COVID 2.0? (Tackle and such)

[NavyVet1204]

While I am not a “Doomer” so to speak, I am of the mindset that chance favors the prepared mind. With that said, I think if you are short on tackle or gear don’t wait. Buy it now if you can because if COVID makes a comeback which I think it will, it will be worse than the previous. 
 

Contrary to what I just posted above, I was indeed blind sided by the virus in terms of folks buying gear and fishing like crazy thus wiping everything out as we currently know it. I just didn’t expect it to impact my fishing hobby the way it did. I will be buying up some loose ends day after tomorrow on my off day which should hold me over for a good while. At this point I do have a local shop that has me covered for what I need so I don’t have to order online. Gotta get squared away on some more soft plastics and hard baits at least in terms of not needing anymore for a good while. I’ll still be buying some lures and such every so often while I can just for good measure.

 

 

[Mr Swim Jig]

My wife always complained about my obsession with having way too much of everything till Covid and as you stated everyone went crazy buying fishing supplies....now she doesn't say a word....lol

[Bluebasser86]

I'm still having no issues finding what I need online. Even new baits that people are having a hard time finding are riding around in my boat after a little online searching.

[Mbirdsley]

On line should be g2g.  It’s just the big box stores that buy a crap ton of tackle once or twice a year.  Which, normally is enough to get them through the summer.  
 

What I was told is that China stopped producing in February when they shut everything down.  The US than shut down everything in end of March-May ( most places).  Sounds like most places at least up north get there tackle in around April to last the summer.  Well they got gun shy about it. than China opened back up but, we weren’t buying anything because, we were shut down.  Than China went through round 2 and now so are we.  The supply chain is all messed up.
 

I doubt being it is July that the big box stores will be buying much more tackle as their eye is now getting ready for hunting season. Most people in Michigan start shutting fishing season down after Labor Day.  So there is about 60 days left of fishing for most people.  The big box stores won’t put big capital into inventory when they only have Roughly 60 days to get a return on their investment.  
 

the mfg want to sell it but, have nobody to sell it too meaning the big box stores.  It wouldn’t surprise me if at least the USA tackle mfgs don’t start just selling direct to customers.  That’s if they are even open and producing. Guy at cabelas said they can’t even restock on rods and reels at the moment because, most of it all comes from over seas 

[Lobocito]

I feel like fishing hit a ridiculous growth spurt at least here in the US this year. Heavily attributable to COVID for sure, but I also think that a lot of awesome youtube channels getting a lot more traffic is driving some fishing love. I myself really got back into fishing in like October and have now reconnected with 10+ people from my past who have ALSO picked up fishing in the last year, and all were getting started well before COVID.

 

Just really hope we aren't overfishing this summer with all the heightened activity!!

[Mbirdsley]

1 hour ago, Lobocito said:

I feel like fishing hit a ridiculous growth spurt at least here in the US this year. Heavily attributable to COVID for sure, but I also think that a lot of awesome youtube channels getting a lot more traffic is driving some fishing love. I myself really got back into fishing in like October and have now reconnected with 10+ people from my past who have ALSO picked up fishing in the last year, and all were getting started well before COVID.

 

Just really hope we aren't overfishing this summer with all the heightened activity!!

Just means more money for more fish.  Each hunting and fishing item has an federal excise tax on it.  That money that gets redistributed back the various states.  So it should mean more fishing opportunities for sportsmen.  Including but, not limited to fish stocking and habitat improvements.  
 

In the state of Michigan the Inland bass, pike, and walleye have been the red headed step children to the silver fish in the Great Lakes. Even though we have thousands of In land lakes most don’t have a management plan or strategy.  Don’t get me wrong I love fish for salmon and steelhead but, the inland guys need some live too. 

[Bankc]

3 hours ago, Lobocito said:

I feel like fishing hit a ridiculous growth spurt at least here in the US this year. Heavily attributable to COVID for sure, but I also think that a lot of awesome youtube channels getting a lot more traffic is driving some fishing love. I myself really got back into fishing in like October and have now reconnected with 10+ people from my past who have ALSO picked up fishing in the last year, and all were getting started well before COVID.

 

Just really hope we aren't overfishing this summer with all the heightened activity!!

That's me too.  Right around September.  For me, I grew up fishing.  It was THE family tradition.  Then came college, work, family, and all of that everyday life stuff.  I didn't have time for it.  Then last fall I finally decided enough was enough and it was time to quit making excuses.  Just about then, I had a buddy call me up and ask me if I wanted to go fishing with him.  Then another.  Then a guy at work.  This was all pre-pandemic.

