Fishing Through Failure: Building a Winning System

Surviving the Toughest Tournament Days

Fishing is an outdoor activity that can be a lot of fun. Especially, if there is also catching involved. For some, it is as simple as throwing out a worm on a hook with a bobber and relaxing in a lawn chair by the shore. For others, it’s all about the catch. Sometimes our competitive nature fuels us to find the biggest fish, or a number of species. Then we have this urge to compare our results with others which in turn brings anglers together to compete in tournaments that are usually held on the same body of water and lately, online.

We celebrate the victories of anglers who come out on top. For some, it means a livelihood. For others, it’s a way of continuing to fuel their competitiveness that can become a life long activity for them. Competitive fishing can be very enlightening or discouraging when comparing those results. It’s fun to win or place near the top, but when we fail to catch fish it can be very discouraging and we start questioning ourselves if we are good enough for this sport with many quitting before they experience any kind of success.

This last tournament I participated in was a great lesson in failure. I had prepared what I thought to be thorough, rigging up several rods with the baits I thought would be what the fish wanted. I found a fishable area a couple days before that held the fish that I thought would help me be successful in The Sticks-Nebraska Kayak Anglers tournament. I rigged my fishing rods accordingly and went out with a ton of confidence. With the thought of there being numerous possibilities for bites I took eight rods along, four of with the same type of rigging in case I needed a backup. There was one rod that I didn’t make any changes to and thought that the line was good. I would soon find out the next day how this hampered my efforts in attempting to get a five fish limit.

Tournament Day: Wake up time was 3:00 A.M. and after completing my daily devotion and Bible study, ate breakfast, and loaded up my lunch bag I was off to Stage Coach Lake near Lincoln. A variety of lakes were in play and I thought that this lake would give the best chance for a decent limit based on what I was seeing in the area. I drove a bit slower than usual to avoid the possibility of hitting an animal crossing the road. Sure enough, a deer was standing right in the middle of the highway about half way to my destination. I was glad that I had made the choice to go a little bit slower for better reaction time to avoid a collision with one of these animals.

Upon arriving there were already several anglers rigging up their kayaks for the tournament. We had ten in all at this ramp of the 30 people entered and most were seasoned anglers that are like vacuum cleaners when comes to catching fish. I met a first time tournament angler in the parking lot and shared a few thoughts before launching at 5:45 A.M. After chatting with other anglers at the launch I headed directly to the area that was on fire two days earlier. It was a flat that had a lot of bluegill beds on it but also some straggler bass that were still spawning. There were also pods of bass fry among the vegetation present. Another angler also ventured into this area which I had predicted when I saw him there two days prior after I had loaded up to leave. We shared our strategies and worked out a plan to fish the area without interfering with each other. I hooked up ten minutes into the tournament and landed an 18.25” hefty looking largemouth. At this point I thought that the day was going to be epic!

The first catch of the morning, an 18.25” inch largemouth.

A few minutes went by and I hooked up again. This time a much bigger fish! I had it on securely and was bringing it toward the boat when my line snapped! This was the rod that I didn’t make any changes to the night before. I was paying for that mistake dearly. It must have been a nick in the 10 lb braid that caused the break. I don’t like to use less than 15 lb braid in the scenario I was in today but somehow this rod and reel made the lineup. I was very frustrated and the other angler who is a good friend encouraged me and let me know that everything would turn out okay. I was very grateful for his support.

At 8:24 A.M. I hooked into another bigger fish and it went 18 inches. Things were looking good as I looked at the leaderboard and it seemed that fishing was tough for everyone else as well that had submitted their fish. My plan was working well but the bites were few and far between. Every bite would count and I had already lost one.

I kept creeping along the flat very slowly throwing a Yum Lizard and Berkley Power Worm on an EWG weightless hook. I would look for patches of bare spots from a distance and then cast just beyond them. Most of these were bass spawning beds. I would also cast into grass patch areas that had openings or looked like there might be a protected area below where a big bass might be lurking. It wasn’t long and I lost a couple more fish. I wasn’t sure what caused it but most of the bites were very subtle like the fish were carrying the lure off and not inhaling it.

