Do you find that this sport is made difficult and expensive for no reason?

[NHBull]

12 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

You missed the point along with the other elitists. 

Way over the line.....

[soflabasser]

23 hours ago, Krux5506 said:

I do think the longer you're into the sport, the more you just revert back to the tried and true classics, or whatever baits and lures you have come to be the most comfortable and successful with. It's easier to pass up those brand new $20 lures when you already know what works.

Well said. I think most decent bass fishermen find what works for them and stick to it with the exception of a couple new techniques they try out to see if they can add it to the list. These new techniques might not work all the time but they do work in very specific situations so it's worth learning new techniques no matter how good you think you are.

[Glaucus]

24 minutes ago, NHBull said:

Way over the line.....

Please tell me pun intended 

[buzzbaiter83]

On 7/18/2018 at 5:59 AM, 12poundbass said:

This is false especially for the Elites and now the FLW. The FLW up until the change a few weeks ago if you could pony up the cash you'd get on a waiting list and make the big leagues. Elites you've always had to qualify.

 

Mike Iaconelli, Gerald Swindel, Jacob Wheeler just to name a few worked their way from hardly nothing to where they are today. You fish local tournaments win those save cash. Go to the next step, win frequently at that step, go to the next. Win tournaments where first place is a boat. Up grade boats or sell it to fund the next level. Where there's a will there's a way. It's a long rough road that isn't that glorious the more you look into it.

Jesse Wiggins fished team tourneys with his brother out of an old boat of their grandpas starting out. They won 2 big tournaments on Smith Lake by fishing next to the launch because the motor was so old it wouldn’t crank in the cold. You don’t have to be born with a silver spoon to make it if you have the knowledge, drive & skill. 

[813basstard]

11 hours ago, Glaucus said:

You missed the point along with the other elitists. 

^^???

I like. I want to hear the one about the cane pole and night crawler......again

[WRB]

Elitist, somehow missed that dig.

If you fish nearly all your life and become a good bass angler you are somehow an elitist because your skilled?

Here is the cane pole and nightcrawler statement 1 more time. I started off bass fishing using a cane pole and nightcrawler catching bass at age 3 to 5. Worked at a boat helping my brother for the summers to earn enough money to buy my 1st baitcast rod and reel at age 12. Our family wasn't dirt poor but but we didn't have any extra money and ate the fish we caught for food.

I had a mentors to teach me to cast, Red the boat dock manager and Jason Lucas the editor of Sports Afield magazine that I read at the boat dock the owner would bring on ounce a month. I wrote to Jason Lucas who recommended the Langley Lure Cast reel and Connolin rod I bought and used until graduating high high school catching a lot bass and becoming the elitist skilled bass dangler I am today.

Tom

[Buffdaddy54]

Back in my golfing days I had multiple sets of irons and many, many drivers and wedges. If I was playing a course that had more holes that bent to the right I used a driver setup to hit a fade. If the course had more holes bending to the left I used a driver that would hit a draw. Windy course, irons with less loft, not so windy, more loft. Had dozens of wedges with different bounce angles and lofts for different types of bunkers and carries. I was able to have all these different options because I worked in the industry atook advantage of all the discounts afforded to me and it was my job.The point of my bloviating is this, if I had the financial means and the acces to different bodies of water and the different scenarios a lot of you guys have I also would want the tools to get the job done. I would LOVE to be able to afford a boat and multiple rods, reels, and baits but as of now, no-can-do. So I will stick to my 4 rods and reels and my back pack of baits and will make due with what I have. 

Gotta admit though, I do buy a lot of soft plastics I will probably never use. I look at it this way, I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't cheat on my wife and I don't gamble. If buying useless fishing gear is the worst habit I've got I think I'm ok ?

[EGbassing]

On 7/17/2018 at 8:54 PM, .ghoti. said:

She is a professional shopper

I'm a bit of a professional shopper myself when it comes to Bass Pro Shops.

[Tennessee Boy]

When I bought my first boat about 30 years ago,  I had no idea how to catch bass from a boat on a large lake.  I started reading everything I could find and watching fishing shows like Bill Dance Outdoors.  I was inspired by the shows and fishing magazines to buy A LOT of stuff.  I learned a lot about fishing and started to consider myself something of an expert. I was catching a few fish and decided I was good enough to join a bass club.  At one of the first meetings I met a nice older angler who was very friendly and loved to talk fishing.  I was surprised that he had very little to say about the latest thing that I was reading about in Bass Master magazine.  He said he fished mostly jigs, plastics and spinnerbaits.  I thought he was just an old geezer who was stuck in his ways and refused to learn anything new.  It was at a tournament weight in that my opinion of him changed.  He walked to the scales with a five fish limit for the day that was bigger than the five biggest fish I had ever caught.  That's when he became a mentor and I learned that Bill Dance and Bass Master Magazine was helping me spend money but not helping me catch more fish.   I learned a lot from the guy.  I would summarize it all by saying focus was the key to his success.  He had fine tuned the way he fished through a lifetime of learning. He choose the equipment he used not from what he saw some pro using on TV but because he knew exactly what he wanted from the equipment. He made his own jigs,  not because it was fun but because that was the only way he could get the exact jig he wanted.  He could tell you exactly why he chose every component he used in the jig.  I don't try to fish the way he did but I do try very hard to focus on the details of what I do.  I'm continually trying to perfect it the way he did.  

