Overcomplicating things

[slonezp]

Who's guilty? Are you the guy who needs 20 different brands of worms in 20 different colors? The guy with 50 shades of crankbaits for 50 shades of daylight? The guy who pitches jigs all day but changes jigs after every 3rd cast because the last one wasn't working? The guy who buys creature baits with 6 appendages and then proceeds to surgically remove 2 of those appendages, because that's what the fish wants? The guy who buys bullet weights in 1/2 oz and 8/16 oz because the fall rate is different? The guy who switches from a 7'0" rod to a 7'2" rod because having a rod that is 2" longer makes you feel less inadequate? The guy that colors his faded braided line with magic marker because black is less noticeable than "off" green in stained water? The guy who runs out and buys the bait that won the Classic? The guy who has a 5.8/1 gear ratio reel for spinner baits and a 5.9/1 for his cranks? 

AND are you the guy who beats the same banks and same docks weekend after weekend wondering why you don't catch fish? Or don't catch quality fish? The guy who is dumbfounded why some guys in your club consistently weighs in bigger bags than others? The guy who travels cross country to fish Guntersville or Okeechobee because the guys on TV catch really. really, really, big fish, and then wonders why he gets skunked?

I'm willing to bet all of us were "that guy" to some degree or another. Many of us still are "that guy" to some degree or another.

So, I ask the question: What changed you from being "that guy" to the bass fisherman that you are today? Age? Experience? Maturity? A specific event or incident that made you open your eyes? Knowledge of the species? A little bit of everything?

 

I was some degree of "that guy" I've just simplified things. Simplified baits. Colors. Tactics. My thought process. I may believe that 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. I may believe a well placed bait trumps color or action. I may believe a bass has no self control over its instincts and that all animals are creatures of habit, including humans. Time to break those old habits and try something new.

[gulfcaptain]

Experience, age, and history have all changed my ways of not becoming "that guy".  I tend to keep my worms simple, cranks in a handful of colors that cover the needed waters I fish, and although I do have a bunch of tackle, (how else do we find what works best for us other then trial and error)  some get used more then others.  I still am that guy that colors my braid with a marker about 18" up when flipping, but or other reasons (use it to tell wear from the weight) and have stuck to a few reel and rod brands that work best for me and fish my own way, learn from my own experiences, and try and pass down what I've learned.  Funny, took years to understand the phrase "keep it simple stupid".  Once you realize and have that moment, it all becomes clear.  

[Fishin Ethan]

Not having a lot of money. In some ways I want to be that "guy" with all that gear. Fish are fish and they don't care how much you spend or the "2 inch" difference on the rod. It's not the gear it's the fisher.

[Darren.]

I learned after those things I thought, or was told, or saw on TV
would work, but didn't. So like @gulfcaptain, experience, age, 
history, as well as maturity, finding what works for me and not
that other guy over there have chipped in to keeping me from
being *that guy*.

I don't need as many rods as the other guy, nor do I have to use
specific equipment because it's a better tool in the toolbox. I use
what works for me. I've had to cut down on complexity as well
because it can be expensive. I just can't afford it now.

[S. Sass]

I find it amusing reading all the stuff guys buy and do being that guy. I in a way I am that guy or was but like the rest of us I had to try some stuff to see what worked for me. So yeah I have a few rods that will never leave the house and some baits the same way. But do I go buy $18.00 crankbaits hell no. Doesn't mean they don't work but I know from maturity experience and what ever else you want to throw in there, that there are crankbaits  that I can fish with just as well for 1/4 that price and land all the fish I need.

If you actually think some of things through (I didn't when I was younger) like these ads you wouldn't be so quick to jump on board I would hope. They get this stuff in your head using every tactic in the book to get you to buy their stuff. It is their fishing game to get your $ They are laughing every time when they catch you "that guy" convincing you that you need to purchase a $18.00 bait, a 7'2" $250.00 rod, or a $40,000.00 boat.  When in reality you own a $6 bait that has made your buddy's cry with *** as you out fish them with it, on a 7' rod that has nothing wrong with it, in $5000,00 used boat. 

Every trip I take here lately I come home and the next day I go through tackle looking at what I can do to cull excess and make life easier. Its a struggle as I like everyone likes to have their tackle but if you haven't tied it on in 3 months you probably aren't going to in 3 more months (seasonal lures exempt). I like gulfcaptain have found 3 or 4 colors cover all my bases. I also have no need to get a 8:1 reel no matter how much they talk them up. My stuff works for me and I too am a believer in the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) system.  

