The Psychology Behind the Catch, Clean, and Cook Trip.

DEEP DIVE

When I look back all the years I’ve been fishing, there are certain trips that are more memorable than others with most of them being catch, clean, and cook trips.

To better understand the psychology behind the CCC I’m going to share a quick story with you about what exactly happens when a fishing trip turns into a mission. 

When I was 21 years old, my friends and I made a trip to Flint Creek Campground in MS for the weekend.

Our plan was to NOT bring any food and to “live off the land,” or more appropriately, the lake. 

Everything was going good until 10 a.m. We made our way down to the lake with the intent to fish until noon, clean our catch and eat around 1 p.m.

As we got there we were greeted by my friend Leo who had woken up early and had been fishing all morning.

I told him our plan as I yelled it across the lake. Then I asked him how many he had so far.

He answered back with a “ZERO!” My heart sank and the seriousness of the statement sank in.

Leo was an excellent angler and if he couldn’t manage a fish all morning, we may be in some serious trouble. 

Leo made his way around the lake and we walked towards him casting along the way.

As we met, we hashed out a different plan for each person as if we were going into battle.

The plan was to split apart and fish different areas of the lake using various lures and techniques in hopes that one would “hit”.

We would fish through lunch and meet back at the campsite at 3 p.m. I ended the planning session with “Guys, this is ridiculous, we need to get our act together and bring back some fish to eat.”

After splitting away from the guys I fished hard, I was on a mission. 

My assigned lure was a Johnson’s Beetle Spin. (Green with two black lines running down the center) 

I chose the Beetle Spin because this was the lure that I grew up fishing with. It’s my confidence lure because I knew it gave me the best chance at catching whatever fish was in that lake fish - bream, bass, and crappie.  

I started fishing that lake like my life depended on it!

I was finally able to catch my first fish when I was casting into a shallow creek that ran into the lake. 

When fishing a lake with minimal water flow, I always look for any place where there is water moving. The moving water is more oxygenated and stirs up the baitfish which attracts predator fish. 

While the bass was only 13 inches long, you would have thought I landed a 10-pounder.

I put it on a stringer and continued to fish, catching one more largemouth and headed back to the campsite in order to make it back by 3 p.m.

As I approached the site I could hear the other guys laughing and bantering. They were like kids each trying to tell their story over each other.

I walked up and yelled “Ya’ll found em?” Each of them caught at least one fish and after I laid my two bass on the tailgate along with theirs, the total was 8 bass, 4 crappie, 3 bluegill, and 1 channel catfish. 

I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. What was looking like a routine day fishing turned into a challenge. The challenge turned into a mission. And the mission ended in success. 

If you’ve never planned out a Catch, Clean, Cook trip I highly recommend trying one. I've added a few recommendations I’ve learned since my “live off the land” trip that should help you on your next trip.

Tips for planning your next Catch, Clean, Cook trip. 

• Set up the area you are going to clean the fish so you can immediately get started once you catch them.

• Set up your cooking equipment, seasoning, oil etc, ahead of time so you’ll be able to roll right in and start cooking after cleaning the fish. 

• Establish a minimum number of fish that you will need for success. 

• Set up a time to eat the meal and even invite others. (This will put pressure on you to produce a catch)

Now, I know that this isn’t for everyone but all I ask is that you give it a try just once. 

I’ve found that by setting up parameters for the day, it keeps me in line and focused on the end result which is a dinner of fresh fish  at the end of the day.