Hypothetical Experiment: Skill Vs. Equipment

[Globadoc]

Question, especially for those of you blessed enough to own rods costing greater than $150:

 

If you downgraded your equipment, (for example, if you had to fish with an Ugly Stik or a Berkley Cherrywood) for the season), how much do you think your fishing results would be reduced - even if you use the same techniques you use now? Do you think you would catch fewer fish? If so, how much would it decline? For conversation's sake, let's take durability out of the picture (which I agree, would impact your ability to stay on the lake).

 

I'm just wondering how much we depend on our equipment rather than good ol' fashioned skill.

[flyfisher]

Equipment is as important as skill in my opinion. Now the gap isn't as large as you get into high dollar equipment but for me I am not even sure I could cast a ugly stick all day without developing carpal tunnel syndrome

Ultimately it is a confidence thing. If you are confident in your equipment you will perform better but if I had to switch to say an ugly stick instead of my st croix and kistlers I think my catch rate would go down due to the decreased sensitivity.

[BrettD]

If durability is of no concern I dont think it would make much of a difference to me most of my fishing is done with moving baits. The only place I can see it be a problem is when you need to feel a bite like drop shotting.

 

I think most people use higher end equipment because it makes fishing more enjoyable. Thats why I fish I enjoy it and using a nice rod and reel just make the experience that much better.

[BrianinMD]

I agree with BrettD, not a lot of different while fishing moving baits. But when you get to any bait you fish where you have slack line it will hurt a lot. You need the extra sensitivity of a higher quality rod.

 

Now for the weekend angler out for the fun of it the choice becomes personal preference, is the higher cost worth it for a few extra fish. Tournament anglers don't want to start off at a disadvantage when money is on the line.

[BassinB]

Well I just learned that Skeet Reese and Brent Chapman use gear that is "lower quality" than I do and they clean house. So maybe it doesn't matter as much as I once thought...

[Marty]

Question, especially for those of you blessed enough to own rods costing greater than $150:

 

I shouldn't answer since I have no rods that cost that much, but I've caught and dragged some big ones through heavy slop while using rods and reels in the $40-60 range. Now consider that it's universally believed that that the biggest factor in fishing success is locating the fish and it stands to reason that the cost of the equipment isn't a huge factor.

 

Maybe a lousy analogy, but compare a Chevy to a BMW. The former will get you to where you want to go just as quickly and safely as the latter, although the latter might be more comfortable and quieter to use. But the Chevy doesn't deter you from accomplishing your basic goal.

[wnybassman]

Some of my best fishing in the past was done on $30 rods from Walmart.  I feel I could still probably scrape up some fish using them.

[ec1]

It comes down to confidence in your gear, and how confident you feel when you're fishing. Sensitivity comes into play, but I like to think it is far overrated. Yes, you can claim some techniques could use a feel for transmitting slack line bites... But I once read an ice fishing book that there is no such thing as a fish that can bite your bait without moving the line.

I believe your full concentration to your line is more important.

But if I'm holding an ugly stick and spending Half my time complaining about a crappy rod, sure as hell it'll make me less efficient

[11justin22]

direct answer yes it would decline. how much? i have no freaking idea...... somewhere from 20-40% i would venture to guess.

[The Next KVD]

Well I just learned that Skeet Reese and Brent Chapman use gear that is "lower quality" than I do and they clean house. So maybe it doesn't matter as much as I once thought...

 

You should look at the line they are using.  Brent is using Gamma which is pretty expensive and sensitive.  Skeet is using 100% Trilene which I consider midgrade.  Fluorocarbon and braid make all rod more sensitive than they are designed to be. 

 

With that said, when I first got into fishing I was using a $30 reel from Kmart and a $20 rod from a local tackleshop.  I caught a lot of fish on that thing.  But I will say the more expensive equipment has made me a better angler.  I can cast lighter lures farther and general stuff farther, I can feel more bites, ect. 

 

If you can spend the money and it makes you enjoy fishing that much more or if your a tournament angler than yes it is worth every penny.  I love my custom built St. Croix SCV rod blanks and Shimano Chronarchs and I personally feel disadvantaged using a combo that cost me less than $120.  But I that's my level of enjoyment.

[Basseditor]

In the late 70s, I went fishing with a guy famous for catching giant brown trout on hair jigs. Actually, there were 8 of us on the trip, plus the "semi-famous" guy. (At least he was known locally.)