[Raul]

I´m guilty of having tons of baits in every size, shape, form, color, shade but I can´t help it, not only I hear that voice in my head but I love to own stuff ! 

Yet I continue to fish and catch with pretty much the same baits I´ve been using for more than 20 years, long time ago I learned that lesson  ....... but it don´t hurt to carry a lil bit more, better have and not need than need and not have.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I am definitely "that guy". Man, i can hardly fish with lures that don't compliment my rod, reel and line! I love technique specific gear, too! So what? Fishing is my hobby, my passion and I am a collector. I think I might actually fish 5% of my lures, but probably not. Does that mean I didn't "need" the Next Big Thing?  Gotta have it!

 

[A-Jay]

Interesting topic slonezp ~

I too believe that with age comes experience.  Being able to interpret what is experienced and than apply it effectively at a future time, date, different season & on a different body of water seems to come in pretty handy as well.  

Something that I believe that everyone has is "Instinct".  Each angler has at least some - but certain fisherman seem to be able to "listen" to it.  Catching some fish can certainly help build some confidence which in turn may help an angler trust in him/herself (instincts).  Perhaps this is an example of what "That Guy" does a little better than some.  

"Seeing is believing" is a saying we often hear.  Something that has served me well over the years is a spin off of this.  (and not just for fishing)  I really need to "Believe It - To See It."  Having a positive picture in my minds eye of what I'm trying to accomplish and truly believing that the outcome is reasonable & attainable, keeps me focused and in the right frame of mind.  Can self-doubt creep in when things don't exactly follow the plan ?  Sure does, that's where self discipline comes in - only you can control your mind.  So do it.

There are so many, many things that happen in a day that determine whether bass are caught, especially Big Bass.  Some of these happen before the day of the trip and others are so far out of our control that there is no sense even addressing them.   I like to try to be Balanced.  It's very hard to be very good at everything - at least for me.  So instead, I try to look at the big picture.  I'm willing to spend time & energy ensuring I'm able to complete each fishing trip without struggling with Anything. 

Consider how many evolutions there are on a standard bass fishing trip; trailering the boat, the launch & recovery, the boat handling itself, safe navigation, gear selection, ten different types of casts, casting accuracy, boat position, anchoring, hook sets, fish landing, net use, knot tying, bait rigging, don't spill the JJ's, using the electronics effectively, the list goes on.  All of this could fall under the Ability category.  However being super good at a few of these & not so good on others may end up being problematic.   So, I like to work to be Balanced -

 I'm definitely not That Guy, more like A Guy. 

A-Jay

[0119]

1 hour ago, S. Sass said:

I find it amusing reading all the stuff guys buy and do being that guy.

Every trip I take here lately I come home and the next day I go through tackle looking at what I can do to cull excess and make life easier.  

I don't find it amusing, more like sad.  Not that I begrudge them but I'm a self admitted recovering addict.  Most of my life I couldn't even make a grocery trip into walmart without buying tackle.  I am just now doing like you and cutting inventory of tackle I use.  High dollar baits no longer interest me since 99% never showed any noticable success over traditional baits or at least standard modern baits.  The only exception has been the Pompadour which has earned a place in the boat on every outing.  Now instead of surfing japan tackle or tackle warehouse I seek out small regional lure makers, cottage industries and enjoy going out with a much more limited amount of tackle and outfits.

[RB 77]

I have  actually worked hard towards simplifying things over the last few years. One box of each major "style" of bait (Cranks, Jerks, Plastics, Jigs, Spinners, etc...) goes to the lake with me with anywhere from about 4-8 rods depending on if I'm back-seating or on the deck.

[Will Wetline]

Yeah, I buy some of the latest and greatest in baits (Gotta get me some Shadow Rap Shads!) and have collected way more gear than I'll ever need. What's important is that I'm enjoying all fishing related activities. I don't have to pre-order say, a Duo Realis Pencil Popper - I've got plenty of topwater baits already. I'll do this one from Duo in due time.

I also don't have to have a bigger boat or catch more and bigger fish than you do. I'm well satisfied with the size and number I catch from a rental boat on my home water.

Being relaxed rather than driven is the way to go. I'll go so far as to say you'll be a better fisherman if you don't get neurotic about it.

So what changed to make me lighter and brighter? Experience and maturity. I can look back five decades as a fisherman and remember the days when I had a "Gotta get 'em!" attitude. I'm having more fun now - and catching more fish.

So. . . Go fishing, all. Bring your sense of humor.

