How much is Too Much ???

[Deep C]

Sitting on land after a non productive tournament gives a guy a chance to go over the shoulda woulda couldas and do a little Monday morning quarterbacking even if it is only Sunday. Some times answers come quick. Sometimes they don't come. Then others just take longer looks... I had a dry spell that ran a few years and it was a while before I figured out the problem. I was putting out new "ideas", putting too much crap in the water and getting away from basics that worked every day.
I've been over and over and over this last weeks spreads, speeds, conditions and can't come up with a thing we did wrong other than just not step on the right fish. It did get me thinking about my canyon game overall though. I kid about the rolling tackle box and carrying enough stuff to kill the north Atlantic... Joking yes but I wonder if its a problem???
I'll elaborate. In the Bahamas I run pretty much one spread unless I want to get off track and target say wahoo, tunas or groupers. Bimini might differ from Chub spread by a little color shade and distance from the boat but effectively the same. In Florida I have a warm weather spread,winter spread and offshore spread that varries little. When I get north though the variations are numerous.
I have blue marlin intense spreads, combo blue and white spreads, tuna spreads, and number spreads. Then within these spreads I have variatrions for wind condition, moon phase and even which canyon or part of a canyon I'm working... Thats a lot of spreads... Maybe too many?
What happens with all that stuff at my finger tips is that I often spread it too thin. Instead of having plenty of spares of the right stuff rigged I have a bunch of singles of other stuff rigged. Another thing that happens is that impatient people want to get off a game plan and start "experimenting" or changing up just for the sake of trying something different. I usually don't get off a plan but sometimes I do and feel that it hurts.
Another complication of too many possibilities is that each has had its moment in the winners circle and I get stuck wanting to use one to relive that previous success. Not a bad thing unless its not working then that same stubborn bs nature of mine doesn't want to recognize it...
For example here is a lot of my spreads are "hero or zero" big fish spreads. Whites raise to it but seldom get got as the baits are so big. Its too big for tuna. Unless godzilla itself wants to play I'm going home with no flags flapping.

So now comes the part two to this dilemma... What to do? Just pick a spread and stick to it with no back up plan b? Lose the hail mary spreead and maybe just have a single ziller killer in it? Maybe some of you have some ideas... If so toss em in...

[squirtis]

Deep C

I certainly don't have the experience nor the knowledge that you have, especially in tournaments. That being said, here is a fresh perspective helpful or not, good luck.

Whenever you are consumed by something and have been doing it to the best of your ability for such a long period of time it is inevitable that a "slump" is on the horizon.

For me, surfing was my entire life from about 14 years old until about 23 years old and several times I ran into this "slump" in my performance on the water. Suddenly after it seemed like I could do no wrong for months on end overall at least it would suddenly all fall apart

After some learning experience and looking into myself a bit I came to the following conclusion: "As long as I continue to analyze my problems in performance the problem will not fix"

My real "slump breaker" was to take a longboard out just before sunset where nobody was around and just soak in the moment, and physically ride a board that weighed 5 times my normal one allowing me to sort of learn to turn like it was NEW.

My HUMBLE suggestion would be to try some fishing you either don't ever do or some fishing you haven't done in a long time that you always enjoyed, and most importantly DO IT FOR FUN, and do it where nobody else is around...have fun and get a little stupid, let the edge off, no one to impress, no charter to excite, no tournament to win, just you, the ocean, and some fish playing a little game of chess

Good Luck Deep C.....no doubt you will snap out of it soon....

Curtis

[Deep C]

Good sound advice... I have been doing quite a bit oif that "fun" fishing this season and have been doing well at it... This gets back to that thing I was talking about "trying too hard" that caused my slump years back. I Started the offshore season with a win and a relaxed approach.
The last two duds though I was really working it hard. Maybe too hard. Missing basics and thinking my way right out of the winners circle. I suppose I already have the answer to my questions. Just gotta figure out a way to smooth my own self out come game time...
I caught myself in shark season, over trying... Not bending on any plan "B" stuff. Made an effort to smooth out. Around the house and the fun days I have really got the relax thing in control. Been doing photo hunts around the neighborhood, fluke fishing, playing with tunas that I normally don't, even avoiding blowing up each time Mini Deep tries my patience with "I" Phone demands... It paid off in tyhat first event, then again on the fun trips, being willing to bend that little bit works. Gotta try to loosen up in time for next weeks event...

