Minimalism...

[Quarry Man]

In school I have been learning about Thoreau...a man who recognized that people have a tendency to continue to purchase things in order to be satisfied and be happy, something that is not possible to achieve simply through purchasing things. He believed in using only what you need.

 

I have been on a trend of purchasing lots of new rods and reel and a few lures that i "need". I am at a point where I have discovered which lures work best in my waters and how to fish them effectively. I a considering selling off my excess gear and rods. I have always be a fan of quality over quantity, so I have a few really nice setups that can stay. What does everyone think about this idea? If you have done this, how has it worked out and what advice d you have?

[Goldstar225]

Actually I am that way.  I have a basic 5 rod/reel setup that I use and a modest (by comparison) selection of lures.  If you totaled all my rods and lures together I probably don't $1200.00 invested. I fish to relax and enjoy myself an learned early on that I tend to stick to a few basic lures.  Most on this forum will out fish me without breaking a sweat, but I enjoy myself, that's all I care about.

[Glaucus]

I have 9 setups, but I primarily use 3 and I'm considering selling the rest myself because, honestly, they collect dust. I have found that there isn't much I can't do with a MH/F and a M/F baitcasting setup, and a M/F spinning setup. Braid on the MH baitcasting and spinning setups, mono on the M baitcasting setup, and attach the appropriate leader line for whatever or wherever I'm fishing. Pretty much covers everything. As far as lures, I've also discovered that I don't use the majority of my stuff. And despite the plethora of different colors of soft plastics, it always comes down to Green Pumpkin or black. A few plastic Plano storage containers shoved in a backpack and I have everything I truly fish right there. So I'm with you and understand. I really need to sell the rest of it. I'm not a professional, I don't make money doing this, I have certain things I just like to do and I stick to it, and I catch a bunch of fish. It's simple. I think we get caught up in hypothetical scenarios, colors, and needing the newest this or that.

[Raul]

The one with the most stuff wins.

[soflabasser]

14 minutes ago, Raul said:

The one with the most stuff wins.

Meh. Material possessions means nothing if you are old, with serious health problems, and never satisfied with what you have.The ones who really win in the end are the ones who live a long, healthy live that help others and feel satisfied with their accomplishments.

2 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

In school I have been learning about Thoreau...a man who recognized that people have a tendency to continue to purchase things in order to be satisfied and be happy, something that is not possible to achieve simply through purchasing things. He believed in using only what you need.

 

I have been on a trend of purchasing lots of new rods and reel and a few lures that i "need". I am at a point where I have discovered which lures work best in my waters and how to fish them effectively. I a considering selling off my excess gear and rods. I have always be a fan of quality over quantity, so I have a few really nice setups that can stay. What does everyone think about this idea? If you have done this, how has it worked out and what advice d you have?

What matters most is that you are happy with what fishing gear you own and that the hobby of fishing brings true happiness in your life. You can donate your excess gear to family members or those in need and maybe teach them how to fish.

[Bluebasser86]

I've been trying to pare down what I have the last few years and have been pretty successful at it, cutting down to a few brands and basic colors in most things. It certainly makes my on the water decisions easier and the results have been pretty nice also. 

[thinkingredneck]

Good luck.  Read some of Ned Kehde's writings about midwest finesse and simplicity/frugality.

[Oregon Native]

While living out west I fished saltwater and freshwater from bluegill, salmon, steelhead, bass to sturgeon.  All require a different outfit to some extent.  A lot of different adventures that some would not choose to do.  I have a hobby...it's fishing.  Not into any armchair sports or other activities except golf with my wife.  So I probably have to much gear...but it's been neat over the years to share with others and teach others.  So glad we all have choices.....

[thinkingredneck]

6 minutes ago, Oregon Native said:

While living out west I fished saltwater and freshwater from bluegill, salmon, steelhead, bass to sturgeon.  All require a different outfit to some extent.  A lot of different adventures that some would not choose to do.  I have a hobby...it's fishing.  Not into any armchair sports or other activities except golf with my wife.  So I probably have to much gear...but it's been neat over the years to share with others and teach others.  So glad we all have choices.....

