Recreational Angler vs. Competitive

[Tin]

People often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique. As much as it helps our egos to regard a difficult task as complex, this type of thinking is often the biggest obstacle between you and fishing success.

It takes a rare breed of fisherman using simple techniques to perfection to consistently catch big bass.

Quotes from Hannon's Big Bass Magic

Makes a lot of sense now that you say it.

[Guest avid]

I 'm a strictly recreational angler, the only competition I have is myself

Me too,

but I think I need to improve.

I keep losing.  

[The_Natural]

I've come full circle...my family has had a lake house on Grand Lake for 30+ years.  I fished recreational for everything (crappie/bass) until I was in 6th grade, when my aunt got divorced and remarried a guy who was serious into bass fishing...he was the president of a bass club he started in Missouri...the Missouri Backlashers.   I fished this club for two years from 14-15 as a guest that could not participate legally according to BASS rules (had to be 16...and I would have placed a couple of times which made it even more frustrating...no Jr. Bassmasters in the early '90's.)  No internet...I learned most from my uncle...whom I contribute to my passion for the sport...and many techniques I gained confidence in while fishing with tournament partners in the club.  So being a tournament fisherman makes you better I believe...not because you are a 'tournament fisherman'...but because there is always a time you aren't catching them under certain conditions and your partner is...you learn what technique to perform and what bait to throw when what you are doing isn't working.   The Slider, Carolina rig, and a few others are examples of things I learned while fishing club tournaments when I was yourng.  I've only been able to fish ponds the last two seasons after finishing in the top 5 the two years prior in my club fishing from the back of the boat.   I am going to switch jobs by spring to allow me to start fishing some larger tournaments after talking to my wife.  You only have one shot...isn't it everyone's dream?!

[Dan:]

I 'm a strictly recreational angler, the only competition I have is myself. I can easily fish with one rod and reel and a few baits and catch fish, but on the other hand I think about my gear as tools for a job and if I can afford them and carry them then I see no reason why I shouldn 't have a tool for each job besides the fact that I just love to purchase stuff, I get pleasure out of purchasing it, I get pleasure out of seeeing it, my imagination skyrockets when I stare at my stuff ( I envision me catching fish with it ) and that daydream also privides me with a great deal of pleasure, I get pleasure out of fishing with my stuff and if it happens that I catch fish with it well that 's the cherry on top of the pie.

The answer is: whatever pleases you, after all, it 's your money.

Couldn't have said it better.

[Fish Chris]

I consider myself to about as much of a hard-core multi-species angler, as any still-have-to-work guy you might ever meet......... Yet, I'm also about the least competitive individual you might ever meet, as well.

Never had the slightest desire to fish against anybody else. For me, fishing is all between myself and the fish.

Now as far as gear goes, I like to have lots of specific tools, for lots of specific fishing situations.... Especially, being a multi-species guy, and living in an area with great fishing for everything from Bluegills, to Sturgeon. However, I'm a poor guy who fishes too much, and doesn't work enough. Therefore, I'm really fortunate to have several sponsors who pretty much give me most of the tackle I ever need. I can pretty much say, any fishing tackle I want, I've got.

Then, a couple years ago, I got my dreamboat (my G3) all but given to me also.

Now if only I could find somebody to give me a new truck, and a "gas card" !!!  :-)

Peace,

Fish

[mayassa]

I'm a recreational angler, but my wife thinks I'm obsessive with my equipment, I just got tired of working the problems with the reels and lines and not getting to fish, so I upgraded to what I can afford.  She complained once so I showed her the eleven coach purses with matching wallets in the closet.  Oh back to the subject - I like to have a few rods with me on the boat and 1 each BC and Spinning when I'm wading, 1 stays in the jeep and I switch out when needed.  I always have that dream of going pro when I'm on that day.

[Bassnajr]

I think this thread has morphed into a few different though related topics, so I hope I am not way off.

