Sydney Fishing Mentoring w. DerekD

[Dazza72]

I have a 13yo son who is a mad fisherman. We do ok, each time we head out on the boat, but we want to become much better. We have a belief that to get really good at something you have to spend time with others that are better than you. We initially tried a few charters to see if we could get some guidance from them. Unfortunately our experience was they were exceptional at putting us on the fish, but they didn’t care too much for our desire to learn and master this fine art.

Recently I posted a question on FishRaider, and DerekD was exceptional. All week he kept giving me great advice. I also noticed somewhere that he mentioned mentoring some Raiders, so I approached him and he was brilliant. He explained that if he was to give up his time, he wanted a commitment from us that we’d practice what he taught us and that we’d ask great questions, primarily to learn why we fish a certain way.

Yesterday was the day, and my son and I met him at 730a at Mosman. We started out with an assessment of our casting. We thought we were ok at this, and he gave us an 80% mark. I can’t believe how good an eye he has, how patient he is and what an a great teacher he is. By the end of the session our casting had improved dramatically. We’ve still got plenty more work to do but he improved us dramatically.

After a great lunch together we moved onto a lure masterclass, we covered soft plastics, vibes and surface lures. We spent a great deal of time mastering the retrieve techniques for these. 

Joe and I can’t believe that one man would give up his Monday long weekend for nearly 10 hours, and all he asked that we buy him lunch. 

We built so much knowledge over the day and we can’t wait to put it into practice this weekend. Derek, thank you so much for yesterday, and for your care of the local fishing community. We loved the time with you and loved the learning. We cant wait to spend time with you again and hope you’ll have us back for lesson number 2.

Raiders, if you’re struggling in a few areas like we are, reach out to the great man DerekD. 

[big Neil]

Very decent of you to relay your thanks to Derek, Dazza72. Some people actually get as much pleasure from helping others to improve as they would practicing what they preach. He is such a person. Good luck to you and your son as you venture together, putting it all into practice. That's what life's all about...helping each other. Thanks also to this forum for being there to allow us all to interact and learn from each other.

bn

[Little_Flatty]

@Dazza72 and great report!

@DerekD is the resident mentor and as you have found, is incredibly generous with both knowledge and time. Plenty more lessons to be had for you and your son.

[Bennyg78]

Nice Report @Dazza72

It was nice to meet you and your boy with Derek on the weekend. I am sure we will bump into each other more often.