Keep your Eye on the Target

Even in bass fishing everyone has instinctive aim, some are better than others but as long as you can see, you can hit your target; just dont take your eye off of it.


The above is very basic, but holds true if you are having trouble placing a lure directly where you want. If you read ‘Flick of the Wrist I was out on the water with a good friend of mine who is in the process of learning a few new techniques in the world of bass fishing. During one of our outings I noticed we were having to spend an awful lot of time retrieving lures from poor lure placement. Josh is familiar with instinctive shooting is similar in with practice sites are no longer needed but muscle memory and stock weld is developed. You can use this same approach while fishing if you spend the time getting to know your rod/reel and natural casting tendencies.

Some people tend to pitch/cast naturally a little to the left or right and it depends on your technique, eye dominance and if your left or right handed. However no matter how you pitch/cast if time is spent on and off the water developing and refining your natural abilities this aspect of fishing will become second nature in a small amount of time. Yes there will still be the errant lure in a tree, dock or any place other than where you intended on placing it, but those will become farther and farther apart with the more time spent practicing.

I recommend starting with a large object, a welcome mat, the base of a large tree heck I have my kids just cast to a six by six section in the driveway. Use something you can hit repeatedly and work your way down in size and up in distance as you get better. The only two things you need to focus on is casting/pitching the same way every time and keeping your eye on the very spot you intend to hit. Over time the six by six piece of concrete has been replaced with five gallon buckets and the distance went from 5 to 10 foot to 20 to 40 foot.

While on the water use the same style of casting or pitching and remember no matter what do not take your eye off the target until the lure hits the water. It is easier said than done with all the distractions a person has. Little things like checking the depth or looking at the water temp, looking for the next place to cast or turning to talk to your partner will directly affect your lure placement. It is imperative until this newly discovered ability becomes muscle memory you follow through the entire process, that is you keep your eye on target until the lure enters the water.

I realize this is a simplistic suggestion and there is room for so much more in-depth instruction but the fact remains if you just keep your eye on what you want to hit your lure presentation will greatly improve over a short amount of time. With practice and a sustained discipline to ensure each cast/pitch is done the same and you follow through with your eye on the target the lure stuck in a tree or 10 foot back in the grass line along a bank will be all but forgotten.

See You on the Water
Ronald S. Fogelson
Forum Admin for

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