Why haven't you landed a #50 yet ??

[piemma]

Originally Posted by DZ

This is a very interesting thread... seems like those that have taken 50s don't consider it luck - and those that have not taken a 50 would like to get lucky.

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& has taken many great fish CONSISTANTLY from shore and boat. I consider him one of the very best out there but I'm a little disappointed to find out he's just lucky. In my opinion he'd only be lucky if a 60 hit his empty pogy snagger while trying to catch bait.

Maybe we all have a different definition of luck?

Could we be mistaking luck to meaning:
Good fortune
Fate
Destiny
Accident
Chance
a fluke
good break

DZ

Dennis:
You are missing my point. I didn't say Bill was lucky...you did. I find your post to be condescending.

So perhaps I will put it in simpler terms:

2 guys are fishing side by side with the same everything. No difference with gear, eel, technique and they are 3 feet apart.

2 bass swim by. One is 50# the other is 35#. One guy hook the 50 the other guy hook the 35.

So you tell me. For the guy who hooked the 50 is that Good fortune, Fate, Destiny, Accident, Chance, a fluke, good break or LUCK????

You can call it whatever you want. I call it a good fortune, fate, destiny, chance.....LUCKY BREAK!!!!

[DZ]

Originally Posted by piemma

Dennis:
You are missing my point. I didn't say Bill was lucky...you did. I find your post to be condescending.

So perhaps I will put it in simpler terms:

2 guys are fishing side by side with the same everything. No difference with gear, eel, technique and they are 3 feet apart.

2 bass swim by. One is 50# the other is 35#. One guy hook the 50 the other guy hook the 35.

So you tell me. For the guy who hooked the 50 is that Good fortune, Fate, Destiny, Accident, Chance, a fluke, good break or LUCK????

You can call it whatever you want. I call it a good fortune, fate, destiny, chance.....LUCKY BREAK!!!!

Paul,
It was not my intent to be condescending and the post was not directed anyone in particular. The problem on these boards is a compliment like I just gave #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& can be turned into a criticism by others.

To answer your question:
The guy who took the 50 may have been doing something diffrent than the guy who took the 35.

I'll give you another example: Say you're an accomplished fisherman. You're on a bridge and bucktailing the shadow lines. You see a monster bass in the shadow and cast your offering at her - she takes - you land her - over 50. I just don't consider that being lucky.

Consider someone has fished for many years and put their time in and has seen 50's caught all around him - but hasn't caught one yet. I may consider them unfortunate but I don't consider the other guys lucky. Maybe they were doing something different.

Paul - please don't consider this personal. It's just how I view things.

DZ

[spence]

Originally Posted by DZ

I'll give you another example: Say you're an accomplished fisherman. You're on a bridge and bucktailing the shadow lines. You see a monster bass in the shadow and cast your offering at her - she takes - you land her - over 50. I just don't consider that being lucky.

Wouldn't you be lucky that the bass was there to be seen? Even if someone is highly skilled in selecting where to fish the fish may not always be there.

-spence

[eelman]

Its hard in a thread like this to tread lightly...I certainly do not think It was all luck with any of the fish I have caught..For someone to call it just lucky is an insult to me or just plain ignorance..but again, why go though all the arguing of the point? its just that pointless..Anyone who consistantly puts fish on the beach or in the boat is definatly doing something right...simple as that

Dz, I agree..no matter what you say especially in my case will be twisted...I have no problem with someone calling it luck...it is what it is!

I put myself in positions to get "lucky"

I mention I was lucky or fortunate to catch the fish I have..What else would I say? If I didnt say that I would sound like an ahole, If I say I am good at what I do it would be taken out of context somehow...so its best to be safe and call it luck..However I am no idiot and I certainly know what it took for me to get the fish I have...Lots of personal sacrafice..and lots of learning and obsorbing..Its a journey to be sure...

I consider a 50lb fish a huge acheivement, Putting my personal success aside, It is absolutly something a striper fisherman wants..Just look at this thread??

But again, calling yourself good any invites attacks....so If using the word luck keeps that at bay...fine by me...However I know the work it takes and I am very proud of what I have caught on a personal level....

