Tech Talk
 

What in the past couple decades do you consider a game changer in you success as a fisherman. To me it’s threefold, graphite, braid and fish finders.

The biggest change for me happened when I was still involved in fresh water bass tournament fishing and sensitive graphite rods came out first, followed by braid and it was night and day almost immediately.

When shortly after i made the switch to stripers and getting back into the salt. The ability to feel hits, even subtle takes regardless of wind and current was so important when fishing plastic.

The next big jump for me, was moving into chart plotters with the ability to help locate and the fish structure not evident to the naked eye. Good electronics, sensitive powerful graphite rods and the sensitivity of no stretch braid to me were a game changer.

Fish talk lets go.

Since I am primarily a surfcaster, I will say that one of the
best advances was the discovery/use of Gripstuds #1800 (carbide tipped
spikes intended for motorcross tires on ice).

These have helped me bigtime because for years I spent too much
time fumbling and focusing on inferior products like korkers and
wearbars... it was a big safety issue, and that has been eliminated.
I am now able to climb where I need to, access rocks with confidence,
and focus on my fishing not my footing.
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Neoprene stormr surftop: bottom line, this jacket has helped me stay warm on
cold nights and stay fishing longer
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And can we all give a round of applause to whoever invented LED
technology? My first headlamp was a yellow spotlight type light that was big, cumbersome, and not waterproof at all. How soon we forget!

On top of those great things
Studs
Lights
After getting knocked down at PJ I bought a wetsuit
Can get to “that” rock with no issue
I love powerclips
But age, distance and lack of stripers don’t help me go to the salt when I can fish and hunt without leaving my land.
Golf isn’t too far either
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Braid is probably the biggest thing for me. Breakaway clips were also huge. Red Bull’s have helped me a bit as well. Also sluggos and other plastics like storm shads were a game changer.
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the internet and cell phones :devil2:

Better built spinning reels

Breathable waders and surftops to help get to where the fish are, add an inflatable PFD too

I think I was using Fireline way back in the early nineties

fly rod....I enjoy the experiences and the challenges more with a fly rod if you consider "success" the degree of enjoyment that you get from your time on the water...also, I fish from a paddle board quite a bit....that has really changed the experience too

sealed reels, braid and I hate to say it, the internet. (circa 2000)

99% of my fishing is done at night so these few things have made most nights more productive for me, if they haven't made it more productive, they have at least given me the ability to be in the best position to have success.

I would have to say chart plotter and more reliable/longer lasting outboard motor and better more powerful electric trolling motors are the three things that have aided me most.

the chart plotter allows me to cover the same exact drift over and over, it allows me to mark spots more accurately, I still use land marks to a degree but the chart plotter allows me to fish when visibility is less than great and anticipate turns and changes in the bottom to keep the boat in the best position to find fish without spooking them or running over where they are instead of casting to them... it also allows for and additional amount of safety coming back into the river, on a big moon tide, both jetties can disappear, have a "snail trail" to follow as I return makes reentry a whole lot less spooky


gone is the constant tinkering with the motor to be sure it gets me where I'm going and back home, even though I still run a 2 stroke, oil injection and synthetic oil has all but taken away the smoke trail, because they are more reliable, I'm able to travel greater distance without the fear of a break down...

Most of what I do relies heavily of shallow water stealth fishing, the electric motor ( My first one was a Ted Williams in 1974 it sported 14lbs of thrust)) is my mainstay and I put more hours on them in a season than I do ,my outboard.. there was a time when I only got a single season or two at best out of them, now, with salt water models available and larger thrust ratings, I pretty much give them up only when something better comes along, my current 24volt 80lbs of thrust Electric allows me to make adjustment to wind and tide with out changing my game plan, and on some nights that is a game changer.

as an add on, I'll say Radar for small boats, my eyes are not quite as good as they once were, adding a small boat radar allows me to see things that I just couldn't see before ( kayaks come to mind) I even use it on one section of beach to see fisherman wading the beach, because we fish the same water, I am able to pick them out as the wade the bars away from the shore line, this give me time to alter my coarse so I do not interfere with their night, It's a good set of electric "eyes" to give me a heads up on what is around me, I wish I had got one years ago..

Finding SB.com, learning more stuff than I could have any other way..
Met some good teachers (friends) also... :-)
Thanks to all

The release of the Surf Hog changed fishing. It’s why there aren’t any bass left :devil2:
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;)

I would have to say Chartplotters have really come a long way. If you get lost now days you really shouldn't be on the water.

And of course....there seems to be more pogies around the last few years in my waters..........

My brother, who re-ignited my passion for the sport. My dad, who taught me how to read a beach and water for structure and bait.

Braid, sealed reels (love my Van Staals). T.O and BackBeach teaching me the right way to fish the Canal (not that I do anymore).

Clammer and all the help he gave me teaching me the Bay.

John Habs for the needles.

DZ for his book on the Block.

RI Rock for being my surf partner for years and years.

And finally, I just wish we could go back to the way it was not the way it is now.

While all of these things are definite game changers, for me it was a new wife. The first one was not so understanding.

Red Bull and monster energy drinks :rotfl:
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Bob ,,,,,,we are old .if its the last couple of decades . its not back enough ...another year & well be in SB.com 20 years …..so many of the things were already around by then .
Why don,t you put it like the biggest game changes since a certain time or style you fished .even if they didn,t have a direct effect on you personally or they did :cputin:
Like meeting the calm , cool. well versed CLAMMER :wavey:

I was thinking my 1st partner has been gone 33 years ,,,,,,that would be 1986 ,,,,,,,,,,, the electronics had started .I had a loran & a recorder [ that IMO ] could read as well as many of todays ...just a thought ………

SP minnow,i will take the uncrowed beachs of today verses the crowds of yesterday,egomaniacs can have their large,i am perfectly happy on an uncrowded catching whatever is in front of me.

Haha, not sure I’d go that far, but the old crew did have some laughs. When I started fishing stripers out of an aluminum Basstracker V17 out of Scituate, my depth finder was a monochrome Interphase 20/20. Crude at best, I’d navigate to my first spot Cowan’s Ledge in fog or dark by compass heading and nautical mile log it would run. Get close, shut off merc50hp and listen for waves crashing on the ledge, adjust and move in.
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A local legend who disappeared from the scene a bit ago told me sometime around 2010 that he would happily go back to the days of the late 80s early 90s catching schoolies on the wand all by his lonesome. Big part of what drive him away were the crowds and the internet heros. He may have been on to something.
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….

That’s the only fakin luah Bobby the garbage man ever used !!
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Good one,,, LOL

Grip studs
Google maps
Sealed reels
Stretchy wetsuits

One thing that’s happened in the last couple years that hasn’t helped fishing:

My kids
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