Fishermen love to brag about their catch. Most of the time the person that catches the most and the biggest fish is the person willing to try something different to get results. At the beginning of your fishing day be willing to put the friendly competition on hold for a few minutes and work together to find out what the fish want. In other words, if your fishing buddies are using bait A and bait B, you should start with bait C in an effort to quickly determine the pattern. As you fish throughout the day be aware of what baits your buddies are using. If they're having success, your bait selection should move in that direction. If they're not, continue your bait search. This approach applies to both game and bottom fishing for fun.