TattooBob,
I wonder. Bait and lures in the surf, different models of the same gear (rod & reel), same cast into the surf, slightly differemt terminal tackle.
Do you really feel any less the surfcaster when you are out lobbing seaworms than when tossing wood? Or does it matter if you use a conventional reel or a spinning reel?
Granted, lures require more effort to keep them working/moving, and arguably more skill to be successful, but aren't both just slightly different means to the same end, often in the same environment? Not much more than a little variation in tools. Often the choice between which technique to use is no more than one of looking at the conditions and playing the odds. A time and place for both.
In the end, all that matters is that you enjoy yourself, and don't bother others who are trying to do the same. I agree with the post above, not everyone is as obsessed by the striper fever as to get up at 2 AM, and they go when they can, all the power to them. I myself have been up keeping those unholy hours too much lately and havingn trouble seeing straight, sorry if I ramble a little, sometimes still up at 2 Am and fishing from the previous day, sometime just starting out on a new one, tend to fish when I can until I just about drop.
I like to avoid googans whether they have on bait or lure as they are just another hazard. My caution to all is to be careful lest you become an elitist, just do what you like best, and enjoy the time you have to do it.
