Tell him that this happens to the best of fishermen.
I fish with Larry from Southern IN and he out fishes me when we go after crappie. He let his jig count down 5 seconds longer than I did and I didn't catch anything while he caught a crappie on almost each cast.

And some times the speed of the reel's retrieve can be just a slit second faster or slower and that can make a difference in catching a fish or not.

And finally some men (especially men) have more scent chemicals on this skin (hands). Its' got something to do with testosterone. But the chemical on men's hands can turn off fish. It really does help to wash your hands with soap and water. I take some bacterial liquid soap in the boat with me. And if you were the on filling up the truck or boat with gas you can have gasoline on your hands and that can transfer to your baits.

Yes gasoline molecules can turn fish off cold. So wash your hands more often. Try to fill up the boat and truck the day before and be ready to travel the next morning.

I use that orange cleaner which really helps get rid of petroleum products.

And finally if you know exactly where the brush pile is located and the other guy is not so sure then you may be able to out fish him.

And finally if you are fishing perpendicular to the drop off you may not get as many bites and the guy that fishes parallel to the drop off. The latter bait will be in the strike zone longer.

Being able to see or feel the fish taking the lure while it's dropping though the water is also another critical skill that takes time to learn. Good eyesight helps and keeping the line tight between the end of the pole and the bait will allow you to feel the bite better. And having a very sensitive rod helps a great deal.

Larry uses one of them Sam Heaton Super Sensitive Graphite Crappie Rods from B n M rods. I was using a Richard Williams 7 ft graphite rod and Larry's rod was more sensitive than mine. You won't know that you have a bite if you can't feel the bite or see the line moving. And the type of fishing line can make a different too. Thinner diameter line will drop faster and is harder for the fish to see.

There are a lot of variables that you may not notice but these can make or break the bite.

Finally the guy at the front of the boat will generally catch the most fish as he gets the first shot at the fish.

I fished with this guy called Cane Pole in his boat on KY lake one time. He fished at the front of his boat with 4 rods rigged up with 2 baits on each rod. I was lucky to get a few fish from the back of the boat.

Now unless the guy at the front of the boat runs the boat back-wards sometime the guy at the back will have to take the leftovers. LOL. Smart guys run up to the front of the boat and try to get a few casts in from up there. But if your fishing partner shoo-es you back to the back of the boat then don't fo with them anymore. Good partners will have a dual seat setup so that both guys get to fish at the front of the boat in a side by side seating arrangement. Now thats a good fishing partner to fish with.


Quote Originally Posted by Sore thumb View Post
Hey there fellow anglers.
I have a good friend who goes fishing with me most of the time. The guy gets frustrated because, "I am lucky, and always catch the big one". He joined a bass club and goes tourney fishing quite often, in hopes of changing his luck. Alas, he still throws sea weed on me when I drag in the massive sow. His name is Shawn and wants to know, "is this normal" for one person on the boat using the same technique, lure, and presentation can be lucky as his Buddie.