Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Fishing, Competition and Strategy
Sport fishing is one of my interests and one can wait a long time for some action while doing it. Eventually I had so much time that I started thinking about fishing in a broader context and wondered if you can draw anything away for it on a strategic level: fishing and strategy!
Like in many business situation you compete also while fishing. Most obviously you and the fish compete about who keeps the 'worm' (Note that even the worm competes for a resource, unless it's plastic, to stay away from the angler and any fish). Certainly you compete with other fishermen and nothing is probably more exciting and less close to reality than answering another fellow fisherman's question of "any bites" ? Don't forget that you are also competing with other creatures (fish, turtles and birds) who enjoy fish like you and the other anglers do.
Last but not least you compete with yourself. Once you become more successful and fished nearly every fish out there it becomes increasingly more difficult to stay successful. One might even argue that the smartest fish is the most experienced and oldest fish who is a) biggest and b) probably in the pond until the very end. How do you get him?
Let's look at means of fishing. A fishing rod helps but there are other things. Be a little bit more creative when it comes to means! Of course you can use a net with a varying 'threat-count'. What do you want to catch? A net seems like an easy way to catch any fish that is larger than the openings in your net but it's also very costly. A net is nothing else than a capital investment and it will take a long time to be successful and recoup the investment. A faster and much cheaper idea is to use dynamite. Boom and that's it. Note that this practice is usually not legal, it's more dangerous and you have no control over the result unless you like to eat fish-pieces only. This very effective method is neither sustainable nor will you earn the respect of your competition. You are running into trouble in the long-run also because everything in the pond has been wiped out and you will have to find another lake to fish in the future. Your idea with the net seemed not too bad after all and you might want to consider to put a much smaller net upstream on a connecting river. Larger fish will travel up the stream through your net - if they could. Your investment is much smaller, it's targeted and you will see results sooner exactly where you expect it. Draining the lake is another way to catch a fish. It might not be totally destructive and make it easier for you to find fish. One more option comes to mind. If you life in certain areas and like to focus on catfish you might decide to forget about a rod and net altogether. Catfish noodling is very popular and you basically use your hand to fish for catfish 1x1.
So don't limit yourself to just one method of fishing, i.e. the rod method and think creatively about what might be an appropriate fishing method. Effectiveness might not always be the way to go.
Of course you have to do your 'hygiene', i.e. your homework before you start fishing. Prepare yourself and find out everything you can about the area, the lake (depth, temperature, etc.) the containing fish and best time of fishing. This will not guarantee that you will catch anything but increase the likelihood of winning. You might be better of to experiment at the lake. Can you change a) your position, b) bait, c) means of fishing and d) time of fishing? If you are more successful at dawn there's probably a reason for it so keep fishing at dawn if it works out. A little espionage - only if it's legal! - can help too. Are there other people, what's on their hook and in their buckets?
Your positioning might help or hurt you. If you are close to your competitors (i.e. the other fishermen) you will compete for the same fish that is coming by and might end-up fighting. You can hide on the other side of the lake and stay 'under the radar'. You are also staying out of trouble. Avoid confrontations if you can: it's not giving you any more fish! In fact, fish don't like noise so it WILL hurt both of you. If you have more money try to buy a boat. This will put you on a different spot (on the middle of the lake!) where there might be bigger fish in the depth. Remember that the big fish is big for a reason: probably it stayed away from the edge of the lake for a long time and is safe in the middle in the depth.
That's your chance especially since there are not many other people usually fishing here. If you are smart you will not buy a boat but rather rent or even better loan one.
Technology, another small investment, can be your friend. With a fish-finder you can 'see' the fish even if YOU can't see it. You can safe a lot of muda (japanese for 'waste') in terms of time, effort and bait if you know where the fish a) is and where it b) is not.
Finally experience will help you a LOT! Experience means you see things that other people don't see. You will know that those little bubbles and waves on the top are from fish which will show you their location. Your experience will also tell you not too fish for trout in small lakes with a lot of sunlight as trout likes cold water. So don't fish for trout but for bass who likes warm water!
You will find more analogies if you leave your business situation and compare it to other areas in life. Of course you will also find many situations where the comparisons breaks-down and that's where it's getting interesting. Why can't you compare this situation with another one and what can you take-away from this insight?
P.s.: Eventually you find that fishing is a very competitive situation and it would be nice to get to the fish without all the 'hassle'. Especially if you are in an area where are no lakes at all you might run into a problem or challenge. Is there anything you can do except than giving up i.e. leaving the market? Often there is and you should use it to your advantage. Fish-farming is a huge business e.g. in Israel and it turns out that you can achieve magnificent yields in what one would think unproductive areas.
