I Wonder How Little I Know.

[plumworm]

As I sit here tonight, in the warm comfort of my man cave ( it's -5 outside with a - 25 wind chill) and a little bit of sippin whiskey left in my glass, I am starting to realize how little I know about bass fishing. I've only been on this hallowed website for three years. ( I'm retired ) Slowly, I have began to realize that the bass fishing I knew 20, even 10 years ago has gone way over my head. I have a 15 year old bass boat, a 10 year old truck and the last rod and reel I bought was the year I retired. My graphs are 10+ years old. I have spent the winter going through the many $1000's of dollars of tackle I have stupidly purchased of the years. 300+ cranks, 100+ spinnerbaits, 1000's of hooks and sinkers, God only knows how many lbs. of plastics and up until this year, every " new and improved" lure they thrust upon us. I read what all of my fellow BR members post and I realize that I just enjoy fishing and will continue to chuck my #200 Bandits, my Zoom u-tails, my Terminator spinnerbaits, Gitzit tubes, and Chugbugs. All of my BC reel are Shimano "greenys" over 10 years old and my spinning reels are Shimano Stradics that are the same age. They work as well as my 69 year old body does. I'm not done though, I'm leaving on March 18th for a 2+ week trip to Guntersville. I just can't keep up with all the "new and improved" I really did catch a bass one though.

[massrob]

I hope that's exactly what I'm doing when I retire in 30 years. I just started fishing last year and I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner. I hope to be just like you someday not worrying about new lures and just enjoying the peacefulness that fishing brings.

[SirSnookalot]

Plumworm, you may just have cabin fever.  I'm 69 and retired as well, the difference is I don't have cabin fever.  I fish every single day, hardly ever miss.  Anyone catching fish 340+ days a year IMO is pretty well zeroed in.  I haven't changed what I do in 5-10 or even 30 years, it worked then and it works now.  Whether I'm fishing inshore or bass fishing I do it with maybe 6 different lures on a regular basis, all on spinning.  I catch something everyday, some days a lot and some days it's more of a struggle, but getting totally skunked is pretty rare.

 

 I just can't keep up with all the "new and improved"  

 

 

^^ Don't really care to ^^  If the performance level is up to your standards, why bother?

[papajoe222]

I'm in a similar situation. Some of my equipment is newer, some I've had for longer than I can remember. If I could remember half of what I've learned over the years, it wouldn't make much difference. I spend a lot of time on the water and get much more enjoyment out of it when I don't try to figure everything out and just fish.  Catching fish was always my goal and though catching is still important to me, enjoying the time, either alone or with friends or family, is my goal.  I also found that sharing my love for the sport, whether actualy taking someone fishing and teaching them first hand, or the way we share on this site can be as rewarding as actually fishing.

Enjoy your upcomming trip and don't forget to take time and thank the man upstairs for the opportunity.

[Fisher-O-men]

Inspires me to "go with what I got", and refuse to buy more.  Yeah, the tackle manufacturers will likely go out of business, but I will have so much more room in my cave.

[SirSnookalot]

When I stated 6 lures on a regular basis, after thinking about it's 5.  The lure that I could probably catch the most fish on is one that I just don't care to use, that's any kind of a plastic worm.

[Hyrule Bass]

i think fishing can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. For myself I mostly just try to keep things simple, basically just cast and retrieve whatever lure i want to use or think might work. Have to admit at times i do find myself over complicating things. Before I joined this site, I didnt realize people actually worried about things like barometric pressure for example. some of this stuff has changed how i fished and has helped me to get better. other stuff, i just havent learned how to apply it, or when and where. and some i figure doesnt apply to me at all. honestly some of the stuff here ive read has absolutely blown my mind and i'm like "really?" In many ways, this site could make things much more difficult for a beginning fisherperson, taking in so much info at once can be overwhelming as opposed to focusing a couple things at a time...and thats no shot at this site, its a compliment to the wealth of knowledge here. not many can take in and process a bunch of input at the rate of Johnny 5

 

also, id say get out there and use some of that old tackle sitting around for years. you bought it, use it. i bet it still catches fish. just because some things are the latest and greatest dont mean they outfish the old fallbacks. you have plenty of tackle and you dont really need any more it seems. and dont give me that bait monkey crap, you control him, not the other way around.

