big fish
THE AR ® T OF
Winter 2021
FIGHTING AND LANDING By John Liechty
page
16
W
e fanaticize about hooking into the fish
of a lifetime – that one true giant that
has eluded all anglers, until this day. We imagine the day when the best secret lure is chosen, that
perfect irresistible cast is made, and the big one is finally
tricked into biting the catch of a lifetime is close.
We dream of flawless execution of lowering the
rod as the fish jumps and leaning back as the
behemoth surges deep and finally, the
moment we effortlessly guide
them into the net and proceed
with our ritual of fist bumps,
high fives, and happy dances.
Success! Then, we snap
out of our dream; but
thankfully it’s time to go
fishing.Ultimately, there
are many things in
one’s fishing endeavors
and quest for a true
giant that must go
right.
PRACTICING FOR A PB
First, the stars must align without any cosmic interference. And, when they do you better hope you are ready for it – hope you have been practicing good fundamentals and are prepared for the chaos that is about to ensue.
These moments don’t come often and are few and far between. But, when they do come, the memories remain for a lifetime – regardless if the outcome is victorious or devastating.
Fighting trophy-sized fish is something that we all
really don’t get a lot of practice doing, (or do we)?
They are often the most wise and weary fish,
thus being the reason, they have reached a grand
size. Plus, their ability to escape and break our
hearts is uncanny.
However, we do have an opportunity every day
– year after year – to practice our giant fish landing
skills. Unfortunately, we let this opportunity go, far
too often.
What if every
time you hooked a
fish (regardless of
its size) you went
through a series
of actions as if it
were the fish of a
lifetime?
What if on
every catch you
practiced good
fundamentals and
were as interested
in landing a
two-pounder
as you were a
10-pounder.
First off, you
would boat more
two-pounders;
but most
importantly, when
that one trophy