Wellness on the Water: Anglerʼs Block (Part 1)
By Chad Leton
Whether you have just begun fishing tournaments or you are a seasoned veteran of your local or regional tournament circuit, you may one day experience that agonizing ordeal on the water known as “anglerʼs block”. As you read further, you may recognize that you have already encountered it.
Anglerʼs Block Defined:
Anglerʼs block can best be described as a condition, primarily associated with angling competition, in which an angler loses the ability to execute the mental and physical aspects of targeting bass by presenting an artificial lure in a purposeful manner in an effort to hook and land a bass.
From the back of the boat, anglerʼs block may come to light as grunting, moaning, or sighing. Perhaps it comes to the forefront of your fishing day in the form of questions like “Whatʼs going on out here?” or “What am I doing?”. The worst scenario is when it manifests itself AFTER the event, on the ride home, without an opportunity to turn things around. “What just happened out there?”.
And beware: There is an almost evil side of the anglerʼs block spectrum that can exhibit itself as an all-out meltdown on the water. Even the most accomplished fisherman can fall victim. Think of Michael Iaconelliʼs rant during the 2006 Bassmasterʼs Classic. For those who may not recall....Ike had an “incident” on Lake Toho, experiencing a mental lapse that cost him any chance of victory. When he discovered that his limit of fish was expiring in the livewell, he ran head-first into a virtual wall of anglerʼs block. The resulting behavior left Mike one straight-jacket short of ʻThe Cuckooʼs Nestʼ! Needless to say, he didn't win.
Wise anglers recognize, accept, adjust, and recover…the best go on to win! For example, the October 2011 issue of FLW magazine features two articles which recap Scott Martinʼs Forrest Wood Cup victory on Lake Ouachita and Mark Modrakʼs Everstart Series Central win on Lake St. Clair. The common denominator of their winning tales is that each overcame anglerʼs block. They recognized the condition at the onset, made an adjustment, recovered, and ultimately secured the win.
For Scott, he had a limit of a little more than 12 lbs on the final day. He figured he needed at least 14lbs to lock up his win. He began to struggle out deep for another bite, when all of a sudden, and (as Scott describes it) "for no apparent reason”, he felt the need to go to the bank and throw a topwater for a minute, "just to clear his head." He pulled up to a random bank and began to throw a topwater walking bait. On his third cast he hooked a 3 lb largemouth that put him over the 14 lb mark, removing all doubts that the FLW cup was his!*
Modrak describes how he fished the same general area during all three days of his tournament. On the final day, he was struggling to keep fish hooked and get them into to the boat. After missing several bites, he decided he “needed a mental break”. He packed up and fished another spot that didn't produce any "useful" fish, but it did give him the opportunity to settle down. He returned to his primary area ready to execute and was able to put a few quality fish in the boat and cull up to 20 lbs.*
In Part 2 of Wellness on the Water, we will highlight several valuable steps an angler can explore and execute in their efforts to efficiently and effectively recognize and overcome “Anglerʼs Block”.
Stay Tuned and Keep Fishing Forward!
Chad Leton possesses a Bachelorʼs Degree in Psychology from Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida
and is a youth angler educator from Southeastern, Wisconsin who operates HookedUp101 Fishing
Academy. http://www.facebook.com/pages/HookedUp101-Fishing-Academy/116812915087288
*Martin and Modrakʼs article recaps provided by David A. Brown and Rob Newell, writers for FLW Magazine
Whether you have just begun fishing tournaments or you are a seasoned veteran of your local or regional tournament circuit, you may one day experience that agonizing ordeal on the water known as “anglerʼs block”. As you read further, you may recognize that you have already encountered it.
Anglerʼs Block Defined:
Anglerʼs block can best be described as a condition, primarily associated with angling competition, in which an angler loses the ability to execute the mental and physical aspects of targeting bass by presenting an artificial lure in a purposeful manner in an effort to hook and land a bass.
From the back of the boat, anglerʼs block may come to light as grunting, moaning, or sighing. Perhaps it comes to the forefront of your fishing day in the form of questions like “Whatʼs going on out here?” or “What am I doing?”. The worst scenario is when it manifests itself AFTER the event, on the ride home, without an opportunity to turn things around. “What just happened out there?”.
And beware: There is an almost evil side of the anglerʼs block spectrum that can exhibit itself as an all-out meltdown on the water. Even the most accomplished fisherman can fall victim. Think of Michael Iaconelliʼs rant during the 2006 Bassmasterʼs Classic. For those who may not recall....Ike had an “incident” on Lake Toho, experiencing a mental lapse that cost him any chance of victory. When he discovered that his limit of fish was expiring in the livewell, he ran head-first into a virtual wall of anglerʼs block. The resulting behavior left Mike one straight-jacket short of ʻThe Cuckooʼs Nestʼ! Needless to say, he didn't win.
Wise anglers recognize, accept, adjust, and recover…the best go on to win! For example, the October 2011 issue of FLW magazine features two articles which recap Scott Martinʼs Forrest Wood Cup victory on Lake Ouachita and Mark Modrakʼs Everstart Series Central win on Lake St. Clair. The common denominator of their winning tales is that each overcame anglerʼs block. They recognized the condition at the onset, made an adjustment, recovered, and ultimately secured the win.
For Scott, he had a limit of a little more than 12 lbs on the final day. He figured he needed at least 14lbs to lock up his win. He began to struggle out deep for another bite, when all of a sudden, and (as Scott describes it) "for no apparent reason”, he felt the need to go to the bank and throw a topwater for a minute, "just to clear his head." He pulled up to a random bank and began to throw a topwater walking bait. On his third cast he hooked a 3 lb largemouth that put him over the 14 lb mark, removing all doubts that the FLW cup was his!*
Modrak describes how he fished the same general area during all three days of his tournament. On the final day, he was struggling to keep fish hooked and get them into to the boat. After missing several bites, he decided he “needed a mental break”. He packed up and fished another spot that didn't produce any "useful" fish, but it did give him the opportunity to settle down. He returned to his primary area ready to execute and was able to put a few quality fish in the boat and cull up to 20 lbs.*
In Part 2 of Wellness on the Water, we will highlight several valuable steps an angler can explore and execute in their efforts to efficiently and effectively recognize and overcome “Anglerʼs Block”.
Stay Tuned and Keep Fishing Forward!
Chad Leton possesses a Bachelorʼs Degree in Psychology from Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida
and is a youth angler educator from Southeastern, Wisconsin who operates HookedUp101 Fishing
Academy. http://www.facebook.com/pages/HookedUp101-Fishing-Academy/116812915087288
*Martin and Modrakʼs article recaps provided by David A. Brown and Rob Newell, writers for FLW Magazine
Posted by Kurt at 9/28/2011 5:17 PM 
Categories: Success, tournament
Tags: bass ishing tournament winning chad leton hooked up 101 fishing academy
Categories: Success, tournament
Tags: bass ishing tournament winning chad leton hooked up 101 fishing academy
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