Superstition: A belief or practice founded on ignorant fears or a mistaken reverence.

Fishermen are among the most superstitious people in the world. Whether it be bananas in the boat or having to ware one's "lucky socks," superstitions range from outlandish to just plain silly.

It is the obsessive compulsion, that is often attributed to superstitions that is our focus this week. Most successful tour professionals are fanatical about every aspect of what they do in preparation for their fishing experience.

If he was successful, Arkansas Pro Carl Svebek trys to duplicate every aspect of the previous day, which includes driving the same route to the lake, stopping for gas at the same place and even eating the same kind of donut that he ate the day before.

Kentucky Pro, Terry Bolton believes in Lucky Hats. They may all say Yamaha on them, but if he does poorly in an event, he will get rid of that unlucky hat.

And yours truly believes in always lying my hat upside down so that any luck that may be in there doesn't fall out.

Now, to those in the outside world, these may seem like superstitions, however to the tournament pros who follow them, they are routines. Routines, that when followed, have added up to success in the past. One of the oldest sayings in professional bass fishing is that there is no magic bait. This is a true statement, in fact when we explore the notion that any one thing we do in fishing, can make or break the experience, we are hard pressed to find such a item. It is rather the sum total of a thousand things we do to prepare for a fishing trip that is important, not item number 72. While Terry Bolton may have a lucky hat, he also spends hours trimming the skirts on his jigs and spinner baits. Making sure to get them just right. Does that make the fish bite better, maybe not, but he fishes with more confidence because he has taken the time. Wisconsin Pro, Tom Monsoor is passionate about being ready. He will spend countless hours respooling line, sharpening hooks and making sure that everything is ready to go before going to bed. "I can't sleep well if something is not ready." As for your's truly, don't ask to help get the boat ready. Nobody secures the boat except for me. I have a routine, and while you may be willing to help me now, you might not be there next time, and I don't want to lose the boat on the highway.

Superstitious, not really. The top pro tournament anglers in this country are thorough. They leave nothing to chance. Equipment failures are not an option when you have control over making sure they are right. Its not the one thing you do, it's the thousand things you do all of the time, day in and day out. These are the things that add up to success, not the exclusion of bananas in the boat.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to prepare a cup of hot lemon juice........I'm going fishing tomorrow.