Very similar deal for me, except for the golf part.  I have accumulated a bunch of different gear and fly tying stuff.   Moved around, and it seemed everywhere I went I needed a different setup.  Salt,  Trout, Salmon, steelhead, panfish, bass, etc.  It has been fun.  Jack of all trades, master of none.

[Oregon Native]

Yup .... forgot to put in there at one time I only fly fished...after two surgeries to wrist area I was done.  Too many steelhead/salmon put the hurt on it.  Did a lot of fly tying...lure making...rod making too....sheeeesh.

[Mike L]

If I don't keep it simple I become stupid. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[OkobojiEagle]

Thoreau never won a BASS tournament!  I suggest you pick out your favorite tackle to use and store the rest in a closet somewhere.  You may change your tackle preferences over time and use some or all of what you've already purchased.

 

oe

[ww2farmer]

I am somewhat of a minimalist, but it was through a lot of year of trail an error.

 

For my style of fishing I keep the following rod/reel combos on my boat:

Spinning, all spooled with 10lb braid, and I use FC leaders from 6-12lb test depending on the situation/cover:

6'8" M/XF  with a 2500 size reel for flick shaking, shaky heads, and tubes. Also doubles as a skipping rod for weightless soft plastics under docks/trees etc...

7' M/F with a 2000 size reel for drop shotting, ned rigging, neko rigging

Casting, my system is simple, 6:1 reel get 20lb braid, 7:1 reels get 30lb braid, and 8:1 reels get 50lb braid. And like the spinning set ups,I use a FC leader based on cover, application, technique used. I have:

6'6" M/F with a 6:1 reel for Jerkbaits/Topwater, small shallow and lipless cranks.

7' MH/F with a 7:1 reel  for swim jigs, chatterbaits, and general purpose use, like skipping/pitching docks with t-rigs/jigs.

7' H/F with a 8:1 reel for frogging, and can double as a pitching rod if needed.

7'3" MH/F with a 6:1 reel for deep cranking, bigger square bill and lipless baits, blade baits, 

7'3" MH/F with a 7:1 reel for power shot, wacky flipping, wobble heads, c-rigs, finesse flipping jigs, and GP texas rigging.

7'3" H/F with a 8:1 reel for flipping/pitching/punching t-rigs and jigs.

 I carry 8 Plano 3700 size boxes with me on the boat with extra baits to restock the boxes as needed at home or in my truck, plus a line box filled with spools of FC for making leaders, and a plastic 50 cal ammo box sized "dry box" for holding things like a few extra packs of my most used soft plastics, extra jig making material, packs of extra treble hooks, tubes of megastrike, my pliers and scissors, and stuff like that..., it also doubles as a nice place to put my phone/keys/wallet when I am out in the rain. The 3700 boxes are as following:

One for cranks....deep, shallow, and lipless

One for topwaters/frogs/jerkbaits

One for jigs

One for terminal tackle

One for Chigger+ Christie craws, Pit bosses, and 7" power worms

One for Warning shots, 3+ 4" stick baits, 4" finesse worms.

One for 6" straight tail worms/ 5"stick baits

One for Misc. stuff that don't fit with the rest of the stuff like tubes, grubs, 10" worms, etc...

Color selection is simple, Green pumpkin in everything (or variations of green pumpkin), black and blue (for craws and creatures) and Junebug (for worms) are my basic soft plastic colors.

Versions of Shad, Bluegill, Perch, and Craw colors for cranks and hard baits.

My boat is very basic, 16' Aluminum, with a 25hp 4 stoke, 70lb thrust Minn Kota Maxxum, 2 small color basic 2d graphs with GPS

 

8 rods, and 8 3700 boxes is pretty "bare bones" compared to most bass fisherman, yet I can catch fish with the best of them around here, and don't have brain lock when it comes to tackle. I do what I do with confidence, and do it well.

[Happybeerbuzz]

Whether it is fishing gear or anything else, I don't like clutter.  Once I have so much of anything, it becomes unmanageable or burdensome to just have, I start to adjust what I do.  With regards to fishing, maybe I stop trying to squeeze more casts out of each plastic or not use the wacky rigging tool so diligently.  Maybe I switch colors a little more often than normal or respool a little sooner.  Maybe I try to introduce someone to fishing.  I am not much of a seller of stuff, but I will give it away to people close to me.  If I can't give it away, I will eventually get to the point I throw it out.  

