Fishing trends...drive me crazy!!!

[bilgerat]

Right on. The reels of 20 years ago were toys compared to today.

How so? Are we still talking spinning reels? What advance in spinning reels has occured in the last 20 years that has put so many more fish in the boat that the reels of only 20 years ago should be considered toys... :-?

OK...maybe 'toys' was not exactly what I meant. I was referring to the higher bearing counts, better machining tolerances, magnesium construction and bail improvements to name a few. Spinning reels have inherent problems that can be worsened as size decreases. I know there were certain ul reels made decades ago that are still held in high regard, I never owned any of them. Didn't mean to step on any toes, just throwing my $.02 out there

[J Francho]

... Salmonoids seem to wear out to the point they need reviving. I usually bring them in pretty hot and green, too. I've gone to using barbless for trout, makes it a hole lot easier to unbutton them in the freeing cold.

.....Look at spinning reels. Ever fished with a Mitchell 300 or a Penn 704? Compare that to what we have now.

I have limited experience with trout but did catch 59 rainbows last year (between 12" and 17"). I had a pretty high loss rate on those fish. On hook-up they would just go berserk and by the time I got them to the bank or the boat, the were pretty tuckered out. They're great fighters, but I almost hated catching them.

On the Mitchell 300 - I wonder if the millions of fish that were caught on them knew that they had mostly bushings and no fancy bearings... I still occasionally fish my mid-60s vintage Mitchell 408 - great reel - smooth enough, catches fish. BUT, I will say that the lack of a manual bail feature drives me nuts, as well as the noise and backplay from the ratchet & pawl anti-reverse system... ;D I also like the push-button spools on the old Mitchell reels so you don't have to change your drag setting when you change spools.

Dink Stockies in warm water is a different story.  The rainbow trout fishery in the south is "put and take."

[Raul]

Some thoughts on fishing trends..

They (pros and the like) used to say the large spinning reel spools caused more twist and line slap, so they go to long spools. Now, they say the larger spools make for longer casts and less twist.

They went from front drags to rear drags and back again.

They used to say that you should use a low gear ratio for flippin' to winch the fish out. Now you should use a high gear ratio to get them out as fast as possible.

They used to say to flip with a rod like a broom handle, now it should be parabolic.

Bottom line...I think just stick with what you have and the trend will come back around!!

Everybody 's talkin ' 'bout the new sound, funny, but it 's still rock n 'roll to me

[Goose52]

Right on. The reels of 20 years ago were toys compared to today.

How so? Are we still talking spinning reels? What advance in spinning reels has occurred in the last 20 years that has put so many more fish in the boat that the reels of only 20 years ago should be considered toys... :-?

OK...maybe 'toys' was not exactly what I meant. I was referring to the higher bearing counts, better machining tolerances, magnesium construction and bail improvements to name a few. Spinning reels have inherent problems that can be worsened as size decreases. I know there were certain ul reels made decades ago that are still held in high regard, I never owned any of them. Didn't mean to step on any toes, just throwing my $.02 out there

NoNoNo - no toe stepping at all. I was just wondering if I had missed a technological advance significant enough to warrant retiring the 9 spinning reels that I still have that are 25 years old and older... :

There is absolutely no doubt that the reels of today have more bearings, are tighter, smoother, maybe better drags, perhaps (but not proven yet) longer lasting...but I personally still get good service from my existing reels and only buy new ones when I need MORE reels, not to replace one of my old reels... ;D ;D ;D

On UL reels, my Mitchell 408 was considered UL in the 60s but would be considered awfully big today. My Shakespeare Sigma 025 was a nice reel 25 years ago and will still get the job done (probably for the rest of my life). However, if I ever do need a new UL reel, I know that the one that I get will be smoother and nicer than my old ones...but I'm just not convinced that they will catch me more fish... :

[Goose52]

Dink Stockies in warm water is a different story. The rainbow trout fishery in the south is "put and take."

Well, not much moving water in my lakes to support reproduction, that's for sure. However, the stocked trout here in my lakes do make it through the summer. We have lakes with up to 80ft depth and I've caught those rainbows trolling deep in July. I had some rainbows "follow-back" my bass baits as soon as the surface water temp went into the 50s.

They sure are dumb fish when first stocked though - can catch them on about anything. Those few that make it through their first season though...seem to get a lot smarter! ;D

[J Francho]

I assure you, your trout are nothing like mine.

They suffer at temps above 55.

[Goose52]

I assure you, your trout are nothing like mine.

They suffer at temps above 55.

For sure - native trout beat out our stockies in every way. Great looking fish !

[.dsaavedra.]

I just go with what I like and stick with that. If it works for me I don't really care about what I "should be using".

i apply this mindset to my entire life.

[Pa Angler]

I know what you mean the first reel I learned on back in the late 50's was a round baitcaster with a metal rod with black braid and I had to tie a mono leader on. I have to tell that reel was a far cry from today's low profile casters with only a drag setting and two casting modes clicking and free spooling wonder if that will come around again....LOL You learned to have an educated thumb on that deal. I don't get caught up on all the new trends only ones that I think will work for me I'm basically a crankbait, spinnerbait, soft frogbait (Horny Toad), topwater and sometimes a worm dragger. I don't jig, finesse or drop shot very much that would only happen if nothing else works and that doesn't happen very often to me.