At 9:52 I finally got another one and it went 17 inches. I had three really good fish and a chance at a top finish. But the next few bites were all shorts with the longest going 11.5 inches. Things were not looking good at this point but I kept hammering away and grinding with my head down yet being very patient with the retrieve. At around noon I found a small pod of bass fry swimming right next to my kayak. I noticed the silhouette of a larger bass below them. I floated away with the breeze and casted back up to the pod letting the lizard fall slowly in that area. It wasn’t very long and the line went tight! I swept the rod slowly backward attempting to set the hook with this action. The fish came up quickly and it looked pretty big. I was bringing it toward me and as it thrashed the hook came unpinned and I lost another good fish. At this point I was even more frustrated but knew that there was a possibility that I could get at least two bites in the two hours remaining. I went on the outside of the vegetation combing the line for a possible bite. Nothing. As I had gone out another angler went in behind the line and I thought it might have been a bit tougher to go back there and get those two bites. I went anyway, but no luck.

Then, with about a half hour to go I started working the shoreline that had shaded areas and some open patches. Sure enough, there was a pair of bass circling an area about eight foot in diameter right along the shoreline. The male looked like it was about ten inches and female maybe 14 or 15 inches. I spooked them while observing but they only went a few feet and turned around toward me. I was off about 5 yards and flipped the lizard in front of where I thought the female would go. It laid there in about ten inches of water. The female came up to it and I twitched it very lightly. She inhaled it and I brought the rod backward with tension on it feeling that she had it. I swept it and she was hooked! Surprised, I noticed it was much bigger than I thought! I got it on the deck and she went 18 inches! I now had 71.25 inches on just four fish. The leader had 86 inches before the live standings went down so I knew that a 15 inch fish could possibly take the lead or at least place. I kept looking for another shoreline fish and caught another short.

With just two minutes left I prayed for another fish. At 1:59 P.M. I said to myself, “One more cast!” I casted toward a deeper hole and as the lizard hit the water a bass came out of nowhere and streaked at the bait like a dolphin! It hit the bait and I had it hooked! It came up and shook the hook with the mangled lizard shooting right back at me! I was once again heartbroken over the loss of another fish that I had tricked into biting. There were so many chances! In fact, seven of them! And most were fairly large fish. It might sound like a broken record here, but I’ve lost so many fish this spring yet was able to stay in the hunt with what I did land during these tournaments. It’s part of the game though. Keeping the fish on is a skill that I continue to work on. I use good hooks, mostly Eagle Claw and Trokar. Sometimes, Gamakatsu. I check the points. I tie on with good knots. There are no excuses here, just losing fish. Human error. I thought about doing more video recording in the future to see what I was doing mechanically that might be causing the issue.

I had failed again in a tournament that I had prepared and practiced very hard for and felt internally defeated. Just like many others who have gone through this same thing or maybe other failures in their lives I tried reliving the mistakes made, the current failures, and the hurt it brings. Sure it hurt, but I could learn from this experience. We need to remember that even with much experience we may still struggle at times but we can still grow. In the end, it is a comparison of how each angler fared that day. It’s a lot more than the finish on the leaderboard. A lot of our success depends on good decision making based on our preparation and the conditions that are present. A good finish confirms that we are on the right track with our decision making and skill preparation. A tough finish can give us insight on what needs to change. Either way, it’s about refining our decision making skills. Fishing tournaments can teach us how to handle pressure, how to adjust on the fly, and staying focused when the bite is tough. This all carries into life. It’s also interesting to hear about how others caught their fish and learn about their techniques. Best of all, we are building strong positive relationships with other anglers with the same passion we have about fishing.

Most people might quit at this point not because they lack the skills, but because this kind of discouragement convinces them to stop trying. I’ve witnessed so many in the past that have quit various things in their lives because of the failures they experienced. Our confidence wains. Our self worth deteriorates. Sometimes it’s embarrassment because of our high expectations for ourselves. The one thing we need to remember is that old phrase “Iron sharpens Iron, so one person sharpens another.” from Proverbs 27:17 in the Bible.

