Fishing, as with many other pastimes, is subject to the shifting tide of feast and famine.

My fishing days often transpire across slow times where bites are non-existent and then transition to fast action with back-to-back-to-back catches that turn disappointing trips to memorable successes.

Like many anglers, I have experienced great swings in action from Lake Erie to the Ohio River and in several other regions across the U.S. Our fishing days can play out like the baseball team that can’t muster a run during the first eight innings of a game and then break it wide open with a five-run ninth. Our time on the water can be like the par-free first 16 holes of golf to the pair of birdies that close out our rounds.

Thank goodness for such rallies. They turn despair to celebration and turn frowns upside down.

Best of all, late-game success reinforces the truth that no fishing trip is a failure if the angler adjusts and learns. Filling out the limit after long hours of frustration can inspire us to return to the lake next time with fresh hopes and the vision of success.

The fact is the shift in fortunes is hardly ever strictly luck. Something changed in the conditions and approaches, and “luck” was the result of doing the right thing at the right time.

I have fished countless days on what I call the Big Six of greater Youngstown and Warren: Mosquito, Berlin, Milton, West Branch, Pymatuning and Shenango. Since the mid-1970s, I have experienced outstanding outings on all of them. But each also has delivered some of the most confounding days an angler might encounter.

Quick limits certainly are a joy. Who would complain to have fish on ice or in the live well while the outboard is still warm after the morning run? Has anybody ever fretted that the fish were striking their baits too frequently?

Fast action is every angler’s dream, but slow days need not end as nightmares. Fishing, as is baseball, golf and other games, is an exercise in adjustments.

Berlin was a favorite when Barb and I bought our first boat in 1977. It had numerous locations where we soon learned to catch walleyes, crappies and perch. We experienced some of the best days of fishing, but we also learned that when the fishing was tough, we needed to be smarter.

Mosquito Lake was another early favorite. Veteran anglers advised us to fish the “cemetery” and the “Red Barn,” which was all well and good until those areas failed to produce walleyes. So we learned to adjust, expanded our favorite waters and tweaked our tactics.

As I ventured around to our region’s other reservoirs, I learned new techniques and tried new lures. I learned how to catch muskies at Milton and West Branch, bass at Shenango and Pymatuning and crappies at all of our local lakes.

But the best lesson of all was the reinforcement that if something’s not working, the angler must adjust. Seems smart, yes? Nevertheless, many anglers fail to learn that lesson.

To all I advise, enjoy the good days, but also do not hesitate to pinch hit for the opportunity to kick-off a late-inning rally. Make your own momentum and swing for the fences when the score is zero.

Jack Wollitz writes this column weekly for readers of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.