Like in many business situation you compete also while fishing. Most obviously you and the fish compete about who keeps the 'worm' (Note that even the worm competes for a resource, unless it's plastic, to stay away from the angler and any fish). Certainly you compete with other fishermen and nothing is probably more exciting and less close to reality than answering another fellow fisherman's question of "any bites" ? Don't forget that you are also competing with other creatures (fish, turtles and birds) who enjoy fish like you and the other anglers do.
Last but not least you compete with yourself. Once you become more successful and fished nearly every fish out there it becomes increasingly more difficult to stay successful. One might even argue that the smartest fish is the most experienced and oldest fish who is a) biggest and b) probably in the pond until the very end. How do you get him?
Let's look at means of fishing. A fishing rod helps but there are other things. Be a little bit more creative when it comes to means! Of course you can use a net with a varying 'threat-count'. What do you want to catch? A net seems like an easy way to catch any fish that is larger than the openings in your net but it's also very costly. A net is nothing else than a capital investment and it will take a long time to be successful and recoup the investment. A faster and much cheaper idea is to use dynamite. Boom and that's it. Note that this practice is usually not legal, it's more dangerous and you have no control over the result unless you like to eat fish-pieces only. This very effective method is neither sustainable nor will you earn the respect of your competition. You are running into trouble in the long-run also because everything in the pond has been wiped out and you will have to find another lake to fish in the future. Your idea with the net seemed not too bad after all and you might want to consider to put a much smaller net upstream on a connecting river. Larger fish will travel up the stream through your net - if they could. Your investment is much smaller, it's targeted and you will see results sooner exactly where you expect it. Draining the lake is another way to catch a fish. It might not be totally destructive and make it easier for you to find fish. One more option comes to mind. If you life in certain areas and like to focus on catfish you might decide to forget about a rod and net altogether. Catfish noodling is very popular and you basically use your hand to fish for catfish 1x1.
So don't limit yourself to just one method of fishing, i.e. the rod method and think creatively about what might be an appropriate fishing method. Effectiveness might not always be the way to go.
Of course you have to do your 'hygiene', i.e. your homework before you start fishing. Prepare yourself and find out everything you can about the area, the lake (depth, temperature, etc.) the containing fish and best time of fishing. This will not guarantee that you will catch anything but increase the likelihood of winning. You might be better of to experiment at the lake. Can you change a) your position, b) bait, c) means of fishing and d) time of fishing? If you are more successful at dawn there's probably a reason for it so keep fishing at dawn if it works out. A little espionage - only if it's legal! - can help too. Are there other people, what's on their hook and in their buckets?
Your positioning might help or hurt you. If you are close to your competitors (i.e. the other fishermen) you will compete for the same fish that is coming by and might end-up fighting. You can hide on the other side of the lake and stay 'under the radar'. You are also staying out of trouble. Avoid confrontations if you can: it's not giving you any more fish! In fact, fish don't like noise so it WILL hurt both of you. If you have more money try to buy a boat. This will put you on a different spot (on the middle of the lake!) where there might be bigger fish in the depth. Remember that the big fish is big for a reason: probably it stayed away from the edge of the lake for a long time and is safe in the middle in the depth.
That's your chance especially since there are not many other people usually fishing here. If you are smart you will not buy a boat but rather rent or even better loan one.Technology, another small investment, can be your friend. With a fish-finder you can 'see' the fish even if YOU can't see it. You can safe a lot of muda (japanese for 'waste') in terms of time, effort and bait if you know where the fish a) is and where it b) is not.
Finally experience will help you a LOT! Experience means you see things that other people don't see. You will know that those little bubbles and waves on the top are from fish which will show you their location. Your experience will also tell you not too fish for trout in small lakes with a lot of sunlight as trout likes cold water. So don't fish for trout but for bass who likes warm water!
You will find more analogies if you leave your business situation and compare it to other areas in life. Of course you will also find many situations where the comparisons breaks-down and that's where it's getting interesting. Why can't you compare this situation with another one and what can you take-away from this insight?
P.s.: Eventually you find that fishing is a very competitive situation and it would be nice to get to the fish without all the 'hassle'. Especially if you are in an area where are no lakes at all you might run into a problem or challenge. Is there anything you can do except than giving up i.e. leaving the market? Often there is and you should use it to your advantage. Fish-farming is a huge business e.g. in Israel and it turns out that you can achieve magnificent yields in what one would think unproductive areas.
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