Learning on your own? anyone do this anymore?
 

Questions, Questions, There good I guess and a general starting point for a novice. However most of threads that ask questions become personal platforms for touting whats better in there own opinion and it becomes a helpless back and forth that confuses the guy that asks's the question even more!I am as guilty as anyone else here! I admit it, but it does little good for the asker.Sometimes is mind boggling to see 50 responces of differing opinions on something as simple as a snap swivel...Doesnt anyone try this stuff for themselves anymore? Sometimes to much info is a terrible thing and will have you spending money and scratching your head so bad you will end up s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g your thumb on a couch someplace afraid to make cast one!

It used to be you head to the local bait shop ask the people what a good starting point was and go from there....Who is to say someone will like braid over mono? or conventional over spinning? or this plug over that plug? "Which plug is better" thats one of the dumbest questions there is ! What works in one persons hands wont have the same results in anothers..Fisherman especially new guys need to really experimant for themselves and see what works for them as individual's. "what are the 4 plugs you carry when the moon is half towards new and the wind is east and the trees are blooming" So stupid...

Because joe blow does well with a certain plug it doesnt mean that the next guy will see the same results...And that even works for baitfishing...every single method there is has its nuances and some people just have a "touch" that others will never have! Still even more are just born with that certain something that cannot be taught or duplicated...and to go even further, I have to say some guys just are not cut out to be good at this sport, no matter how hard they try or what they do they just dont have "it" and that "it" factor can be very important, its not something that can be taught or explained or duplicated, you either have it or you dont...

So when it comes down to it, I think the best advice to give is to acually get out there and do it and learn what works for you on your own , its good to get hints but in the end the only way you learn is by doing and simply "seeing for yourself" without taking any ones word for it.

Oh and remember that Joe Blow who did good on that plug? odds are he doesnt even know why;) Most times the guy had no idea why a fish ate it...Acually 100% of the time ! No one knows why a fish does what it does..

You will never make fish do what you want them to do..You cannot force your will on them, to many people put it in human terms...fish do not..Go out there and try and fail and succeed on your own, it will be very fufilling in the end and then you to can add your 2cents to the next guy that asks a question!

There are no shortcuts.....

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&,

I agree with allot of that, I don't have the answer. Convieneance of the net maybe.....your sign off line has some insite too......."There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot".

Well, I am just ayiong some of the questions are just ridiculas..I have to question where common sense has went is all.. The internet has nothing to do with what I am saying...although its a faster way to get completley confused

People like to ask questions to get a consensus of what people think. You glean from the responses what you want from them and then give them a try. Sometime you read between the lines and glean useful info.

Someone might ask what Plug is best and, yeah you may get a ton of different responses, you may get a bunch with the same response, but one guy may add something like "When the tide is outgoing a nice rip forms and I find this plug Really digs in for that situation".....There's the pearl your looking for when you ask the question....a situation you may want to try it in that you've come across.

Some people use questions as a starting point to get some creative dialog going on a situation....once again, to look for that pearl that may help you out when you are out there fishing.

Sometimes questions are just for fun to break up the monotony and you just want to goof around about a subject and a situation....Its all Good.

Like it or not...these boards are becoming the B&T's of the future. You can buy you gear while your here, exchange you fish stories here, and ask your questions here.....

My belieif, is that most of these questions are answerd by the asker...they already know the answer....there is no other way...Some of the Questions are just so weird and or stupid that I think they are put up just to get a responce and see where it goes or when a war will start...As for the future? if thats the case we are in trouble....I watched a show last night where people cannot even remember close relatives birthdays anymore unless its in there blackberry! Everyone wants it easy now...I have to disagree on one thing there is no way that the internet is a new bait and tackle store...No way...

You can ask questions yes, but face to face "human contact" can never be duplicated on the internet.....Progress is always good but nothing is flawless and it all has its inherant problems

I have to admit I refrain from asking too many questions on here because of what you mentioned in your post. But on the flip side i have learned a ton from members here and practiced the feedback in the field with mixed results. I am a intermediate at best and I like to get my info from this board but always ask questions at the B&T shop.

I never said it was better....I just said that is the way its going. I agree you miss the face to face contact.

I know once in awhile questions are asked to incite some personal off-board agenda...... but a lot of them are asked because somebody really wants an answer to their question, and thats all. People are also free to answer or ignore the question if they so choose

I like to ask questions, but seldom, if ever, take action on the advice or answers. It merely gives me another set of data to mull over in my brain.

Damn, now they'll have to cancel all of the message boards:p:p

A problem most people who ask questions have is that the questions are too general - "what's the best rod", "who uses sluggos" w/o getting into specifics about when, where, why, etc.

As TDF said, the is net is like the old B&T of the past. You hang here, ask questions and then go meet up w/ someone for a drink .

If you are an expert , the repeating "beginner" questions do sometimes seem silly but to the beginners , they are important. Perhaps people need to be in the sport a long time to be able to ask truly new and interesting questions from the experts point fo view.

the site is for everyone. Beginners , intermediates , experts and those who feel they have ascended to godhood.

yes certainly going out and doing it is the best way to learn but asking questions on the internet is a new and very time saving way of learning.

No number of internet questions will give someone the feel for their eel on the end of the line , the feel and reflexes to bounce a jig down the canal without snagging bottom in a few seconds and distinguish a fish from all the other banging around , to know how much pressure is enough but not too much when landing a fish. However , some questions may get someone geared out initially without wasting money on pocket fisherman or self destructable cheap reels. It may get them to try something they have never heard of before. It may get them the oppurtunity to meet friendly experienced people who will help them. It may get them in contact with b+T operators who will give them a little special treatment as members of a site they won't get just walking in cold.

