Addicted to buying fishing gear

[snake95]

Juice,

Money is one part, but it can become a time problem.  You can buy too little trying to be frugal, then spend extra time running to get more stuff.  Or you can spend a bunch of time obsessively researching and buying, and having a stockpile you can never possibly use.  

The trick is to find that middle ground.  I'll admit that I'm still working on that.

 

[JustJames]

Before I was married, I bought myself a fishing gear for my birthday almost every year. At that time I didnt even catch anything at all.

[juicebass]

Ya great points all around.

Nothing makes me laugh more than when I purchase a new reel, and head out to the water with a fire in my eyes, full of confidence and a mental determination to catch high numbers, and big ass bass- to get nothing. Haha! My new gear stays pretty new for a long time

[ChrisD46]

Hi , my name is Chris - I was bitten by the Bait Monkey when I was 12 . My story begins when ...

[Bankbeater]

You buy gear. You take it out on the water and use it, and over time it wears out.  You buy more gear.  It is the circle of life.

[NYWayfarer]

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 0:12 PM, SwampLife said:

my biggest problem is not selling anything!!

That seems to be my wife's problem with my buying fishing gear. She recently said to me how many rods and reels do I need, and why don't I sell some to get new ones if I really want them. My comeback to her was I will sell some rods and reels when she sells some of her handbags.

She is right in the respect that I want a new reel or rod but don't need them. I just can't pass up a good buy on some of my favorite brands like Shimano, Lews, Pflueger and Fenwick.

 

[bagofdonuts]

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever tried to stop and not been able to?

2. Has your family or friends ever confronted you about your tackle buying?

3. Do you envy other people who can just buy one or two spinner baits?

4. Has your tackle buying caused you problems at home in the last year?

5. Have you ever had trouble remembering how you got so much tackle?

6. Do you ever lie about the amount of tackle you buy?

7. Do you wish people would quit asking you about your tackle purchases?

8. Have you ever switched from one brand to another in hopes you would buy less tackle?

9. Do you ever think your life would be better with out all the tackle?

10. Have you missed work to purchase tackle?

11. Do you ever tell yourself you can quit at any time even though you keep buying too much?

12. Have you ever felt you need to buy more tackle to catch fish, even though you have a garage full of it?

[Ratherbfishing]

On 10/29/2016 at 10:31 AM, snake95 said:

Juice,

Money is one part, but it can become a time problem.  You can buy too little trying to be frugal, then spend extra time running to get more stuff.  Or you can spend a bunch of time obsessively researching and buying, and having a stockpile you can never possibly use.  

The trick is to find that middle ground.  I'll admit that I'm still working on that.

 

To borrow from a John Mellencamp song, "I know there's a balance, I seen it when I swing past."

[MassYak85]

Last season I went a little crazy buying stuff to try and cover all my basis over a vast variety of techniques as I have really only gotten into a lot of new techniques in the last few years, and I won't lie...I enjoyed buying some of the stuff more than actually using it. Some of the stuff disappointed me, and some of it was a big success. But now I have a pretty solid idea of the brands and the type of lures that I would like to focus on going forward, and as a result I have a lot of stuff I suspect may just sit in my tackle box. Next year I'm going to try and consolidate some stuff and figure out what I actually can and will use when I go out. For example I have 4 chatterbaits of different brands I got to try them, and now I know which one of the four I liked and was the most useful. Same with spinner baits, same with line. Last year was more of a buying trial-and-error period. 

[Ratherbfishing]

58 minutes ago, bagofdonuts said:

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever tried to stop and not been able to? I can stop anytime I want (I just don't want to)

2. Has your family or friends ever confronted you about your tackle buying? Yes but they are Shimano fanatics

3. Do you envy other people who can just buy one or two spinner baits? Fools!  All of them!

4. Has your tackle buying caused you problems at home in the last year?  The lack of space has, yes, but not the tackle

5. Have you ever had trouble remembering how you got so much tackle? I have black outs.  Does that count?

6. Do you ever lie about the amount of tackle you buy?  Only if it's not on sale.

7. Do you wish people would quit asking you about your tackle purchases? I wish they would ask me more

8. Have you ever switched from one brand to another in hopes you would buy less tackle? I switched brands so I could buy MORE tackle

9. Do you ever think your life would be better with out all the tackle? You're joking, right?

10. Have you missed work to purchase tackle? I haven't exactly MISSED work...EVER

11. Do you ever tell yourself you can quit at any time even though you keep buying too much?  Define "too much"

12. Have you ever felt you need to buy more tackle to catch fish, even though you have a garage full of it? I can't help it if the fish keep adjusting!

