VALUES

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Fellas: I keep looking at posts about guys upgrading. There seems to be a mentality that the most expensive stuff makes aguy a winner or some type of a better fisherman. Well from a loser's perspective that rap just rots.

The value of a man is how he treats his family,friends, loved ones and his community. FISHING IS JUST FISHING.

Now I do not have any high end stuff, I can't afford it so i have noi experience to have an opinion aboutit. I have moderate equipment with the exception of a Rod Alpster made for me, I have nothing worth more than 80 bucks in my equipment, and I catch fish and have fun. GLENN outfished most fellas at the Fork using mostly Allstar rods he bought on clearance!!!!!!!LBH catches a lot on old SPIDER RODS with President reels.

I am not knocking guys who buy Lommis etc. I have a problem with guys looking to spend 75 bucks on a rod and immediatley the Loomis sugestions come, like anything else makes them less than, THATS BULL and frequently happens here.

The most important thing that makes you a better fiserman is between your ears. You can't buy waht Catt,Fish Chris and a lot of the really impressive fisherman have, it comes from experience and thats the posts we should all be paying attention to

Now I am getting ready to take my Mook Self,with my loser equpment oout for a late afternoon and evening trip. 8-)

[Bass Hammer]

There is no substitute for time on water

[Raul]

High end gear is just a tool, the magic, where the pus is located is right behind the rod handle, it 's been that way always and it will always be.

[flechero]

Quote

High end gear is just a tool

Any gear is a tool, high end gear- nicer tools. Nice tools cost a lot, basic tools do not. Fishing gear is no different than most tools.

Let's keep in in perspective here... NO ONE has said that you have to have high $$ gear. Many of us say something like: "if you can afford XXX i'd recommend XXX" or similar. You know me well enough to know that I OFTEN recommend All Star Classics (among some others) that only cost $30-$40. And that from a guy who builds custom rods.

Now, 2 things I do want to make clear... Just because you can catch fish and have fun on anything, does not take away from how good certain rods and reels are... and in many cases the higher $$$ gear is better. (not necessary, just better)

The other side of this coin is that just a few months ago there were TONS of threads saying that budget gear is all you need. This is one of those seasonal trends that goes back and forth with every few hundred new members.

[flechero]

No matter who uses or endorses what, I will never encourage someone to go outside their budget to buy fishing gear.  And while I'm on principal, I'll never apologize for any gear I own, regardless of how ridiculously overpriced it may seem to some or actually may be.  I don't control or influence anyone's budget but my own.  

I'll end with this- my truck and boat are paid for... what most guys spend a month in truck/boat payments will cover the cost of a new loomis, shimano reel, tackle and fuel, every month.

Not wrong, just different.  

[Guest the_muddy_man]

No one is asking anyone to apologize for anything. I went back 20 pages on the Rdos,reels and lines It is not my imagination a lot of people ask about one price range and are suggeted over that range, some by people who really talk down to the less expensive equipment. You will nootice i put in the post I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT therefore NO OPINION. I do have experience with elitist attitudes and when I see em i note em!It happens enough to notice it.

Now i am not talking about someone saying for instance, i have 90 bucks to spend, and someone says hey if you can get an extra 20 you might wanna try this mind you.

I have seen and admired the rods you wrapped for LBH and Flukey, that is why you may have taken this so severly, that is not the issue.  I even contacted you about how much it would be fro you to build one for me, i couldnt afford it at the time and in the future i still would like to do it! While i was fishing with Fluke , he mostly used his all star. LBH's video clearlyshow him catching fish and having a wonderfultime with the rod you buiilt for him, but most of his catches were with his Spider Rods, because he has them longer. This wasn't personal just what I keep reading

[flechero]

I do know what you are talking about.... there are always a few suggestions like you point out sprinkled in but really, that's not the majority when a budget is specified. There are times when people do the opposite and suggest low end gear for larger specified budgets. Those just get overlooked, just as the higher priced suggestions should.

I always try to give good suggestions at or under the listed budget. If I go over, it's qualified and disclaimed with reasoning.  I guess that's what caused me to 'jump' to a response.

I'll try to react slower next time, sorry about that. ...lol

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Flech no need once again to apologize, just a discussion.Friends don't always agree NO SWEAT and stop apologizing!!!!!!!! We good

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Hey Flech no need once again to apologize, just a discussion.Friends don't always agree NO SWEAT and stop apologizing!!!!!!!! We good

I disagree.  j/k

I am sorry      

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Flech no need once again to apologize, just a discussion.Friends don't always agree NO SWEAT and stop apologizing!!!!!!!! We good

I disagree. j/k

I am sorry

HEY SPEEDBEAD: somehow we need to check your DNA, I do not want to see you get upset on the Murray Povich show but I think AVID IS YOUR DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SPEEDBEAD.]

