It takes someone with more desire than I have to get wet, stay wet, get cold, stay cold, get tired, stay tired, fish nights on end searching old and new water sometimes without so much as a bump. Been there done that, I just don't have that drive to catch large I once had, sure if they come my way I'm one happy fisher; but it's not my driving force anymore. Not to say I'm not driven, because I suffer a different cold and work hours to bust through ice to work my boat to open water all winter long, but it's just not the same as standing waist deep with a cold wind driven rain pounding you in the face.
My hat goes off to those that still have that kind of energy or desire. For a once a week fisher, I probably have my rod bent more than most on this board, even guys fishing numerous nights a week, in fact I've had it bent over 400 times in the past 5 weekends; but I appreciate it's boat fishing and they don't count
. I think a lot of it has to do with my background and my freshwater routes, or more importantly that I thrive on catching with light tackle and smaller plastics.
Even so it takes time, aquired knowledge, willingness to learn and pay attention, experimentation at times, ability to listen to others but more importantly to the fish, attention to even the smallet details at times and as Clammer knows good maintenance on your top end equipment
.