What did you learn in 2015?

I have been at this game a LONG time and every year is different, and it is amazing how a guy can learn something every year. With that said what did you guys learn or get reminded of from things you may have learned from previous years that you can share? For me it was. 1. Boat traffic doesn't seem to bother/affect fish feeding as much as it bothers the fishermen. 2. I also believe you do better fishing smarter versus fishing harder. I can't wait until next year.

I certainly agree with fishing smarter not harder. My seasons are also highly variable. I try to concentrate on picking where and how I fish based on weather and water conditions to put the odds of success in my favor. This season I reaffirmed the effects of fishing pressure and how nice it is to get away from it. In late fall and early winter this year I enjoyed fishing for active frigid water muskies. No matter how much I do it, it always amazes me just how active muskies can be in 34-37 F water. Thanks Adam Glickman

Great feedback guys, much better than previous years. Keep it coming and have a good day.

Maybe I should do some upper body work out before making 10,000 casts

One thing I kept telling myself no matter how long I went without seeing a fish this season was "It's gonna happen". There is no way, no mater how many times I cast, even if it doesn't happen sun up to sun down, will there never be another fish. Does that make sense? There will always be another follow, another strike and another in the bag. It's just a matter of time. Every year I learn new patience and we all know how much of a mental struggle musky hunting is. Focus has been the theme for a lot of posts here and I couldn't agree more. Of all of the devastation I have burned into my memory from missing fish, a big portion of it has to do with being distracted or just plain not ready. So that for me was the big one this year. Stay focused as if there is a fish behind every cast and never give up.

After reading Tom Gelb he said to keep a figure 8 going as long as you can even after the fish has so called "left" the boat. I got a 47.5 after 2.5 mins of 8'ING after i couldnt see it anymore you can see it in the video I made of my 2015 season high lights http://youtu.be/DToPhNRYOkg

I learned I spent to much time chasing muskies so I'm going to sell everything I own.

The other thing I learned was get a terrova. best piece of gear I own. whether trolling, casting, sucker fishing a terrova will give you the best boat control. boat control equals more fish. plus better boat control with less attention to boat control. in the past I ran the trolling motor by foot....i spend a lot less time fishing because of it. for trolling it is the best thing there is. hands free control and speed control.

Talk about your homemade sucker rigs, BigMusky12. I've been thinking of making my own as well. I do well on the sucker rigs I buy at the shops, but they are pretty crappy sometimes in terms of sustainability. The value isn't very good.

What did I learn? Fish eat when they want to eat and not necessarily you think they will eat. I fished peak moon phase and frontal conditions all spring-summer-fall in proven areas and got skunked. Then I go out on the high sky Sunday afternoon in all sorts of boat traffic and catch 3. To para-quote Jim Saric, "when's the best time to go musky fishing? Whenever you can." I think my biggest problem was fishing lakes too often that are too pressured. I have a lake in mind that is not pressured at all that I know they are in and I will solely focus on that lake next year.

