Page 56 - Lady Bass Digital Magazine May 2023 Revised

any practice time on the lake had solid days on the water. What did they
do that I wasn’t doing? What were they doing mentally that I was not able
to do? I was so happy for them, yet so disappointed in myself!
On the drive home, I had a lot of time to think and ponder over things. I
was not wrong in listening to the fish we caught with deeper water near,
but I was not able to adapt when that was not working even though I tried
a lot of different techniques. I began to think about what those who had
success did that I didn’t do. I thought about what each of those anglers

is known for. These ladies are like fish magnets and seem to be able to find
fish regardless of the conditions. Alisa Johnson and Pam Ridgle are known
for fishing wacky rigs and fishing them fast as well as putting the bait
into tight places. Penny is known for her buzz bait fishing and working the
base of cypress trees. Denise, to me, is known more for her power fish-
ing...Texas rigged worms and such.

I know what I used to be known for, in my mind, but what would I say I am
known for now? I could not answer that question. That is when it really

dawned on me that I have lost my fishing identity. Instead of focusing on a
small handful of techniques as my staple, I have too many choices. My goal
of learning a new technique every year has now become a problem. This is
not to say that there are not times to pull out something different. There

56 Lady Bass Anglers Association