The Greatest Technique...

[Dejon Hamann]

... is CONFIDENCE.

After so many years in the competitive scene there's one technique that never fails: Confidence.  I've seen anglers succeed time and time again at the highest level utilizing wildly different techniques, flies, rods, leaders, approaches, tippet, lines, packs/vests, waders, and on, and on.  The one thing top level anglers share is a deep confidence in the system they've developed which suits them individually.

Personally, unless I'm directly prepping for a competition I like to be in a continual state of "break down the walls and build them back up."  Every time I see a successful edge that I'm not utilizing I try it out for a day... or sometimes a week.  I see if it fits into "my" system and then I gravitate back to my "Confidence" base.  This helps me to always be moving forward and hopefully evolving as an angler... all though the break down stage can just plain old suck sometimes.  And not all lessons learned are new ones.  Sometimes you have to relearn things you've all ready mastered, but forgotten... bad habits have a way of sneaking up on you.

As an instructor I think it's a great idea to utilize other anlger's methods as a "jumpstarter" or blueprint.  But at some point in each angler's course they should say to themselves: "I've looked at it all, weighed the options, this is what works for me, and I don't give a dam what anyone else thinks."  

Good Angling!  

[Todd Oishi]

Great post Dejon!!!

I couldn't agree more, as others have often questioned my rod choice, strategies and techniques, but yet it works for me and has helped put me on the podium as a result.

Thanks for posting this!

[Pat Weiss]

Indeed, well said.

[Tim Long]

YES!

[Dell Neighbours]

Agreed, Bourcq reminds us that you can't fish another mans game often...