The teaching season for a 6 Pack Captains License and Off-Season Prep is in full swing! As we approach Christmas it is a fun time of year for most outdoorsman, hunting, having family get-togethers, hockey, ice-fishing, snowmobiling (snow machines), and so much more. Some though, such as myself, they have a different thought process. That thought process is looking at it as down-time that can be utilized to work on prepping for the upcoming season. What does that entail you may ask?
Something that I engrained into my mind years ago (while I was competitively fishing all over the Midwest) was to take the off-season and prep for the next tournament cycle. It’s an opportunity to study the upcoming bodies of water that I will be on, the habits of the species that I am pursing, the new presentations on the market (whether they are a gimmick or would actually be effective), and any other additional equipment that would help me continue to be on top of my game.
It’s a time to exercise and train your brain on the upcoming obstacles. The more you know about what you are walking into, the more you will be able to make more educated decisions on the fly, which will increase your odds of success. Does that have to be tournament fishing? No, this could be in regard to training for the upcoming guiding season, or setting up healthy habits, as well as for 6 Pack Captains License and Off-Season Prep training opportunities that arise in other places.
What does this all boil down to? The more you exercise your brain (keeping your eyes on the prize) the more you will find yourself showing up to the game being sharper than those around you. In the guiding world that will mean being on top of the fish pattern changes quicker, knowing where to retreat to if they aren’t where you expected them to be that day, and providing a better product to your clients. It isn’t you against the other guides, it’s you against the fish.
I love training people for In person Captains Class in MN, WI, & MI, 6 Pack Captains License and Off-Season Prep has been a staple in my life for over 14 years. The next article I post will “dip” into some of those methods of training and research that I go through, and how that has enabled success thus far.
For those out ice-fishing, be safe, never trust the ice, and tight lines.
~Capt. J
