Why Moms Are Great Anglers
When my parents come to stay at the cabin my father and I try to fish for two or three hours every day. We generally do quite well and once in every four or five trips, Mom decides to tag along.
While we have never kept official statistics, I have noticed over the past few summers that Mom tends to catch the most fish on a regular basis. Recently, I decided to pay more attention to her fishing style to see why she pulls in so many fish.
Fish Like Mom – Why Mom Catches More Fish
Attitude
The first difference I noticed is her attitude. A day fishing with the boys is viewed by Mom as a tranquil excursion out on the lake and catching fish probably falls third or fourth on the priority list. As such, she tends to go about her fishing in a very relaxed way. Mom is a patient angler, isn’t particularly picky abut the lure she uses, and will fish with the same bait for an extended period of time. This produces good results.
My father and I, on the other hand, tend to be more anxious, less patient, and will change lures on a regular basis if we are not catching any fish.
Technique
Mom has a very inconsistent technique. Some cast are short, some casts are long, and sometimes she just drops the lure off the side of the boat and bounces it around a bit. In a moment when she is focused on the fish her retrieve tends to speed up. At other times, she may be thinking about other things and her retrieve will slow to a crawl. Sometimes, while she is observing the natural surroundings, she will stop her retrieve altogether for a few seconds to point out a turtle, an eagle, or a deer. Funny enough, it is when she begins to reel in the lure again, she often catches a fish. The erratic nature of her fishing technique seems to bring in a lot of fish.
My father and I have developed our own fishing styles over the years and tend to stay in a certain technical comfort zone the entire time we are fishing. Our casts are generally always the same length, we use a consistent retrieve, and engage particular methods for the specific species we are pursuing at any given moment.
What Mom Catches
Slot-size walleyes that land on the kitchen table are regularly caught by Mom using lures designed for catching other fish. In fact, she tends to catch a bit of everything regardless of the type of lure she uses, which she often chooses on a whim. When fishing for pickerel, Mom regularly hooks a large bass or an aggressive northern pike. It seems the bait she uses has little effect on the type of fish she catches. When a lure is on the end of Mom’s line, we never really know what she will catch next.
Mom’s Fishing Philosophy
My father and I are constantly experimenting with new gear, strategies, and locations. We watch the weather, search for structure, and test the water temperature in an effort to improve our odds. These actions result in varying levels of success. When we catch a fish we chalk it up to our refined skills, and when we have a bad day we always manage to find a perfectly acceptable technical excuse. For Mom, it’s always a pleasant surprise when a fish takes the bait. “Hey guys, I think I have another one!” is her regular announcement. Whether she catches fish or not, the outing is always an enjoyable one and a slow day is simply attributed to the fact that the fish weren’t hungry.
Maybe we should all just fish like Mom.
Go to the Beginner Fishing Equipment page to see the gear Mom needs to start fishing.
Go to the Beginner Fishing Tips page to get some advice on how to be safe when fishing from the shore or a boat.
Written by: Andrew Walker