Eight of us (me) caught one brown in 2 days. Other guy? At least 40 up to 10 lbs. he was "sponsored" by Browning and got free rods to promote their boron rods. I never heard of sponsorships or high end rods before. I had a fiberglass rod that had served me well for throwing Mepps spinners and such. But when it came to bottom contact techniques, I was a novice.

I was guiding waterfowl hunters and soon after that one of my new clients turned out to be the Browning rep. I traded for a 6' boron casting rod. I cost more than a weekend guide trip so I had to give some cash too.

It changed my fishing ever since and I then started tournament bass fishing a few years later. I only buy high end rods now. Even my s-glass rods were over $150.

[mjseverson24]

I believe fishing is 90% fisherman 5% equipment and 5% luck. You can give anybody the most expensive equipment, but without the proper knowledge they will be no more successful than with the walmart stuff. I think rod & reel combos in the 120-150 range allow you to do just about any technique that you may need. the difference between a $120 combo and a $500 combo is mainly confidence. if you think you need a 500 dollar combo to catch fish by all means do that, but if you can catch fish with much less why wouldn't you. 

 

Mitch

[hooah212002]

I am what you would call a "budget basser" and whenever topics come up that pertain to gear, I get to hear about guys that spend $150 on a rod or $200 on a reel and how that is the norm or how "Walmart crap" is junk that won't catch fish. Bass fisherman, IMO (since this is real talk), are pretty pompous and self righteous. A lot of you act like you can't fish unless you spend copious amounts of cash. 

 

That said: I do understand the importance and significance of "high end" gear. I do realize there are advantages to paying a premium. However: if you need these advantages and you need $200 rods, how good of a fisherman are you? You have to realize that at least 75% of fishing comes down to YOU knowing where to look for fish.

[ClackerBuzz]

i bet $100 Big O can catch a 10 lb slob while hand lining a jig.

[Hooligan]

Sure you can catch fish on a cane pole, however better gear is going to give greater advantage.

I don't think, generally, that my GLX helps me catch any more fish than I would fishing a Veritas. It's lighter and more sensitive, but in most situations I am not going to feel more bites with that sensitivity. What I'm feeling is the bottom composition and hitting small obstructions. One of the primary reasons that I'm moving back to the GLX versus he NRX. The price difference isn justified.

[Bluebasser86]

I think how much my fishing would decline would depend a lot on what techniques I'm fishing. If I'm fishing all moving baits or treble hooked lures it probably wouldn't decline all that much. If I'm pitching a jig, fishing a T rig, dropshotting, or shakyhead fishing it's going to decline a lot more because of the lack of sensitivity. I'm talking if you go really low level (like the Ugly Stick/Cherrywood that the OP mentioned) Even with moving baits there is a pretty big difference though. I was fishing for walleye today with a Bomber Long A and a Havoc Beat Shad. I had the Bomber on a St.Croix Premier and the Beat Shad on a LTB. I was amazed at how dead the Premier felt compared to the LTB. I wouldn't have been able to feel a fish hit the crank unless it really smacked it but I could feel every rock with the LTB. 

[SirSnookalot]

The most important factor in catching fish is not the equipment, skill plays a part but being on the right body of water is the key to great fish.  As a younger person fishing with my dad we killed them on Lake St Clair and Lake Erie, go to an inland lake 20 miles away and it was a struggle.  Down here in Florida the fishing is just so so in the Boynton area, I go to the keys or Sebastion and the catch rate is dramatically higher using the same gear.

 

I no longer have to micro manage my budget for fishing gear, but I still don't feel the need to drop a bundle.  I  do spend a bit more for my saltwater reels, they do take more a beating, but it seems to me the ones I pay more for seem to need repair more often.  Whether it's fresh or salt my sub $100 reels are as smooth, handle fish as well and don't seem to fail like their more expensive counterparts. 

[wnybassman]

I  do spend a bit more for my saltwater reels, they do take more a beating, but it seems to me the ones I pay more for seem to need repair more often. 

 

I think that's what it comes down for me as well.  Perhaps the biggest reason I have bought more expensive gear is getting a little more longevity out of it, not necessarily the extra sensitivity.  To be honest, there are several techniques/presentations I do with both a Premier and a LTB interchangeably and I really can't tell much of a difference between the two.   A couple of those techniques are dropshotting and fishing T-rigs, things most feel are quite sensitivity dependent.   I only buy the higher priced equipment when decent deals come along, I would never buy it at regular price.  Just can't justify the cost difference to lack of performance (for me) difference.