[roadwarrior]

When I stated 6 lures on a regular basis, after thinking about it's 5.  

 

On the other side of the coin are the "collectors". Many of us have

five, six or twenty of the same lure in different colors!  Then if you

consider soft plastics "baits" instead of lures, well that's what I decorate

the walls of my man cave with.

 

Oops!

And then I almost forgot about jigs...

 

 

[J Francho]

I have a ton of rods, reels, lines, baits, hooks, sinkers, etc. - I even have two boats! However, most of my fishing is pretty simple. Top to bottom, shallow to deep, what gets through the cover at hand…what works in the water I'm in right then probably eliminates 50% of my baits. Depth and speed cut that half in half again twice. From the there, the fish decide what works.

[bassguytom]

The tackle and baits you have are what you know and have confidence in. No need for the latest and greatest if what you have works fine. My only hope for when I retire is that there is enough sipping whisky left that I can turn it into drinking whisky every once in a while and raise some hell. Have fun on Guntersville!

[Sam]

As I sit here tonight, in the warm comfort of my man cave ( it's -5 outside with a - 25 wind chill) and a little bit of sippin whiskey left in my glass, I am starting to realize how little I know about bass fishing. I've only been on this hallowed website for three years. ( I'm retired ) Slowly, I have began to realize that the bass fishing I knew 20, even 10 years ago has gone way over my head. I have a 15 year old bass boat, a 10 year old truck and the last rod and reel I bought was the year I retired. My graphs are 10+ years old. I have spent the winter going through the many $1000's of dollars of tackle I have stupidly purchased of the years. 300+ cranks, 100+ spinnerbaits, 1000's of hooks and sinkers, God only knows how many lbs. of plastics and up until this year, every " new and improved" lure they thrust upon us. I read what all of my fellow BR members post and I realize that I just enjoy fishing and will continue to chuck my #200 Bandits, my Zoom u-tails, my Terminator spinnerbaits, Gitzit tubes, and Chugbugs. All of my BC reel are Shimano "greenys" over 10 years old and my spinning reels are Shimano Stradics that are the same age. They work as well as my 69 year old body does. I'm not done though, I'm leaving on March 18th for a 2+ week trip to Guntersville. I just can't keep up with all the "new and improved" I really did catch a bass one though.

 

So what's the problem?

 

Boat floats.

 

You have good tackle.

 

You have good baits.

 

You have the time.

 

And the bass have no idea about your boat, tackle or baits. Just rig up and go fishing!

[F14A-B]

Well that depends on what whiskey your sippin!

[scaleface]

  The old honey holes I use to catch fish on are grossly overfished  and I  usually end up fishing the banks. sigh.  The woes of a structure fisherman who is forced to beat the banks .

[Scott F]

As I sit here tonight, in the warm comfort of my man cave ( it's -5 outside with a - 25 wind chill) and a little bit of sippin whiskey left in my glass, I am starting to realize how little I know about bass fishing. I've only been on this hallowed website for three years. ( I'm retired ) Slowly, I have began to realize that the bass fishing I knew 20, even 10 years ago has gone way over my head.

I never realized how bad a fisherman I was unti I came to BR. I use too light a line, I use fishing rods that are too light, I use braid for EVERYTHING, I NEVER use leaders, and I use pretty much one rod for several different techniques. I am just lucky that I ever catch any fish. I hardly sleep at night anymore because I am so conflicted. Do I scrap the way I fish, buy all new gear and do it the way I am supposed to? Or do I keep on just being contrary and continue to be the rebel I was born to be? I may have to see a shrink.

[paul.]

the absolute best fishing decision i have made so far in 2015?  spend 20 bucks on a tacklebox that was 1/3 of the size i was using.  fill it with a few types of baits that i like using, know, and trust vs. a bunch that i don't.  and none of these are anything  "new". 

