Bob La Londe wrote:


What would this have taught you that you could use in the future?


Not to fish where you'd been practicing.

Seriously. I never look for individual fish on/near the shoreline other
than bed fishing time, and then I'm just looking, maybe casting, but
never swinging, unless I know it's a small fish.

I always look for groups of fish when practicing for a tourney. and
hooking one or two from a group just helps me get a feel for what's
there. If soremouthing one is going to ruin a spot, it ain't a spot I
want to bother with anyway.