:-X

:-[

LOL, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Taliesin]

I do have some higher end equipment, but not much.

I do agree with Muddy here.

I have 9 Ugly Stiks, and I love them. They fit the kind of fishing I have done for many years (mostly catfishing). Are they heavier than other rods? Yes, but I am used to it. Are they less sensitive than other rods? Yes, and my only high-end rod is for jigs/worms.

Can I haul in a monster fish with an Ugly Stik? YES!!!

I think my reels are a bit more high-end than my rods, but Abu Garcia Ambasseduers are tough reels that will last forever. I "might" upgrade when they fall apart, but probably not. They fit me perfectly. My other reels will probably be replaced with the Abus when they fall apart.

Should I get higher end reels? I don't think so, because these fit me wonderfully. Moving to a "higher-end" reel would mean giving up features I want.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

As long as your having fun and catching fish it dont matter what you use .I have REVO,s  and i have regular Abus,ive had  my reg ABU,s going on 17 yrs and a quite a few new ones .if by chance i drop/slam/dunk/birdnest/ OR w-e with my ABU,s traditionals i KNOW for a fact that in 5 mins or less i can be fishing again.They may not be the  most advanced reels on earth BUt i find reels with close tolarances very suseptible to minor falls and then your SOOL..... id bring on my 60 and 70 dollar reels up against ANY reel except a VAN STAAL

[PaparockArk]

My gear is a mix from moderate with a few higher end pieces when I run across a deal on a high end that I can afford which is few and far between. I caught just as many fish on the cheaper gear as on my more expensive stuff and when I think about that I guess it's kind of like when I was younger with so much more energy I made a lot more casts and now getting close to the 60 with arthritis and that dang nerve disease I fish slower, lighter line, and a lot more finesse. Now it's most likely just a matter of confidence (all in my mind) but that is where I spent my extra bucks on my gear to try aid me in feeling those finesse bites. Does it actually work? To be honest, I can't honestly say it does since I spent the extra bucks coming back to fish this way in freshwater after a long time away but I convinced myself it would. Confidence plays such an important part in fishing you can defeat yourself if you convince yourself you can't catch fish without expensive gear. Whatever gear you fish you have to fish it like you expect to catch a fish on each cast. Like so many have said the battle is more about what goes on between your ears than what is in your hands. It's the skill of the person using the tool that makes the most difference. Sure a better tool makes the job easier but it does not make up for a lack of skill. When I lived in Wyoming for ten years I would see many of my friends relatives show up to go hunting with us with .270s and. 30-06s which they had not taken the time to really learn to shoot well so they wounded animals we had to recover. They would swear at the guns and calibers as not being up to the game and the next time they would come out to hunt they had new shiny Magnum rifles. Now just like in less expensive fishing tackle if someone does not have the skill to use one tool getting a different tool which is all a new gun, rod, or new reel is cannot fix your problem if you lack the skill to use them.

So in the end we all have to remember it is not about the tackle we have got to be smarter than than the fish.

[FishingBuds]

I agree with Muddy's point he's making

I'll take it up a step, I see and know people here at work that purchase the name, they really don't know what they bought.

All they know is its popular, just like it was in grade school-it depended on what kind of shoes you had for someone to hang out with ya.

My cousins husband is still terrible at the "what brand name do you own" thingy.

Theres some that are inteligent own what and why they own but, most I come across are still stuck in the grade school days.

The abu's, quantums and shakespear have been fine for me. The Barkely cherrywood rod for $20 bucks is real good too.

I'll go on a higher end one or two someday here but, for a budget I know what works ;D

As for the guys who are arrogant on what they own I don't have much to do with those kind but-You just met one tho ;D

I'm proud of my abu's, quantums and shakespear

[Guest the_muddy_man]

And RISK KID likes his YANKEE HAT : NOT THATS UNEXCUSABLE

[Matt Fly]

I don't know how I ever caught a single fish with a cane pole.    If my dad was alive, I'd.........thank him again, using those non-sensitive sticks made me a better fishermen.

Learning to land 20 lb carp on a zebco 202 on 8lb test and cheap drags on cheaper rod that only had 3 eyes back in the days.

We all know that boats, rods, and all the expensive tackle you can own don't make you a fishermen or gaurantee you a single fish.

By the way,    I do have pictures of alot of guys this year on Fork who was using your kids Snoopy poles.   LOL    They worked didn't they?

Matt

[BASS fisherman]

I have fished with a guy in my Bass club who stricktly fishes Loomis rods.  At one tourney he said he wasn't feeling the hits, but I felt every fish that bit that day. I was using a clearance sale Quantum rod that cost me $15.00.  

Blanks today are made much better than they were 20, 15, and even a mere 10 years ago.  I simply can't see the benifits of spending more than say $50 bucks for a rod.  If you concentrate and pay attention, you'll miss few fish. PERIOD!

