There are alot of guys on here I would trust.......if you truely love to fish, which I do, spend some time with new people from this site! I don't need a label on me....and even if I did......"Old Guard" would not be it! I do not claim myself a great fisherman! I have been fishing for stripes about 6 years now......got all the tools and toys....make my own plugs that catch, and I have been VP of my fishing club twice. I am as into surf fishing as you can get....but admittedly, I am not as talented as some but I do pretty well. I have my moments and I enjoy fishing with buddies and fishing with folks I have never met before. It might not work out every time, but I have made some great new friends and fishing buddies from opening myself up to new things. Even if I had a few 40's to my credit or even a 50....I would not label myself! I want to be known as one thing....fun to fish with! Not a newbie, not a sharpie....someplace right in the middle who enjoys stepping aside after I have gotten the skunk off and making sure my buddies hook up even if I have to yield my spot for a few moments to make that happen......or hand a stranger a tin or a plug when the feed is on and the only one hooking up is me cause I happen to have what they like......I have more fun when all around me are hooking up! I am sure #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& is a talented and hard fishing surf caster, just as I believe a few others here are great at what they do also......I have fished with better than me, and I have fished with a few who needed a little guidance and if I helped them, then great. I have been helped by a few also......my fishing buddies are pretty great at fishing....dare I say better than me, but we also feed off of each other....share info....we each prefer different spots for the most part but we fish them all together. I would rather catch a trophy fish with a couple of my buddies around me than to catch it all alone......its nice to have someone to reflect on the moment with and talk about it years from now and laugh......it is what its all about! #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& is right when he says it is a state of mind....its all what you want to get out of this fishing thing personally! I am getting out of it exactly what I want.....enjoyment, memories, friendships that are meaningful and longlasting......and I believe I get the same respect from my fellow fishermen that I give to them.....it might not be "old guard"......but it does just fine by me!