 

[Darren.]

I had a phase where I had difficulty stopping myself
from purchasing gear. But that phase didn't help my
family in any way shape or form...

So I had a snap-out-of-it period and while I am not
fully cured, I no longer buy ... no longer buy ... no lo....

<head explodes>

[bigfruits]

i have a rod fetish. my rod to reel ratio is more than 2:1. rods just have so many different personalities!

to manage a tackle problem, buy used and sell used. tell yourself anytime you buy a reel or rod, you sell another to keep the total number constant and your wallet even - after the initial arsenal is complete.

easier said than done though. i cant bring myself to sell anything. 

[primetime]

 Some say I have a problem. I call it a "Part time business" as a Front. This is a small fraction of stuff I never bring, just extra stuff in storage. Plus my storage unit which is full of tackle, my Kayak barely fits. The pressure of selling it is building and it stresses me since most of this is stuff I have not sold as "Reserves". I actually need to sell most of it and then put the money toward some necessary stuff that is not fun to buy, but I really want to get a top end Fish finder.

But I like Me. That is what is important, The 1 Frog box in the picture is my back up. I like buying frogs. Can't stop. I realize 200+ Frogs is excessive for some, but I share, so I get invited on some trips where I am pretty sure I am being used and that is ok with me. You can get on any private lake with a bag of soft baits & a cool looking frog. If you offer a grown man with a boat in his yard free tackle in exchange for fishing the lake in his backyard, you get access & a fishing buddy. It has some benefits, I let some of the neighborhood kids fill up shopping bags of stuff to use in the local ponds, which gives me more satisfaction than just selling it, although I need to just dump some huge lots cheap since I don't have time anymore.

I have had to make a 3 box rule, 1 bag when I go fishing, otherwise I spend most of the trip digging for tackle which ruins days. Less is better. Picking 10 Frogs to bring is not easy. I need a Xanax the night before when Packing. OCD is real.

 

[Jar11591]

People literally think there is something wrong with me when they see all my fishing gear. The funny thing is, I have never shown someone ALL my fishing gear because its never all in one place. I keep some at the camp, some on the boat or in the truck, but the vast majority is stored in a dedicated fishing closet. 

My reel addiction (pun intended) is just that, reels. I am so addicted to baitcasting reels. I love buying them, using them, looking at them, feeling them. I have a list 20 reels long that I plan on buying. I really have to control myself, because with the price of reels that I'm drawn to, it could and would get out of hand, QUICK.

I'm addicted, I'll admit it. But hey, its a whole lot healthier and arguably cheaper than a drug or alcohol addiction right?

[Jar11591]

On 11/18/2016 at 3:08 PM, bagofdonuts said:

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever tried to stop and not been able to?  

 I don't want to stop. But I want to want to stop.

 

2. Has your family or friends ever confronted you about your tackle buying? 

They think somethings wrong.

 

3. Do you envy other people who can just buy one or two spinner baits? 

Never knew I could pity and envy someone at the same time.

 

4. Has your tackle buying caused you problems at home in the last year? 

I mean what are "problems" really?

 

5. Have you ever had trouble remembering how you got so much tackle? 

Seems like all my tackle just sort of "happened"...

 

6. Do you ever lie about the amount of tackle you buy?

Just so people don't intervene.

 

7. Do you wish people would quit asking you about your tackle purchases?

If you have to ask, that means you will never understand.

 

8. Have you ever switched from one brand to another in hopes you would buy less tackle? 

Old habits die hard.

 

9. Do you ever think your life would be better with out all the tackle? 

The thought of that makes me scared and sad.

 

10. Have you missed work to purchase tackle? 

More than once took the day off to take a trip to BPS.

 

11. Do you ever tell yourself you can quit at any time even though you keep buying too much? 

But I can quit any time....

 

12. Have you ever felt you need to buy more tackle to catch fish, even though you have a garage full of it?

Need more tackle to catch fish? Dude, I feel like I need more tackle to go on with my friggin life.

 

[lo n slo]

i have a weakness for rat-L-traps and thick girls with big-un's.

[primetime]

On 11/19/2016 at 7:22 PM, Jar11591 said:

 

Only 12 Questions? I have way too many issues to understand with 12 questions.  Those are great questions and you are viewing them from a flawed prism imo. I think everyone else in your life has issues they need to deal with first. The Key is denial and Deflection...I never have missed days to buy tackle, but buying tackle during lunch and then not coming back get's tricky. Yes I have lost a few jobs because of this but not my fault, I chose the wrong people to work for, that is why you need to ask good questions during interviews. Never work for anyone who is anti Fishing & Pro Environment/Conservation.

