by Kurt

I am blown away by a video I just saw online! Blown away! Take a look (promise me you'll come back here, though) http://bass.outdoorsfirst.com/watch.asp?id=3479 My brother emailed me the link to this video blog by The Reel Shot Elite Pro Travis Manson on OutdoorsFirst Media's site.



Good gravy those are monsters! Most guys (even the pros) would call any day with one bass in the 10lb class, a good day. It just looks weird to see somebody reach into his livewell and pull out three fish that would go 30lbs! But then I started thinking, the REALLY weird thing is how this can happen on the same water, under the same conditions, where 100 of the world's finest fisherman just competed for 4 days, and nobody came close to 30lbs for 5 fish? Wisconsin's Travis Manson is one of the Elite. This guy can CATCH 'EM! Unfortunately, he caught these fish after he was eliminated from this competition. So what was different today? Luck? If it was one 10lb'er I might admit that it could be luck. But three giants? (and actually, there was a fourth fish that would have dwarfed these three). To me, that starts to point to more than just luck. I asked Travis what he thought the difference might be.

Pressure, he told me - two different kinds of pressure. First, was the pressure the fish felt. He drove far from the tournament launch site (so he wouldn't interfere with the remaining competitors) and found fish that weren't quite as spooky as the spawners that had been pressured by a weeks worth of the best fishermen in the world plunking soft plastics on their heads. But second, and most importantly, was the inescapable pressure that comes with competing at the Elite level. This is his career, his income, his life. There's a lot at stake. And while that pressure can be incredibly motivating, it can also make you second guess yourself, hurry your decisions, and challenge your focus.

Travis estimates that at least 75% of anyone's success on tour can be attributed to their ability to turn in a strong mental performance. All of his competitors have mastered the mechanics of casting and boat control. Everyone has access to gear and lures that rarely fail. The most consistent finishers have a remarkable ability to stay focused and confident under the most challenging conditions.

So I asked Travis about controlling focus and confidence. Can it be learned, and can it be improved upon? Absolutely, he replied enthusiastically! Obviously, experience (time on the water) will go a long way to improve confidence. If you can draw on a memory of similar conditions, you'll be more likely to find the answer to the current puzzle before doubt can creep in and erode your confidence. It is often said that there is no substitute for time on the water, and it's true. But even the most dedicated angler can only spend a finite number of hours on a boat. A great way to gain an advantage is to practice fishing even when you're nowhere near the water. Visualization exercises are a key part of Travis' practice. If you can imagine yourself having the best day ever, catching giant bass after giant bass, and winning the big tournament, then your brain will believe you. This is a really simplified explanation of how visualization works, but we'll have to save a detailed discussion for another blog. Just know that logging time imaging yourself being successful will go a long way towards improving your confidence in real life. Travis shared a quick story that really makes this point. It was in 2006 that he realized that he wanted to fish the Elite tour. If you're reading this, you've probably thought to yourself, that you'd like to fish the Elite series too. So how did Travis make it a reality, while it's still just a daydream for the rest of us? As soon as he decided that was what he wanted, he let his brain know that there could be no other outcome. He found an article about an Elite series tournament, and replaced the winners name with his own name. He replaced the photos with photos of himself. Then he read the article again and again. Travis Manson, Elite angler. And then he would read it again, and imagine what it would be like. Wisconsin angler Travis Manson fishes elite series. And again - how would it feel? Travis Manson wins Elite Tour event! Several years later, he found himself leading day one of the qualifying event that would be his invitation to fish the Elite series. He thought about that article and realized that his weight was exactly the same as the weight of the day one leader in the inspirational article. Coincidence? Maybe. Cool? Definitely! But would he have made it to the big leagues without that article? Obviously, it's impossible to say for sure, but let me point out again that he IS fishing the Elite series while the rest of us are still dreaming.

Now let's get back to those giant fish in the video. The average angler might see those fish the day after the tournament and think that was the most frustrating, torturous thing that could happen. Obviously, Travis would admit that he would have preferred to have caught them during the tournament. No one would have blamed him if he had just hopped in his truck, hit the road, and put this disappointing finish behind him. But remember, Travis' brain KNOWS that he will win an Elite series event. Even on a subconscious level, his mind leads him to do things that will make his win a reality. Going back out on the lake was another chance to gather information about catching Florida largemouth that he can use to his advantage later. You saw the video. Do you think it would help your confidence if you knew for a fact that you were capable of catching a bag like that? I believe that this well-trained, competitive, Elite series angler's brain knows exactly what to do with this information. I said earlier that it looked weird to see someone pull that many freakishly oversized fish from one livewell, but now that I understand the way Travis Manson approaches this sport, I wouldn't be so surprised to see it again…only this time, he hands those fish to Trip Weldon. I can picture it now…and you know Travis has already pictured it hundreds of times!

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward!