Over the top with fishing gear!!

[Saltheart]

I have gone over the top with fishing gear in my home. I have so many rods and reels and plugs and jigs etc that I cannot buy anything else until I use some up!

Its a sad state of affairs when you have purchased so much stuff over the years that good stuff like Gibbs plugs start disappearing into the bottom of a 5 gallon pale cause theres so much other new stuff piled into the bucket.

A good example of the problem was when i went to a tackle shop down the cape this past summer. They had a table with lures at half price. I bought every bomber , mombo minnow and even the rebels they had! Why? Cause they were half price!! I won't use them up for 5 years or more but I just had to get them.

At one point about 5 years ago i found a bucket of Atom poppers. i had accumulated them when Bob Pond would sell the seconds out of the factory in South Attleboro. They had been buried in the bottom of a bucket for at least 3 years. I think there were 52!! I used some and supplied a bunch of people with poppers for the next few years. I still have a few left.

The reel situation is even more comical;. I have a bunch of Abu 6500 size reels. In fact I have two BG 6500 CL's and 2 Mag Elites and then a few more like C4 and Morrum 6600CL etc. His is still after I sold a C3 and an Ultracast. Now the weirdest part is that despite having all these 6500's I use a 7000 size 99% of the time.

Buying fishing gear is a sickness. Its just like drinking or gambling. You have to admit you have the sickness and then promise youirself , one day at a time , that you will not buy any more stuff!!!

So that's it , my name is Saltheart and I'm a tackle junky. I'm not buying any more fishing tackle til some of what I have is used up. No more bargain hunting , no more supplies , and no more stocking up for the future!!!

I could use a spare BG 7000Cl though........

[MAC]

Hello my name is Dave, I am a tackle junkie...

I know what you mean Saltheart I just can't stop. Wife doesn't seem to mind too badly. Like you said i could be into the booze or worse.

[Fishpart]

I too, have more stuff than I'll ever probably use but I always need that one more thing. I keep acumulating plugs, but fish eels almost exclusively. I have a reel for every rod I own and then some......... I can't hold a candle to Saltheart or some of the other (BM) masters, but I got some stuff. If I can get a good deal on something I'll eventually break down and buy it, it's time to stop now!!!!!!!

Now to just get a couple of quality 7 foot spinning set ups so the boys to start surf fishing and some GS rubber in the spring.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Ebay, Brother, Ebay


get rid of the stuff you don't use and buy stuff that you use all the time.......or a new Custom Setup

[chris L]

back of my truck brother back of my truck !

I am just about there but I think I need a few more rods , plugs and reels and assorted accesories .

My name is mud and I love to gamble and buy fishing stuff . Some day she may tell me to get it all out of the house and Ill have to say good bye to her and the house .

[fishweewee]

you ain't seen nuttin'

[fishweewee]

maybe we outta have an official s-b tackle swap.

a garage sale of sorts.

-WW

[Big Vern]

An s-b swap meet would be outstanding. There's probably a warehouse of stuff people on this board aren't using.

[DRUMCORPFAN]

i like that idea ben, a tackle swap would be cool.

[Mr. Kav]

That is funny that this thread came up. i am in a similiar situation. i just suggested last night to a guy that is getting me tile for my kitchen and two bathrooms. i asked him if he gets the tile and installs it i will give him a nice tuna setup that i have. penn international 50 SW with a penn international IGFA 50 rod. Not sure if he is going to accept it but thought it would be a good deal on both our parts. i think it is time to start clearing some of the tackle out of the basement.

