"As A Man Thinketh In His Heart, So Is He"

This verse from Proverbs 23:7 in the Bible rings as true today as it did thousands of years ago and applies more to a man's bass fishing success than most anglers want to believe. I became keenly aware of this fact back in 1984 at the BASS Masters Classic held in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

After having dinner at the then-Governor Bill Clinton's house, I asked some of the anglers how they thought they'd fish in the tournament. The odds-on favorite, Ricky Green, lived in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and he considered the Arkansas River, the site of the Classic, his home lake. If any man had the edge to win, all the anglers felt Green did. Green knew every stick, blade of grass, logjam and rock on the river. He also had finished second in the 1983 BASS Masters Classic.

But when I asked Green how he thought he would fish in the upcoming classic, he surprised me with his answer. "I'm more nervous at this tournament than I've ever been at a tournament in my life. I'm fishing in front of my hometown crowd, and they all expect me to win. I've got a lot of pressure on me to win and if I don't win, it'll be because I haven't handled the pressure very well."

Ricky Green, who finished a respectable seventh in that Classic, commented afterwards that, "I was so uptight and nervous because I was trying to perform for my hometown crowd that I missed bass and didn't catch fish in places where I knew I should have. I guess the pressure got to me."

Green too had known where he'd have trouble concentrating.

Tomorrow: Don't Get Distracted By Other Anglers

Check back each day this week for more about bassing's secret weapons...

Day 1 - The "Loser" Who Won
Day 2 - "As A Man Thinketh In His Heart, So Is He"
Day 3 - Don't Get Distracted By Other Anglers
Day 4 - Fish Your Best Spots
Day 5 - Expect To Have Your Best Tournament Ever

John's Journal