Anybody ever wanna go back?

[BrianMDTX]

Yes. And...no. 
 

I got back into bass fishing after an almost 30 year hiatus last April. I started out using all my old spinning rigs, most over 40 years old (with new line of course!). Once I got hooked lol, I started buying some new rigs. I now have six- three baitcasters and three spinning. I can tell you that I while those old Garcia Mitchell and Shakespeare reels will always have a place in my heart, I would not want to fish with them exclusively over modern rods and reels. 
 

But, I’m starting to determine that I have a few favorite ways to fish and instead of trying every new bait under the sun, to rely on what I like and what works. Mainly some topwaters and soft plastics of several types. Those are the two presentations I like to fish the most. 
 

Line? Five of my six rigs are either Berkley Big Game, Berkley XL or YZH. One is Sufix 832 with a 6 lb YZH leader. I would be happy if I only used mono from here on out. I know what it does, it ties tight knots that don’t break, and is easily replaced with fresh line for $. I do like the braid and leader for some presentations, but I could live without it. 
 

I have no bass boat, just an inflatable for fishing the ponds, and no electronics, and at this stage in life I never will. I’m happy to sit on the bank in a chair if it gets my line wet. 

[Darth-Baiter]

No thanks.  It’s challenging enough.  I’m not a gear zealot but I’m not going back to a hand-line.

[Junk Fisherman]

So I've got a tournament this Saturday and for all the tackle I own and carry, I am only using a Ned rig and a swimbait.  I'll have other stuff tied on in a rod locker but unless my coangler gets on something and forces me to, I know what I'll be throwing.  

[WRB]

A good friend and I set aside a warm spring day to use our 50’s and early 60’s tackle and lures without any electronics reliving the old days fishing together. 

We did use my modern boat and it’s trolling motor, not going back to sitting in a tin boat without seats. What you forget is the older tackle didn’t have anti reverse or free spool reels.

The older lures had poor quality hooks that needed sharping constantly. We always caught bass because knowing the right locations to fish, something that took 1/2 the days without electronics and knowledge. Back in past we often trolled to find bass then stop and fish the location.

The only reason I would go back in time is to spend more of it with my son again.

Tom

[Bankc]

I'll often throw a single rod in the trunk with just one lure tied on and hit up a nearby lake on my lunch break.  

 

Even when I'm fully loaded with gear, I'm generally just taking about 5 3600 trays (in a small tackle bag) and 5 rods.  There are only a handful of lures that I own more than two colors in, and no lures that I own two identical versions of (outside of what comes in a bag of plastics).  I try not to own multiple options for the same task.  So I mostly just buy new lures to replace the old ones when they get lost (though that's often a good time for me to switch brands and try something new unless I really loved the one I lost).  

 

I tend to focus more on being at the right place at the right time, rather than using the right bait or gear.  It's my belief, that I'll catch more fish if I spend more time with my lines in the water than I would if I'm constantly switching stuff out.  

[Dirtyeggroll]

17 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

To the basics and really pair things down? Don't get me wrong I like having tons of rods and reels and endless baits..fun to tinker with crap and have tons of options. But I think if all I had was 2 medhvy bait casters and a med spinning rod,some 15lb big game and 8lb trilene, couple poppers, a few spinner baits, some 3/0 hooks, 1/8 and 1/4 bullet weights( lead not that new fangled tungsten!)and a few bags of worms and lizards I'd catch fish.

Sorry maybe that's my inner old man talking...trying to shun new technology! Am I the only one who feels this way some times?

What’s stopping you from going forward to that?

[TriStateBassin106]

8 hours ago, Bubba 460 said:

I have thought about it ~ I've always said; "Give me five lures and a decent rod and reel and I'm good to go." But you know what,  I like throwing everything from a little Ned rig a to an eight inch swim-bait. I like to fish from the bottom of the lake to on top the water. I like to have fast baits and s-l-o-w baits, white baits to black baits and every color in between. I need tight wiggles and wide wobbles, gliders and chuggers, chatter baits and spinner baits and the list goes on. Getting a new (hot) lure is like Christmas when I was a kid. I read everything on the box, take it out and admire it, shake it, fondle it and can't wait to try it ~ on my NEW rod and reel! No, Keeping it simple is just not as fun... 

That's pretty much my answer to a certain point, I love the amount of variety of this sport. The only thing I really keep "simple" is my bait colors and the amount of gear I own. 5 setups total but most of the time I only use 3. In reality I could probably use only 2. One spinning and a casting.

32 minutes ago, Bankc said:

I'll often throw a single rod in the trunk with just one lure tied on and hit up a nearby lake on my lunch break.  