[Mr. Sandman]

I am glad to see there are other tackle geeks like me.
One problem fishing shore and boat...you need a lot of gear. I store my stuff in LARGE stackable clear plastic boxes..4'X2'X2.5' and store them in the attic in the winter (I don't like looking at it all winter)...In the sping it all comes down and fills a sizable chunk of my garage. About 60 rods on the wall now. Boxes of reels..all kinds. Tackle boxes of gear. It is *fairly* well organized...Boxes for trolling stuff...surf stuff, ect. I threw out a lot waders this summer that were old and finally started to get to the point where it was not worth keeping, I had 10 pair in various boxes some were 20 yo....Im now down to 4, 2 for me 1 for the wife and one for the boy (wife wants breathables for Xmas)...When I die there is going to be one hell of an auction on ebay! I actually started unloading some of the old stuff this past year so it is not as bad as it was. Rods and Reels I am never going to use get given away to tossed in the trash. I am making headway.
What I did not have was a decent collection of custom plugs. It appears I have a start on them now.

I do plan to limit my purchaces this year but only in certain areas. For example I do plan to buy some more offshore stuff and less surf stuff this year...the only surf stuff I really "need" is the hurricane aquaskinz and some plug storage bags from the surfcaster.
Actucally compared to last year I should not spend that much $ on gear... One thing that pisses me off is buying gear and not using it. I bought a really nice 11' noodle rod with a nice reel loaded with several spools of IGFA line to target a World Record ...never got to use it last summer. I did take it on a boat ride a time or two but never made a cast with it. I am peeved about that but maybe next year.

[JohnR]

[flatts1]

Hello, my name is Mike Flaherty and I am a raffle junkie.

I suffer from a debilitating disease that has caused me to only acquire half of the tackle I need. Sure the raffle tables look great before the tickets are pulled but I ask you, what good is a rod without the reel that someone else won before you?

Raffleism is a non-discriminating, contagious disease that spreads easily by a vicious circle. Indeed, what does the poor fellow do when all that is left on the table is a spool of fishing line and no rod or reel to use it with.

Worse yet are the poor souls, the dregs of our society, who hang in there to all hours of the night hoping for maybe some sinkers or hooks - anything to show for spending their kid's birthday money. This is the tell tale sign of a raffle junkie that has hit rock bottom.

I've been there myself and with the help of my wife and a network of other sufferers who I rely on as my support system, I'm happy to report that I'm kicking the habit. But it hasn't been easy and I am always plagued with that ever present temptation. In fact, with the news that there may be an Abu C3 at tomorrow's MSBA meeting, I could very well relapse.

Pray for me. Help me be strong.

At this time, I'd like to announce that there is an organization that I formed that is leading the way to help raffle junkies get the tackle they need. It is called Raffles Forever and their sole goal is to ensure that there is enough tackle on the raffle table for everyone - even those who fish commercially for striped bass.

Please give generously to Raffles Forever. Saltheart and other tackle junkies, please reach deep into your heart (and your basement) and make a worthwhile donation. With your help we can make it possible for those hooked on tackle raffles to fish with dignity.

Won't you please help.

Mike Flaherty
President
Raffles Forever

[JohnR]

I'm a raffle table Luck Sucker. What I do is win the door prize and half the other prizes on the table at my first meeting then continue to thro twenties, on a monthly basis, at these raffle tables, and only win a $2 freshwater spoon on alternating months. So I also maybe reffered to as a Raffle Facilitator, in the sense that I remove the lack-o-luck from other participants and otherwise keep the Raffle Commitee solvent for future procurement of prizes I'm never gonna win anyway....

[BigBo]

A swap wouldn't work. It would only enable the disease. I don't know of too many of us that wouldn't at least secretly admit that we too suffer along with you Saltheart.
My wife will periodically be in the garage and I'll see her just standing there looking at all the rods, reels, and tackle hanging on the walls and just shake her head.
"Ahhh, no honey, that's not a new setup. Don't you remember I bought that last year?"

[Slipknot]

You got Bassmaster disease Salty

you ain't getting my BG7000 , no way

Half the fun is just buying and collecting the stuff, using it is the other half

[BEETLE]

My name is Beetle and i think I too suffer from the disease. I have just gotten back into s-b fishing 2 yrs., and in short time have spent untold amounts on gear - (untold to my wife anyhow ) sneaking in gear past her that i bought while soliciting shops for the MSBA tourny, and when approached, telling her "it's a tourney donation".