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

[Senkoman12]

Ya' know Fishing Rhino >

The problem with "sporting gear" is that it wears the fish down to exhaustion while building up lactic acid in the muscles. A much higher percent of my fish would die because of this.

I'm not going to deny that their is some truth to this. But here's just a few other things to consider....

In-Fishermen once did a study on this exact topic, and what they found out, was that fish with less red muscle (like Largemouth Bass) do not tend to fight very long anyway, regardless of the tackle, hence, they do not tend to build up a lot of lactic acid. In other words, Largemouth's are a great candidate for using very light gear with.

Also, lets say one uses a flipping stick, and rips a big bass straight to the boat, before you can blink an eye. That fish is going to be VERY hot coming into the boat, increasing the chances of the fish hurting itself, by ramming into the inside of a livewell, or shaking out of the anglers hands and being dropped.

Another thing I see, is anglers who either do not have much experience, or, who try to milk out some extra fight from a fish, by lightening up on the drag of medium, or heavier gear..... or, goofier yet, just not pulling on the fish, 1/10th as hard as the gear would allow. {if these guys want more fight, they need to catch bigger, stronger fish }

Generally speaking, I believe people place too much emphasis on the gear, when it comes to wearing down a fish, while in reality, I think a much bigger factor, is the fish wearing itself down. All you have to do is stay hooked up, and keep even pressure The fish pretty much takes care of the rest

Peace,

Fish

i dont see why people want to fight a fish longer even thoguh their gear allows them to winch it in :-? when i hook on i get that fish to the boat as realistically as possible. largemouth usually i can get in fast but those smallmouth never want to quit running every time they see the boat

[bilgerat]

Ya' know Fishing Rhino >

The problem with "sporting gear" is that it wears the fish down to exhaustion while building up lactic acid in the muscles. A much higher percent of my fish would die because of this.

I'm not going to deny that their is some truth to this. But here's just a few other things to consider....

In-Fishermen once did a study on this exact topic, and what they found out, was that fish with less red muscle (like Largemouth Bass) do not tend to fight very long anyway, regardless of the tackle, hence, they do not tend to build up a lot of lactic acid. In other words, Largemouth's are a great candidate for using very light gear with.

Also, lets say one uses a flipping stick, and rips a big bass straight to the boat, before you can blink an eye. That fish is going to be VERY hot coming into the boat, increasing the chances of the fish hurting itself, by ramming into the inside of a livewell, or shaking out of the anglers hands and being dropped.

Another thing I see, is anglers who either do not have much experience, or, who try to milk out some extra fight from a fish, by lightening up on the drag of medium, or heavier gear..... or, goofier yet, just not pulling on the fish, 1/10th as hard as the gear would allow. {if these guys want more fight, they need to catch bigger, stronger fish }

Generally speaking, I believe people place too much emphasis on the gear, when it comes to wearing down a fish, while in reality, I think a much bigger factor, is the fish wearing itself down. All you have to do is stay hooked up, and keep even pressure The fish pretty much takes care of the rest

Peace,

Fish

i dont see why people want to fight a fish longer even thoguh their gear allows them to winch it in :-? when i hook on i get that fish to the boat as realistically as possible. largemouth usually i can get in fast but those smallmouth never want to quit running every time they see the boat

Some of us are in it for the fight. Water skiing a 2 lb. bass across the surface with 65 lb. braid aint my idea of fun and it aint exactly "sporting". If it's a tournament with $$ on the line, then it's a different story.

[SirSnookalot]

Some of us are in it for the fight. Water skiing a 2 lb. bass across the surface with 65 lb. braid aint my idea of fun and it aint exactly "sporting". If it's a tournament with $$ on the line, then it's a different story.

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You beat me to the punch on this one.

I don't know any bass fisherman, other than myself none of my friends fish freshwater and we all live on lakes. The only bass fishing I see is the occasional tv show, dragging a fish across the water only to heave it into the boat is not my idea of fishing. What boggles my mind even more is the money spent for top of the line equipment just to drag those fish, Walmart combo will produce the identical result.

I do understand why people use heavy tackle to horse fish out of weeds or pads, catching 2 pounds of fish with 5 pounds of weeds is something I try to avoid. I enjoy bass fishing but I want that rod to bend, I prefer open water fishing, light tackle, I'm there to fight the fish.

[Goose52]

Some of us are in it for the fight. Water skiing a 2 lb. bass across the surface with 65 lb. braid aint my idea of fun and it aint exactly "sporting". If it's a tournament with $$ on the line, then it's a different story.

Sporting has different meaning to different folks I guess. One thing that has always puzzled me is that some anglers will fish for bass in a fancy bass boat, with side imaging, using uber-sensitive big-bucks rods (often medium-heavy or stouter) with 50-65lb superline, and expensive "this will fool 'em" baits, and ski the fish back to the boat. Hunt them bass down like dogs - no mercy! And all that's OK. BUT, if you use a net to land your fish, it's somehow not "sporting"...... :

Just sayin'....... ;D

[J Francho]

I assure you, your trout are nothing like mine.