Anyway , the old salts may think some things are rediculous to ask , while the new people think the same thing is great. By the same account , the newby , who knows nobody in the sport may get sick and tired of hearing all the 'experts" prasing eachother and professing their eternal friendship in between the divorce like flame wars and arguing.

It takes all kinds to make a site what it is and in balance , both the new and the old in the sport have oppurtunites for useful applications of the resource.

I like raspberries blackberries are not good for any thing .

I prefer to hunt and peck myself . its more fun that way .

I was going to ask all I could saturday night . but I forgot

good answer saltheart

I dont mind answering a good question...But some are just plain nonsense...Example:

"Whats the best surf rod"

"Whats the best plug"

"Whats the best line"

"is braid better than mono"

"What 4 plugs are the best to have in your bag on a full moon"

'' Which is better plugs or bait"

"is spinning better than coventional"

"Boat vs Surf, which is the real fisherman"

The list goes on...Not one of these Questions has a "right" answer not one...yet all of them have been asked numerous times..I guess its the way it is but where has common sense gone..

I think Billy's point is...people too often look for the easy way out via the internet. I think it kind of puts a hair accross the guys azz that has done the years of leg work and trial and error on his own to figure out what works for them. Way too many guys are looking for short cuts nowadays. Is there a right way??? Not really..Get out there and try it for yourself, it's much more satisfying...your way may work better for you than the other guys way.. Try something..If it works for you then stick with it.. If it doesn't..change it up till you find what works for you.. Bottom line is..Guys need to stop looking for all the answers via the net..you probably will never find the right answer..just opinions on what has worked for others.. Do you wipe your azz like everyone else..Who knows, but I know my way works..Most of the time..:rotf3:

Not everyone is an expert.

Not everyone has an unlimited amount of time to test and try different gear, locations etc.

Maybe the guy that asks about the type of swivel or plug to use is a beginner with no knowledge of this sport whatsoever.

Maybe he/she asks because he/she hasn't had the chance to learn yet or has just joined this, or any other fishing site for that matter.

The fact is, noone should be made to feel that any question is stupid.

IT'S NOT!

Go ahead and ask away.

That's what the "EXPERTS" are here for.

:kewl::D:bl:

I also see guys kissing the azz of who ever is the hot hand at the time, its like alliances...Another words, they fish with anyone and everyone who will take them to the spot of the week without having done anything on there own..Then all of a sudden there experts after fishing a couple years because they had a decent week or two over the season...They all want the same thing...The same guys who were humble the year before suddenly bump into a few fish and now they know it all without ever really having learned anything.

Take me to the fish even though I know nothing, show me where to stand, point to the rock to cast two and promise me a fish.Its the way its done now.

All I am saying is man, show some fortatude and learn something without having your hand held..

Read the bottom...As I said there are no answers and certainly none that are right...The answer is find out for yourself

My answers speak for themselves with the consitantcy I have had in course of my fishing life so far..I know one thing, if I see a guy with alot of fish and consistancy, I would tend to listen to what ever advice he gives and use it for my overall planning in how I am going to aporoach things...Still however, like I said what works for one does not work for others...

Not sure there are any "So called" experts...It's fishing..not brain surgery..Lets get real here..

I think most new guys get more confused than anything else due to all the diff. opinions.

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&- i'm sure you learned everything you know on your own. Jim white, Tim Coleman.....they were of no help to you. :rolleyes:

WELL

I see your feeling better :::cputin:

I found out that spinning rod and reel combos make you grow breasts and that if your 6'-6" tall the real dilemma when buying waders is not if they are breathable or neoprene but where the crotch of the wader is as opposed to your own that make them the best for you and that women from Brockton, when they turn 30 grow hairy arms, mustaches and their butts blow up twice the original size.

Where else would you be able to go to get valuable info like that?

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, why is it you come here every day if not partly for the questions? Have you not answered so many yourself? To call them "stupid" now makes you seem stupid for ever answering any. But you are not stupid by any stretch and your shared fishing knowlege is appreciated by countless individuals who have learned from what you have posted. I have never caught a fish while sitting at my keyboard but I have taken bits and pieces of the info found here with me to the water and yes, it has helped me.
This may not be the new B&T but most guys who own/operate a B&T also have product available online and get customers from forums like this.

spin

Holy ^%$#@! he's alive..WHAT"S UP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>BUD:wav e:

When someone asks the broad open questions like "what rod is best" , its a chnace for discussion , not nescessarily a single right answere. Its even just a snapshot in time for the discussion because even the old timers keep learning new tricks and changing as time goes on.

Anyway , think "discussion board" , not "right answere board"

Acually the answer is NO...and you can ask those guys...Its why I have gained there respect over the years, I figured out things for myself... There friends and people I fish with that I met sometime ago...Sure we talked about fishing and share ideas etc...but none of them held my hand and showed me the ropes...Your wrong on that count...Many of those guys in days past were making money from selling fish, they were not about to let others cash in by handing out free advice

Ah yes mike...A little kick in the pants post that gets "good" chatter going....
Its the meds:rotf3:

Once again you have choices.....You can answer the question Abruptly

Q: What is the best Plug?

A: A Creek Chub pikie in Blue over Fuschia

or you can answer the question with some qualifying question to try and find out how to help the guy.

Q: What is the Best Plug

A(Q): Tough one to answer where do you like to fish or what is the Predominant Bait Around

Or you can simply say this is a stupid question....I think I Will ignore it.

I came to this site knowing absolutely nothing about Stripers and probably asked a Chitload of stupid questions in the beginning and all I can say is that I appreciate everybody that took the time to help me out.

and the last thing I would want to do is make anybody feel like they are asking a stupid question...If I can answer them I will and I'm OK with that.