Decision-making has always been one of the keys to consistent fishing success at Lake Casitas. Without question decision-making ranks very high on the necessary tools list to become a proficient professional angler. When I speak of tournament fishing and fun fishing there is really very little difference between the two. What I mean by this is that tournament fishing is just a version of bass fishing on steroids. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all of us want to have the most successful day possible when we arrived at our favorite fishing location. And having a solid plan in place prior to making your first cast has always been a key element to consistent fishing success at Lake Casitas. I know even working as a fishing guide today it's still the same as when I was a contest angler with a bass Anglers Sportsman Society. I still have to wake up every single morning and put thought into how the day is going to go and what will be my progressions. When I speak of progressions I'm talking about planning out your day and considering that most likely things will not go as planned. You simply cannot put your boat in the water and have a premeditated thought process stuck in your mind. You cannot put your boat in the water and just have one plan of attack. You always have to assume that everything is going to go wrong. Whether you're a contest fisherman or you just get to go fishing once a month you have to have two or three different game plans for each and every fishing day. You always take the time to consider all of the techniques and lures that you will use if things go the way you plan them to. But this is what separates the average angler from the great angler, the great angler has two or three game plans in his mind so that if things do not go as planned he already has a strategy in place so that he can make the changes quickly and efficiently. I have never when to work as a fishing guide at Lake Casitas where I've ever assumed that everything was going to go perfect and just as planned. I always wake-up with the thought process that if things go great, wonderful, but if things don't go my way and the fish change what is going to be my next plan of attack. The last thing you ever want to happen during a day of fishing is to be stuck on the water at 10 o'clock with no fish, and no idea of what you want to do next. You must have this all thought out prior to arriving at the lake. Always assume that the pattern that you have established will break down. If it holds up wonderful, but as we all know most every time things change, wind, weather, and so on which causes you to have to make a split-second decision as to what you're going to do next. The great anglers already have that plan in their mind prior to starting in the morning. If things don't go right, at a premeditated time they lift the trolling motor and tell their fishing partner were going to make a change and they run directly to the water that they have already decided upon prior to taking off in the morning. The great thing about contest fishing is it forces you to make quick decisions which in turn results in you becoming a better bass angler. You condition yourself to the fact that you must have to 2 to 3 game plans in your mind prior to arriving at the lake. It goes something like this: If my bass fishing guide clients are catching bass in 3 to 15 feet of water at Lake Casitas on a drop shot and have been catching those fish all week I obviously go into the day with this as my primary approach. But I've already thought in my mind if the wind blows hard in the area I'm fishing that I will utilize a crank bait and a jerk bait in that same area to compensate for the wind. I think about other tools that will work in the 3 to 15 foot depth zone that can be productive if the drop shot pattern falls apart. If the shallow water fishing completely dries up I already have made the decision on 2 to 3 deepwater fishing locations that I'm going to fish late in the afternoon if things don't go my way. This is just a short example of what I'm trying to get across is that you have to have several premeditated fishing approaches in your mind before each and every fishing day. You never want to make decisions on the water while you're having a tough fishing day. You always want to have those decisions already decided upon prior to you ever getting to the water. I know all of you have watched the Bassmaster Classic on television and see professional bass anglers make these incredible decisions while the cameras are rolling. These decisions were made the evening before, or in the morning very early before they ever made their first cast. Pro fisherman never go into a situation assuming that things will go correct, because they almost never do. You can increase the enjoyment of your fun fishing, and enjoy more success as a tournament angler if you will spend the time to map out your day mentally before you ever start. Some of the biggest keys to successful fishing is to fish with confidence, catch the fish one at a time, breath, relax your hands, and have a solid game plan when he hit the water.