Stubbornness is our worst enemy, and falling under its spell ruins every trip. It’ll dictate how and where to fish, throw you off course, and ultimately prevents from catching. Good anglers will do their homework for upcoming trips. Research gets done. Gear gets packed. The boat is prepared with specific tackle. And the fishing itinerary is set. When bites change, the best anglers will be flexible to all possible scenarios and adapt to them quickly. Stubborn anglers, on the other hand, will experience trips that went poorly. Leading up to your day on the water, fishing expectations are very high. However, after launching, the lake isn’t fishing as advertised, and its smallmouths are misbehaving too. Meanwhile, a few accidental catches are coming instead, proving that other species are biting best. The environment and lake conditions are telling you to go do otherwise, and yet you fail to make the adjustments and take what the lake gives you. We’ve all been in this position before. It sucks, but those who adapt will salvage their trip. Taking what the lake gives me is my modus operandi. Guiding, I wouldn’t be able to do my job without this operative. I