Some lessons. Let's start off with the biggest one. (1) Lots of the stuff I read about musky fishing isn't set in stone. Some of us already know this, but some don't. For example, Musky Hunter magazine will have "expert" articles about how to fish musky during the Fall season, when in reality other non-traditional methods work just as well. Sure, you can catch fish working deeper Fall structure, but other spots work just as well. Big fish, too. The lesson to be learned here is that there's a lot of money to be made touting info in the musky world. Remember the incentives. That's a good lesson. The same goes for lures. In reality, anything can happen on any given day. What I'm saying here is blasphemy among some musky fisherman since they think they have the answers. Many also don't want to recognize the role of pure luck. Yes, skill and experience is huge, but luck always plays a role - being on that active fish at the right time. A lot of guys say that you could cast out an old shoe and get that fish to hit it when you're on the right spot at the right time, and that's something I've grown to understand. (2) Trying new water in order to catch bigger fish. Harris17 hit this. I agree. Make sure to do some homework on "big fish" waters. One way to increase your odds is to make sure you're on the "good" water to begin with. Sometimes this is painful since you have to give up time on your favorite waters. I totally understand. I'll say this, though - my dad and I each caught our personal best fish over the past two years because we explored and tried new water. I encourage taking this risk. Something else is that you may need to give up action in order to get quality. This is a pattern I've seen. We visit action lakes, trophy lakes, and new lakes every year. We balance it well for what we want to do. (3) Focusing on specific sections of water. Ivtofish hit this. I think Dick Sleight and Tony Rizzo used to talk about this, too - they would just keep working an area where they knew a larger fish was at. This is something I've improved upon, especially during the last two years. Instead of just "going wherever" due to my excitement of being on the water, I more carefully work areas and hit them multiple times. That means doing 2-3 passes instead of one, and also returning to that area at another time during the day, such as after a weather change or during the evening approaching sunset. Yes, this means you can't cover the entire lake, but it pays off. Don't feel like you have to cover all of the bases. (4) Mastering lures and building confidence. This is real. Sticking with certain lures. Marc said he focused on keeping the same lure and not switching as much. I think this is good advice, and it goes counter to what some musky "experts" talk about (getting back to my first lesson point). What lure did you stick with during those weeks where you had success, Marc? (5) Fish hard all day. Fishing smart is good, but fishing hard is great. Oxman and Ivtofish hit this. You have to be out there grinding since musky fishing is a numbers game. You're chasing the smallest density fish in the lake, the top predator. Fish4Musky mentioned focus and making sure all of your gear is in great shape, including the boat. Lots of people skimp on these basics. Don't get lazy with your boat side maneuvers, boat control, and tackle management. Sharpen your hooks, keep your lures organized, check your leaders and connections, check your line, clean your reels, don't hit/bang things with the rod or the guides/eyes, the list goes on. Do your checks every day, multiple times a day. It only takes a few seconds. Be careful with your gear. Lots of guys are lazy on this stuff. I haven't lost a fish to an equipment failure yet, and there's a reason. I'm sure it will eventually happen, but you can control a lot. (6) Resist urges. Resist old habits that might be bad. Be honest with yourself about this. This lesson applies to all of the others we talked about.

Switching baits less often = more fish. I stuck to the same proven bait for a few weeks, and did really good. If my boat musky box only had my 4 best baits (with an extra one of each for backup), is probably what I should stick with.

I learned to stay persistent and dont get lazy after a long day of not seeing a fish, that when your opportunity will happen and will slip away as fast as it came. 2 stick my game plan like previously stated i too quickly second guess myself. 3 make the most of ever cast and slow down when fishing structure and a spot. Also if possible fish every angle possible. 4 boat cleats will break the heaviest of musky rods. 5 boat control boat control boat control. 6 try new things and dont always stay in my comfort zone, whether it be different lures or trying new water. 7 it is never a good idea to stop at rollie and helens on payday.... NEVER!!!!!!

1.Boat control--I had a bad habit of getting to close to structure/cover--can always move closer but to close=less chances for success. 2.Focus(stop being lazy on figure 8's for example) 3.Making and sticking to a game plan--I tend to 2nd guess myself to quickly. 4.Making sure the boat-fishing tackle is in top shape i.e. Check and recheck hook sharpness,line knicks,swivels,reels,etc. ---I lost a nice fish last year on a broken swivel and I missed 2 fish on 1 particular morning that I thought I had stuck. Checked the hooks to find how dull they were.(brand new lure) Sharpened and proceeded to stick a nice 40" 5.Slow down! Speed of retrieves and Don't worry about the next spot,lake,opportunity etc (all of this also falls under focus/attention. Lol-this is my biggest problem) I usually only get around 5-10 days a season to target musky and get amped up. My success rates of seeing and catching fish have probably doubled in the last 2 years. I still have not netted a big fish(45+" IMO). I have hooked a few but lost them. Next year I plan on spending a lot more time on the water and hope for more success(I did raise over 20 fish and converted my first figure 8 fish this year).

learned hopefully not to get so mad when i miss fish! Did learn that they like my homemade baits experimented with a lot of colors and blades etc...hope next year to have the baits perfected!!

I made it a point to fly fish for them more especially when sight fishing. There are many times when you can throw a "traditional" bait at them (bucktail, glider, crank, etc.) where they simply have no interest at all. Place a fly in front of them and they no longer ignore your presentation. I envisioned using a fly rod in very specific situations prior to using it more this year. Now it is certainly an approach that will be a season long option. Especially after contacting fish on more traditional structure and seeing how much more favorably they react to this type of presentation over something a bit more typical. The fly rod will always be an option in the future and I could see it as my preferred approach the majority of the time moving forward. On a "fun" scale of 1-100 (100 being the most fun) hooking one on conventional gear is about a 5. Hooking one on a fly rod breaks that scale.