Failure gives you instant feedback. It tells you what didn’t work. It will expose your weaknesses and shows our gaps in preparation and decision making. This is what makes fishing so much fun. The challenge. “Cracking the code” on each trip as the conditions change by the minute with fish responding right behind. With that, adjustments must be made, and a new strategy implemented as we refine our skills to accomplish our goal, as with anything in life.

The best part about failure is that it teaches us out to handle pressure, stay composed, and to keep grinding when things aren’t going our way. This past fishing tournament was a great example of putting in the quality effort it takes to reach a goal but coming up short. This type of situation can improve our mental toughness even more and carries into everything in our lives whether it be sports or life in general.

After loading up my kayak and gear I went to the awards and met up with my teammate. After letting each other know about the fish we caught there was a chance at the team title. We won it by four inches with five bass over 18 inches. That part was pretty cool and I was at peace with myself about losing the fish that would have put me at the top of the standings. It wasn’t my time today. I didn’t feel very good about the circumstances but I could live with knowing that I had given my very best effort and prepared for the most part, very effectively. I went in with a ton of confidence and came out with a fire of hope for the next derby on the horizon.

After I returned home I checked my messages and there was a song sent to me by a longtime friend. It was “I Believe” by Lauren Daigle. This friend did not know what I had experienced on this particular day but this song was the perfect message I needed to hear. I’m grateful for my friend to who sent this particular song to me. I’ve listened to it many times in the past few years. From what I gather this song is about holding onto faith, hope, and trust in God even when life doesn’t go our way. When things get painful and overwhelming what do we turn to in our lives? Sure, bombing a fishing tournament is not the end of the world. It’s a setback from what I wanted to accomplish but not serious enough to go off the deep end in frustration.

The message from this song seems to be emphasizing choosing belief over fear and remembering that God is still present in all of our struggles. I was fearful of not getting a limit but I still believed that God was present during that tournament. I felt I had handled it well but sometimes we don’t.

I listened to the song again more intently and the lyrics seem to acknowledge doubt, weakness, and difficult times, but they also encourage us to not give up. There have been times in my life when I felt like giving up but kept grinding even if I didn’t come out successful in reaching my goals. From this song, Daigle sings about trusting in God’s promises. The theme of “I believe” is a statement given that even when our emotions and circumstances change for the worse, our faith can remain steady. It’s a song that reminds us that we are loved by God, that he sees us and will never abandon us. We have to remember that there may be meaning beyond the struggles we face in life. That there is hope as we push against despair. That’s what I kept thinking yesterday. There was hope until the final second. And it almost happened! But with God there is always hope and that there is a life beyond this one on earth that is beyond anything we can comprehend or imagine.

This song by Daigle is a reminder to keep believing, keep hoping, and persevere ahead when our burdens feel heavy, when things don’t go the way we planned, and most important to me, reassurance that we are not alone in this world.

We need to remember that failure in our lives is simply information and not our identity. This mindset can help us see failure as an experience but not who or what we are in our lives. We are going to fail. Let me repeat! We are going to fail at some point in our lives. Great anglers bomb tournaments. Successful businessmen go bankrupt. Great athletes make mistakes that cost them a win. And so on. None of this erases our value or potential in life. Setbacks don’t disqualify us from moving forward. No matter how hard we prepare or work we may still not earn the outcome we wanted to achieve. We may tend to doubt ourselves, but this song “I Believe,” encourages us to trust that these setbacks in our lives can still help shape our character, wisdom, and resilience.

Sometimes you can prepare, work hard, and still not get the outcome you wanted. The song encourages trusting that setbacks can still shape growth, character, wisdom, and resilience.

We must remember that believing in something is not pretending that everything will turn out perfectly. It’s about continuing forward despite our disappointments. This is true with anything in life such as relationships, our faith, jobs, and personal growth.

Here are some questions that we can ask ourselves after an experience like I had in this last fishing tournament:

What did this experience teach me?

What part of me stayed strong?

What do I still believe about my future efforts despite this setback?

Failure can sometimes harden us and it can also deepen our our spirit to not lose hope in our efforts to overcome adversity. That song reminds us to not lose hope but have faith in the process of any setbacks in our lives.

So what are the action steps we can take in our lives to regain our confidence from failure or disappointment? First, we must take a deep breath and get to a calm state of mind before judging ourselves. Instead of telling ourselves how bad we are at something whether it be relationships, an activity, or personal growth we can ask ourselves these questions:

What specifically went wrong?

Was it actually something I could control?

Answering these questions can keep these setbacks from becoming how we view our identity. After visiting with friends who have experienced setbacks I usually ask them if it was something they could control. Then, I let them know that they can only control themselves. We not able to control what others think, say or do. That includes fish! These critters have a mind of their own and most don’t want their picture taken next to our smiling face.

The next step is taking action but not everything all at once. Maybe pick one or two things to improve on at a time. We can ask:

What skill needs improvement?

What preparations were missing?

What warning signs did I ignore?

What would I do differently the next time?

Making small adjustments in our efforts can help make drastic changes that will enable success and give us more hope in our achieving success.

One way to help improve our success is to record our progress. I like to use spreadsheets for this and it really helps me with the confidence I need in pursuing my goals. Failure can really make us forget how far we’ve come and recording these successes can reduce this greatly. Recording our daily wins, improvements, lessons learned, and difficult things we have overcome can make a huge difference in our lives. Giving ourselves positive feedback is also a great way to build confidence.

One of the best things we can do is hang with the right people. People who will tell you the truth, help encourage your growth, and who genuinely want the best for you. Having good friends, mentors, coworkers, or even a faith leader can help you see more clearly when your emotions are elevated.

Taking accountability for ourselves is a fantastic way to replace the self-condemnation we sometimes put on ourselves. Statements like, “I can improve this” can help produce the growth instead of saying “I’m hopeless” which produces paralysis in our lives. We need to own our mistakes but don’t destroy our hope and faith over them.

Some key things I’ve done in my life to give me a foundation for success are sleeping and eating properly, exercising, daily dynamic mobility, praying, reflecting, practicing specific skills, spending time outside walking or kayaking, listening to uplifting music, and spending time with good friends. We can handle setbacks much better in our lives when our routines and bodies are stable.

Remember, the longer you fret and think about failure the heavier it feels. Do things that are productive such as practicing your skills, preparing for your next challenge or opportunity, and ask others for feedback on your efforts. It’s always good to organize a plan, study, and keep showing up every day! As you build momentum doing these things you will rebuild your confidence greatly.

Finally, we can redefine success in our lives. We must remember that success is not never failing. Success is learning, adapting, staying teachable, and continuing forward with integrity. Remember that a lot of strong, capable people became stronger because they went through those discouraging seasons in their lives instead of avoiding them.

What’s great about that song my friend sent me is that “I Believe” points toward continuing to trust that your story in life is bigger than one difficult moment.

So, go out there and live a great story! Be you! Be someone that others can look up to and say, “Because of them, I didn’t quit!” And most of all, HAVE FUN!

Congrats to all of the winners of the Lincoln Road Runner hosted by The Sticks:

The Sticks - Nebraska Kayak Anglers·

The first 2026 Live Series event, Lincoln Road Runner is a wrap. Overall seemed like a tough day of fishing given our lake levels around Lincoln.

Kolt Volker caught a total limit of 86.75” in just fours of fishing to hold on to first, winning $610.

David Hutsell came in second with a limit of 83.75”, taking home $365.

Andy Moore ended up third with 83.25”, winning himself $240. Andy was also the top finisher in the $100 side pot winning an additional $900.

Kevin Workman won $150 with an 18.75” for big bass.

On the team side, Chung Pham and Marty Hughes took first winning $250 while Sam Kinnett and David Hutsell came in second winning $170.

The Sticks-Nebraska Kayak Anglers Lincoln Road Runner Final Results