Woo Daves: Slow Your Fishing Down

Woo Daves of Spring Grove, Virginia, one of the oldest competitors on the bass-fishing circuits, has fished in almost 200 tournaments and has won money in nearly half of them, with career winnings of over $300,000.

"I'm living proof that mental attitude is everything in bass fishing," Daves explained. "At my age, there's no way I can run laps with all these young fishermen. I've learned to slow my fishing down, try to land every bass that hits my bait and not get in a hurry. I believe that thinking you can catch bass is very important to your success.

"One of the most important things to remember is that a bass doesn't carry a clock. He can bite five minutes before your fishing day is over, or he can bite five minutes after your day has started. You can catch the biggest bass of your lifetime in the last minute you fish on any given day. Over the years, I've weighed in five or six bass that I've caught in the last minute of a tournament. You have to be confident that you can catch a bass until the time you lay your rod down and put your boat on the trailer."

The Good Book says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Some of the best bass fishermen in the world have proved that this old adage is as applicable to bass fishing as it is to life in general. Your mental attitude does, can and will determine how many bass you find and catch each day you go on the water. You can think, "more bass," and win.

Check back each day this week for more about Winning Attitudes from Winning Pros...

Day 1 - Davy Hite: I Didn't Dwell On Letdowns
Day 2 - Denny Brauer: Learn To Roll With The Punches
Day 3 - Kevin VanDam: Fish Your Confidence Baits
Day 4 - Larry Nixon: Fish The Way You're Confident Fishing And Jay Yelas: Stay Positive
Day 5 -Woo Daves: Slow Your Fishing Down

John's Journal