 

Between myself and my friends, it was mainly just a way to get back to nature.  We were tired of the fast-paced, hectic, modern life.  We were tired of binging TV shows.  We were tired of getting upset watching the news.  We were tired of social media sucking up all of our free time and privacy.  And we were tired of not being able to live in the moment and focus on the here and now.  Fishing is a great way to get some peace and simplicity back in our lives.  It forces you to tune out the outside world. 

 

As far as gear goes, I'm fine with limited selection.  I have what I need.  I learned to make do with what I have.  And I'm not above making my own lures or fishing with a bamboo pole and some thread.  Fishing, to me, is about not worrying.  And that's why, while it's okay to want more and better gear, the gear I have is always good enough.  

[SeaCrow]

I don't understand why people bought all the toilet paper up for a respiratory virus. They got their ends confused.

[TnRiver46]

Sometimes I think people like buying fishing stuff more than fishing.........

[JediAmoeba]

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sometimes I think people like buying fishing stuff more than fishing.........

Whaaaaat?

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

Whaaaaat?

[Glenn]

Yes, the industry has been hit by a double-whammy.

1. Supply chain issues. From manufactures to shipping to retail, everything is strained due to shutdowns and lower capacities.

 

2. With a major lack of options, people are flocking to the lakes and rivers in record numbers in search of something to do. There's an unprecedented demand for fishing, with many popular destinations getting record crowds each and every weekend.  

 

As a result, all fishing gear is under intense demand.  It's often difficult to find the gear you want.

[DitchPanda]

With availability of popular stuff getting less and less because of this deal I suspect we will see more posts like the bringing it back one from today. Out of necessity people will go digging thru old boxes and trays rediscovering old favorites. Maybe not a total bad thing.

46 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sometimes I think people like buying fishing stuff more than fishing.........

I don't like it more...but it's dang close

But like I said above I also enjoy scrounging up old stuff and putting it thru the paces as well

 

[plawren53202]

Oh dear God, how I hope this prediction of 2.0 isn't true but fear that it is. Count me in as one who has experienced the fishing tackle shortage in stores (the fishing section in every Walmart in our area is just feet and feet of bare hooks). For me, far worse has been the increase in traffic at the public places I bank fish. Not good traffic. Just tonight I was at our subdivision HOA pond, which has just been hammered and decimated the past few months, and I picked up two wads of line, an empty corn can (?) and an empty bread bag (?).

 

I caught one little 10 incher tonight that had a rusting hook down in his throat, and a separate hole in the side of his jaw IN ADDITION TO the spot where I hooked him tonight. That to me was the perfect symbol of what this pond and the other public places I bank fish have gone through these last few months.

 

I was down at Kentucky Lake this weekend, and of course there was a lot of party boat traffic for the holiday weekend, but the fishing pressure seemed very moderate. Same story last time I was down there a month ago. Unfortunately it's the places I have regular access to through the week, public bank fishing spots in metro St. Louis, that have been hammered with this new Covid fishing traffic.

 

Like someone else said, I think it's largely due to Covid but also due to the explosion of fishing on YouTube and social media. Again, I don't know that all of this is the good kind of traffic. Fishbrain really cracks me up these days. In my area, the local feed is filled withv(not surprisingly) kids and teenagers wearing Googan shirts or hats and posing with 8 inch bass, dabbing and posing like they just caught a 10 pounder. It reminds me of when a cornerback in the NFL gets burned for 40 yards but puts a solid hit on the receiver at the end of the run so he gets up strutting and dancing like he just won the Super Bowl. 

 

I got into fishing because I had a dad and two grandpas who had fished their whole lives. From my very youngest memories, they took me along and tutored me in the art of the sport. But way more important than that, all of them taught me a profound respect for nature, the land, the fish, and the sport. Leave the land better than you found it; you don't kill what you aren't going to eat; the fishing gods will always humble you; the fish were here for a million years before you came along and they'll be here a million years after you're buried in the ground. Those kinds of lessons. I'm afraid that a lot of these newcomers who are just jumping into fishing after watching a bunch of hot dogs and fishing bros on YouTube, and just because they're bored with so many places being closed right now, aren't going to have any of that respect. 

 

Ok, rant over. Get off my lawn and all that. It's just that I used to think that an influx of more people into fishing would lead to good things like investment of more resources and more money for gear manufacturers. I think I don't think that anymore. It's probably terrible but I keep hoping that a lot of these fly by night newcomers will not catch many (I certainly don't see many people at the public bank spots I fish catching many), get bored and move on to something else.

[schplurg]

Few things I've noticed about the Covid Anglers...

 

- They don't get up early to fish.

 

- They fish wherever they can park their cars and no further than they can carry an ice chest.

 

I've recently found new spots along creeks and ponds that appear to have very low to zero traffic (no litter, no footprints). Just walking some yards off the beaten path is often good enough.

