How Many MONSTAHS Did It TAKE,,,,,,,,,,

[Sea Dangles]

Tie your knots at home. Use good hooks, F sharpening a 40 cent hook,throw it away. I have listened too long to the referance of the quest for big fish as an ego trip. NOTHING in the hunt for Striped Bass compares to the adrenaline rush you get when fighting a fish you KNOW is a corker. Once you have done it, it will consume you. There is a certain amount of ego involved in all fishing, even the satisfaction the twins get from fooling fish with artificials has an allure. There is a time and place for everything, it's just that nobody knows where and when all the time. Some folks who have made the commitment to learning their waters may make advances one season only to have the following year serve you humble pie. This may be referred to as some as an ego check. Call it what you wish,anything that makes you happy can qualify as stroking your ego.

[numbskull]

Fair enough. I should have said "...once you get past the reputation/fame need to catch and kill big fish.....". Personal satisfaction and ego gratification are always part of fishing and why we fish the way we do, whether we stalk fish with a flyrod on foot, or in a boat with electronics, bait, and lead......and whether we do it anonymously or publicly.

And, Chris, before you get too animated, I do not feel that catching and killing big fish for reputation purposes is anything other than a normal stage most fishermen go through.

[Sea Dangles]

George, we all have egos that need carressing at some point. I have many acquaintances that range from roofers to lawyers,even some doctors like yourself. Some of these doctors don't feel the need to announce their accomplishments or proffession by preceding their surname with Dr., as others choose to for no reason other than ego gratification. So please enjoy your cake today. Happy Holidays, Chris

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

George, we all have egos that need carressing at some point. I have many acquaintances that range from roofers to lawyers,even some doctors like yourself. Some of these doctors don't feel the need to announce their accomplishments or proffession by preceding their surname with Dr., as others choose to for no reason other than ego gratification. So please enjoy your cake today. Happy Holidays, Chris

Chris, I'm not sure what my profession has to do with this discussion, but since it seems to bother you, please be informed the editors at OTW (who reside in the same town as I) made that decision on their own, not at my request nor with my fore knowledge. I'm not sure why you think how someone earns a living carries any weight in the fishing community, aren't all men equal in the eyes of a fish? Anyways, thanks for your good wishes, now where do I get some cake?

[Sea Dangles]

Pie in the Sky???

[Sea Dangles]

Dr. George, since you seem convinced that my fishing is ego driven due to the fact I catch and kill or target large I made an effort to show you what it feels like to be accused of the same. I am sorry if you missed my point. I would also like to apologize if in fact the title was provided by OTW. No disrespect intended but it did come across as pompous as well as hypocritical based on your ego accusations. Again, my bad.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

Dr. George, since you seem convinced that my fishing is ego driven due to the fact I catch and kill or target large I made an effort to show you what it feels like to be accused of the same. I am sorry if you missed my point. I would also like to apologize if in fact the title was provided by OTW. No disrespect intended but it did come across as pompous as well as hypocritical based on your ego accusations. Again, my bad.

Chris, please let's stop this. It distracts from the good things about this board. Other people probably find our behavior venial as well.

Let me try to clarify where I stand. I consider you an excellent fisherman, one of the best on the site, and certainly better than myself. I respect your knowledge, hard work, and well deserved success. How you fish doesn't matter to me. Really. Sauerkraut, one of the guys I fish the most, uses eels whenever conditions allow. That you keep fish doesn't matter to me. Earlybird (a lurker), the other guy I fish with most often, always keeps a fish to eat (and so do I to give to someone on occasion). What you do with your fish doesn't matter to me (I kill plenty practicing C&R). I don't even think you are the kind of guy who keeps fish to parade them around. Absolutely I don't blame you for keeping one to win a VS. I don't blame you for selling them legally, (I don't know that you even do). ProfM is a friend and a commercial fisherman.

I think you have excellent reason to be proud of your success as a fisherman, and no reason to be defensive about that pride. We all need things to support our self esteem, and being good at catching large fish is a healthy (and enviable) thing to excel at. That's probably the goal of most of us here on the site. You are also clearly intelligent, literate, and insightful. I agree, for instance, that both the article title (which was mine...though not the DR bit) and (even worse) at times the tone of the OTW article I wrote came across as pompous, but its intent was to help and encourage people to become better fisherman.....not to build my reputation.

For my part, I love to plug and I like to preach its joys to the uninitiated, who I fear get inundated with the mentality that if you are not soaking bait you are not going to catch anything good, and I love to tease the non-believers (even if they've got a point). I also worry about the pressure on big bass and want to encourage people to release them (primarily so I'll have a better chance to catch one, admittedly). I do not think I am smarter or better than you or anyone else. I've been humbled and ashamed too many times to go there anymore.

So let's try over again and keep it friendly. I'd rather learn from you than fight with you. Merry Christmas, Chris.

George

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by numbskull

aren't all men equal in the eyes of a fish?

There's actually a well defined piscatorial pecking order.....eelers on top and, of course, everyone else on the bottom.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I do not feel that catching and killing big fish for reputation purposes is anything other than a normal stage most fishermen go through.

Very true.....the fisherman's evolution in my mind is as follows....

1. Wide eyed newcomer.

2. Enthusiast/know it all.

3. Accomplished enthusiast.

4. Acclaimed/celebrated enthusiast.

5. Show off/egomaniac.

6. Accomplished pro who realizes he really doesn't know %$%$%$%$ and there really is a lot of luck/chance involved.

7. Humble veteran who would rather not be known at all and does it for fun.

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Very true.....the fisherman's evolution in my mind is as follows....

1. Wide eyed newcomer.

2. Enthusiast/know it all.

3. Accomplished enthusiast.

4. Acclaimed/celebrated enthusiast.

5. Show off/egomaniac.

6. Accomplished pro who realizes he really doesn't know %$%$%$%$ and there really is a lot of luck/chance involved.

7. Humble veteran who would rather not be known at all and does it for fun.

So if you tell everyone you are a #7 what # does that make you?

Actually I think in some cases #7 is a humble guy who knows a lot and realizes it's more fun to share it and watch other people enjoy, than take it to the grave with him.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

So if you tell everyone you are a #7 what # does that make you?

Good point. If you tell anyone, then by default you become a #5...

Quite the twisted flow chart I put together here, isn't it?

More to the point of this thread is if you value yourself or another angler simply by what is caught then you're not seeing the full picture.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Very true.....the fisherman's evolution in my mind is as follows....

1. Wide eyed newcomer.

2. Enthusiast/know it all.

3. Accomplished enthusiast.

4. Acclaimed/celebrated enthusiast.

5. Show off/egomaniac.

6. Accomplished pro who realizes he really doesn't know %$%$%$%$ and there really is a lot of luck/chance involved.

7. Humble veteran who would rather not be known at all and does it for fun.

I'm not sure I want to move up the totem pole in this tribe..
That is unless I am already at number seven.In which case you all are beneath me.
Wait, that wouldn't make me very humble then would it.
I guess I fall into the NIBulas realm of purgatory between six and seven..
This reminds me of a chapter from Dante's Book..
I just wanna go to PITS..