Why give a fishing report at the
meeting?
(The Overhead View)
By Jerry Hein
As I am looking forward to the coming season I
am thinking of what I get out of being a member of the
"Illinois Spoonpluggers" club. What is it that has kept me
returning, whenever possible, to participate as we share our
experiences with each other? The thing that has helped me grow
the most, as a Spoonplugger, is hearing and seeing the success
that others have while using the techniques that Mr. Perry has
so kindly shared with us.
These shared learning's have opened my eyes time
and time again. I, as many others like me, had reached a
plateau. My success was going to my head, but still I was not
thorough in my approach. Then an important change in the club's
meeting format was made. An overhead projector was available
for the fishing reports.
As I was giving my next fishing report, someone
said, "could you give us a little sketch on the overhead?" As a
crude sketch began to take shape on the wall, probing questions
followed. "Where's the deep water? What's the depth of the
first break-line? Is there a hard or soft bottom? Is there a
route from the deep to the shallows? What seasonal factors
should we consider? Who else has fished this structure? What
was the water color?" These and many other questions naturally
flow from the simple task of putting a sketch on the overhead.
Soon that crude sketch was a map, and the club was helping me
interpret the map!
I quickly realized that there was more to
Spoonplugging than clipping on a lure and trolling around the
lake. The goal of mapping is to find contact points which we
can return to again and again. During my next fishing report I
wanted to be in a position to answer more of these questions so
I started getting more details on my maps. I have seen relative
new comers give reports that made me realize that I was not
progressing as fast as I could. When the principles of
Spoonplugging are applied it makes all fisherman more
successful. The more thoroughly they are applied the quicker we
will grasp the reasons behind the concepts.
I thank the members for the crude sketches we
draw during our fishing reports. Each report is another
opportunity to grow as a Spoonplugger, for the artist and the
audience. I'm looking forward to growing some more this year.
If you are reading this as a member of another club, do your
club a favor and get an overhead projector. It may be the best
tool of all to help a club grow in the concepts of
spoonplugging. MAPPING & INTREPRETATION, KNOWLEDGE,
SUCCESS, SATISFACTION
Keep on plugg'in
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