A Master's Mentality

A couple weeks ago my fiance and I flew down to Rockport, Texas to meet up with my family and spend a couple days fishing together. The four of us fished as a group at the start of the week but on Friday my dad and I decided to go out with a guide. The girls did not go on this trip because the trip would be 100% wade fishing (standing in the water while fishing) and I would have a better chance at winning the lottery than getting my fiance to go wadefishing. As we showed up to the dock that morning, I would have no idea of the life lessons that were around the corner!

Before we get into these lessons, let's flashback a bit...

We have a boat for a couple years now and even though we love to fish out of our own boat, we still go fishing with a guide a couple times a year. We hire a guide for the same reason you would sign up for a seminar...its a learning experience. On this particular trip my dad wanted to do a little research and find the local "expert". It wasn't long until we booked the saltwater fishing legend, Jay Watkins www.JayWatkins.com .

It was a unanimous conclusion throughout Rockport that if we wanted the best, Jay was the one!

We stepped out on the dock, that day, walking up to the boat as if we were about to get golf lessons from Tiger Woods...nervous, yet eagar to learn!

From the second we stepped on the boat the seminar began!

Jay educated us on anything and everything that had to do with fishing...but the real lessons came when we started fishing.

Our first stop was a shoreline where the bait fish were jumping as if they were allergic to the water (this is a good sign that fish were in the area). We shut the boat down and began to pile out. We began wading down the shoreline and it didn't take long to realize that the fish weren't there. As opposed to trying to force something to happen or waiting on our luck to change, Jay said "Let's load em up boys...we have a ton of places to hit today!"

I looked at my dad as we walked back to the boat and whispered, "We were only there for like 10 minutes...at this pace he is going to run out of spots in a couple hours!" My dad just looked at me and shrugged (I think he realized I would end up eating my words by the end of the day).

As we got back to the boat my dad asked Jay, "How long do you stay at a spot when you feel it might not produce?" Here was lesson 1...

Jay said, "Not long! As a professional, you don't wait on change...you make things change!"

That was the moment I knew this would be a trip that might not only impact the way I viewed fishing, but would change the way I viewed success!

Jay then cranked up the boat and headed off to our next spot. As we pulled up to the shell reef he was constantly telling us what he was looking for..."Yep! There's bait here boys...water looks good...current's perfect...Let's do it...let's go bend these rods boys!"

My dad and I were eating this up...we couldn't get enough of this guy!

We began wading down one side of the reef and casting to the other side. Jay was constantly walking and changing his "area of attack" (refer back to lesson 1...create change!). After about 5 minutes we heard Jay say, "There he is boys!" ...as his rod was beant down! (this would be a phrase and a sight we would experience over 100 times that day).

"Move down here boys...they are right over there!"

I proceeded to cast it right where he said (lucky I guess) and he looked at me and said...

"That's it right there! Hold on! You're gonna get 'er with that cast!"

He didn't even finish his sentence when I got slammed by a big trout!

This guy was rediculous!! He was like Babe Ruth calling his shot but saying..."I am going to hit a home run to the guy in the green shirt, row 12, section 114!

I finally had to ask him..."How do you know know where these fish are going to be and when they are going to bite?"

Jay looked at me, chuckled, and said " If you spent thousands of hours out here like I have, you would be able to do it as well! It's not a God-given ability...it's a learned skill!"

I think too many times we see someone that is exceptional at what they do and we try explain their degree of success by saying that they are gifted or just lucky. A couple thoughts on the perspective...

1- That is just a way to justify why we aren't as good as someone else. "I could be as good as Tiger if I could hit the ball 350 yards!"

The statement should go like this...

"I could be as good as Tiger if I put in the hundreds of thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears, on the driving range like he has!"

Now, some of you might be thinking..."Talent does play a part in success!". First, let me say that I agree with you...BUT...

Talent is only the "wood"...it takes a great deal of work, preparation, resiliency, and patience to build a beautiful home!

2- It takes away from the hard work the individual, like Jay, had to put in to be so good!

ok...Back to our fishing trip...

We had caught 30 or 40 fish at this spot and we were still catching them when Jay said...

"Load 'em up boys! Nuff playin with these kids...lets go find their parents!"

(just for the record...the fish weren't small but when you are a true professional "small fish" aren't good enough anymore...you begin looking for the "Big Fish")

We got back into the boat and headed to a few more spots but Jay treated them like the first spot we went to...10 minutes and no BIG fish..."Load 'em up boys!"

That's when we hit a shoreline where the next life lesson took place...

We piled out of the boat and began wading down the shoreline...

We couldn't have been more than 20 feet away from each other and we were casting into the same vacinity but Jay was catching 5 fish to every 1 we caught!

How can this happen?

We are standing right next to him, casting to the same spot, fishing with the same bait, and he is catching 5 fish to every 1 we catch!!!! I asked my dad..."How is this possible?" His answer would be my next lesson...

My dad said..."Jason, its simple! Its just like sales! If you put an amateur in the same territory as the professional, the professional will beat him all day long! Its not the water...its the process at which he works the water!"

After about an hour of fishing this shoreline we decided to head in and call it a day!

I figured the lessons would end at that point...since the fishing did...

ohhhh how wrong I was! The next lesson left me speachless!

On the ride in my dad asked Jay, "So Jay, do you ever have a problem with clients fishing your spots?"

Jay said, " Nope. They aren'y MY spots! If they are in a spot that I regularly fish then I'll go to another one. I don't have 6 spots...I have hundreds! Anyone who gets mad at you for fishing in their spot is relying on the location...I rely on my ability! If you know how to fish and what to look for...you have endless options!

WOW!!! I still cannot stop thinking about this fishing trip! The lessons I learned, that day, will stick with me for a lifetime!

Thanks Jay! It was one of the most memorable fishing trips of my life!!!