when you stop buying all the latest and greatest?
This year I really stopped buying into everything, all the new plugs, the high priced gadgets, clothing lines, magazines, etc.
It seems I read everything 10x, the gadgets I dont need, the plugs are redundant, the clothes over-priced.
I search out gear from other sporting sectors, buy used stuff cheap, use more time tested techniques.

Am I jaded, smarter or just poor?

Anyone else find themselves focusing their fishing stratgey and gear to a more core oriented view?

smarter

expereinced

well if you ask me..... not that anyone on this planet would.... as far as fishing goes..... if your in it to catch them all all the time everyday of the year well then I guess you would need all the do dads and such.BUT if you go out to experience the out of doors and spend time with your friends/family, I don't think all the bells and whistles can even come close to the quality of time being spent that way. And if you catch a big friggin' fish too well thats a bonus.


IMHO

sol...

You are now an old fart:rude:

I've managed to avoid the bells and wistles for the most part. However I wish I could go back and change my color selection on plugs I bought when I had just started fishing. I bought alot of different colors before I knew what I really needed. I'm sure I have a few dozen multi-color plugs I would trade in a second for the same plug in white.

You definately become more selective as you gain experience.

In your subconscious mind, you have mastered your practice and are in search of new and interesting challenges.What does it mean? I think it is time for a bbbbbbboat.:hf1:

Smarter but maybe poorer tooo :shocked:

Actually I think it's a natural transition that takes place in every sport when you transition from the enthusaistic newcomer to middleage. Marketers have to figure out a way to make you think that all that stuff matters, but you begin to have enough experience to see the fallacy in the salespitch. A good analogy in golf is the old saying "If you don't got a swing, it don't mean a thing"

You've reached maturity.

Yup, maturity and wiser. :hihi:

Basically I think it is you have everything you need and until it wears out you don't need to buy a new one, buying used is just a good practice. I usually look for used before I buy it new. I can never have enough plug tho

No, you're just typical.

People who are five or more years into a sport only need so much. A big part of why fly fishing shops died off because once you have everything - you don't need to spend anything on per-trip basis. At least with traditonal fishing stuff gets stuck on rocks, bait goes bad. Even with surfcasting, most of the expenditure in fishing comes in the first five years - unless of course you migrate to boats.

Not everyone fishes a whole lifetime. Many people are somewhat serious for a while and then they may move away, get interested in something else, get a second wife who is younger, find other things that are more rewarding, etc. Others simply may not find sport fishing as engaging as you do.

you found your nitch in how you like to fish, know what works and what will get the job done....

I think you are just poor. Only guys that don't know you would say you're smarter...:hihi:

you found your nitch in how you like to fish, know what works and what will get the job done....

Can't put it any better than that.:claps:

How about time? Got enough of that? :doh:

You are now an old fart

No, that would be me........you 4 ft surfcaster:rotf2:

I've managed to avoid the bells and wistles for the most part.

Yeah, sure you have..... and which VS were you saying you needed to fill a gap last fall?:bl:

Yeah, sure you have..... and which VS were you saying you needed to fill a gap last fall?:bl:

Guilty as charged. I just got a 250 and am hoping to aquire a 150 by mid summer but I think a Van Staal is a smart purchase when you consider their durability and the time it saves you during the course of a season. I used to get a lot of grief from my girlfriend for the time I spent maintaining my other reels. The Van Staal has required no maintenance. I guess I don't think it falls into the bells and whistles category. I think of bells and wistles as things you don't need. C'mon, you know you need a Van Stall:jump:

My main test this season will be watching you and Josh with your convential tackle this season. I don't think I need I casting setup but I know I'll be jealous!:D

I've managed to avoid the bells and wistles for the most part. However I wish I could go back and change my color selection on plugs I bought when I had just started fishing. I bought alot of different colors before I knew what I really needed. I'm sure I have a few dozen multi-color plugs I would trade in a second for the same plug in white.

You definately become more selective as you gain experience.
You can fix that with a can of spray paint for less than $5 and who know's what that might lead to...

Guilty as charged. ... I used to get a lot of grief from my girlfriend for the time I spent maintaining my other reels. The Van Staal has required no maintenance. I guess I don't think it falls into the bells and whistles category. I think of bells and wistles as things you don't need. C'mon, you know you need a Van Stall:jump:

...D

Same thing drove me to a Van Stal. It's bad enough how much time I spend fishing, tying teasers/leaders.... Reel maitenance was starting to eat into "quality time"

i used my Vanstaal 3 times last season :hihi:

i used my Vanstaal 3 times last season :hihi:

If it's a 150 send it to me.:usd:

The only new item for me was waders,,,And boy am I glad I did!
It's makes the world a better place for me!
VB

Means you're not the new guy who has to have the such n such or the blah blah blah with the new improved doo hickies in order to catch fish :uhuh:

Smarter, older, wiser, and more experienced.

... but the bad news is that this is just a stage your going through, in 10 years from now you'll want to catch up on some of the trends you missed out on.

It's great.

Joe from surfcasting Rhode Island

" Many people are somewhat serious for a while and then they may move away, get interested in something else, get a second wife who is young.."

Can you please elaborate on getting a second wife who is youg ?

I haven't found that in any tackleshops or catalogs yet.

:p

flashy gear thats designed to catch fishermen more than fish
now reflects right off of you like a mirror or water on a duck's back....

the force is now strong within you.... you have ascended to a higher
level of mastery of your mind. Soon you will be able to do jedi mind tricks
like NEBE and convince everyone that they need to go home.:nopain:

Some people gravitate towards fishing and the outdoors as part of a larger spiritual journey that they may not be fully aware that they are on until much later. They may simply pass through fishing on their way to another, as-yet-unknown destination.

