Westernbass Magazine June 2011, Page 41

Westernbass Magazine June 2011, Page 41

He suggested to do that, go with what you know. This brought him to the other half of what is in his panic box, the actual physical item… a crankbait. “The crankbait is my confidence bait; when everything else goes out the window, I’m comfortable crankin’ whether I’m catchin’ ‘em or not,” he explained.

Mah stressed the importance of one’s own individual self-assurance in the tough times saying, “Some anglers are going to start throwin’ little worms but that’s not my strength and when I’m up against a challenge, my go-to is going to be crankbait; that’s where my confidence lies and if I trust myself to fish what I know best, I will always do better than if I am doubting my bait or my ability in that bait.”

Suggesting ways to discover either item in your own panic box, Mah remarked, “If you’re trying to find your “confidence” or your “confidence bait” you need to catch fish to feel good; you need to draw on previous success in tournaments or even successes you had when you were just out fishing for fun.”

He continued sharing how an angler can prepare to panic by having a panic plan of attack. “Being prepared to panic means you cannot forget the details. You can have your confidence bait but you can’t just rely on that and discount that you may need to modify that tool. Panic to your strength but don’t forget to adapt it to seasonal patterns, current conditions and body of water.”

Giving the example of the Father of Flippin’ Dee Thomas, Mah stated, “Dee flips a lot; obviously, but if he wasn’t getting’ bit and he had to, he would lighten his line or maybe his weight or even go to a smaller plastic. He would use the same technique, his strength, his confidence but the tool is modified.”

Using himself as an illustration, he said, “I am always going to go with a reaction bait, even in a gin

clear lake; I may have to adapt my size, depth, speed of retrieve, color or translucency but it is what I have confidence in and there are lots of ways to adapt it. If I’m not getting’ bit or not getting’ bit good, my first consideration will be cast and cadence, from there I will find a way to make an alteration. I know, for me, if I have a spinning rod in my hand, I’m not fishing my strength and I’m not fishing to win.”

Mah shows up to every tournament with the two necessary components in his panic box, one for the mental game and one for the physical. He again described the bottom line of reacting to panic time as “fishing your strength” and remembering “people can get caught up in other baits or patterns, but that is not necessarily their own confidence bait or technique; believe in yourself, learn from your time on the water and in a tournament, don’t let any doubts effect your immediate fishing.”

ISSUE 2  June 2011

41