Fishing- Luck Vs. Skill

[nlayne882]

I'm doing a project at Scholastica for fishing. The main question is luck vs. skill. In my opinion I think it takes a little bit of both, but more skill than anything. Anybody have any ideas to contribute, please post below and let me know! Thanks

[Stick in Mud]

Depends on your sample size. Over the long run, it's skill. In the short run, there's a lot of randomness.

[monstermoose78]

Skill because that includes knowledge. Everyone gets lucky once and while, but a skilled knowledgeable angler has more good days than bad days. With that said I like to be lucky as well.

[Getanet]

I hate to say it, but for most I believe it's mainly luck. Unless you're one of the lucky few who gets to fish a lot and can really put in the time to learn a lake and its patterns, you're at the mercy of the fishing gods.

Again, that's for what I consider to be an "average" fisherman, who doesn't get to fish nearly as much as they would like - probably 20-50 times a year (no data to support that).

[Northlander]

Im a firm believer that you make your own luck. That comes by being educated, prepared, having good equipment and putting yourself in the right place and right time. Luck comes into play in everything but you can increase the odds of getting lucky by doing the above and practicing a lot.

[Sculpin]

Agree Northlander. Show me some Gomer who comes ambling up on the stage at the Bassmaster Classic with the winning bag, and declares "I had my lucky horseshoe stuffed way up there today, and it all came together".

[nofishfisherman]

The answer depends on whether you are looking at one single day of fishing or if you are looking over the long run of an entire season or a lifetime.

On any given day someone can get lucky and stumble on a pile of fish. But over the long run if they only rely on luck and random guessing they'll have more bad days than good days.

If you are looking over an extended period of time someone who has put in the hours to learn the craft will out fish someone who is relying on nothing but blind luck.

The problem with the question is that every time you go out fishing you learn something or acquire a little more skill. You can only go out completely void of any skill one time in your life, every time after that you should have gained some small amount of skill based on trial and error from your previous trips. Even if its not much that small amount of skill is still helping off set the randomness of luck.

[upnorth]

Anyone else take their wives or kids out fishing(those that almost nil knowledge) and you set them up the same as you(using your skills) and they manage to seriously outfish you? There are some who no matter how bad they mess up can literally do no wrong.

But I truly believe that without at least the knowledge of where to be when, luck is not going to get you a whole lotta fish.

[Jack Stasney]

Luck = opportunity by chance. Anybody can get lucky. Skill = ability + knowledge. This is dependant on you alone, or least that is how I look at. So the more skilled you are the better your luck will be when the opportunity arises. However, luck isn't always affected in any way by skill. For instance, who knows you might go fishing for the first time and catch a 32 inch walleye. Doesn't mean you are skilled though, at least anymore than someone who won a million dollars in the lottery.

[Odonata]

Skill. There is a veteran fisherman who once told me 10% of fisherman catch 90% of the fish. Call statistics what you will, but skill will out fish/catch luck any day. I see it just about each time I am fishing around other people. A skilled fisherman knows the variables that go into catching a fish, not just fishing for them and hoping. People do get lucky, however, I'll take skill over a luck any day.

[tacklejunkie]

I'm doing a project at Scholastica for fishing. The main question is luck vs. skill. In my opinion I think it takes a little bit of both, but more skill than anything. Anybody have any ideas to contribute, please post below and let me know! Thanks

Over time, my skill increased my luck. You could be they most skillful angler on the water. If the fish aren't biting, forget it.

I went to St Scholastica years ago. I got my Bachelor degree there and later my masters

[kfk]

Luck has little to do with being a good angler. If you think it's luck, you have not learned enough or spent enough time on the water to become a skilled angler. Look at the really great anglers such as Al Lindner, Kevin Van Dam, Rick Clunn, Gary Parsons, or many others. Lucky? Hardly. They have enough passion for fishing to develop and learn skills that few others have.

[Muskeye]

I think it starts out as luck and slowly builds to skill. When I first started in my 14' boat with no graphs and caught fish, that's luck. Once I educated myself and put the time in, it slowly turned to skill. The level of skill starts very low and grows with the time you put in.

[nlayne882]

tacklejunkie, great school. love it. and thanks for the comments everybody! keep em coming!