Other people may be dissatisfied with their lives on many levels - fishing for them is a form of escape from their daily existence. Not every mid-life crisis manifests itself in a trip to the Corvette dealership and a younger woman. Some guys give up living, but remain alive, having long ago made a tactical withdrawal from those around them or the notion that change could ever be positive. There are others with professional lives that have been a disappointment and for whom fishing has become how they define themselves. Still many others who put on a happy face, but just below the surface they are bitter and consumed with regret, having now realized they will most likely leave this life without a legacy or having made any mark of significance.

If this sounds like you, Click Here (http://www.samaritansri.org/)

Other people may be dissatisfied with their lives on many levels - fishing for them is a form of escape from their daily existence. Not every mid-life crisis manifests itself in a trip to the Corvette dealership and a younger woman. Some guys give up living, but remain alive, having long ago made a tactical withdrawal from those around them or the notion that change could ever be positive. There are others with professional lives that have been a disappointment and for whom fishing has become how they define themselves. Still many others who put on a happy face, but just below the surface they are bitter and consumed with regret, having now realized they will most likely leave this life without a legacy or having made any mark of significance.
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Geez Joe, Its like you crawled up inside my sub-consious :bc: Im just gonna stay curled up under the covers for the rest of this week

ya open a 55 gallon barrel of smelly jelly and dip yourself in it....
:huh: so now?
if you throw yourself into a swirling, broiling, frothing mass of
extremely hungry stripers...are you commiting fishacide
or are you a hero for protecting the resource? :rollem:

Interesting Joe, and you are on to an interesting topic. Have you read Thomas McGuane "The Longest Silence"? The forward to that book is about why people fish what they are after, and how people who lead lives of significance with some turmoil are the true recipients of all that fishing offers. Probably the best half dozen pages I have ever read in a fishing related book.

Maybe we can get Krispy to send us some of his stuff before he jumps. :eek5:
Don't do anything too rash Krispy, you still got beer. :D :hf1: :gu:

Some people gravitate towards fishing and the outdoors as part of a larger spiritual journey that they may not be fully aware that they are on until much later. They may simply pass through fishing on their way to another, as-yet-unknown destination.

Other people may be dissatisfied with their lives on many levels - fishing for them is a form of escape from their daily existence. Not every mid-life crisis manifests itself in a trip to the Corvette dealership and a younger woman. Some guys give up living, but remain alive, having long ago made a tactical withdrawal from those around them or the notion that change could ever be positive. There are others with professional lives that have been a disappointment and for whom fishing has become how they define themselves. Still many others who put on a happy face, but just below the surface they are bitter and consumed with regret, having now realized they will most likely leave this life without a legacy or having made any mark of significance.

If this sounds like you, Click Here (http://www.samaritansri.org/)

someone hasn't been out fishing in a while...

Most of us only have so many hours in a day (and so many hours in a tide) to fish, so I like to be as effective as I can within that time.

A lot of my purchasing through the years has been driven by efficiency, both when I was a kid fishing freshwater and now that I'm a little older in the salt. I don't want to clean my reels, so I have Van Staals. I hate patching my waders, so I buy whatever I feel is the most durable. Then I bought a wetsuit so I didn't have to worry about leaks. :bl: Easy to sharpen hooks, long lasting hook files, durable plug bags. And so on and so on.

For the past year or so I haven't wanted or needed to spend as much. I definitely hit a plateau or a spot where the gear I own is working for me rather then against me, or at least not slowing me down. If something new comes out there's a good chance I'll try it, but for the time being my purchases are mostly hooks, split rings, Fireline, and Power Pro.

This doesn't really answer the question as to whether you're jaded, smarter, or just poor, but it is why I don't find myself spending as much lately. I would imagine it applies to a lot of other people too; a lot of purchases I see at the shop are to solve a problem, whatever it may be.

on this thread......not meaning to hijack the topic....

but i would like to hear the advantages and or disadvantages of
having a wetsuit instead of wearing waders....

and how it improves your fishing methodology. :huh:

on this thread......not meaning to hijack the topic....

but i would like to hear the advantages and or disadvantages of
having a wetsuit instead of wearing waders....

and how it improves your fishing methodology. :huh:

For some of my spots it's just easier and safer, plus I can get out further in spots where it matters. It's also liberating not to have to worry when I cross a hairy spot to reach a safe spot. If I get knocked over by a wave I just ride it out and float till I can safely stand again, which isn't an option in waders. I rarely actually "skish".

Downside is that a wetsuit can smell a whole lot worse then waders if you don't keep it well rinsed and give it a chance to dry every once in a while...:sick: Some people also feel it's too hot in some conditions, but I've always found waders and a drytop to be fairly warm outfit too. In a wetsuit if I get hot I just jump in and let some cold water in.

I think the wetsuit is one of those things where you don't know what you might be missing till you try it. Some spots you'll gain nothing and you might as well be in hip boots, others it will allow you to reach better water or simply do it safely. I'm also not that tall or heavy, I start sliding on the rocks in relatively small waves when others stay firmly planted. I don't think it really replaces waders and a top for most people, it just gives you another option. Lastly, I just enjoy paddling around out there and I feel safer so I often wear a wetsuit instead of waders.

i'm in the same boat you are, except I'VE always been like that. To buy a car it took me 5 months and a drive to Wisconsin to get the one I wanted. Its no wonder I don't have a boat yet :wall: