(Editor's note: The following is the third in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
During the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series season, 2004 Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle found himself in a horrible slump. It had started during that year’s Bassmaster Classic, when he lost key fish that could have pushed him to the top of the standings, and got worse a few weeks later when his brother Tony died. Things snowballed from there, and he missed the 2009 Classic after making six in a row.
He hasn’t missed a Classic since then, though, and while he doesn’t yet have the Classic trophy he covets, he feels that the '08 season was a pivotal one. Had he allowed himself to wallow in self-pity, things might’ve stayed bad. Instead, he sought out a “mind coach” who exclusively counsels professional athletes, and it revised the way he approaches the sport.
“Once I took the test, he decided that I was probably going to have to pay more than the average guy,” Swindle joked. But the turnaround was substantial, and it started with the counselor teaching him to identify every negative thought he had and associate it with the snapping of a rubber band around his wrist. “For every negative thought, it takes about 20 positive thoughts to get back to where you were.”
He believes that the change in outlook has been a bigger boon to his fishing success than any new technique or any new piece of equipment. He calls it “PMA,” which stands for Positive Mental Attitude.
“I’ve been that guy,” he said, referring to times when he kicked a depthfinder off the boat and broke a windshield. “If you don’t remember nothing else today, remember PMA. If you sustain a positive attitude on the water and in life, you will become a better fisherman. I can only tell you this from my mistakes.”
So what are the keys to this process for the tournament angler? Swindle breaks it down pretty simply:
> “Negativity breeds negativity.” Avoid people who seem to dwell on negative thoughts, as they’re sure to rub off on you, either overtly or subconsciously;
> “Live life only looking forward.” That means don’t dwell on either your past successes or your past failures. Only look at the event you’re competing in now;
> “This is the losingest sport you’ll ever participate in.” Even the best of the best win only a miniscule percentage of the time. If you get hung up on that, you’re going to live in a pool of negativity.
> If you’re not a brain surgeon, don’t beat yourself up that you can’t perform brain surgery. In other words, if someone beats you with a technique or a lure that you don’t know, get over it.
> Keep yourself energized. He eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every tournament day at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. It helps the admittedly ADD-leaning Swindle to notice more things. “I’m not looking down at a McDonald’s straw with tunnel vision.”
> Enjoy the time on the water and in life. He and his fishing partner, co-angler or marshal are going to laugh, they’re going to high-five, and “we might even tweak if we catch one big enough.”
PMA, Swindle emphasized, is the key to every athlete’s success. He noted that just as you’ll never see Peyton Manning slam a helmet down or Michael Jordan throw a folding chair into the stands, KVD can laugh off a missed fish because he knows that it means he was doing something right.
“Negativity has broken more fisherman than anything,” he said. “Confidence is the key to bass fishing.”
To see Swindle’s full video seminar on Positive Mental Attitude, subscribe to The Bass University TV.