 

I thank/blame Covid for forcing me to be more adventurous.

[Cgolf]

With the Covid anglers, what we should be doing is helping them out instead of complaining about them. If we see them keeping small panfish explain why that is not ideal, no meat, and educate them as much as possible. Hopefully none keep undersized gamefish, but again explaining the rules in a nice manner would be helpful. If we are rude, we will likely scare them off.

 

The trend is fishing numbers have been on the decline, if we can help these people out, maybe enough will stick with it and we will have a long term gain in anglers.

[schplurg]

Encouraging more people to fish is not in my best interest, but it is in Bass Pro Shop's best interest. 

 

If there are not enough anglers one day to encourage companies to create new technology I'm fine with that. I'd rather have less anglers on the waters I fish than a better fish finder.

 

Is there anyone here who wishes there were more anglers on their waters? Not crowded enough, not enough litter? Because that's what the result will be 

 

Sure, I encourage a friend or a kid maybe to fish here and there, but a big movement to bring more anglers to the sport? Nah.

[RoLo]

 

In the wake of Covid19, everyone has stopped 'shaking hands'.

Not because of the virus, but because people are out of toilet paper!  

 

Roger

[BrianMDTX]

20 hours ago, schplurg said:

Few things I've noticed about the Covid Anglers...

 

- They don't get up early to fish.

 

- They fish wherever they can park their cars and no further than they can carry an ice chest.

 

I've recently found new spots along creeks and ponds that appear to have very low to zero traffic (no litter, no footprints). Just walking some yards off the beaten path is often good enough.

 

I thank/blame Covid for forcing me to be more adventurous.

I told my wife I was getting up very early on Father’s Day to fish. “Why?” she asked. I said because every dad was going to be out. 

 

I fished until around 11:00 am. Never saw another angler. Drove past the pond at 2:00 pm. Crowded as a mofo. 

21 minutes ago, schplurg said:

Encouraging more people to fish is not in my best interest, but it is in Bass Pro Shop's best interest. 

 

If there are not enough anglers one day to encourage companies to create new technology I'm fine with that. I'd rather have less anglers on the waters I fish than a better fish finder.

 

Is there anyone here who wishes there were more anglers on their waters? Not crowded enough, not enough litter? Because that's what the result will be 

 

Sure, I encourage a friend or a kid maybe to fish here and there, but a big movement to bring more anglers to the sport? Nah.

I hear the same about hunting. That’s even worse. Not many lakes are private. A lot of private land is no longer available to hunt. It’s only increased the amount of $$$$ needed for leases. 

 

I’d rather there be less “serious” anglers than more folks just clogging up the waters not knowing (or wishing to learn) how to fish properly and/or legally. 

[FishTank]

Fished in a tournament this past weekend and couldn't believe the amount of people on the water and on the beaches.  The tournament I was in had 50 or so boats.   One of the biggest ones I have been in.   I didn't come close to the money but I think the top pay out was $2500.  The winning bag was 26+lbs and the big fish was almost 7lbs.  It was a packed lake.  I don't think Covid in my area is keeping people away at all.  In fact, I think it's just the opposite. 

 

This will be my new fishing t shirt until further notice.

 

 

[Cgolf]

18 hours ago, schplurg said:

Encouraging more people to fish is not in my best interest, but it is in Bass Pro Shop's best interest. 

 

If there are not enough anglers one day to encourage companies to create new technology I'm fine with that. I'd rather have less anglers on the waters I fish than a better fish finder.

 

Is there anyone here who wishes there were more anglers on their waters? Not crowded enough, not enough litter? Because that's what the result will be 

 

Sure, I encourage a friend or a kid maybe to fish here and there, but a big movement to bring more anglers to the sport? Nah.

Numbers have dropped a lot. If this brings more young kids out from behind the computer and take up fishing because their parents dragged them along, that is good long term for our hobby. Also the more people that fish, the stronger voice we have with our respective DNR's.

[TnRiver46]

19 hours ago, schplurg said:

Encouraging more people to fish is not in my best interest, but it is in Bass Pro Shop's best interest. 

 

If there are not enough anglers one day to encourage companies to create new technology I'm fine with that. I'd rather have less anglers on the waters I fish than a better fish finder.

 

Is there anyone here who wishes there were more anglers on their waters? Not crowded enough, not enough litter? Because that's what the result will be 

 

Sure, I encourage a friend or a kid maybe to fish here and there, but a big movement to bring more anglers to the sport? Nah.

Agree to disagree. I can’t imagine life without fishing and don’t wish that kind of life on anyone. I also let people walk right through my yard and sometimes I have to pick up trash. It’s really not that big of a deal