After watching some of the younger contingent fishing for the last few days I feel old.They fish two tides a night for three days straight and still don't sleep in the daytime. There aren't many tricks an old dog can teach them when they fish this much.Four or five hours is enough for me and then I suffer from lack of sleep.I know I wish I had that energy as I feel it more than makes up for years of experience providing it is done with intelligence.Which of these factors do you consider more valuable?

stamina is the ticket...
more time on the water = more fish
fish are not that smart

As long as I have plenty of coffee and redbull I can fish forever
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!:rotf2:

If gin and tonic paired with Bud is an energy drink we have an advantage.

I must agree Chris! Guys been using G and T and coffee for years...no ill effects in fact many lead long lives on those alone!!:buds:

You already have my answer.

I think it's the kind of commitments you have more than age. Once you have a demanding job and kids it changes the game big time.

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!:rotf2:

Nah, the younger generation stays away from donuts for the most part. We figured that one out so that should buy us a few years. :uhuh:

Donuts never slowed me down! The extra weight slowed me down!!:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

Oh...and I have not had a donut in over 5 weeks so......look out!!:uhuh:

Cant stand the taste off coffee its only energy drinks for me

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!:rotf2:

yeah what happened to the days of a couple of lines and a spliff or 2 per nite. If i did that now I'd be useless. I'll just take the 5 hours and feel like crap for rest of day feeling, I really have no other choice. I hope being older I do a few things wiser though. Time fished will usually pan out better in the long run but I give up easy now and don't feel cheated doing it. Fishing is more for enjoyment nowadays,not bragging rights.

The rewards of fishing increase with age even when results diminish.

Until, of course, you get as old as Sauerkraut at which stage consistency of bowel function becomes more important.

With things being so hectic lately, one tide is a blessing. And I'll fish thay whole tide, and than some.:)

At 70 I find I fish a lot less but enjoy it more. Four hours is about the limit
in the surf, but then it ends up a total of 7 hours with the driving.

I am inspired by the new & improved Tagger a.k.a. Belcher Goonfock....he has 10 years on me and the stamina of a 25 year old...
Life has found a way of diminishing my time on the water...that and home improvements....

I agree that stamina plays a big part of it. I am 54 and only been striper fishing the last 8 so I don't have youth or experience.
But I have less family commitments now and can fish as often as I like. I'm in good health and can easily keep up with my 35 year old fishing buddy as well as my nephews and two sons. They have other distractions that keep them from fishing while I am pursuing stripers.

I am inspired by the new & improved Tagger a.k.a. Belcher Goonfock....he has 10 years on me and the stamina of a 25 year old...

Thanks Matt ... Friend !!!! Sounds like it's time for you to become a Cyborg,, like many of us who suffer from sleep Apnea . That's right .. Cyborg = part human ,,part machine. If your asking your significant other ,, " Does my butt look fat in these pants ?" Might be time to get tested for sleep apnea.. Getting in shape and losing weight works wonders for your energy level too ... Don't be a zombie .

For me its not sleep , its sore old bones. Once the joints get inflamed , that's it. At one time , that was not an issue , then it became an issue but only after 3 or 4 days of fishing every tide. Now its a few hours then that's it for a few days to a week.

I would say the best combination of experience and physical ability is in your 30's and 40's. I remember when in my 30's I would sometimes go down to south county on a Thursday afternoon and not return until after the monday morning tides. Fish every available oppurtunity with no problem with sleep or decrepidness. I preferred to fish alone since very few could keep up with me and I had no concerns about needing help in case of an emergency. In my 40 I got down to maybe Friday through Sunday night then home to sleep before work on Monday. Time on the rocks didn't really limit me. Then around 45 , you start actually heading out with the idea you will fish x number of hours. may you would say "i can do 6 hours , whats the best places and times to spend the six. Prior to that it just go and fish if there was any hope of catching.

After starting to set a schedule , the hours become less and less. Then you start with the trade off...well I'll fish 9 to midnight but then sleep until intil 5 and hit the morning tide and sunrise. Then its I'll fish the night time or the morning , then its I'll fish the nightime and skip the morning so I can do tomorrow night.

