Do we Make Fishing Too Complicated?

[fishfordollars]

Saw this elsewhere and decided to throw it out here and see what kind of response I got.

I have plastics, jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits in every size and color combination. Yet when I go to the lake I find myself tying on the same lures.

When you go do you take it all with you? I have the fear of being at the lake and the combination that is hot happens to be at home in the garage.

I probably could get additional bow lift if I would just clean house.

Jack

[little_stephen]

im worse. i fish from shore. so carry it all. i had this big tackle bag with tons of stuff. and a back ache each time i went fishing.

i found myself using certian lures non-stop. infact. theyre the ones i tie on before i leave. so i limited myself to a backpack with 2 large planos in it. and about 6 small ones for hooks, hardware, tackle, ect.

now i never take it all with me. i just decide how i want to fish that day. and set my mind to the idea that im going to find a productive pattern with what i have.

its helped me grow as a fishermen!     instead of second guessing a bait after 6-7 casts, i work it in diff ways and take my time.     In most peoples case, that means less time looking at the boats floor while u re-tie and more time learning by casting and trying....... maybe u should all take a lesson from us shore anglers. lol ;D

[fourbizz]

I typically take very little with me to the lake.

[Pitchinkid]

Thats why god made boats. Tackle boxes that float.

[Mr Jenkins]

did ya ever find ya one pitchinkid?

[mjhutch1116]

I generally take everything with me when I go out.  Except when I fish with my partner in his boat.  His boat is smaller than mine and I just can not fit all of my stuff into his boat and still have room to move around.  So when I fish out of his boat I have to limit myself to 1 bag with 5 or 6 boxes of tackle in it, and my soft plastic bag.  1 of those boxes has my terminal tackle in it.  Every time we go out I am scared to death that what I need will be sitting in my boat at home.  So to get to the point, I think maybe some of us do make things to complicated. I have decided that this year I am going to try not to carry everything all the time.  If I can limit myself to what I am carrying in the boat I can learn to be a much better fisherman.

Matt

[Wesley]

did ya ever find ya one pitchinkid?

Nice profile picture there, play a little WoW??

[slonezp]

Yes yes yes yes

[Paul Roberts]

Probably a lot of us do. I really enjoy trying new techniques though, so I like a certain degree of complexity -more than most likely lol. There are certain water types, and times,  that call for different things. I like to be able to cover many bases. The more waters I fish, the larger my box could be. There is definitely a difference between versatility and obsession though. Where that line is drawn depends both on the angler and the diversity of waters they fish.

That's my shot at this very good question.

[zach t]

If you mean, in the hunter-gatherer sense of the word? Yes.

If you mean in the context of sportsmanship? Of course not.

Of course, I am not talking about the same context that you are. I believe I make it alot more complicated. I typically spend a good bit of time figuring out what I am going to throw and where the day before. If I don't catch something quickly, I begine swapping lures.

You have to find what works, of course, but if you fan cast 12 different lures, you very rarely will get lucky enough to get a pattern.

[D4u2s0t]

I keep a very limited tackle box, but better believe that everything in it is killer.  I don't fall to the baitmonkey, and if I'm using baits that just work, why buy something other than more of that bait?  That's always been my philosophy.  Not unusual for me to go out, get laughed at by the guys with 100million baits, and then outfish them, only for them to ask for what i'm using lol. 

I don't base my color selection, bait choice, fishing location, etc. on anything other than what the fish are telling me, and my past experiences.  Keep it reel simple, and have fun.  If something works, i keep it.  If i don't catch fish with a particular bait, it doesn't go in the box. 

[WoolleyBass]

Yea i always bring way to much stuff. I got spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jigs, crankbaits, soft plastics, hooks and much more that i allways bring. I guess this way im just allways ready for anything.

Roby

[JigMe]

Each time I go out, and I will pack one type of lures. Spinner baits, top waters, worms, whatever...and I will just use the same type of lure all day. Next week, I will bring something else to the lake. So my lures are not just sitting in the tackle box, I am sure that's probably not a good way to fish but hey I just like to go out and fish.  ;D

[jake]

Yes we do make it complicated. I have a 60lb tackle bag to prove it ;D

[Hammer 4]

I try Not to make it compicated, sometimes I just Fail..lol

I also shore fish alot, my backpack while a fullsized one limits the number of stuff I can carry. So I take the basics..4 types of plastics, cranks, lipless & lipped. Usually 4 spinnerbaits, 4 chatterbaits, 4 jerkbaits.

