have we gone to far?

[Grant]

I have a small softside bag from Wally World, total of 5 6/21 trays in it and 4 exterior pockets- about the size of a medium lunch cooler....

in this I have all the hooks, weights, swivels, bobbers and whatnot I need for catfish, carp, suckers, and bullhead I usually fish for, as well as room for a small book, transistor radio, cellphone, bug dope, and my harmonica.

if I add "luxury" items to either summer or winter trips, it's usually a folding chair so that I don't have to sit on my bait bucket.

I carry 2 rods usually, one heavy cat rod, and a medium weight spincaster for suckers/carp and bullies.

my ice gear consists of a couple of spike stick rods, a couple of spinning combos and a couple of tipups; and a couple of small trays of tackle. this all fits in a small shoulder bag that lives in the trunk all winter.

I have a second hand Otter Den, and hand me down Jiffy auger.

my boat is a 14' crestliner with a 15hp johnson on it... Oh yeah. I also have a Lowrance Green Box (first generation) that I use year round.

If you've got the money and the desire to spend it, by all means more power to you! personally I've been to both ends of the spectrum, and at this point my heart lies with the simple, and perhaps one could say "old school" ways.

[SDbowhunter]

I have to admit. I started out with a cheap zebco fiberglass combo spooled with monofiliment. I used to get frustrated not understanding the differnce between gravel and a bite. Or when to set the hook or give a little.

When I was about 16 I bought a IM6 rod with Abu spinning reel and spooled it with fireline. This was a pretty expensive combo for me at the time around $80 bucks. And it instantly turned me into a better fishermen. The sensitivity and ability to feel and read bites was phenominal.

I dont know if I would be as avid of a fishermen as I am now if I hadn't dabbled with the good stuff. Now days at least you can buy decent quality gear without breaking the bank.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I think there is lots of hype when it comes to fishing. Seems like people are always looking to spend money on something that will help make them succeed at catching more or bigger fish. And I think there is a little snobbery going on when see the guy in the 12' boat and 6 hp motor.

The fact is even the pros come up empty sometimes in spite of all the expensive stuff they own. Somebody always has more and somebody always has less.

I see lots of people advertising in the "open seats" forum. Great way to get out for the guy, or gal that doesn't want to invest in an expensive rig.

I've even toyed with the idea of selling mine and hooking up with a couple of others and paying their gas bill.

Ownership does have it's benefits such as allowing you to go when you want and where you want.

I like the posts that talk about starting small and growing into it if you like it.

[Neighbor_guy]

I realy like having nice stuff.......

I have also been outfished by someone with a $25 rod combo from wallytown.

[MetroWalleye]

In a few years, I can easily see myself downsizing from my 1800 Pro V to maybe a Lund Outfitter with a 50 hp 4 stroke on the back. The only reason I have the bigger boat is so that I can load it up with kids and coolers, but in a few years the kids will have grown (and can buy their own boats) and I will go with a tiller. Easier to put on and take off a trailer when you are all by your lonesome.

The only types of rods I will sink a little more money into are my baitcasters. Many times I have went with cheap ones and regretted it.

[tisosy11]

Yeah...i have cheaper rods but go with better reels and line. THis combo seems to work with me. I also try and get a new treat each year...seems to happen more times with ice fishing. Aquaview, showdown, ice armour, new portie, etc, etc.

[eyebjim]

Have we gone too far...NO!

Yes there are a long line of everything under the sun that can be bought to help your fishing but it all comes down to a fishing rod and a hook. You can get a setup at wallyworld for less than $30 that you can and will catch fish on. There is a lot of hype about needing all the toys and I love all the toys but if all the toys did not exist I would still be fishing. My point is no one should feel as if they need all of this toy s in order to make it worth going fishing. Get into it slowly and as you find out how much you like or dont like it adjust accordingly. It can be a way of life or just a outing or two.

[Stick in Mud]

I don't think the intent of the original question was asking whether or not it's impossible to catch fish without all the gadgets. Of course you don't need a $300 St Croix rod with a $30,000 Ranger being pulled by a $40,000 Chevy full of tackleboxes full of $5000 worth of plastic worms, $20 spools of flouro, and $7 Rapalas. No sane human being actually thinks you need this stuff. No human with half a brain would ask or even answer that question.

But do fisherman, myself included, overestimate the importance of these gadgets? Certainly. All "fanatics" do--investors don't need $4000 computer programs to tell them which way a stock is going to go, movie fans don't need a 52'' plasma to watch a movie, hunters don't need Binelli rifles, women don't need $500 purses, and I certainly don't need the $200 fishing rod I purchased this spring. But welcome to America!

Ultimately, though, I think we do create the perception that the sport of fishing is out of reach for some people. (If I didn't know better, I'd swear you need one of those new fiberglass boats to fish muskies on Mille Lacs.) Is it? Of course not, but if someone isn't going to go fishing because he can't afford to get all the gadgets that his neighbor has (or because he's too lazy to stop by the fishing section and actually look at the prices), he should probably spend less time comparing himself to others and more time making money or gardening or reading a book or mowing his lawn.

[fisherman-andy]

I still rely on good old fishing tactics & know how's. Alot of time it's just the experience or gut feeling that catch you more fish. What gets me the most is when I see an Angler pull up in a big new nice $30K boat and all the fancy gear only to see them get outfished by the guy in a little $500 used lund boat using just basic fishing lures and tactic.

Although I see nothing wrong in going all out about your love for the sport of fishing, I think sometimes some of us over do it be it outdoors or online on a fishing forum. Not only do we get so caught up in all this and that about our love for fishing, we also imply our own rules which we may think is our right on to others. Not that that is wrong too, it isn't as long its something moral.

As for me im just glad I can still understand that fishing is just good old fun as well as a serious loving sport too. I think it's important to not overdue such in a way that it takes away the simplicity of it.

That's probably a main reason why people think they need this or that to just enjoy fishing when in reality you don't. You don't need all that fancy gear or lures you see on them fishing TV shows every weekend. But since it's not portrayed as such we often times forget that it is really just a simple sport after all. And by reminding ourselves and others that hey we can really do fishing and enjoy it without breaking the wallet or understanding the complex fishing gadgets & theories and still catch fish is all that is needed.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Here is more proof that you don't really need all that stuff to catch fish. All of these were caught from shore:

shore catch

[fishinJohn]

I work with a guy from Nepal and he told me some of the methods they use to catch fish. One involves finding a certain plant, crumpling up and tossing it near some fish. The reaction is the fish get totally disorientated and jump and splash a lot making it fairly easy just to grab them. People fish everywhere in the world, far from any Ranger dealership.

[paceman]

This is indeed an interesting topic. I agree that most of the time all a person needs is your basic setup. I have never been one to buy high dollar rods/reels. Most of my stuff is walmart,fleetfarm, even rummage sale items. They work for me very well. I catch a lot of fish. I have a buddy who has 500 buck setups and I usually outfish him pretty bad. The reason probably being experience. Knowing the difference between a weed and a bight... He makes pretty good coin and can afford the good stuff. Would I catch more fish if I had his stuff, Maybe. One of the many wonderful things about fishing is that the fish don't care what rod/reel you are using. The fish don't care how big or how fast your boat is. For most of us, just getting out and enjoying the fishing experience is why we do it. Of course we still want to catch fish and enjoy a nice fresh fillet. I say buy the best you can afford and appreciate it. There have been many studies and reports showing the decline of fisherman/hunters. One reason is the cost of getting started. One thing I am doing is giving my unused rods/reels, tackle boxes... to neighbors and kids. I try to take them with when I have on open seat. That is how I got started. A buddy took me and I have been HOOKED ever since.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I think how I started. Fishing from shore catching northerns with the Zebco 33. Even then I knew it had to be a 33 and not a 202 because those were for wimps

Later my dad bought a Lund 14' boat and 6 hp motor. I would borrow it and learned to fish for bass, which I really enjoyed. Soon discovered that the wind didn't always blow the way I wanted so presto, along can the purchase of an electric trolling motor.

Also switched to a Mitchel 300 reel and bought a used Lowrance green box.

The 14 footer started to feel to small, especially on lakes like Minnetonka. So I bought a 16' Alumacraft and a used 35hp Johnson. A couple years later I sold the 35 Johnson and bought a new 50hp Merc.

Next came more rods, reels, tackle and a bow mount trolling motor. Also a new paper graph and 3 color flasher.

Keep that rig for 20 years and now have a 165 CS Alumacraft.

I really enjoy fishing so I like to have nice stuff. Plus the bigger boats handle rough waters better. You are no longer limited as to where you can fish.

A lot of the stuff we buy "solves" problems faced in real world situations. Splash guards keep you dryer, drift socks slow your drift, good rain gear keeps you dry and comfortable, GPS helps you locate areas you could never find before, etc. It does add up to a lot, but if you work into it slow and you enjoy it, just take it as it comes.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

OK, so I see this motor home yesterday. It was huge! Plus he was towing a mini van and he had a good sized motorcycle on some sort of special mount on the back of the RV.

So somebody thinking about getting into "camping" would think they need a rig like his? Fishing/camping and lots of other sports can be enjoyed at whatever level you can afford.

[Minnesota Fisher]

It can be an expensive sport, but no more expensive than any other hobby. Do you need all the top-of-the-line equipment? No, but like other hobbies, you start out minimal and you expand as time goes on.

If you don't have a boat, there are some awesome shore-fishing opportunities in the area. If you do have a boat, it's just the cost of gas, insurance, and some upkeep, unless you have a loan, of course.

I took the family fishing this weekend and here's what it cost me...

$35 - Gas for truck

$25 - Gas for boat

$10 - Bait

$50 - Snacks, food, drinks

$120 - Total for the whole weekend. Let's put this into perspective. If we went golfing, it would have cost us more than that just for the passes for 2 rounds in the weekend! Then you figure in balls, tees, food, snacks, drink, etc.

It would have cost us $60-$70 to go to just one movie, only 2 hours of family time. Time that you can't even spend talking to each other.

Was it worth the $120 to see 3 kids catching walleye, jumbo perch, and tons of pike? Heck yeah! The memories those kids have from the weekend of fishing, boating, swimming, rock finding, and shore lunch will last forever. And, it was 12 hours of quality family time, spent talking, playing word games, seeing deer, eagles, cranes, ducks, geese, loons, etc.

[ocf1]

No we have not gone to far. If weve gone too far we wouldn't be fishing IMO. Spend your money how you want while still supporting the things that need to be done around the house and paying the bills, and adding to retirement. Remember alot of those people running nice rigs worked there way up and alot of them are sponsered so they can get the nicer equipment. Its the work put into the equipment that matters. Better line=more expensive(most of the time)=less breakoffs).

[bigbucks]

No I don't think we've gone to far either. There are certain situations where a bigger, faster boat makes life a lot easier or means the difference in where you can fish in certain conditions. Is not having all that stuff a reason not to fish? I say only if you let it. I think time on the water & using your head is the biggest key to catching fish. Better equipment can compensate somewhat for time on the water, but you still have to use your head & figure out what the fish are doing. Sometimes I do pretty well at that, many times not so much...

I spend plenty on fishing, but not beyond what I can afford. I don't generally buy things that I don't actually use. I know plenty of guys who spend a lot on things they rarely if ever use. Like someone said you can spend as much or as little as you want to. Fishing is my #2 hobby, but since bow season is 3 1/2 months & fishing is 12 months, I spend a lot more time fishing.

[ocf1]

Another point I thought of is safty. Who wants to be out in the middle of a lake with high winds while in a unstable cheaper boat. With some shoppong around you will get what you pay for.