My absolute best moment was not catching a 60lb fish it was my first 50 from the beach after years of 7 nights a week trying and learning and phyiscally exhausting myself to achevie it..The other fish came from the knowledge I learned leading up to that fish, That one will always be very special to me...The others are awesome but a little more relaxad as to how I felt when I got the first...

If You have a goal it drives you to work harder to get it! Simple as that..My point is , the more you fish the better your odds are because the more you fish the more you learn, the better you get at identifying situations and opertunities that present themselves.

There is no answer to the question "why" for anyone...The mindset should be "when"....Be ready at any moment for it to happen!

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

Its hard in a thread like this to tread lightly...I certainly do not think It was all luck with any of the fish I have caught..For someone to call it just lucky is an insult to me or just plain ignorance..but again, why go though all the arguing of the point? its just that pointless..Anyone who consistantly puts fish on the beach or in the boat is definatly doing something right...simple as that

Dz, I agree..no matter what you say especially in my case will be twisted...I have no problem with someone calling it luck...it is what it is!

I put myself in positions to get "lucky"

I mention I was lucky or fortunate to catch the fish I have..What else would I say? If I didnt say that I would sound like an ahole, If I say I am good at what I do it would be taken out of context somehow...so its best to be safe and call it luck..However I am no idiot and I certainly know what it took for me to get the fish I have...Lots of personal sacrafice..and lots of learning and obsorbing..Its a journey to be sure...

I consider a 50lb fish a huge acheivement, Putting my personal success aside, It is absolutly something a striper fisherman wants..Just look at this thread??

But again, calling yourself good any invites attacks....so If using the word luck keeps that at bay...fine by me...However I know the work it takes and I am very proud of what I have caught on a personal level....

My absolute best moment was not catching a 60lb fish it was my first 50 from the beach after years of 7 nights a week trying and learning and phyiscally exhausting myself to achevie it..The other fish came from the knowledge I learned leading up to that fish, That one will always be very special to me...The others are awesome but a little more relaxad as to how I felt when I got the first...

If You have a goal it drives you to work harder to get it! Simple as that..My point is , the more you fish the better your odds are because the more you fish the more you learn, the better you get at identifying situations and opertunities that present themselves.

There is no answer to the question "why" for anyone...The mindset should be "when"....Be ready at any moment for it to happen!

Bill, that last sentence should be the close of this thread, that was perfectly said.

[bloocrab]

My absolute best moment was not catching a 60lb fish it was my first 50 from the beach after years of 7 nights a week trying and learning and phyiscally exhausting myself to achevie it...

Before you say I'm picking on you, I'M NOT. I am going to use your statement about "achieving" something though. In regards to that day that you caught your first 50...... Since your an experienced 50lb. fish catcher (meaning you experienced it, no pun intended),.... did you do something different that night from the previous year that you think added to you hooking that fish? Or were you just confident about your spot/technique/etc and assumed that someday a big fish would swim by there and if you were there that night, you might have a chance at hooking it? The bottom line is being THERE. This isn't rocket science, ..You guys are missing the point, fishing isn't like weightlifting.....sure you can start off bench pressing 100lbs, slowly you gain strength, next thing you know you're benching 200lbs, and then 300lbs, THIS IS NOT LIKE FISHING. You don't start catching schoolies, then catch high teens, then 20#ers, 30#ers..until you reach 50. There is no achieving anything.

Time on the water increases your odds/luck/chances/karma/whatevertheheCKyouwanttocallit/ -

[bloocrab]

Here's a question for the board -

Who's odds are better at hooking a 50lb. fish?

A. Some new guy who finds this site, does some DEEP research...buys what he thinks he needs according to his research, heads out to any number of places that have given up large fish in the past, places that are already recorded in history/internet/books...and fishes them 7 nights a week for the entire season.

B. #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& who has decided to only fish on weekends.


Who has a better chance at hooking a 50lb. fish? Keep in mind, I'm using the work "hooking"....not catching, that's where experience comes in.

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by bloocrab

Who has a better chance at hooking a 50lb. fish? Keep in mind, I'm using the work "hooking"....not catching, that's where experience comes in.

"A"......and good point about the experience....there lies the separation....

[BassDawg]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

If You have a goal it drives you to work harder to get it! Simple as that..My point is , the more you fish the better your odds are because the more you fish the more you learn, the better you get at identifying situations and opertunities that present themselves.