 

I find it funny when looking on the decks of boats of guys in my club that are ALWAYS near the top in every tournament, and their gear is garbage in many peoples eyes.  Mixed matched low end rods, old reels, crap line, yet week after week they continue to kick most people butts.

[Oldplug]

Exerience vs equipment. Well experience is what it is really all about. I used to fish with a guy that grew up with a fishing rod in his hands. He used to walk down on the dock and look at the water and the weather and he would say " they don't like that" meaning the conditions and he was very rarely wrong. He could feel and sense the fish because he was in tune with the nature side of it. You can talk all you want,but unless you can feel the environment your fishing in the mot expensive tackle in the world won't help you. That is experience. When some guy wins one of these big tournaments it is almost certain he is reading the conditions that give him the feel of the fish.

[S Hovanec]

Pretty much all I do anymore is drop shot. If all I had to use was an Ugly Stick......I think I'd quit fishing and take up golf.

[Jig Meister]

All the gear and money wont catch you much if you do not understand fish habitat and fish behavior.

 

I do great with my 200 dollar set ups, and love them like they were 500 dollar setups. 

 

experiences trumps everything, then I feel that the line being used is the most important and rod, reel and bait all fall behind that.

 

give me time on the water and my vendetas and lews and I will be happy!

 

Look at it this way, all pro baseball players swing the same bats (within reason), some get paid millions, some get paid millions more then the other man. The guys who make the most money are not always going to be hitting the ball well, it still comes down to skill. Perfect analogy? No, but sort of gets the point across.

[fishingman88]

+1 .  I have been outfished by large margins by some ole timers using Ugly Stik combos. They have put me to shame and it almost makes me put away my gear.  It truly comes down to the fisherman.  I guarantee you that even if KVD was using a $30 setup and I was using a $250 setup, I would be super humbled at the end of the day.  Moreover, the high end gear truly just makes the experience more enjoyable.  It doesn't mean you will catch more fish, but it means you won't have to worry about rough drags, etc.

 

I believe fishing is 90% fisherman 5% equipment and 5% luck. You can give anybody the most expensive equipment, but without the proper knowledge they will be no more successful than with the walmart stuff. I think rod & reel combos in the 120-150 range allow you to do just about any technique that you may need. the difference between a $120 combo and a $500 combo is mainly confidence. if you think you need a 500 dollar combo to catch fish by all means do that, but if you can catch fish with much less why wouldn't you. 

 

Mitch

[Darren.]

I'll throw a slightly different take into the mix. But first, I'll agree that more sensitive (usually = expensive) rods give much better feel for bottom-contact fishing. That said...

 

The different take, weight. My new favorite rod is a 6'3" Avid MLXF spinning rod. Why? It is paired up with my new Lexa 2000SH spinning reel and perfectly balanced -- LIGHT tip for me which means less strain on my elbow(s) fishing for extended periods with that rod. Couple that with this being a wacky/TX/split-drop setup, the sensitivity is amazing.

 

Now I also own Stradics and they're paired with my Shimano Compre spinning rods. They are great combos, but not as tip-light as the Avid/Lexa combo. And honestly, for the money, I'd buy another Lexa spinning reel over a Stradic at this point. That's me.

 

I'll point to Pat Cullen, guy's caught a thousand 10 pounders using Ugly Stiks -- but moving baits. I'll never catch that many (okay, never say never). I haven't even scored my first double-digit bass. So it can be done on inexpensive gear with great success.

[flyfisher]

I think the other thing being missed here is it is part of a natural progression that as you fish longer you want to upgrade gear and along with that time fishing you gain experience at the same time.

 

I have given my st croix rage rod to a new fisherman and he was catching more than with his ugly stick combo he had.  Was that because of my teaching him or was it the gear, who knows but his confidence went up and he caught more fish.

 

Ultimately they both go hand in hand and it is pretty rare that a new fisherman is going to go out and drop $300+ on a combo to get into the sport.  I started out a few years ago with quantum combos from bass pro then went to st croix mojos and now i am using the st croix rage rods.  My catch rate on moving baits is about the same, weightless soft plastics has went up a lot due to the nicer rods and using braid and bottom contact baits has also increased.  Who knows the cause of this but i am sure glad it is happening

[Globadoc]

So a lot of you would agree that skill trumps equipment, but equipment is crucial mostly for certain techniques where feeling light bites is important - nonmoving, bottom contact fishing. So, are we all nuts for buying expensive $150-200 rods for crankbaits, spinners, etc. when a $60 rod will suffice just as well? (Then of course purchasing a more sensitive rod for the finesse stuff...)