3 or 4 jigs, trailers..and 4 to 6 swimbaits, plus my hooks, weights ect. Even though I mainly fish city park type lakes/ponds that are at most 10' deep, I still work parts of the water colume, starting from top to bottom.

In the end, the fish usually hit the same things, i.e.plastic worms. craws, ect, spinnerbaits and swimbaits, IF they are biteing..lol

Things are Much different nowdays compared to 25 yrs ago..the funny thing is..we still caught fish back then. Sometimes I think we need to avoid alot of the lures out there that are meant to catch us, rather than fish.

I try to keep fishing Fun, and not try to over think it.

[salmicropterus]

Probably a lot of us do. I really enjoy trying new techniques though, so I like a certain degree of complexity -more than most likely lol. There are certain water types, and times, that call for different things. I like to be able to cover many bases. The more waters I fish, the larger my box could be. There is definitely a difference between versatility and obsession though. Where that line is drawn depends both on the angler and the diversity of waters they fish.

That's my shot at this very good question.

And that is a very good answer to a very good question. You said what I would have wanted to say but better.   I love this sport because I like its complexity but sometimes (a lot) I over-think things. I do better when I just fish!

[bilgerat]

When I'm on the jon boat (no electronics) I have my soft sided bag that holds four 3600 series plano boxes. That's it. My baits cover top, mid and bottom. I carry three rigs max.

When I'm on the bank I have a vest and a little pocket plano box. Occasionally I carry a backpack. I never bank fish with more than one rig.

I've been through that phase of trying everything that comes along. I stick with what works for me. There really isn't anything new anyhow, it just gets repackaged every few years and touted as new.

[Buckeye1955]

I came to that same conclusion over last winter. I really paired things down this last season. I pack a couple of my best cranks, spinners, some senkos, a frog or two and I'm good. I leave everything else at home. I found I enjoy my time on the water alot more when I'm not constantly 2nd guessing myself and swapping baits every 15 minutes. And I'm also catching more fish!

[Mr Jenkins]

did ya ever find ya one pitchinkid?

Nice profile picture there, play a little WoW??

  Yea I do gotta have something to do till season turns lol.

[Catt]

I'm more concerned with where-n- when than I am with what so I carry only 5 rod-n-reels and this simple "Attack Bag".

[Matt Kremers]

It is a very good question. When I started fishing, it was more about being outside and enjoying the lake (and often a frosty beverage). I had one combo, and would always fish the same two lures (firetiger popper and black jitterbug). If I caught a nice smallie, awesome! If not, I got to see a beautiful sunset and relax on the water. Then my friend got me into tournament fishing, and the engineer in me has coming out. I analyze every little aspect of fishing to the point where it can become stressful when I can't catch em!

Fishing has become extremely complicated. But I do not believe this is a bad thing. If there were only 2 lures to pick from with one type of line, what fun would that be? It seems like a lot of what keeps us coming back for more is a new technique or modification that just might catch more big fish. It makes us continuously try harder to find one small change that can make us better than the other guy. It really engages the mind too, which keeps it from turning into mush as soon as you retire. When it does work, it makes you feel like your knowledge is the reason for success rather than just luck.

[RoLo]

Do we Make Fishing Too Complicated?

Of course we do, then we spend the last half of our lives trying to simplify the game 

Roger

[bassfisherjk]

Yes I think we do, but that makes it more interesting.

[J Francho]

When fishing gets tough, I get complicated, LOL.

[flippin and pitchin]

That was the one thing I mentioned to my fishin buddies this past week.  I have allowed myself to become cluttered, both in the boat and in my thoughts. I want to be versatile and proficient in as many techniques as reasonable but the lure selection issue has become out of control. I could rid myself of at least 1/2 of my crankbaits, jigs and plastics and be fine. I will admit the reason I have every color Bandit 100 series is that I want to see if it works better than the four colors that have caught em' already. I am committed to approaching this year different and fish what I have BETTER. Awesome thoughts everyone !