There is no answer to the question "why" for anyone...The mindset should be "when"....Be ready at any moment for it to happen!

Spoken like a TRUE sharpie and seasoned veteran!
Thanks as always, Bill, your words never disappoint!

[tlapinski]

I have always kind of wondered where/why the mystique of the 50 came from. Is it a personal goal you set on your own, or is it because others have made such a big deal of that mark? When you really look at it, 50 pounds is only about 64% of the world record. Who runs in a race only hoping to run faster than a bit over half of the other runners? Why set one's goal so "low"? Is it because it is the low end of what is really an obtainable "big" fish in the grand scheme of things? I think peer pressure has set this goal for others. 50+ pounds is a nice fish, but so is a 20, 30, or 40+. Landing one or two fish over 50 pounds does not make a person any better at this game than anyone else. Consistantly catching fish that are bigger than the local average sets one apart as doing something right. Consistancy is the name of the game here. Many guys on this board do just that, but MANY more do it without anyone even knowing they exist.

I can vividly remember each time I reached another milestone catch in my persuit of striped bass. My first 20+ pounder was huge for me at the time. My first multiple 30+ pound tide was an amazing experience. The first time I broke 40 pounds is forever etched in my memory. My "big girl" night is one that I will never forget, albeit one that some may not hold much stock in as she swam away. But, that was and is a part of what I have set for my personal goals. I am out on a nightly basis for myself and no one else. I don't need slips to make others think I am a great surf fisherman as it is only what I think of myself that matters to me. I have the respect of my peers as a person, and I respect the guys I fish with.

I am not in any way trying to belittle anone else's personal goals. It is not my place, or anyone else's for that matter, to decide what another angler should be shooting for. For me, 50 was never my goal. The different areas I fish have indiviual goals, but my personal goal is 80 or better, been saying that for years. Just remember, you should be out there to enjoy yourself and fill a certain need deep within yourself whether that be taking a break from the grind of life, getting some fresh air, or catching the next world record striped bass.

[BassDawg]

Awesome stuff, TLap!

And that is my ultimate goal as well, the New IGFA World Record 80#'er!!!! To offer an opinion as to why 50# is so vaunted or referred to, i think it boils down to this. In that, that mark/weight is just that a referrence point. I believe that it is similar to golf and its 0 handicap or becoming a "scratch golfer". In fact, I use that as an analogy frequently when talking to the non-fishing community.

It is only an indicator, to be sure, and does not a fisherman make. However don't we install these markers to somehow measure our selves against others and our own goals? Aren't we all competetive by nature ~in varying degrees? To me, like you, my biggest competitor is myself...............sheet i'm out there to beat me, myself, and eye everytime i set foot on our majestic shores .

[ThrowingTimber]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

There is no answer to the question "why" for anyone...The mindset should be "when"....Be ready at any moment for it to happen!

Agreed.

Fortune favors the well prepared.

[basswipe]

I know why I haven't.

Cuz I suck.

[eelman]

I have 3 over 50 so I dont really worry about it anymore

[fishaholic18]

50's are overrated anyway..

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

I have 3 over 50 so I dont really worry about it anymore

Remember the Hiddenburg!

[zimmy]

I fish with 2 guys here in CT that are as good as just about anyone. They both have been on the water for a couple of decades. Both fish pretty much here in CT with an occasional trip to RI or Cape. One of the guys in particular kicks my arsh regularly. However, the pb of both is around 43 or 44". I think its gotta be mostly because they fish 98% of the time from shore here in western ct. One exclusively uses plugs. Between the 6 or 7 guys I fish with regularly that are what I would consider very good, I know of 5 fish total over 40" from shore locally this past year. One guy whacked a 47" and another dropped one at his feet and it slid back in the water so they didn't get to measure it. According to the 3 guys who saw it it was in the upper 40" range. I had 1 40" fish in Ct this year from shore in maybe 75 trips or so. In 4 trips to the canal I had 3 nights with fish over 40". I think location has alot to do with it. When I lived in mass and fished the canal regularly, the bigger fish were much more common (Not saying 50's...). Location does matter when all else that has been said is equal. I haven't caught em cause I don't have a boat