As I prepare to fish my first tournament of the season I have been reflecting upon last years performance.  As I talked with Rich Lindgren ,who is the president of the bass club I fish with, he pointed out my inconsistent tournament performance in relation to number of fish weighed.  As I reflected more upon that I think I have identified an important obstacle to my success...I have not been fishing in the moment enough.

I start the day thinking about how many I need to catch rather than being fully present with every cast looking for one bite at a time.  Because of this I believe I have missed bites, become easily frustrated, and missed the indicators when I did get a bite about what exactly I was doing as far as presentation and location. 

Because of this reflection I am planning to approach each tournament differently this year.  I am not going to be bogged down at the start of the day with thoughts of needing 5 fish or 3 fish depending upon the tournament.  I am going to be fully present with each cast I make and each choice I make throughout the day to give me the best opportunity for success in the moment.  I always know tournament anglers say "that's why tournaments are 8 hours long."  Instead of looking ahead I am going to be in the now...with every cast, with every thought, and with every choice.

Good Fishing to all....and stay in the moment!