 

Even when I'm fully loaded with gear, I'm generally just taking about 5 3600 trays (in a small tackle bag) and 5 rods.  There are only a handful of lures that I own more than two colors in, and no lures that I own two identical versions of (outside of what comes in a bag of plastics).  I try not to own multiple options for the same task.  So I mostly just buy new lures to replace the old ones when they get lost (though that's often a good time for me to switch brands and try something new unless I really loved the one I lost).  

 

I tend to focus more on being at the right place at the right time, rather than using the right bait or gear.  It's my belief, that I'll catch more fish if I spend more time with my lines in the water than I would if I'm constantly switching stuff out.  

This!! You'll never gain confidence if you keep switching things out! I always tell new anglers this. 

[Bass Rutten]

Did this last year, reduced my daily arsenal to three rods and committed to throwing 3 lures for all of 2020... jigs, worms, and paddletails. Is it a coincidence I had one of the best years of fishing in my life? ?‍♂️

[MGF]

1 hour ago, Bassjam2000 said:

Did this last year, reduced my daily arsenal to three rods and committed to throwing 3 lures for all of 2020... jigs, worms, and paddletails. Is it a coincidence I had one of the best years of fishing in my life? ?‍♂️

About 95% of what I through could fall into those categories. That would include many different types of jigs and a bunch of different ways of fishing a worm. Heck, for the most part, my paddle-tails are trailers but it's just a different shaped worm anyway.

 

My boat is small so I generally carry 4 rods...once in a while I pack a 5th but it really gets in the way. I own a few more but they aren't in the boat.

 

If I'm in the canoe I carry 2. Last year I took 3 on a couple of trips and it was a real nightmare. Before folks start showing me pictures of canoes or kayaks with a bunch of rods I've seen some of those rigs. When fishing my river I spend a far amount of time slipping the boat/canoe under low overhangs. The rods have to lay flat.

[Nolanh18]

I kinda got forced into this situation. Last September or October my van was broken into and someone stole my backpack full of all my bass tackle and my favorite bait caster combo. Once I got past the anger and frustration, I had to think about replacing my gear. My budget didn’t allow me to try to replace everything so I focused on the tackle that I used regularly and have success with. Now I have a much smaller bag with worms, paddle tails, a few spinner baits, and a box of top waters. It’s worked out well, still catching bass and actually caught two pbs in one day a couple weeks ago. The nice part about it is I have confidence in anything I tie on and can cover any situation I come across fishing from the bank or in my kayak. 

[schplurg]

Go bank fishing.

 

I carry pretty much what you described. Two rods max, two Planos max. Water, scale, whatever fits in a backpack. Sometimes I just T-rig all day.

[evo2s197]

I wish, but I have way too much cool stuff.

 

I always do better on my boat than when I'm a co angler because I have so much tackle to cover any scenario and logs from past trips all in the boat.

 

In reality it's all in my head probably, a hula grub, Squarebill, topwater of some sort a senko and dropshot and I would be covered in my state.

 

 

[DitchPanda]

7 hours ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

What’s stopping you from going forward to that?

Have to much stuff to turn back now!

[MAN]

Yes in fact will be posting it all up in the neighborhood for sale forum this weekend. I just don't realistically need all the fishing stuff I have accumulated over the years.  

[geo g]

Hell yah, your good to go with that old stuff just like you were years ago.  You have a whole new generation of fish every few years that have never seen any of it!

[Deephaven]

My tackle box in general keeps shrinking.  I used to buy everything new thing that caught my eye.  Now I only buy things I "know" will work and have purged my tackle to match.  It is still a ridiculous amount.   At the same time, my rod collection has done the opposite.  I'd rather have a dedicated rod for every presentation than to have too many baits to choose what to put on a rod.  

[Sphynx]

I do this sometimes, and when I do I do it REALLY simple, either a medium or medium heavy fast action baitcaster, usually a 7 speed reel, 30lb braid, 12 or 15lb mono leader, a bag of lead sinkers, usually in 1/8 to 1/4 but sometimes different depending on the water I'm fishing, a few extra hooks, and 2 bags of senko's, a natural (usually watermelon red flake or green pumpkin black flake) and a bold (usually black or junebug of some sort) and off we go, everything pretty much fits in one back pocket, or in one hand, I have caught an awful lot of fish this way...would I make this an all the time thing? Not on your life, I love having all of my options, and choices, but it does make for a fun diversion or challenge on occasion, especially with friends or younger family members who do not have bass head quantities and quality of gear, 60 minutes down at the local pond with a senko set up, $0.25 for the firstest, $0.25 for the biggest, and $0.25 for the mostest...some really great memories having little competitions with nieces, nephews, younger cousins and friends.

[GreenPig]

Fun to just fish the beaver pond now & then. But I still have to force my self not to carry a 100 lbs of gear.