 

To @Glaucus original question,  yes I can say from my experience 30 years ago, fishing was made more expensive and difficult by an industry driven to sell more.  I think the great majority of fishermen would catch more fish if they focus on doing a small number of things very well instead of trying to learn the latest fad technique that changes every month. They would also save a lot of money.  That new $400 rod is no substitute for time on the water with the old rod you already have.  You will see your greatest return when you master in the finest detail whatever techniques you choose to catch fish.

[WDE]

My Tatula blew a bearing earlier this year, just haven’t repaired it. My Pfluger President broke when someone piled their luggage on it?. However, I inherited an Okuma spinner that I’ve fallen in love with, so my heart is not completely broken. 

 

My $60 Abu Garcia Black Max with a busted thumb switch that I got 2 years ago is still doing work. 

 

I “need” 2 combos when I get out. But I prefer 3. 

 

Regardless, I’m sure it’s been said...this game is only expensive or inexpensive as you make it. 

[toni63]

On 7/20/2018 at 11:11 PM, buzzbaiter83 said:

Jesse Wiggins fished team tourneys with his brother out of an old boat of their grandpas starting out. They won 2 big tournaments on Smith Lake by fishing next to the launch because the motor was so old it wouldn’t crank in the cold. You don’t have to be born with a silver spoon to make it if you have the knowledge, drive & skill. 

I think if you win 2 big tournaments fishing next to the launch because the motor was so old it wouldn't run in the cold there's a little more luck than skill involved. Just sayin...

[J Francho]

1 minute ago, toni63 said:

I think if you win 2 big tournaments fishing next to the launch because the motor was so old it wouldn't run in the cold there's a little more luck than skill involved. Just sayin...

If there are several tournaments out of tat launch, and fish are released there, a good percentage of those released fish stay, and fishing not far from the ramps is well known pattern.  So well known, they are usually off limits for many tournaments.

[Ralph Nicholas Vito]

Honestly i had to rebuy my whole tackle box because my tackle box rusted out completely

 

I think i have spent maybe $700 on resupplying myself with rods and lures

 

My most successful lure so far is the cheap Storm 360 GT all these other 10+$ lures .... haven't caught a single fish on then again im so worried to throw them and lose them that i tend to just stick to soft plastics lol

 

I think the sport could be cheaper but i realize .... people got to make a living and i want to have fun and you can't have fun for free 100% of the time so i'm willing to pay to have fun especially if the fish bite

[J Francho]

24 minutes ago, Ralph Nicholas Vito said:

i had to rebuy my whole tackle box because my tackle box rusted out completely

Get these, and rust problems are history:

 

http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowawayr-utility-boxes/hydro-flo

 

Been using them for around six years now.  No Rust.

[Ralph Nicholas Vito]

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Get these, and rust problems are history:

 

http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowawayr-utility-boxes/hydro-flo

 

Been using them for around six years now.  No Rust.

Are rusty hooks bad for the fish i have been meaning to ask this like if i have rust not near the hook point like near the hook eye or something like does that kill or hurt the fish ? i never want to use rusty hooks personally but i have seen a few friends using rusty hooks or hard baits with rusty trebles

 

also thanks for the link definitely gonna get a few of these !

[Glaucus]

1 hour ago, Ralph Nicholas Vito said:

Honestly i had to rebuy my whole tackle box because my tackle box rusted out completely

 

I think i have spent maybe $700 on resupplying myself with rods and lures

 

My most successful lure so far is the cheap Storm 360 GT all these other 10+$ lures .... haven't caught a single fish on then again im so worried to throw them and lose them that i tend to just stick to soft plastics lol

 

I think the sport could be cheaper but i realize .... people got to make a living and i want to have fun and you can't have fun for free 100% of the time so i'm willing to pay to have fun especially if the fish bite

So many people are missing my entire point. It isn't necessarily about the cost of gear and lures and boats. At all really. It's about having a plethora of things you'll never get through or that you don't use or that don't work as well as x in that same category of baits but you buy and have anyway because maybe once this year the fish will prefer it. Or having super specialized outfits that hardly get used, or having half a dozen 7' MH/F for this, this, and that, when you could retie. Not about simply the cost of a single lure, or the cost of any single setup. 

[J Francho]

31 minutes ago, Ralph Nicholas Vito said:

Are rusty hooks bad for the fish i have been meaning to ask this like if i have rust not near the hook point like near the hook eye or something like does that kill or hurt the fish ?

Probably not.  There's always a risk of infection from bacteria, parasite, or fungus from a hook wound, rusty or not, but a healthy fish can fight that off.

2 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

So many people are missing my entire point. It isn't necessarily about the cost of gear and lures and boats. At all really. It's about having a plethora of things you'll never get through or that you don't use or that don't work as well as x in that same category of baits but you buy and have anyway because maybe once this year the fish will prefer it. Or having super specialized outfits that hardly get used, or having half a dozen 7' MH/F for this, this, and that, when you could retie. Not about simply the cost of a single lure, or the cost of any single setup. 