[biebs]

The guys I watch throw up the same numbers year after year do the same things, year after year. No switching up of spreads and a lure here during this time and a lure here during that time. Simple dead bait fishing, dredges, dinks and a couple big baits. Im lucky to sit on a dock with some of who I consider the best of the best and you learn alot. To me finding the fish and doing your homework is what consistently puts up numbers. 4 simple dink baits and a couple big baits will hammer em if you are on top of them. Just because you caught one fish on that one lure during that one time, doesnt really mean anything. There are plenty of dumb fish out there who are gonna bite anything at anyone time. How can you build confidence in what you do if you are constantly questioning a spread that only produces some of the time? Thats my .02

[Tuna Taxi]

The guys I watch throw up the same numbers year after year do the same things, year after year. No switching up of spreads and a lure here during this time and a lure here during that time. Simple dead bait fishing, dredges, dinks and a couple big baits. Im lucky to sit on a dock with some of who I consider the best of the best and you learn alot. To me finding the fish and doing your homework is what consistently puts up numbers. 4 simple dink baits and a couple big baits will hammer em if you are on top of them. Just because you caught one fish on that one lure during that one time, doesnt really mean anything. There are plenty of dumb fish out there who are gonna bite anything at anyone time. How can you build confidence in what you do if you are constantly questioning a spread that only produces some of the time? Thats my .02

Great point, Karl. last year I had a slob white hook himself on a bird/green machine WWB while I was meat fishing. That doesn't mean I'm adding the brid/green machine to my white marlin spread, though. I'm thinkin' it was just dumb luck (or dumb fish).

[captcl]

Deep,
I think the trying to hard thing has some merit. I fished a lot of inshore tourneys when up on the Ches for a speices i've caught all my life and consistently got my butt handed to me. This year i was entered in a flounder tourney the last of june. I awoke to pouring rain told my fishing partner(daughter) to go back to bed and we would fish later. Splashed the boat at 1:00pm (weigh-in starting @4:30) ran about a mile to the spot I thought would work and weighed in tied for first out of 204 boats! the first tourney I ever had something to weigh let alone win! Relaxing, de-stressing and return to basics worked for me.Don't forget to honor your catch and if you have no catch take comfort in the fact that you got back!I'm sure you will return to your catching self!

[Deep C]

You guys are right... Trying too hard seems to be it. I produce well with basics. I flipped and flopped in bed last night thinking about the spread. I HAVE done well in the past with it but its a hail mary spread. Too big for most whites and eliminates most if not all tuna bites... I need to shrink it and get back to the lighter spreads I used on the fun trips... Thanks for all the support...

[Big Jay]

Everyone hit the nail right on the head. I am the KING of overcomplicating matters.

Hell, look at my post about yesterday's report. I posted up and down on here asking about "best blue marlin lures", "how do i rig plastic for big marlin". Time and time again i tried new and different things and perhaps was just a bit too creative trying to raise a blue. Then yesterday...of all things...a black and purple tuna feather. Not a 1656, not a Wide Range, not a Super Plunger...a lure thats been putting blood on the deck before my father was born, and even my grandfather.

Same goes for whites and tuna. I tried all sorts of variations of spreader bars, chains, riggin hoo's in all sorts of fancy ways. It all boils down to just not overthinking things and getting back to basics.

[Tuna Tyme]

Deep, I like most here dont have the experance and Knowledge of offshore fishing that you have but everyone goes through the same thing from time to time and ask what the hell is going on???? What was told to me the first week I got my boat was KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID and this was from a Captain freind of mine from OC. But man its so easy to complicate things when your not getting the fish.

Tournaments change people and the way that they think. I fished with people for fun and did great,then tournamant time came and a new game plan was written. Lures,leaders,bait,colors,distance back everything, was up for change. Only you know what the real answer is so keep at it.

Tight Lines

[captcl]

[QUOTE=Tuna Tyme;227179]

Tournaments change people and the way that they think. I fished with people for fun and did great,then tournamant time came and a new game plan was written. Lures,leaders,bait,colors,distance back everything, was up for change.


That's why if I'm fishing in a tourney I'm with the same crew every time.
You would think those guys would get tirred of seeing me get my ass handed to me but good friends are good friends!