bait vs. plugs

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Most of us fish for fun. Part of that fun is a sense of accomplishment. Many people measure that accomplishment by size or numbers of fish caught. Others by difficulties overcome. Fishing with flies or plugs raises the level of difficulty. Freshwater fisherman recognized this decades ago and as their sport has shifted from food procurement to recreation the use of bait has diminished proportionately......to the point where bait fishing for "sport fish" is unpopular. In saltwater, the food procurement aspect of fishing is still a strong ethic, and this shifts the accomplishment balance towards how big and how much as opposed to how difficult. As more and more people fish, and the resource absorbs more and more strain, the achievement ethic will shift towards more difficult methods and catch and release. Most fisherman make this transition to some extent themselves over the course of their life, particularly as they come to repect the fish they seek, and as maturity diminishes the need for reaffirmation of one's status as a fisherman (and, hence, worth as a person) and removes the urge to compare what you are accomplishing with how the other guy is doing...........which is why Flap will still be able to smile when I outfish his sorry ass.

That was a lucid, well thought out and comprehensive description of the bait vs. plug debate completely covering ethics and personal choice, except the last line which will never happen.

[baldwin]

I prefer fly fishing and plugging over bait fishing. I know that bait is the easiest way to catch very large bass, or sometimes numbers of small bass, but it really isn't my preference.
I like to move around, as opposed to sitting and dunking a chunk. I like to work a fly or plug through the water just right, and I can enjoy doing that all day in a fishless swimming pool.
I hate smelling like bunker when I'm trying to get to sleep at 5:00 in the morning. I don't like having to get to a shop and buy eels before fishing. I love catching fish on a new pattern that I constructed after analyzing a certain situation that I encounter on the water. I count success in catching fish by my own skill in placement of my fly or plug and working it effectively, rather than putting a chunk of meat where a big fish is likely to wander through.

[JohnR]

Depends on what you are going for and what you want to do but it is your choice. Some people only want to target big fish, some people only want to target small, some just want to simply enjoy time on the water. Different styles offer different challenges and reap different rewards. I'm not as stuck on one method as some others as I enjoy lots of different methods like eels or plugs, whether from shore & boat.

Sometimes I want a challenge, sometimes I want to increase my odds to catch fish, sometimes I want to try something totally new to me.

One of the great aspects of fishing is that you can choose your method and choose your target & goal. Your goal can be numbers, size, challenge, or simply inner peace

[Kierran]

It bothers me when anglers poopoo certain methods. All types of angling have their day in the sun. Fresh bunker have been catching the large here recently, one night it will be swimmers, the next maybe eels. You have to be ready with whatever the fish want at the given moment. Don't be a hater and adapt to different situations.

[Raven]

i typically go to my spot...and throw out a chunk and chum

and set that rod into a sand spike....

then i stand nearby and plug to draw fish into my bait

and work both methods until i discover what they want.

[smokefish]

I guess I'm confused, like Raven I like to do both. I'll throw out a chunk then work work around it various plugs.Whatever works.

[Gunpowder]

Originally Posted by JohnR

One of the great aspects of fishing is that you can choose your method and choose your target & goal. Your goal can be numbers, size, challenge, or simply inner peace

absolutley right. thats wat fishin is all about. if the fish arent taken the plugs (which i prefer) sometimes u just have to resort to the bait that there goin after and theres nothin wrong with that. some people seem to think that pluggin is a more rewarding way of catchin that dream fish and i agree with that to some extent, however, when people next to me are catchin fish and usin bait im im pluggin away and gettin nowhere, u can bet ill be chiangin my method of fishin ASAP

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

except the last line which will never happen.

I was trying to firgure out where to stick my 3000th post and this is a good quote to chuckle about and reply too. Me I have terrible difficulty sometime trying to figure what I am going to fish with. Fly, plugs, bait, and now I am building a convench bait rod for the beach. Oh boy. Raising the level of difficulty from bait, to plugs, to flys holds an allure that can't be beaten. Either way as long as thier is enjoyment in your fishing endeavours then your on the right track.