I played golf since I was 10 yoa. A recent accident prevents me from playing now and I've gotten back into my first love, fishing. I was a victim of the "golf club monkey" as a lot of guys are. And competition, among golfers..nah!!! (lol) Buying equipment in fishing is like golf...it's always changing, upgrading, improving. The newest balls, putters, etc. I shop as close to discount as I can!!! I try to get the best I can for my money and having lots of gear is all part of the hobby and passion of fishing. That being said, I'll bet there are folks all over that have one rod, one reel and one tackle box and catch as many fish and nice size fish as any of us. They are probably chuckling at us!!! lol

I fished my first tournament this past fall and I plan on doing more next year. Competition is involved but let's not forget what I believe is a BIG part of tournament fishing...the folks you meet, the charities you can help (charity fishing tournaments of course), and just sharing the sport we all love so much.

By the way, I challenged a guy to a golf match. He played only one club...a five iron. HE KICKED MY A$$!!!

bassinajr

[jwo1124]

I think that this thread has sort of opened my eyes that it can be more beneficial to own more technique or task specific set ups than it would be to have a few genral or multi pupurpose set-ups.

I appreciate that a few guys understood the boat I was in, being mainly a shorebound guy for now, and my situation just couldn't handle carrying around a bunch of rods. Maybe for now, due to  my financial limits and angling situation, maybe I will purchase a couple technique specific set ups, master those couple techniques, and as I have the means and/or need for more set ups, I'll purchase more technique specific set ups for other techniques to master.

This way I'll always be learning new ways to catch bass, I'll have a better arsenal of equiptment, having the perfect set ups for certain times, instead of a few set ups that will broadly cover various techniques.

Am I'm sure that there will be times, when I am only going to need three technique rods on a given day depending on what type of pattern the bass are likely to be on given the seasonal, environmental, and biological circumstances. This way if I am beating hte banks or out on a small craft with limited room, I can still have the freedom of only a few rods that are easy to transport around, but I will have exactly the right gear to execute a gien task on that given day. Kind of the best of both worlds.

it seems liek discussions like this are the places where things are learned and eyes are opened. I know it's the case with me.

[Tokyo Tony]

In my life I've taken every activity to the extreme and to a very high level of competition, from soccer when I was younger, to golf, to orchestral flute, to academics and everything else.  I'm very competitive, and I really enjoy intense competition.  On the other hand, fishing is one thing I've never done competitively (unless you count against my brother), and I think I want to keep it that way.  I enjoy fishing so freakin' much as it is that I don't think I'd want to change that.  Granted, being in fierce competition on the lake sounds like fun, but I don't ever want to get to the point where I catch a huge fish and my first thought is, "Jeez, I wish I were fishing a tournament today."  I think that would take away from my "recreational" fishing a lot.  Don't get me wrong - usually I'm very intense on the water and very focused, but I feel like getting used to fishing in competition would take away from the enjoyment I derive from recreational fishing, and that enjoyment is something I always want to keep intact.

[farmpond1]

This may belong in a different thread but when it comes to competition, there are poor losers and also, perhaps more irritatingly, poor winners.  I don't fish tournaments but I still know a little about this.  I have an...acquaintance who loves to fish.  He's invited me to go along with him on several times.  Admitedly, he usually does better than me and there are plenty of things I could learn from him.  But humility isn't one of them.  If I catch a decent fish, he'll dredge out of his past an even better fish that he's caught.  Or if I'm having a pretty good day, he's had an even better day the week before.  It never fails.  One could, of course, argue that I'm the sore loser but it's not much fun to be around someone who feels compelled to "one up me" all the time.  I'm sure he has his own insecurities but it still irritates me and I don't go with him anymore.

[Raul]

If I catch a decent fish, he'll dredge out of his past an even better fish that he's caught. Or if I'm having a pretty good day, he's had an even better day the week before. It never fails.

Where you met my friend Pedro ? man he excells at doing that but ........ I still go fishing with him. But he doesn 't do better than me.   maybe I 'm mean cuz I do enjoy watching his I don't understand ? face when I 'm beating him by far which is normally the case.

[grimlin]

I'm out to get away from it all...recreational fisherman is the way i like it.As soon as it starts to become a "job" I'd probably start doing it less and less.Same for tackle,i love collecting...it can be a good hobbie as well.