By Luke Estel

If I knew the real answer to this question, I would not be where I am at today, rather fishing every major event in the country. And winning.

There is however several things we as fishermen can do to increase our odds and put us into the winners circle.

“Drive”

My youngest daughter has got natural God given ability when it comes to athletics. Anything she does, she does well. My oldest cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.

I love them both the same. It’s just how it is.

My youngest, Hannah has played soccer all of her life. She is good. Not a D1 superstar, but good. No I am not the father that thinks his kids are all getting athletic scholarships, but she could play in college if she chooses. But, she lacks drive.

That is not a bad thing, but to compete at the next level, you have to possess it.

Drive cannot be taught. It comes from within yourself.

Athletes like KVD, Gerald Swindle, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods all have a drive like no other. No one taught this to them. They have had it their entire life.

Drive pushes an athlete to the limit. If a fisherman goes into an event just going for a check or hoping to get into the top percent, then they will never make it to the next level.

To become better, we have to push ourselves harder than everyone else. The rest will just fall into place.

“Failure brings Success”

That doesn’t sound right but that is how we learn. We need to use failure to our advantage.

How many times have you witnessed fishermen at the weigh ins with their head down knowing they were beat before the weigh in is finished?

If getting beat gets to you, and you cannot recover quickly, your entire season will end dismally. Learn from your failures and turn them into positives.

Figure out where you went wrong and adjust accordingly in the next event. Remember that most of your successful athletes or even business men have failed before they made it. They adapted and overcame.

“Old Habits are Hard to Break”

It’s a phrase that has been around forever and is very true still to this day.

On my home lake I dominated for at least seven years. I am not bragging about it, I am just stating the truth. And just like that, my reign was over.

Obviously no person can stay on top forever, but for me I couldn’t figure out why. My crankbait was my weapon. At times I felt like I was David Fritts.

I got to the point where I could feel a bass push the bait or swipe at the bait, change colors and catch him. And “poof” it was over.

For two years I tried to replicate the past with no success. Obviously I was a slow learner but eventually pulled through it.

The lake had changed. The grass started to grow deeper. The shore line restoration had made the lake clearer. And it changed the fish.

I was stuck in my old winning ways. Relying on your past winning spots can hurt you if you do not keep an open mind.

Just because you caught twenty pounds there five years ago, doesn’t mean they will always be there. Its ok to check those kind of places but don’t die on them.

Fishermen today are fast learners. If you want to win, you have to keep up with the times. Hard work, determination, and an open mind can help you succeed. It’s the “never give up’ attitude that turns regular fishermen into great fishermen.