective? What’s your take on all this?

We might be the only 2 left reading this forum- share your thoughts.

Keep rocking man- those Big Swan smallies looked great!

Joe

[MuskyAddict]

Hey Joe,

I think when the original post came through I thought it was spam. There were a couple of odd posts going through so I deleted it, I think. If you have the link, text it to me. I probably missed something.

I just liked your post and the work ethic it takes to be successful.

[Team9nine]

Hey Joe,

I think when the original post came through I thought it was spam. There were a couple of odd posts going through so I deleted it, I think.

Yep - I deleted the spammer account and his posts, but couldn’t delete the entire thread, so MuskyAddict’s reply to the spammer was just sitting out there alone. Only Jim can delete entire threads or specific posts.

[joseph radunz]

That makes more sense-

Still want to hear your perspective Ken - lol!

What is your biggest takeaway so far? You’ve shown much improvement in a short period of time. Everyone’s thoughts are helpful.

The spam post may not have been appropriate but I do think the title is a good question.

Joe

[MuskyAddict]

Hi Joe,

I think I shared a little of my background with you when I first met you and Scott for coffee. I’m the classic fisherman that loved fishing my entire life. But, I never learned to be a fisherman. I always loved getting invited to go fishing by others and catching fish. During the trip I never took the time to understand, or even ask, why we were catching them. I just thought it was a particularly good lake or river. Eventually I moved to MN and became great friends with a Muskie snob. He didn’t have much time or patience for other species. I sat in the back of his boat for almost 20 years fishing for Muskie in MN and Ontario. In 2019 I sold my rental properties and went out and bought my first boat. Yeah, you know what happened next. I’m one of those guys who spent nearly a hundred grand on a 21’ Ranger, graphs, shallow anchors and equipment. I proudly put my boat on Lake Minnetonka (one of the best bass and Muskie fisheries in the country). For 2 years I failed miserably. In 2021 I came across the green book and read it. I couldn’t put it down. It was speaking directly to me and I began to learn everything that I was NOT doing, and why I wasn’t catching fish. There was one part of Buck’s teachings that I resisted - the part about having the proper tools (boat). I reasoned that I could apply Buck’s methods and still use my Ranger. I started trolling breaklines and started catching bass, walleye, pike, crappie, Muskie and even big carp. I went on for a year and a half using my Ranger and increasing my catches. I was happy with my successes but I knew it was only the tip of the iceberg and that my learning would be limited by using my Ranger. I clearly could not precision troll, consistent hit the breaks I found in the breaklines, or keep my boat partner on the breakline. I couldn’t locate the schools that Buck talked about. I couldn’t get up super shallow and check out the entire structure. My boat was limiting my knowledge. I hated to admit it but I knew it was true.

Around that time, a fellow MN Spoonplugger, Fran Myers, told me that he brought home one of the Spoonplugger boats that was used in the fishing schools put on by Buck and Don Dickson. He strongly suggested that I buy it from him. It was perfect timing because of the conclusion I finally came to about my Ranger. I bought it and, at the advice of several MN Spoonpluggers, I started exclusively fishing a small lake in the western Metro (Sarah) with that boat. It was a perfect natural lake to learn spoonplugging, with a multiple bars, humps, good trolling runs, and various bottom content. It had excellent water color, an abundant bass population and large northern pike. The walleyes were not plentiful but large in size. The locals fish it for slab crappies.

I fished Sarah for two years and posted many of my fishing reports on this forum. I caught more fish these last two years than I could ever imagine. I learned boat control, how fish migrate along breaks and breaklines, how fish migrate through spring, summer and fall, the bottom content most preferred by different species, the importance of depth and speed to catch fish in all weather conditions, etc. etc. etc. I even found my first schools last year. In the past I spent thousands on fishing guides and I’m finally learning the answer to the question they couldn’t answer - “why are fish here and why did we catch them?” It is so satisfying when I can end my day of fishing and honestly answer the two questions we are always asked at the boat launch - “where did you catch them and how did you catch them”. Although I would not say this to a sincere question from a curious fisherman, I’m my mind the answer is, “I caught them where they were supposed to be and I caught them on purpose”.

So you ask me about my perspective on this course of study? I say it is THE MOST imporant information to absorb and put into practice, if a person wants to consistently catch fish on any lake he or she wants to fish. And, if you really want to excel in your knowledge and be able to pass it down to kids, grandkids and friends, we must embrace ALL of Buck’s teachings and not cherry pick only the things we want to do.

Sorry for the long answer but there is one more thing I want to share. To relate this in human development terms, I know that I am still in elementary school learning to read, write and do arithmetic. I’m learning the basics because I’m studying and applying what I’ve learned. I am excited every time I get on the lake and I no longer care as much about the numbers (and I still get skunked at times) as I care about what I learned. As Buck said, knowledge is the key to success.

My 2 cents,
Ken

[joseph radunz]

Thanks for sharing, I always like to look at things from multiple angles, it helps me get a bigger picture of things, see if I’m on track with my thoughts or if I need to tweak them a little.

Your success in recent years , I believe, is due to your desire to learn and due to you being smart enough to know that had to change course and then actually doing it.

You are an inspiration. You should be proud.
Keep up the hard work.

Joe