Underutilized gear is on the angler that purchased it.  Not using it?  Sell it off on our Flea Market.  Turn that $$$ into stuff you will use, or pocket it for a rainy day. 

\

Side note: thread drift will happen, and despite going off track a bit due to not understanding your question (honestly, you've got to understand this, since you've had to tell us several times we aren't getting it), but there's been a ton of useful advice.  Like it or not, it's a good, useful read.

[mattkenzer]

On 7/16/2018 at 3:25 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I think part of what makes this sport so great is you can make it as complicated or as simple as you wish.

This ^^^^^^ !

 

 

[Team9nine]

On 7/21/2018 at 3:14 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

To @Glaucus original question,  yes I can say from my experience 30 years ago, fishing was made more expensive and difficult by an industry driven to sell more.  I think the great majority of fishermen would catch more fish if they focus on doing a small number of things very well instead of trying to learn the latest fad technique that changes every month. They would also save a lot of money.  That new $400 rod is no substitute for time on the water with the old rod you already have.  You will see your greatest return when you master in the finest detail whatever techniques you choose to catch fish.

This is pretty much inline with my thoughts on the question...

[RickB]

I like marshmallows

[Glaucus]

5 minutes ago, RickB said:

I like marshmallows

Taffy >>>>>>

[toni63]

 

On 7/24/2018 at 1:31 PM, Glaucus said:

It's about having a plethora of things you'll never get through or that you don't use or that don't work as well as x in that same category of baits but you buy and have anyway because maybe once this year the fish will prefer it. Or having super specialized outfits that hardly get used, or having half a dozen 7' MH/F for this, this, and that, when you could retie. Not about simply the cost of a single lure, or the cost of any single setup. 

No one forces you to buy it. Personally I could care less what other people spend their money on, none of my business. If you go and buy a ton of crap and rarely if ever use it, that was your choice.

 

I have 13 guitars, 4 amps, 4 different speaker cabinets and thousands of dollars in effect rack equipment, home studio equipment, etc. It all gets used at some point of other, but mostly I use one guitar, one effect rack and one amp setup 90% of the time, and I use 2 other guitars for specific songs/styles that we play from time to time with the same amp/effect rig. The other stuff is there so I can do what I need/want to do in a given situation. Some people look at me like I have three eyes and two noses when they see the gear I own, one friend looked around and said "when you leaving on tour?"

 

But I dont sit around pondering "hmmmm..... have I just made my hobby too expensive for no reason? Couldn't I just use one guitar, a couple pedals and one amp all the time instead of having to have a slide guitar setup for 3 songs a year? Am I overcomplicating this and wasting money? Is the guitar playing community just making this too expensive with all these choices out there luring me into spending money on stuff I will never use or is only slightly different than what I already own and use?"

 

Now if I spent money on something and it never got used in any situation, it would be sold to someone who would use it. No point in it gathering dust in my house when someone else would be using it all the time. But again, it isn't everyone else that made my guitar hobby expensive. It was me. My choice. 

 

So my advice, if you think, as your initial question asks, that this sport is made difficult and expensive for no reason, then that is for you to figure out. But No, no one is making this any more expensive or difficult than you choose for it to be. Personally I LOVE the wide range and variety of things that are out there for me to ponder over buying, but just because the umbrella rig is out there and works in certain situations doesn't mean I am going to buy it. For the record, I own NO umbrella rig stuff at all, for the very reason you posted this. I don't see that it would be useful where and when I fish to the point that I just had to have it because I would use it. The truth is I wouldn't. I dont need an umbrella rig any more than I need an expensive bass boat or a big OB or thousands in electronics. I dont have that either.

[J Francho]

18 minutes ago, toni63 said:

I have 13 guitars, 4 amps, 4 different speaker cabinets and thousands of dollars in effect rack equipment, home studio equipment, etc.

At one point, there were five kits in my house.  All but one was set up.  I'm back down to my one kit again, lol.

[Boomstick]

My best outing this year, at least given the short amount of time I made it on the water involved bringing one rod rigged with a single crankbait. I did bring some other lures in my dry storage tray just in case, but just ended up using the one crank because it was killing it.

 

That said, I typically run a three rod setup for myself, a MH/F rod, a MH/MF rod I use for moving baits and a ML/XF spinning rod. Someday I'll add a dedicated frogging rod and a M/F or M/XF casting rod. As far as tackle goes, I keep the storage trays in my tackle bag full. Once I lose one (or deem it worthless) I replace it.

 

Since I don't currently own a boat, my personal guitar and amp collection is far more expensive than my fishing gear collection.

[GReb]

Conservatively speaking I have $1,500-1,750 in fishing gear. And that’s overkill really. I don’t need 6 setups and a dozen 3700s full. But i don’t think that’s an unreasonable cost for gear and if you shop smart you can get quality for a good price. 

 

There’s a lot more money in my gun safe and golf bag. That’s for sure. And I don’t use either near as often.