 

[S. Sass]

13 minutes ago, 0119 said:

I don't find it amusing, more like sad.  Not that I begrudge them but I'm a self admitted recovering addict.  Most of my life I couldn't even make a grocery trip into walmart without buying tackle.  I am just now doing like you and cutting inventory of tackle I use.  High dollar baits no longer interest me since 99% never showed any noticable success over traditional baits or at least standard modern baits.  The only exception has been the Pompadour which has earned a place in the boat on every outing.  Now instead of surfing japan tackle or tackle warehouse I seek out small regional lure makers, cottage industries and enjoy going out with a much more limited amount of tackle and outfits.

Maybe amusing was the wrong term. Try interesting? I didn't really think of the "addiction" angle so much I was thinking of it from the perspective of the guy who always had to out do everyone. You know the kid that when you got something new he would show up a day later with a bigger better one of the same thing. As if it somehow made him better because of it.

Sort of like fishing from a expensive bass boat vs just a good solid bass boat. The fish have no clue the year model of the boat so whats the purpose other than status. $15 to $20 for a single bait is just ludicrous and I don't care how someone tries to justify it it just makes them look more like "that guy". And dont even start with me on the crazy bait prices above that. If that is what someone is willing to pay that is their choice but the only reason they are screwing you into paying that price is because you are paying it. There is no way the mass produced baits are costing that much to make. 

[slonezp]

5 minutes ago, S. Sass said:

Maybe amusing was the wrong term. Try interesting? I didn't really think of the "addiction" angle so much I was thinking of it from the perspective of the guy who always had to out do everyone. You know the kid that when you got something new he would show up a day later with a bigger better one of the same thing. As if it somehow made him better because of it.

Sort of like fishing from a expensive bass boat vs just a good solid bass boat. The fish have no clue the year model of the boat so whats the purpose other than status. $15 to $20 for a single bait is just ludicrous and I don't care how someone tries to justify it it just makes them look more like "that guy". And dont even start with me on the crazy bait prices above that. If that is what someone is willing to pay that is their choice but the only reason they are screwing you into paying that price is because you are paying it. There is no way the mass produced baits are costing that much to make. 

I wasn't thinking of "that guy" who feels the need to outdo everyone, but that could be another way to look at this.

I was thinking about "that guy" who is maybe naïve, gullible etc. rather than the guy who is just plain ignorant, although naivety can turn into ignorance. The guy who believes the hype. I think we all get caught up in it once in awhile. 

I brought this topic up originally because it seems there are a lot more gimmicks being marketed in our sport as of late. Or this new Rapala that I've been getting emails about for the past few months Is this new Rapala the end all be all of fishing lures? Will it make all the previous generation Rapalas inferior? The Live Target sunfish which, for all intense purposes is a frog AND, I'm no fish, but I bet when a bass looks up towards the sky and sees a silhouette of the bait, the sunfish probably looks just like any other hollow body topwater. The Mighybite patented technology which I can get a 3,000,000 piece assortment and once I lose the 2 worms that come with it, I have 2,999,998 worthless pieces of plastic. How about the Manley rods with the adjustable butt? and there are plenty more. None of these things will make us better, just like having a pair of Air Jordans won't make us better at basketball.

The boat and technology argument holds some merit, but these tools are worthless without knowledge 

[Paul Roberts]

46 minutes ago, slonezp said:

... these tools are worthless without knowledge 

Knowledge is worthless without tools?

Guilty as charged! We live in a (rapidly urbanizing) consumer culture. The models offered up in the media-driven bass fishing culture mirror urban culture -selling the latest promise of success, satisfaction, and happiness. Precisely the things one cannot buy. This isn't just in fishing. This is what we are now -no one is immune- bc it has become the fabric of our culture.

[Sam]

Experience.

The definition of being crazy is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome.

And, we have lots of crazy bass guys out there.

[yugrac]

Its been said time and time again, fishing supply companies are out to catch fisherman , not fish. Do I have too many rods, lures I never fish with and electronics I never use to there full use? 100% yes.

[ClackerBuzz]

5 hours ago, slonezp said:

The guy who buys creature baits with 6 appendages and then proceeds to surgically remove 2 of those appendages

I thought this was pointless unless you corkscrewed the remaining appendages and dipped their fingernails in JJ's.

[ww2farmer]

I am so not "that guy" that I might as well be the poster child for K.I.S.S. as it pertains to bass fishing.

[Paul Roberts]

8 minutes ago, ww2farmer said:

I am so not "that guy" that I might as well be the poster child for K.I.S.S. as it pertains to bass fishing.