Pretty soon its well I can last 3 or 4 hours then that's it for the week! :)

Now if the question were , would you rather be young or experienced , all but the biggest fools would choose young! :)

can't catch any fish laying in bed asleep except in my dreams. I passed out this afternoon and woke up to a zinging drag and actually sat up, realized I was asleep, laid back down. It's a sickness.
I choose youth

I think it's the kind of commitments you have more than age. Once you have a demanding job and kids it changes the game big time.

mostly, it for me~~~~~ yet,

i also believe that some of it is DNA. i have ALWAYS been a "night owl" as my parents used to call me as a kid. when i partied, it was ALL night. even before fishing and after i hung up my habits, i enjoyed staying up watching the boob-tube or reading or internetting or writing. it's a huge part of what makes me tick.

when i fish, i fish both tides if it can be managed from family and work. and i will fish night after night after night, whenever possible/necessary to find the feesh. AND here is where the experience kicks in~~~ while i am 50 and can hang with anyone 1/2my age(as long as have my energy enhancers of MINT Skoal, caffeine, and Kombucha/Odwalla to rejuvinate), i would much rather fish smarter than fish harder.

although i KNOW it takes BOTH~~~
one MUST fish a spot hard to learn it, then when it gets dialed in i "try" to fish it smart. trouble is,,,,,,,,,i'm only 5 yrs into this beautiful obsession, so i have many places to learn and only so many moons per season.

can't catch any fish laying in bed asleep except in my dreams. I passed out this afternoon and woke up to a zinging drag and actually sat up, realized I was asleep, laid back down. It's a sickness.
I choose youth

Was catching a truck nap the other night, dreamt i had a fish take a pencil and woke myself up by actually trying to set the hook. I thought I was the only one.

Hey George...I actually laughed out loud and got as strange look from the dog on your reply...:biglaugh:

When there are feeding fish around and everybody is catching, youth has the advantage.

When everybody tells you there are no fish around and things are slow. The advantage goes to the man with experience.

This was actually a pretty common occurance in the older days when guys fished for money and you could lose the fish for weeks at a time with nothing coming in to the markets. The guys who became well known were the ones who caught when nobody else did.

To be both young and experienced is the ideal combo and some young guys are quick studies. Like anything else in life, there is a learning curve with fishing and it takes a little knowledge and skill to get a fish on the hook.

When there are feeding fish around and everybody is catching, youth has the advantage.

When everybody tells you there are no fish around and things are slow. The advantage goes to the man with experience.

This was actually a pretty common occurance in the older days when guys fished for money and you could lose the fish for weeks at a time with nothing coming in to the markets. The guys who became well known were the ones who caught when nobody else did.

To be both young and experienced is the ideal combo and some young guys are quick studies. Like anything else in life, there is a learning curve with fishing and it takes a little knowledge and skill to get a fish on the hook.

I think you have the highest knowledge to post ratio in this game. Never have so few posts said so much (me on the other hand...)

Stress has more of an effect over me than age. If I'm stressed out I can't fish at all.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Sooooooo...we agree then that fishing is like sex.

Young guys get the most.
Stamina is important.
Going to the gym helps.
Stress screws it up.
Dreaming about it feels good.
Once your married, it gets harder.
With age, everything hurts afterwards.
When you get older, you read about more than you do it and when you do get a chance you have to pay for it later.

[QUOTE=numbskull;772019]The rewards of fishing increase with age even when results diminish.

Until, of course, you get as old as Sauerkraut...

YOUTH. Numbskull just ate my lunch...caught ALL OF MY FISH... by youthfully wetsuiting while I stood on dry rock and sand in my waders, two nights ago when I hosted him over to the Vineyard.

At least I hope it was his 50 or so feet of casting advantage. I would hate to admit otherwise that he's just better than I am.

I'd say youth - unless there are a lot of older guys doing as well privately. I think it more likely we're seeing the true representation of the evolution of the sport when we see young, fit guys in wetsuits with huge fish. It's hard to argue with those photos.

Before we oldsters get overly depressed, we have to take into context the differences between the recent past and the distant past. The learning curve is about a 1/4 of what it used to be. Younger people who have come to the sport post-Internet and post-publication of definitive manuals, now can couple unbounded enthusiasm with plentiful resources and reach a higher level of skill in a much shorter time.