[Columbia Craw]

No way. I’m fishing locations I never fished before. I’m catching fish I would never have caught decades ago. I can effectively fish different situations I would have been never thought possible before.  I might not get out as much now but my time is just as fun and full filling. The thought of fishing with a Lews pistol grip, a 5000 and a black jelly worm 90 percent of the time is not appealing at all.

[Bird]

I'm simplistic so can relate. 

I often carry 1 small tackle box and 2 rod/reel combo's and never wish for more. 

 

My elderly close friend who taught me how to fish has a different bait for every stump.

We're both happy and still enjoy fishing. 

[bulldog1935]

How far back you wanna go?  1914?

 

You can still do it, and it's still fun (I especially like fishing this with early morning topwater), but in it's own way it has become niche tackle, and I wouldn't want to give up the rest of my niche tackle, either.  

 

 

Not exactly a side, because one rod for everything was common for 100 years and more.  Everybody used braided silk, and you varnished and waxed it if you were going to fish dry flies.  That said, Theodore Gordon probably daubed worms with his fly rod, also.  If you lived close to trout, your one rod was probably a fly rod.  

Shortly after WWII, the newfangled monofilament came out.  Before spinning reels took off, there was a line of Colorado reels designed to fish mono on a fly rod - Humphreys, Magic, Fre-Line.  They were used for float fishing and casting spinners and jigs using mono on a fly rod.  They fell by the wayside when spin-fishing became popular.  

[redux]

John Gierach has a great short story in "Trout Bum" titled "Lightening the Load" where he discusses this. I try to keep that in mind whenever I head out. We will ignore the fact that I normally keep 6 or 7 rods and 30 pounds of baits in my truck at all times.

 

Beating the bank means 1 to 3 rods in hand and 5 pounds of baits/gear in a backpack. When I'm on the bank I can always walk back to my truck to swap out my gear if I realize I didn't grab the right stuff. That normally means I need to dump the heavy jig rod and grab the second spinning rod and a few little baits.

 

On a friend's boat I try to keep it to 1 to 3 rods, but allow myself a few more pounds of baits. I err on the side of caution by bringing more baits and my versatile rods instead of the unitaskers.

 

On my boat...30 minutes to load, stow, and arrange somewhere around 15 rods, 30 pounds of baits in multiple bags, and a cooler.

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

How far back you wanna go?  1914?

 

You can still do it, and it's still fun (I especially like fishing this with early morning topwater), but in it's own way it has become niche tackle, and I wouldn't want to give up the rest of my niche tackle, either.  

 

 

Not exactly a side, because one rod for everything was common for 100 years and more.  Everybody used braided silk, and you varnished and waxed it if you were going to fish dry flies.  That said, Theodore Gordon probably daubed worms with his fly rod, also.  If you lived close to trout, your one rod was probably a fly rod.  

Shortly after WWII, the newfangled monofilament came out.  Before spinning reels took off, there was a line of Colorado reels designed to fish mono on a fly rod - Humphreys, Magic, Fre-Line.  They were used for float fishing and casting spinners and jigs using mono on a fly rod.  They fell by the wayside when spin-fishing became popular.  

Show off 

 

I've got some gear from the 50's and 60's that I got from relatives. It just sits. I've got pre Browning Silaflex rods that belonged to my grandfather and a custom bamboo salmon rod that I need to get restored. The wood lures I have are beat up beyond recognition. I keep telling myself I'm going to add these to my trophy wall but I haven't got around to it.

[bulldog1935]

About those old NLW reels, Meek, Talbot, Shakespeare - nothing casts like them until you get to modern baitcasters.  Tournament distance casters used them for 60 years until Abu NLW CT ball-bearing reels came out in the '80s, and some still use their Meeks and Talbots.  

You guys like the old stuff? - Fishing Rods, Reels, Line, and Knots - Bass Fishing Forums (bassresource.com)

 

My girls grew up fishing slip bobbers in the limestone creeks with whatever tackle they wanted to play with - first they'd make me catch grasshoppers in the back acre.  

They had Eagle Claw Featherweight rods with Zebco UL-1 spincast, but they always wanted to use the old stuff.  

My older daughter's go-to was this 1937 Luxor on Airex glass rod.  

[Deleted account]

On 3/16/2021 at 7:58 PM, DitchPanda said:

To the basics and really pair things down? Don't get me wrong I like having tons of rods and reels and endless baits..fun to tinker with crap and have tons of options. But I think if all I had was 2 medhvy bait casters and a med spinning rod,some 15lb big game and 8lb trilene, couple poppers, a few spinner baits, some 3/0 hooks, 1/8 and 1/4 bullet weights( lead not that new fangled tungsten!)and a few bags of worms and lizards I'd catch fish.

Sorry maybe that's my inner old man talking...trying to shun new technology! Am I the only one who feels this way some times?

No, but I kinda live it. I own and have access to anything and everything, and I fish with the same 4 rods and 6 lures 99% of the time.