The "It could be worse" only works at times because I can rationalize the Financial aspect (Most would think it is a financial burden, but numbers are easy to interpret to fit your narrative if you use some critical thinking. I just like to collect things, I was the exact same way as a small child, I had to have every Baseball card I could get my hands on. I sold them all my freshman year in college as I found a few other hobbies I enjoyed more to obsess about.

The question for me is this: Does buying fishing tackle compromise your life in any way negative? My habit (Genetically passed on through my Father) of saying I am only going fishing for a few hours at Noon, then ending up coming home at 5 AM has caused problem's and always will. I used to send a Text saying Phone is dying, put in some excuse a friend would help me create since only a few are valid, then stop and fish the saltwater areas at night if I saw cars parked & next thing I know I realize it's 3 AM and the tide is dead.

The Bass Fishing Industry does a terrible job of marketing to woman. Why not make Fishing tournaments for Just Woman that pay good money so they get involved. I call for more Woman to start fishing, then they would undertsand why you need 40 colors for each lure, they need Shoes in every color for each day of the year. What is the difference?

I wonder if she really works late most nights and if her friends car really breaks down most nights. Oh well, not my problem, I have reliable transportation & never have to work late.

[Heron]

On 11/18/2016 at 3:08 PM, bagofdonuts said:

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever tried to stop and not been able to? No

2. Has your family or friends ever confronted you about your tackle buying? No 

3. Do you envy other people who can just buy one or two spinner baits? No, that person is me

4. Has your tackle buying caused you problems at home in the last year? No, because it's not an obsession

5. Have you ever had trouble remembering how you got so much tackle? No, by most standards, my collection is small

6. Do you ever lie about the amount of tackle you buy? No

7. Do you wish people would quit asking you about your tackle purchases? n/a

8. Have you ever switched from one brand to another in hopes you would buy less tackle? No

9. Do you ever think your life would be better with out all the tackle?n/a

10. Have you missed work to purchase tackle? Nooo! Work is more important. Do people do this?

11. Do you ever tell yourself you can quit at any time even though you keep buying too much? I have quit

12. Have you ever felt you need to buy more tackle to catch fish, even though you have a garage full of it? No, I have 2 rods for bass fishing, and use mostly only the most productive baits and methods for my waters, per seasonal patterns. 

 

["hamma"]

The more you fish, the more you need to replace what was used/lost/torn, to keep things in stock.

 I dont think of it as a "problem" a mechanic needs his tools, just as we need ours, and thats what I consider tackle, my "tools",. If I've used up a full bag of yamamoto hula grubs I will replace it. Its that simple. lost a crankbait on a snaggy brushpile?  replace it with a few as they will all run differently. Your kid caught a treelimb 20' up with a spinnerbait, go buy a replacement.

 But better yet!,...plastics are famous for going that dreaded word "discontinued",.....you once knew you could replace them when needed, as they "were" in stock items. But once they go disconed?,... ur screwed. That dead on tourney winning bait is now GONE! no more easy winnings for you buddy, the company has changed their molds and you now?,   get nada single one!

 So what do I do? ,.... when I find a killer plastic, buy craploads of them! I have, and still do. I have a tote devoted to my "in stock" plastics. Several certain grubs, several different worms,..and some custom handpours I ordered, have it almost chauk full. Some even from the 90's, and they still work the same. Some even better than before as the fish dont see these anymore.

 Another reason for me having "in stock" extras and totes is, All my tourney tackle was stolen years ago, and the lures they got? omg, a large tackleshops worth of not made anymore lures, companies that no longer exist, and the expensive owner hooks, and jigheads? VMC's? not to mention the expensive lake fork weights. Old poes cranks, manns cranks, ancient rebels, 2 boxes of rapalas,.almost a hundred spinnerbaits, spoons, old heddon topwaters, old rebel pop-rs in several sizes, spooks, and plastics galore,... I figured about 3K in tackle they took, cuz my lcr's were in the same 2 big duffelbags and they were about 1k themselves. Back then? that was alot of cake for tackle.

 A tackle buying problem? heck no ,..i see it as a necessity

[blckshirt98]

Do any of you insure your tackle in case of theft or a house fire?  (Flooding wouldn't be an issue, it would probably be the only time most of my stuff would ever see the water.)

[Choporoz]

31 minutes ago, blckshirt98 said:

Do any of you insure your tackle in case of theft or a house fire?  (Flooding wouldn't be an issue, it would probably be the only time most of my stuff would ever see the water.)

I don't, but I've considered it.  I keep thousands of dollars worth of equipment in the car from St Patrick's' Day to Thanksgiving and every day that I walk out to it, I fear a loss.  I've taken pictures of the interior of my car every so often, but haven't taken the correct step and gotten riders on my insurance policies.

[.ghoti.]

When we inherited the cabin on the local lake, we remodeled and repainted, put in a new floor and rebuilt the kitchen. I built my rod shop into one end, and decided to move all my tackle from the house and garage to the cabin. When the cabin insurance came up for renewal, I went to the agency, armed with pics of the collection and inquired about a rider to cover the rod building equipment and tackle.

The owner of the agency said sure we can cover the rod building equipment, but how much fishing tackle do you have? Can't be that much.

Ha! I started showing him the pics. He went from surprised, to amazed, to dumbfounded. I've heard people say you never have too much tackle. I can say, for myself, I have enough stuff to last me the rest of my life. Really. The only fishing gear I've bought in the last two years has been line.

I had a spreadsheet listing the rods, reels and shop equipment. We guesstimated the value of the remaining tackle. The total surprised even me. The cost of the rider was very reasonable.

I urge you, if you have a bunch of gear, to get it insured. Make a spreadsheet listing all your stuff, and sum it up. It may surprise you what you actually have invested. It may also surprise you how affordable a rider on your home owner's insurance can be. The peace of mind is well worth the time, effort and cost.

Some of you may not want to share the spreadsheet with your significant other. Up to you. I showed mine to my wife. She looked, and said so what, I already knew you were crazy.

[Ratherbfishing]

On Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 2:27 AM, BASS302 said:

I thought I had a problem buying too many lures.  When I want a lure, I buy three.  One to use.  One just in case I lose the first one.  A third one just in case I lose the first two!  Then I realize the lure comes in 12 different colors, and two sizes.  Then I realize I need to buy more tackle boxes. Then ...

 

If I lose a lure (even if I haven't been catching with it), I'm likely to buy at least two replacements.  Not always but often.

On Friday, November 18, 2016 at 6:02 AM, Bankbeater said:

You buy gear. You take it out on the water and use it, and over time it wears out.  You buy more gear.  It is the circle of life.

"The circle of life!"  I like that!  Can I use it?

[blckshirt98]

1 hour ago, .ghoti. said:

I had a spreadsheet listing the rods, reels and shop equipment. We guesstimated the value of the remaining tackle. The total surprised even me. The cost of the rider was very reasonable.

Can you share what it roughly came out to?  If I had to estimate I'd probably be somewhere in the $15-20k range lol.

[MIbassyaker]

On 11/18/2016 at 3:08 PM, bagofdonuts said:

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever tried to stop and not been able to? No...haven't tried to stop.

2. Has your family or friends ever confronted you about your tackle buying? It's about negotiation. For instance, my wife likes shoes, purses, and crafting accessories... so we cut deals.

3. Do you envy other people who can just buy one or two spinner baits? No. Those people are cute, though, aren't they..

4. Has your tackle buying caused you problems at home in the last year? Tackle buying SOLVES problems at home -- it's money I'm not spending on more embarrassing and dangerous things that take up more room!

5. Have you ever had trouble remembering how you got so much tackle? I have trouble remembering where I parked an hour ago, so....

6. Do you ever lie about the amount of tackle you buy?  I lie awake at night, strategizing my next TW order...does that count?

7. Do you wish people would quit asking you about your tackle purchases? Quit? I wish they'd START asking -- I have so much to say about it. 

8. Have you ever switched from one brand to another in hopes you would buy less tackle?  I doubt that would have any effect.

9. Do you ever think your life would be better with out all the tackle? As a child, I had very little tackle. I used to flip through the Bass Pro catalog, dreaming of one day owning worms in every color, and every type of Rapala. Life is better today.

10. Have you missed work to purchase tackle? Yes, but much of my work schedule is flexible, so my occasional tackle runs during usual work hours probably don't count.

11. Do you ever tell yourself you can quit at any time even though you keep buying too much? "too much" you say? I don't understand what you mean...

12. Have you ever felt you need to buy more tackle to catch fish, even though you have a garage full of it? "need" is too strong; "want" is more like it, but maybe not strong enough