[Root beer]

I know what you meant muddy. My most expensive reel is my revo sx and my rod is Airrus co-matrix. I dont spend over 150 bucks on a rod or reel.

My rule is: if you like it, buy it. But seriously all the request when someone has a low price range you need quit reccomanding people stuff that are more expensive that is just ridiculus.

[roadwarrior]

But seriously all the request when someone has a low price range you need quit reccomanding people stuff that are more expensive that is just ridiculus.

kwchannell89,

I'm not singling you out, just using your quote.

I read most of the posts in every section of this Forum, but I read EVERY post in "Tackle" and "Rods, Reels, Line, etc."

RARELY does anyone push higher priced equipment "IF" a specfic pricing point is listed. Even when this does happen, it's usually someone addressing another poster, NOT the original member asking for advice.

On the otherhand, if a thread is initiated asking "What do you think about this rod for this application?" there are going to be some responses that you might not like. At every pricing point there are a number of alternatives, some of which are better than others.

[kybassangler]

I agree with Muddy's point he's making

I'll take it up a step, I see and know people here at work that purchase the name, they really don't know what they bought.

All they know is its popular, just like it was in grade school-it depended on what kind of shoes you had for someone to hang out with ya.

My cousins husband is still terrible at the "what brand name do you own" thingy.

Theres some that are inteligent own what and why they own but, most I come across are still stuck in the grade school days.

The abu's, quantums and shakespear have been fine for me. The Barkely cherrywood rod for $20 bucks is real good too.

I'll go on a higher end one or two someday here but, for a budget I know what works ;D

As for the guys who are arrogant on what they own I don't have much to do with those kind but-You just met one tho ;D

I'm proud of my abu's, quantums and shakespear

I'm right proud of my cheap  berkely cherrywood rod it catches fish because I make it catch 'em.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

THAT"S THE SPIRIT

[Daniel My Brother]

I didn't have a lot of girlfriends in high school. It wasn't that they didn't like me, it's that they didn't even know I existed. Then I bought a motorcycle. It was just a 2 cylinder, air cooled, 450 Honda Nighthawk, but all of a sudden girls I barely knew were coming up to me and asking for rides. It was awesome! that first summer on the bike was my best ever. Of course I quickly traded that motorcycle in for a much faster Honda Interceptor, which I promptly traded in for an even faster still Kawasaki Eliminator, then a Yamaha FZR, etc Pretty soon it was all about the bikes, and I wasn't meeting any girls!

What a moron. :-/

With fishing I've made a decision that it's always going to be about the fish. I won't spend more than $100 on a rod or a reel because I'm not convinced it will help me catch more fish or have more fun.

I'm happy for the guys who get the nicer stuff, and I hope it makes their time on the water more enjoyableit's just not me.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I didn't have a lot of girlfriends in high school. It wasn't that they didn't like me, it's that they didn't even know I existed. Then I bought a motorcycle. It was just a 2 cylinder, air cooled, 450 Honda Nighthawk, but all of a sudden girls I barely knew were coming up to me and asking for rides. It was awesome! that first summer on the bike was my best ever. Of course I quickly traded that motorcycle in for a much faster Honda Interceptor, which I promptly traded in for an even faster still Kawasaki Eliminator, then a Yamaha FZR, etc Pretty soon it was all about the bikes, and I wasn't meeting any girls!

What a moron. :-/

With fishing I've made a decision that it's always going to be about the fish. I won't spend more than $100 on a rod or a reel because I'm not convinced it will help me catch more fish or have more fun.

I'm happy for the guys who get the nicer stuff, and I hope it makes their time on the water more enjoyableit's just not me.

OH! THAT explains the drought of babes when i first got my licience; 55 chevy( before they were stylish)  I t had one windshield wiper, a hole in the exhaust and the front seat had a 2x4 under it to keep it from going backwards.Not one girl ever asked me for a ride, except for my grandmother

[bassboy1]

Muddy, I agree with you on part of this.  I have a cherrywood graphite rod that I use for trout fishing and for bream, and little stuff like that.  I love it.  The balance is great, and it works fine (cept I still can't catch fish with it, but I think that has to do with user error ;D)  On the other hand, I hate those dammed ugly sticks.  I probably would like one of the newer models, but nope, not gonna get one though.

But, I disagree with you a bit.  The only topwater I can catch fish on is the LC sammy.  But, I buy them all used.  Every one in my tackle box was bought for less than 6 bucks.  I also use Gamakatsu hooks, which are like 3 bucks for a 5 pack, but I do feel that they help my fishing.  I am loosing a lot less, now that I switched from mustad.  

And, I am looking at getting a higher priced rod for dropshotting.  I don't like the one I have for it, and I asked a question about which one folks liked best, and really loved the ones that I have handled.  Each to his own I guess.