(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Carl Jocumsen said that while his gear is all top-notch and he’s an experienced angler, the personal characteristic that has bolstered his bass fishing career most substantially is his willingness and ability to confront adversity head-on.
Early in his fishing career, both in the United States and prior to that in his native Australia, he’d get angry when he’d find a winning pattern or school of fish and changing conditions would wipe out that bite. Now, he said, he welcomes tough conditions. A large part of his adaptability stems from the fact that he didn’t catch his first largemouth or smallmouth until he was an adult.
He started off fishing in his homeland for other species like barramundi, and the skills honed over there paid off here as well. For example, they taught him to be ultra-careful about noise. “Our fish, if they know you’re there, they’re a million times less likely to bite your lure,” he explained. Accordingly, he honed his casting technique, cut down on the talking, and was an early adopter of technology like the Hydrowave, all of which helped him on the bass tours.
Most importantly, he’s a huge advocate of finding mentors, and said that he’s always aimed to “learn off as many people as I could,” whether through the B.A.S.S. Marshal plan or in other ways. Additionally, he makes it a point to work the hardest on the techniques about which he knows the least. He recalled that when he first got to the U.S., “I’d never picked up a jig in my life,” but he became a student of the lure and it was responsible for two Elite Series top-10 finishes.
During his second year in America, he was in 2nd place in the Opens after two events. His Elite fate came down to Fort Gibson, where he eased into 20th place after day 1. All he could scrounge up on day 2 were three little bass and with 10 minutes to go he caught a 2 1/2-pounder that was just a hair under the legal size limit of 14 inches. If it had measured, he would’ve risen numerous places. Instead, he dropped to 9th in the points, missing the Elites by a single point.
At the time, he characterized it as “the worst day of my life,” but later realized that it was “the best thing that ever happened to me.” He wasn’t ready to move on, he later recognized.
The next year he was confronted with an eerily similar situation. He was 2nd in the points again, and in 30th lace after the first day of competition. Having been that close and fallen short, he realized that he just needed to catch five. Even if his trolling motor went dead and his creek was blown out, that’s just what he’d do. He has since made a career out of keeping positive people around him, and living by the mantra that “whatever comes up, I’ll handle it.”
There are no excuses for tough days. “The fish don’t stop biting, you’re just throwing the wrong thing,” Jocumsen said.
If you want to learn some of Jocumsen's other mental strategies, along with stories about his quick path to tour-level success in a new country, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