Feverishly watching / bidding to the last second, auctions for fishing tackle (sometimes unsuccessful !! )

Hiding the fisherman magazine inside technical manuals at work, so the boss don't see - sneaking on to S-B.Com all the time at work. ect. ect.

Do i need to seek counsel ??

By the way, when will the swap meet be ????????????


beetle

[davess23]

Yard sales are just a way to shuffle all the stuff in the world around, and that's what a tackle swap would be. To expect it to be anything else is nutzoid. I mean, hey, let's quit smoking...we can all get together and trade each other different brands of cigarettes.

Right.

That's okay with me, though. All I wanna do is pass along some of the tackle I don't use and replace it with other tackle that I will use. I have no intention of curing myself, just keeping my stupidity at current levels, or maybe getting worse.

I'd drive a ways to attend this one.

[Slipknot]

Originally posted by Mr.Kav
That is funny that this thread came up. i am in a similiar situation. i just suggested last night to a guy that is getting me tile for my kitchen and two bathrooms. i asked him if he gets the tile and installs it i will give him a nice tuna setup that i have. penn international 50 SW with a penn international IGFA 50 rod. Not sure if he is going to accept it but thought it would be a good deal on both our parts. i think it is time to start clearing some of the tackle out of the basement.

Mr.Kav, if he doesn't want the tuna setup, I will trade you a cabinet installation for it.

[goosefish]

Yeah it sure is a disease. I try to tone things down each year. Like this year i used mostly jigs. Keep it simple. I'd say 90% of my bass were taking using bucktails, i got really really into it; and so in early November me and my friend poured about 100 jigs--he did it, all i did was give him two totes of green crabs and the lead. Now my tackle room, which is a mess, is piled high with jigs and hair and paint and thread. My fiancee asks "have you seen my hairdryer or has the back room sucked it up?"

[capesams]

hey all,,,,,,, plugs r me.....got some oldies?? sellem ta me an buy newes..///// turn over is a good thing ,,,,,plug buildin thingie is coming up, bring them along... who knows, u could walk away with a new rod blank.

[Big Dave]

Hey Saltheart
You were not lost in my basment were you

[Skitterpop]

Started collecting just a few years ago....it is a compulsive disorder for me..... love the stuff!


For me >>>

[Got Stripers]

I'm on the other end, yeah I've got tons of rubba, but that's to be expected. I don't think all the plugs I own would fill 4 plano 3700 boxes, well salt water wise, I'd need 6 to carry all the fresh water plugs. I fish every reel I own and every rod, nothing extra or sitting around collecting dust. My work horses are my two Stradic 4000's and my two Abu 5600C4's and I keep a couple older Shimano 3500 baitrunners for guests. I'd not make much in an ebay auction of my entire inventory, I fish it or it's sold to make room for something I can use. I've never really been bitten by the collectors bug, so not much old stuff lying around.

[Mr. Sandman]

Originally posted by BEETLE
have spent untold amounts on gear - (untold to my wife anyhow ) sneaking in gear past her
beetle

Naah, don't worry about it. I haven't told my wife of the 6 bills I just dropped on custom plugs yet...When it arrives and I hear..."what’s all this stuff?" I just tell her "fishin stuff that I need." Then say..."HEY, whatdayasay you and me go out to dinner next week at that fancy restaurant you've been wanting to go to...just you and me..." This not only changes the subject BUT ALSO changes the mood for that evening. I tell you it works like a charm...

[BEETLE]

Sandman - just tell her you "won it" forget the minor details.

[Mr. Kav]

slip, Thank you and i will certainly keep that in mind. i am currently looking into tile work and hardwood floor installation.

[Jonny Bolt]

Tell me about it. I'm now up to $750 pissed against tha wall since October. All on fishin' tackle. I'm possessed. Luv it.

[Saltheart]

Fell off the wagon already. Just bought a new BG 7000CL!! I couldn't help myself!!