I had a phone call this week from a very frustrated fisherman seeking advice. I average several calls or emails each week from folks who need Advice on fishing, and being a person who just loves to teach and help People catch fish, I'm always more than happy to do what I can to help.

This particular fellow introduced his self and proceeded to tell me that He had just spent twenty six thousand dollars on a bass boat and six hundred dollars on rods and tackle and he just could not understand why He wasn't catching fish. When I asked him how long he had been fishing He said "well I just started this year got interested from watching the FLW tournaments on TV and decided to try it and I bought this boat And I have been out three times now and I have yet to catch a fish"

This poor fellow was suffering from what I call "Bass fishing commercial disease".

The boat and tackle commercials on TV would have the non-experienced Person believe that all he or she needs to do is buy their products and It will instantly transform them into a successful fisherman. While it is true that good equipment is a big factor in being a good Fisherman, thirty thousand dollars worth of equipment is not worth a dead carp on the water, without experience and knowledge of the fish and it's habits.

The sport of fishing is no different than any other sport such as baseball or football, in the sense that it takes practice, and experience to be good at it.

My advice to the fellow was the same as I give to anyone who is new to the sport, go often, go early and stay late.

There is a lot to be said for reading books and magazines and watching TV but there is no teacher like experience.

each time you go out you will learn something, even if you dont catch a single fish, you may learn where a new structure such as a point or a fallen tree is located. always make it a point to be observant each time you get a bite or catch a fish, make a mental note of where the fish was, and ask yourself why was the fish in that spot? how deep was he holding? was he near a rock or stump? was he there spawning or just there feeding? is there bait fish present?

Soon you will learn to develop patterns and learn the seasonal movements and habits of the fish and before you know it you will be catching fish consistently.

Another good method of learning is to use the experience already acquired by another person, such as a local guide on the waters you fish.  For less than the price of a weekend trip out of state, you can gain in one day a big part of the experience and knowledge that has took him countless hours and years of trial and error to to acquire. If your goal is to learn, even if you don't catch a single fish, a day spent on the water with a good guide is a huge bargain in terms of time saved in learning the lake and the habits and seasonal movements of the fish, and the techniques used to catch them.

Whether the beginner chooses to dive in head first and spend big bucks on a boat or just start out easy, fishing with a friend or taking a few trips with a guide just to get his feet wet and see how he likes it first, the most important thing to remember is that no matter how much experience you have or how well you know the water, you will have those days when they just don't bite and you don't catch them, but don't let those days rattle your confidence, we all have them and they are just part of the sport. If you enjoy a day outdoors you have been successful, catching fish is just a bonus.