By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor



(Editor’s note: This is part 2 of a two-part series examining how much effort pro anglers put into improving upon their weaknesses. To read part 1, click here.)

Aaron Martens

> BassFan profile says: “High, muddy water.”

> What he says: “I don’t like to have weaknesses. My biggest one has been second-guessing myself and when I don’t listen to my subconscious and don’t do something I’m thinking and it bites me. I’m pretty proficient at techniques, but it’s the mind games that get me.

“The last day at (Lake) Champlain this year, I had a great day. I made perfect decisions that day. A lot of it comes down to making the right decision. The fish don’t always act like they’re supposed to. I think the pressure makes them act strangely. When I won my last AOY, I never thought twice about anything.

“When you start doing badly and struggling that’s when you start overthinking things. That’s what’s so strong about (Greg) Hackney. He doesn’t think – he just gets an idea and does it.”

Chad Pipkens

> BassFan profile says: “Shallow cranking.”

> What he says: “My biggest weakness is shallow-water flipping on the bank. My biggest problem is I can’t wrap my head around how many fish are there or are moving in and out. It’s hard to keep hitting the same stretch of bank.

“At the Potomac and Texoma (last year), I found top-10 stretches, but I’d burn through them and not hit them at the right time. Rick Clunn was going down the same bank with a square-bill all 4 days and Jordan Lee was on another bank.

“When there are shallow flipping fish and fish are in transition, I need to patient. The fish are there and will turn on and come back. The hard part is recognizing when it’s right like that.”

Dan Morehead

> BassFan profile says: “Dropshotting.”

> What he says: “As far as dropshotting and how much time I’ve put into it, I’m pretty proficient at it so I don’t think it’s much of a weakness now. Maybe I’ve become one of those old guys that I used to laugh at, but I’m not apt to try a bunch of the new stuff these days. My biggest weakness now is confidence. That sounds silly because I feel it’s one of my greatest strengths, too. It’s a fickle thing. You can ride it when things are going well and then you can have a poor year like I had and it festers.



BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Casey Ashley tries to steer clear of having to tie on a dropshot, which he considers his biggest weakness.

“As far as working on it, I work on it quite a bit. Archery is one of my favorite pastimes and it’s 100 percent mental focus. I believe that plays a role and helps a lot. Another thing is success. There are different levels of winning and I still try to fish a lot of local tournaments. I’m still active in the local BFL and now I’m involved with high school fishing, there are some events where the boat captains are able to fish. If you have some success, sure, you walk around with your chest puffed out a little but, I’m no different than other fishermen, though. I don’t ever put it down. I may take time off from traveling and being on the road, but I’m always fishing. I do thoroughly believe that if you don’t learn something new every day you’re doing yourself a disservice.”

Shane Lehew

> BassFan profile says: “Ledge fishing.”

> What he says: “I put that down because of the crowds (when ledge-fishing), which is weird because in Florida, it seems like you’re always in a crowd. That typically doesn’t bother me because we’re fishing shallow and there are targets to focus on. It’s hard for me to do it offshore when you’re throwing at the same spot with five or six other guys.

“I love going to Kentucky (Lake) and Pickwick just for fun, but when you get in tourney with 170 boats and only eight schools of bass, it’s tough. You can do the single-fish deal and that’s probably why I struggle there. It’s just a mental thing I have to get over. Next year, there will be some deep fish caught but we’re going (to Kentucky) early enough where it won’t be as big a deal as it normally is. I’m just more comfortable in a power-fishing setting where I can pick apart targets.”

Casey Ashley

> BassFan profile says: “Dropshotting.”

> What he says: “I don’t work on it. That’s why it’s a weakness. Dropshotting is just something we don’t do back home and it doesn’t make sense to me so I’m going to avoid it at all costs. I’ll do it if I have to but it’s not something I’m comfortable with

“When you do something like throw a topwater and go down a bank, they might miss it a few times. You can change colors or your cadence and get them to bite. Dropshot is just dumb fishing. It’s like fishing with a bobber. The only way I’ll do it is vertically.”

Russ Lane

> BassFan profile says: "Versatility – I try to do too much.”

> What he says: “Sight-fishing used to freak me out. Now, I can’t wait for a sight tournament. I committed to learning it because I knew it was a huge weakness of mine. Over the last three years, I’ve probably won $30,000 per year in sight tournaments. Several were tournaments where not many people knew there were many fish on beds.

“I like to sight-fish up north, especially. On day 1 at Cayuga Lake in 2015, every fish I caught was sight-fishing. At Toledo Bend this year, I sight-fished the whole time.”

Drew Benton

> BassFan profile says: “Deep, clear spotted bass fisheries.”

> What he says: “I don’t work on it enough. I need to be a better post-spawn fisherman. It’s hard to improve on anything when you’re fishing the Elites. I don’t have time to say I’m going frogging or punching. You’re basically on the road or preparing for another event. In a way, it makes you better because you have to learn stuff on the fly.

“In 2013, I didn’t know how to dropshot. I think I’ve come a long way when I think about it. I’ve just done the best I can. You have to be versatile. You might not master a weakness but you can dang sure improve on it. I just try not to make the same mistake twice.”

<End Part 2 of 2>