Everyone's an Expert, So Who Has The Right Answers?
Have you ever been stuck in a conversation with a fisherman who thinks they know everything there is to know about night fishing?
I know I have. After listening about how many fish this person talked yesterday or hearing about the 8 pounder he bought home last week, it may be tempting to take the advice this person gives with absolute certainty.
And in some cases, this is a good idea. I am a strong believer in listening to experts who are achieving the results I want to achieve, learn what they do, and then do the same thing myself.
I have had good success with this method in the past, but there is one thing to be careful of.
You will surely come across people who can "talk the talk", but could not catch a fish if you put one on his line for him. The key is to identify this type of person before taking his advice. I would always be polite and listen to his stories or theories, but I would not be trying to take mental notes or try to remember everything he is saying.
There are expert fishermen out there that gladly share their knowledge with you. Seek these people out. I learned this first hand on some fishing related forums on the Internet. Whenever I had a question about something, I posted it on these forums. Sure enough, I would get responses from people that I'm not sure have fished a day in their life. Had I taken their advice, I could have been killed, injured, thrown in jail or worse yet, come home with an empty fish bucket 🙂
Rather than ask the guys hanging out at the Bass Shop for advice, why not ask the guys out on the lake who are reeling them in faster than you can cast your line out?
If you can not see the results for yourself, I'd be leery of taking a stranger's advice. With that said, another sure fire way to learn what works is to test many different things. If you try 20 different lures, you are sure to find one that works with the location you are fishing. When you find one that is working, write it down in a notebook somewhere, along with the location you are at, what lure is working, time of day, etc.