 

the results?  fewer baits.  fewer choices.  less confusion.  less stress.  more fish.  bigger fish.

 

and regardless of how many rods or baits i bring to the lake, i always seem to end up with a jig rod in my hand.  that is literally one of the oldest types of fishing baits known to man.  and still the best imo.

 

i'll take simplification over complication any day of the week.  fishing stuff that works for you is not a sign of knowing just a little.  it's a sign of knowing a lot.

 

i came to this realization way too late in life.  i fish because i love it.  when i am fishing baits, techniques, or equipment that for any reason cause me to love it less, that is defeating the whole purpose. 

[Catt]

My boat is 19 years old

My newest reel is 15 years old

My newest rod is 3 years old

My spinner baits are 6-7 years old

My depth finder is a Hummingbird 535

Knowledge is the process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. M.H. Fischer

[Angry John]

There are some benefits to newer stuff. The latest offerings in super lines are very good. Newer sonar technology is a lot better to. As far as baits and hardware I actually prefer older stuff. My alphas ito is a reel I don't plan on updating any time soon. Jigs are also a favorite. Targeted spending is valid but new everything is just crazy expensive, and not for me either.

[EvanT123]

Plum,

I know what your saying about the cabin fever. My problem in the winter is I think of all these situations. Where I might need a bait I buy it and never use it during the year. I was sitting in the man cave last night looking over some stuff and thought to myself damm it will take me a half hour to load this in the boat and that's time better spent fishing.

I decided I would leave a box in the boat of tubes flukes and some senkos. The night before a trip I'll pick a top water or two, spinnerbait, crank bait some odds and ends and bring 2-3 rods. Leave the rest at home and fish what I brought.

As contrary to the bait monkey theme. I'm really going to try and use up what I have before I purchase more tackle. Notice I said try lol.

[Paul Roberts]

I'm in a similar place, but much of my gear is from the 70's and 80's! I upgrade rods mostly, but am still throwing a lot of the old stuff. Hey, the lures are new as far as the bass are concerned.

[RSM789]

...Hey, the lures are new as far as the bass are concerned.

 

People forget that even though they may have been fishing the same lake for 20 years, the fish you caught then are no longer alive and the fish you are targeting now are (mostly) less than 4 years old.  Every year, there are always brand new, young fish who haven't learned about your old lures.

[HookdUP]

Ironic enough many of the best and most sought after baits now are baits of old i.e. Silver buddy's or wiggle warts or the older smithwick rogues ... Even old school rat-l-traps to classic cali swimabaits baits and finese worms .. To me the current state of the game is showing that not only does history repeat itself .... History knows what the expletive it's talking about

[plumworm]

I guess I have to qualify why I posted what I did. I'm not worried about the fact that the newest and latest bass fishing is any different than it was when I started. It is that I somehow came to realize that if I try to keep up with all the changes, I would go broke. Love the Sport/Hate the Hype. I'd be willing to bet $.01 cents that the winning lure in the classic this week will make the company and the angler rich. Nuff said. Nite

[ColdSVT]

I was certain i knew a ton about bass fishing until i spent several days fishing with a 2 time bassmaster classic qualifier...it was then i realized i knew very little and that my casting accuracy was terrible lol

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

 

I'm sure most guys here have stuff "good enough" to catch some fish,

but why stop now? When I see those little carriages tooling down the

road I have always wondered why they picked that particular point in

time? It makes no sense to me.

 

New isn't always better, but a lot of new fishing equipment is much

better, especially rods & reels. Some of the technology incorporated

in lures and baits are amazing, too.

 

 

 

 

   

[Dwight Hottle]

I think I know where you are coming from. Its the old KISS theory. Nothing wrong with that. Every man pursues the sport differently. Some guys are such gearheads that tackle is more important than the fish. Other guys believe the fish are numero one. To me its all about the preparation and the planning. I like new gear because I can but there are always older baits & tackle that stand the test of time. Its always a blend of what has worked in the past & my perception of what might work in the future. I enjoy it all. Its what makes fishing such a simple yet complex sport. You can attack it at all levels and still enjoy what it is.