[YaknBassn]

I try to be a minimalist.  I guess I am with rods, as I'll only bring 5 or 6.  I struggle to keep tackle to a minimum.  Even though I have a general idea of what I'll be fishing, I still bring everything.  I wish I could keep it simple and only bring a couple different sizes or colors of whatever I'm throwing.

[NYWayfarer]

I am a minimalist only in the sense of what I carry when I go fishing. Everything I take fits in a small drawstring backsack. 

 

I have lots and lots of stuff, tackle, rods, reels, etc to take but I find I do have favorites. The rest sit around as loaners for my son, relatives and friends. I like trying new lures but I always go back to my confidence baits.

[Log Catcher]

I try to keep it simple and at a minimum. I usually take 6 setups. I have a couple of spare backup reels in case one of mine develops a problem. A tackle box full of crankbaits and spinnerbaits. I have way to many soft plastics. A lot of them I try to use just to get rid of them and not buy those colors anymore. Also have a separate box for suspending jerkbaits an one for shaky head and dropshot stuff.

[DougHall_NY]

I keep my selection simple and multi-use. However, I do pay for quality equipment, lures and soft plastics. This a hobby that I greatly enjoy and I value my time out fishing. If brand x has a product that I use that works better than brand y and costs a little more money, so be it. Keeping it simple has allowed me to effectively and successfully fish the bodies of water around me on a regular basis.  Best of luck to you.

[AC870]

I been trying to pare down some. 

Pack 3 Plano boxes and a gallon bag of soft plastics in a duffel bag. 

Fished with 3 baitcasters and 2 spinning rods all day yesterday. 

It’s not the end of the world to retie on the boat. A palomar and an improved clinch are pretty easy to tie. 

There are 3-4 rods in the garage that hadn’t been out in awhile. Couple are spooled with braid and will get used for punching/frogging this fall. 

[Gundog]

12 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

Thoreau never won a BASS tournament! 

 

oe

He's got a good point there. ?

[Darren.]

Well, yes, minimalism to me means maximizing what works

and minimizing what doesn't.

 

So I've been on a trek for years, bait monkey riding me for 

a while, then realizing what takes him off my back. Altho

he still finds ways to jump aboard. 

 

This includes a course correction from trying to go all casting

back to mostly spinning. (We're all different). To realizing 

that soft plastics work best where I fish, so maximizing that,

but not eliminating other baits, just slowing down on trying to

learn everything fast.

 

Money does not grow on trees in my yard, and I spent some $

that I didn't have, so had to learn to pare down and use, and 

be satisfied with what I have.

[Mbirdsley]

I just did this today.  I sold two of my spin casting setups and two cheaper baitcasting reels that I have picked up over the years.  basically they have been collecting dust since I received my boat last year.  The one was used for river fishing that I haven't really done in a year and the other spinning rod was kind of redundant set up. 

 

I want a new bait casting set up.  I could have afforded it with out selling the stuff but, I just cleaned out the garage and didn't want more stuff sitting around.  I could have saved them for when my buddies come but, I'm kind of getting tired of supply the ride, boat, rod, and tackle.  If they want to fish they need to start supplying there own stuff. mostly they just don't want to spend they money on it or their wifes wont let them.  It gets old so now I have an excuse I sold my extra stuff and your not touching the bait casters.   

[thinkingredneck]

John Geirach said that fishing is the one corner of your life where you can keep things simple.  I have not found that to be true.  I àlways wonder what else they will bite.  However, fishing from a kayak forces you to pare it down.

[bh91]

My minimalism is having a lot of stuff by still using the same few lures 

[Columbia Craw]

I agree with you wholeheartedly. All my lures with fit in one container, a 39 gallon trash can, and, I can get the lid on it.  I also am a minimalist when it comes to rods and reels combos. I only have three rod racks.   I know one thing for sure, my two grandsons will never want for tools or bass tackle when I'm too old to get in a boat.