Wayne, how many rods do you have?? Now if you were using an old cane pole your great grandpa handed down -with a repaired tip- I'd be more impressed.

[Jaderose]

I was jonesin pretty bad for one of those Livetarget sunfish until I actually saw one the other day.  It's a frog with no legs.  I put my wallet away

[reb67]

5 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Well, I am definitely "that guy". Man, i can hardly fish with lures that don't compliment my rod, reel and line! I love technique specific gear, too! So what? Fishing is my hobby, my passion and I am a collector. I think I might actually fish 5% of my lures, but probably not. Does that mean I didn't "need" the Next Big Thing?  Gotta have it!

 

I am glad you are that way

[Gundog]

Oh am I ever "that guy" and if I could afford to be, I would be more of "that guy" then anybody else. I've got more tackle than I can shake a stick at. If I go to walmart for something I always stop by the fishing tackle aisle. I'm on a first name basis with most of the workers at the Cabela's store 40 miles away. I don't have a boat but would buy one of those 21ft bass boats if I had the cash. For now I settle for a canoe and a kayak. I fall for the latest and greatest baits every time. I just can't help myself. But hey, to me that's part of the fun. Besides, I don't drink or do drugs so I gotta have a vice. At least it is legal.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

6 hours ago, slonezp said:

Who's guilty? Are you the guy who needs 20 different brands of worms in 20 different colors? The guy with 50 shades of crankbaits for 50 shades of daylight? The guy who pitches jigs all day but changes jigs after every 3rd cast because the last one wasn't working? The guy who buys creature baits with 6 appendages and then proceeds to surgically remove 2 of those appendages, because that's what the fish wants? The guy who buys bullet weights in 1/2 oz and 8/16 oz because the fall rate is different? The guy who switches from a 7'0" rod to a 7'2" rod because having a rod that is 2" longer makes you feel less inadequate? The guy that colors his faded braided line with magic marker because black is less noticeable than "off" green in stained water? The guy who runs out and buys the bait that won the Classic? The guy who has a 5.8/1 gear ratio reel for spinner baits and a 5.9/1 for his cranks? 

AND are you the guy who beats the same banks and same docks weekend after weekend wondering why you don't catch fish? Or don't catch quality fish? The guy who is dumbfounded why some guys in your club consistently weighs in bigger bags than others? The guy who travels cross country to fish Guntersville or Okeechobee because the guys on TV catch really. really, really, big fish, and then wonders why he gets skunked?

I'm willing to bet all of us were "that guy" to some degree or another. Many of us still are "that guy" to some degree or another.

So, I ask the question: What changed you from being "that guy" to the bass fisherman that you are today? Age? Experience? Maturity? A specific event or incident that made you open your eyes? Knowledge of the species? A little bit of everything?

 

I was some degree of "that guy" I've just simplified things. Simplified baits. Colors. Tactics. My thought process. I may believe that 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. I may believe a well placed bait trumps color or action. I may believe a bass has no self control over its instincts and that all animals are creatures of habit, including humans. Time to break those old habits and try something new.

scratched the ones Im not that guy never been, left the ones I am.

I color my green braid with green marker at times and brown with brown.

I beat the banks over and over on the same small lake day after day year after year because its very close to me and so go there most often. I do get knowledge though and have experienced the increase in average size of the bass over the years.

[ww2farmer]

1 hour ago, Paul Roberts said:

Wayne, how many rods do you have?? Now if you were using an old cane pole your great grandpa handed down -with a repaired tip- I'd be more impressed.

If my name was Wayne, I'd answer. 

[whitwolf]

I have enough baits, rods, reels, etc., to last me for many years. I like to collect old Rebels that aren't made anymore. I have a nice tackle room that I love to tinker In and sometimes sit In there and think of better ways to organize what I have.

That being said, I was "that guy" for many years In my 20's and 30's. I truly felt that whatever Is was  It would most assuredly catch me more fish. I spent a great deal of money on baits that NEVER caught me any more fish than the things I had been using consistently for  years. I'm like others in that age and maturity has given me the vision to be where I am now. Like Will wetline, fishing for me today Is so much more fun and It's certainly less complicated. 

I know what works for me, have a blast everytime I fish, and many more times than not I catch fish. I carry half of what I used to and have never looked back.

I will never look at another's spending habits or the need to have the latest and greatest equipment and feel any sort of emotion towards what they buy. It might work for them, It might not. In the end they will figure out what Is right for them. Once you reach a certain point In life you figure a heck of a lot out whether It's fishing or life. At that point you become you and not that guy.

Edit: Great thread Slone!