There was not a soul at the fish cleaning station as the sun set in the west. Our haul for the evening was three white bass and a catfish. Boat morale was slightly up and it was our best outing to date on this trip. The boost in confidence quickly diminished as the old man in a straw hat hobbled up to the table. His two granddaughters followed carrying a cooler full of white bass and wipers.
I tried to gleam some information from the old timer, but he just mumbled as he went to work with his fillet knife. We headed back to the cabin with deflated egos.
White bass fishing can be humbling. One day you catch a fish every cast on anything that will tie to monofilament. The next day you cannot catch a cold while boats around you are pulling fish in. Once you think you figure everything out Mother Nature will bring you back to earth with a dry spell.
The next morning was worse. As we creeped up to the cleaning station the old man was there cleaning another cooler of fish. Garrett smiled at one of the granddaughters as Rod drove past. He opted to clean the two fish on the tailgate instead of facing the judgement that ensues at a fish cleaning station.
That evening was a another bust and the following morning we were rained out. Everyone tried to remain positive, but we were not sure what to do. We tried everything that worked on previous trips, but could not find the secret sauce. Slowly we pulled out of the cove discussing our next move. Rod hit the throttle as I shouted “over there!” The white bass had the shad pushed into the shallows causing the water to boil with action. We pulled up, casted our lures…Bam! Fish on every line. We retrieved the fish, casted again, and boom! Fish on every line. That evening we were on fire managing to catch our limit well before the sun set.
And just like that we were the kings of the cleaning station as we filleted our fish.
So what is the silver bullet? Is it a lure? Is it a certain spot? Is it the action you put in your rod?
No. The secret is showing up.
How Does This Apply to Business
Woody Allen is credited for the saying “Showing up is 80 percent of life” during an interview for writing the Oscar winning screenplay for the movie Annie Hall. What does this mean? I think it means that if you want to be successful at (fill in the blank) you need to start doing (fill in the blank). For example, if I want to be a successful outdoor writer, I need to write (which I haven’t been doing). If you want to be a successful real estate agent, you need to show houses. If you want to be a successful landscaper, you need to mow lawns. If you want to catch fish, you need to fish. I think you get the picture. Showing up does not ensure success, but it gets you a lot closer. After all, you cannot catch any white bass on the couch.
Until Next Time…you are going to have to earn it.