Take a Fishing Lesson From a Hunter
Fishermen need to take a lesson from Streamhunter. They need to spend more off season time scouting water. As any successful hunter will tell you, the pre-season scouting consumes as much time, if not more, than the actual hunt. And during these scouting forays you are likely to learn more about your prey than just by the mere act of hunting.
Like hunting, fishing is a blood sport. Sure, we can practice catch and release, and for the health of the resource it is most often wise to do so. But, none-the-less fishing is an act of predation. And in order to be the most efficient predator fishermen can spend many enjoyable hours on the water, be it river, lake or stream, honing their skills by being a careful observer and student of their prey.
The many fishermen I've known over the years have all had varying levels of skill and ability and those who are the most successful go about their sport with a mindset far, far different than the casual angler. What I've seen as the primary difference is their intensity as a predator, and the time they spend learning the habits and reactions of their chosen prey. Many times this can be more important than having skillful command of the use of their equipment. When both are achieved the level of proficiency raises to that of an efficient predator.
These anglers are usually quite adaptive to changing situations and circumstance rarely becoming flustered by their target. The situation is seldom new, having been quickly related to experiences encountered before. The lessons learned by continued off season observation and scouting are at the ready to be used as needed.
Another benefit to off season scouting for the fisherman is the additional time spent outdoors. This needs no expanding on as one of the primary reasons many fish in the first place is to kindle their outdoor relationship. Not being on the water fishing per se also changes your focus allowing you to concentrate on other areas that the distraction of fishing wouldn't allow.