They suffer at temps above 55.

For sure - native trout beat out our stockies in every way. Great looking fish !

Nope, this fish was probably stocked.  They release tens of thousands in this creek every year.  Some make it to the Lake, and grow big, and come back every year, either to feed or spawn.

[J Francho]

Personally, unless you're regularly catching LMB in excess of 5 lbs, or SMB better than 3 lbs. and looking for a fight....pick a different species.  While I enjoy a good battle with a BIG bass very much, my location limits the odds of catching a truly big fish only a few times a year.  The chase and competition is what bass fishing is about for me.  For big fights, I look to the plethora of other species abundant here.  Even then, they don't add up to a well earned bass.

[Goose52]

I assure you, your trout are nothing like mine.

They suffer at temps above 55.

For sure - native trout beat out our stockies in every way. Great looking fish !

Nope, this fish was probably stocked. They release tens of thousands in this creek every year. Some make it to the Lake, and grow big, and come back every year, either to feed or spawn.

Well, I guess it doesn't matter where it was born - it's still a great fish!

[Goose52]

Personally, unless you're regularly catching LMB in excess of 5 lbs, or SMB better than 3 lbs. and looking for a fight....pick a different species. While I enjoy a good battle with a BIG bass very much, my location limits the odds of catching a truly big fish only a few times a year. The chase and competition is what bass fishing is about for me. For big fights, I look to the plethora of other species abundant here. Even then, they don't add up to a well earned bass.

But itsn't the degree of the fight relative to the gear? If you're looking for a good "fish fight", you can still find it with <5lb LMB if you use lighter gear. If your fish run small, use ML, L, or UL gear.....which is back to the point that Bilgerat and Fish Chris were making I think... :

Since my fish run small in my lakes, I nearly always use Medium or lighter rods. A 3lb bass on ML or L gear and light line is a nice fight. And medium (or lighter power) is still enough to land the occasional big fish as well (in open water).

Different strokes for different folks...it's all good...

[bilgerat]

Those that have been lucky enough to hook into a 1 lb. bull bluegill on light tackle know the feeling. Pound for pound, there is no better fighting freshwater fish, except maybe a smallie. A lmb may as well be an old boot when comparing fighting ability.

[Goose52]

Those that have been lucky enough to hook into a 1 lb. bull bluegill on light tackle know the feeling. Pound for pound, there is no better fighting freshwater fish, except maybe a smallie. A lmb may as well be an old boot when comparing fighting ability.

You bet! I wasn't fishing my UL or L rods at the time, but it was an ML spinning rod, when I hooked up with something nice and I thought it was going to be about a 2lb LMB - it turned out to be a bluegill. The little bugger impressed me enough that I had to take a pic and weigh it - 1.17lbs - a nice little fighter indeed. NOW, can you imagine the fight of the world-record 4-12 bluegill !

Anyway, getting back on track of the point of the thread - trends. There is a trend to heavier and heavier tackle for bass fishing, perhaps driven by tournament anglers and cash payouts. But back when fishing was just supposed to be fun, light tackle had a place...................and still does !

[J Francho]

Big blue gill, smallmouth, and steelhead are some of the craziest fighters in FW.  I'll put king salmon in the mix as well, they have a silly first run that can go 100 yards or more.

[Goose52]

Big blue gill, smallmouth, and steelhead are some of the craziest fighters in FW. I'll put king salmon in the mix as well, they have a silly first run that can go 100 yards or more.

You bet! I loves my bass (just something about 'ole bucketmouth) but there's some good fishin' beyond bass for sure!

[J Francho]

We used to have a closed season for bass, from October to late June. You couldn't even target them. Add to this, hard water on the lakes 3 months out of the year, and you figure out ways to extend your fishing season. For years, many of us were avid multi species guys, simply out of necessity. if you wanted to fish, you fished for something else. With the advent of catch and release open season for bass, I don't fish for panfish at all, and trout fishing is strictly for when the lakes are frozen.  I still love my transition pike, though.

[GLoomis711]

Really? That amazes me. How long does it usually take to get one to the boat?

Alot of people are record chasers around here.

Hours and hours.

My dads friend has the world record Jack Crevalle on spinning gear with like 2 pound test.  Fought it four hours.

It's pretty much the captain doing the work.

[trevor]

Big blue gill, smallmouth, and steelhead are some of the craziest fighters in FW. I'll put king salmon in the mix as well, they have a silly first run that can go 100 yards or more.

Uh..... carp?!

[J Francho]

Carp suck.  Period.  All they do is sit on the bottom, and barely move.  My biggest common carp was around 40 lbs., caught on a drop shot worm,and 6# test.  Use gear that is appropriate, but protects from tear outs of their soft lip flesh, and its the same thing.  They simply sit on the bottom.  Its basically an exercise in seeing how much you can pull up to the boat without any of it failing.  I have a vise on my work bench that fights harder.