YOUTH. Numbskull just ate my lunch...caught ALL OF MY FISH... by youthfully wetsuiting while I stood on dry rock and sand in my waders, .

Actually it is because you squandered your youth catching massive fish on eels and never gained the experience necessary to catch small fish with plugs. You didn't end up so dry either.

Heres how my memorial day weekend played out, im 29, fat, bald and out of shape (rounds a shape right), i work in the restaurant biz and am an executive chef, i work 60 to 70 hours a week. heres my recap.

Thursday may 27th, get up a 3am, drive to the ditch, start fishing my 415, caught a few 20s and 11 fish in the teens, fished til 7am, drive home, shower, breakfast, go to for work for 10am, work til 11pm. 13 hour day in the kitchen. Go home shower, sleep.......

Friday may 28th get up a 330 am, 3.5 hours of sleep, drive to the ditch, fishing by 445, fished til 8am, caught 9 fish in the teens, one low 20s, drive home, shower, work at 10am til 11pm, super busy, 97degrees in the kitchen and super hectic. go home shower, sleep.

saturday may 29th get up again at 330am, 3.5 hours of sleep, drive to the ditch, fishing by 445, fished til 8am, put on a clinic with my northbar darter, consistent fish all am, lost of plug full of mojo, drive to m and ds buy some stuff, drive home, shower, work at 10am til 11pm, super busy, 100 degrees in the kitchen and super hectic, nonstop all day. go home shower...............

sunday, may 30th after showering, get in the truck and drive to the ditch, sleep in my truck sitting up for 2 hours, start fishing around 3am til 8am, slower day, less fish and lower weights, but still 9 fish. go home shower, go to girlfriends house, get breakfast, do errands, hang out, cook dinner and relax, but wait...........

leave her house at 11pm, go home sleep til 3am, drive to the ditch start fishing at 4am, no fish til day break, 2 fish low teens, leave at 8am, then go work another 12 hour day, go home at 1030pm and sleep...............slept til 4pm on tuesday.

Did i feel good doing this, hell no, i was sweating, cranky, hunger, tired, exhausted, but its what i have to do if i want to get out and fish, the fishing was some of the best ive had in years.

I dont take anything except coffee and maybe a 5 hour enegry drink, dont want my heart to explode.

its crazy and something i dont do on a regular basis.

but i do pull a 13 hour shift then go fishing til after for about 6 to 9 hours, then sleep.'

this is the life i know and it works for me, i dont always get to fish the best tides or times, but i make it work.

So I use to drive to P-Town, fish 2 tides, drive home, do the family thing, sleep 3 hours and do the same thing again the next night. Sometimes even during the week and work all day. A couple of times I drove from The Back to the airport and got on a plane. Took the waders off and put a suit and tie on in the airdown lot. Air down drive The Back, fish like a madman. 49 years old first heart attack. 55 years old after 5 stents, a quad bypass. Trust me, it will catch up with you.

I fished 24 hours this weekend. Fri, Sat, Sun 8 hours in the boat from 2 to 10 AM. I couldn't move this morning as I tried for 4 days straight. It takes a toll on your body.

Is it worth it? I'm gonna be 63 and I say HELL YES!!!!

At 55 all I have to say is Ibuprofen is your friend. Steroids would be better though.
After fishing all night sat I walked out to the light on the short wall shortly before dawn and realized that my bag was in my truck. Ohhh )(*&^%$#@!

Hopefully the guy who arranged the rocks at the short wall years ago got fired... you gotta zig zag like a drunkard to get to the end

Geesh with all this complaining and bickering and whinning I think this post should be moved to the grumpy old farts forum. :rotf2:

Maybe us old guys should go back to talking in code and let the young ones have a longer learning curve.:biglaugh:

I think Joe makes a good point about how with all the information available these days, the younger set can really make use of all the time they have on their hands. It figures that now that I feel like I have a somewhat of a clue, I have other obligations now that keep me off the water, I guess that's just life as you come out of your care-free 20's!

It's certainly much easier to ask a question on a message board - compared to tracking down out-of-print fishing books through rare book dealers - which is what you do when you have questions, time and enthusiasm, but no help.