Batting Average ?

[HarveysMinnow]

Regardless of how good our reflexes are and no matter how sensitive our rods and lines may be, nobody catches each and every fish they encounter. Some we never hook to start with; some escape before we land them. With this in mind, perhaps we each could learn something by keeping a log, listing, spreadsheet, or whatever, in which we can record the net results of our various excursions. It doesn't have to be anything fancy... just write down your total encounters each time you fish (this is the "at bat" column) and in another column enter the total fish you landed (the "base hits" column). Then, for each outing you have listed, divide the fish you landed figure by the total encounters (bites) figure. This decimal fraction will be your "average".

For example, suppose you had 17 'bites' and landed 12 fish.
12/17 = 0.706 (rounded) or just 'seven oh six' in baseball-speak.

Those who enjoy copious data and building spreadsheets to keep such data in can embellish their efforts by breaking down their results by the location, particular technique they were using, the bait, the species they caught, their rod/reel setup, time of day, weather conditions, water conditions, etc, etc. Make it just as simple or complicated as you choose, then at the end of your fishing season for this year, maybe we can all compare notes.

.

[MIbasser]

I think that I would need to bring my accountant and secretary with me out in the boat, maybe my lawyer. In no way, shape or form am I going to stop, write down I missed a fish and then start fishing again. Heck, even if I catch one I wouldn't do that. Now, how do you know you had a hit? Did you bump a rock, feel a little pressure, hang on a weed? So does that count as a bite? Or do you count a bite as it's on the line, headshake, you see the fish and it comes unbuttoned? Good luck and let me know how it works out for you.

[ted4800]

I fish for fun. yes the day is more enjoyable if I catch more fish than just one or two. I generally never get skunked, But if I do so what. You know the old saying "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work" However, after saying that if keeping score helps you enjoy the day GO FOR IT BROTHER. I just dont think that would enhance my day. Good luck and God Bless

[bamabassman]

well, hahahaha, i would bebenched i guess. my batting average is so low. i wouldn't even make the littlest little team man.

but do it buddy. let us know how ya do too.

[nofearengineer]

Well, I guess on the face of it, it would seem that missing a fish is a bad thing. If you're a tourney angler, doubly so, but as a purely recreational guy, I think it somewhat adds to the fun. Now hear me out.

Who else here STILL remembers a big fish they had on the line, and never got to even see?

Man...I still have dreams about the huge fish I hooked into off the coast of San Clemente. Almost spooled me, and I will go to my grave not knowing what it was.

Kind of like a slot machine...losing on 99 pulls only makes hitting the jackpot more fun.

[HarveysMinnow]

Well, I meant no offense to any of you guys (or your ancestors). I tend to forget that those of you who participate in tournaments do so at a frantic pace, and don't have time for a lot of record keeping. And those who favor the other extreme of fishing just for relaxation probably find record keeping unnecessary also.

I went down the record keeping route once before, many years ago, and I learned from the accumulated results that I was failing to hook a lot of fish, mainly because I was using a rod with too little backbone. This was in the day before graphite rods existed, or were too expensive for most casual fishermen. So, I just thought some of you might want to see if you learn anything from keeping your own records for a season. If you don't, no harm done in checking.

[bamabassman]

no harm, no foul harvey. man...........it's cool. i for one would like to see someones average. cuz i would be batting a big fat ZERO, lol. bryce, i too remember the big one that got away. got witnesses too. cause i lost it TWICE. once by myself, and then the NEXT day lost it again. had anthony with me on the the second day with his dad. they saw it, it was at least a 10 pounder. had a 7" zoom punkinseed/shartruse tail lizzard hanging out of one sode of it's mouth. left with a jundbug colored one on the other side, hahahaha. that is when i was convinced to get braided line.

[WatterBoy]

Hey Harvey -- "Those who enjoy copious data and building spreadsheets to keep such data in" -- that sounds pretty much like me to a "T".

I keep track of all sorts of stuff already, but not my "batting average"...yet!

Hmmm.............

[Lvitch]

3 for 4 today :-)

[islandbass]

As someone who loves working with numbers, I just might do that. I would add a few more fields to record how a fish was lost if lost. For example:

a) lost at the boat (not much you can do here)
b) wasn't paying attention (maybe some coffee)
c) line broke other than at the hook (weak point in line somewhere)
d) line broke at the hook (poorly tied knot or not ideal choice of knot for line)
e) angler allowed too much slack and the fish threw it off

Let's say you went 12 for 20 meaning you lost 8 fish.

Of those 8 fish lost, 2 were lost at the boat/shore (i.e, failure to seal the seal), 1 was lost because the fish jumped and spat out the bait, and 5 (or over 60%) were lost because the knot had come undone at the hook, as evidenced by a missing hook and the mangled section at the end of the line.

That would be a tell tale sign that one would need to consider:

1) Improving knot tying technique immensely
2) Checking the knot after its been tied
3) That the knot used might not be a good choice for the line being employed. For example, the improved knot can slip free and become undone if braid is used.

As opposed to throwing the rig onto the ground or boat and wondering why he or she is missing so many fish.

[HarveysMinnow]

Originally Posted by islandbass

As someone who loves working with numbers, I just might do that. I would add a few more fields to record how a fish was lost if lost. For example:

a) lost at the boat (not much you can do here)
b) wasn't paying attention (maybe some coffee)
c) line broke other than at the hook (weak point in line somewhere)
d) line broke at the hook (poorly tied knot or not ideal choice of knot for line)
e) angler allowed too much slack and the fish threw it off

Let's say you went 12 for 20 meaning you lost 8 fish.

Of those 8 fish lost, 2 were lost at the boat/shore (i.e, failure to seal the seal), 1 was lost because the fish jumped and spat out the bait, and 5 (or over 60%) were lost because the knot had come undone at the hook, as evidenced by a missing hook and the mangled section at the end of the line.

That would be a tell tale sign that one would need to consider:

1) Improving knot tying technique immensely
2) Checking the knot after its been tied
3) That the knot used might not be a good choice for the line being employed. For example, the improved knot can slip free and become undone if braid is used.

As opposed to throwing the rig onto the ground or boat and wondering why he or she is missing so many fish.

I-B... these are precisely the types of 'failures' that I would hope to gain insights about, from keeping detailed records for a full fishing season. It could lead us to more sucessful fishing. I suppose some folks can keep up with this sort of information in their heads, and that's great for those who can do it that way. Me? - not so lucky... I do well to remember when I last went fishing, let alone what I encountered and actually landed! Old age may suck, but still being able to fish helps a lot.

.

[Fishnngolfn]

I don't consider losing a fish a failure or even a lost fish. I look at like this - I am trying to "trick" the fish into eating a non-food item. The fish that I "lost" just tricked me into thinking I was going to hold him and take a picture. It's trickery with both parties involved.