Introduction
- This topic has 14 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Jul 29, 2008 at 10:06 pm by
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Just registered; and, yes Zach, I read the rules….how unusual is that? I’ve read the board several times and picked up some good info, so no reason not to register and maybe I can contribute something. The biggest thing I have learned is that flyfishing is an industry driven sport also, and most of the manufacturers and “experts” are full of s**t….after 35 years of law enforcement, I don’t believe anything told to me by an “expert”. I experiment.
Resident of southern New Jersey 64 years come the 30th. Send cake and presents to…..
So, 99% of my fly fishing, which is only 10 years old, wasted 30 spinnin’ and pluggin’, is in warmwater lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. Plus, an occasional trip to PA for trout with my TU chapter.
Anyway, I have the obsession, so I might as well hang around with others that do also…..
Regards to all,
Hey Js.
Whats up Bud..
Good to see ya. Welcome to the board!!
Its been a LONG time.. how is everything??Leonard
(AKA.. Night Angler)cops and lawyers play together
Cameron, that is classic. I would tell JS what I really do for a living but it might scare him off, ha. ::)
I see Neal quoted my “experts” statement, so for sake of clarification…I’ve learned more, tons more, from just “plain ole’ folk” on bulletin boards than I ever have from an alleged “expert”.
You know that “gotta have” attitude from the industry and their pawns, the “experts?” Ya gotta have a 9wt. to catch a bass, ya can’t land a 16″ trout on a 1wt., only a $750 rod will cast more than 60′, blah, blah, blah.Well, after spending thousands on tackle and tons of experimentation, I’ve learned something; “experts are full of s**t”
I started out 10 years ago with a $59.97 SA outfit from Dick’s. Actually, I was there for more 7 1/2″ Berkeley power worms in motoroil cause I was bustin’ ’em with that color that spring. My fishin’ buddy had been after me to try fly fishing for a couple of years and I had dismissed him as fly fishing was sissy fishin’…..
For that price, I took a shot at it and have never looked back. I’ve caught more fish of many different species in 10 years of fly than I did in almost 30 og spinnin’ and pluggin’!
After a few years of catching fish, I succumbed to the industry and started by upgraded tackle; St. Croix to start, then Orvis, then Sage, then T&T, and on and on….
I taught a friend to fly fish and gave him my SA outfit plus flies, my old vest, etc.
I have 3 fiberglass, 1 bamboo and 1 8wt graphite left to sell and I’m going to go back to basics…..shame I can’t talk Ken into giving me my SA outfit back!!!!!!!
So, there you have it…..
Regards,
JS, I totally agree with your comments. I quoted your earlier statement in affirmation.
As an example, I bought a new hip/chest pack this weekend and this makes my 4th purchase just to get the one I wanted in the first place. I got sidetracked on deals and sales pitches and ended up buying other things until I finally realized what it was I needed. Also, I believe that a guy kinda has to “go through the steps” so to speak in order to have confidence with his fishing gear (and flies to that matter). Confidence is really the key in anything, and once gained it doesn’t matter what another person says because at that point it’s all about your own experience. It is that “honeymoon” period where all the marketing is targeted. Companies try to get you to brand loyalty early and for the most part this is not a bad thing. In many ways, the latest-and-greatest are usually a step forward in technology but if that technology doesn’t help your own confidence then best to stick with what does and not feel left out.
However, I tend to have skepticism about internet advice other than this board.
Welcome aboard JS.
Sounds alot me. 30+ years spin fishing, got bored needed something new. Picked up fly fishing and now about 8 years later its all I do no matter where/what. Catch alot, alot fewer fish but enjoy it so much more.Unlike you I let the salesman talk me into Orvis everything (waders, reel, rod )..Bloody 5wt full flex hasn’t been casted in 3 years
Gear is gear, man. Gear does not make you a better fisherman, ever, period. At best, gear can be a crutch to help you overcome your own inadequacies. At worst, gear is the cause of your inadequacy!
Trust me, hours spent on the lawn practicing with a $30 Wal-Mart bubble pack will do more for your fishing than all the $750 rods in the world. I speak from experience.
Couldn’t agree more. This is something I wrote elsewhere a while back:
“This is still only my fourth season of fly-fishing, so I count myself just out of the novice stage, but still something less than fully proficient. I have bought one or two fairly nice [read: expensive] rods and can crack on with them OK.
However, I decided I would like to go after sea trout this year, so bought myself a cheap £99 rod, a Fulling Mill Gold something or other, 10ft 7 weight (apparently a re-badged TFO). It’s a cracker. Oddly, and perhaps sadly, I cast much better with this than some much more expensive kit.
Now I put this down to the fact that I don’t really care about “living up to the rod”. I’m sure the rod is good, but it is unlikely to be better (whatever that means, and however you judge it) than some of the more expensive kit I own.
In a slightly similar vein, my most successful fishing day last season came when I consciously thought at the start of the day, “Don’t try and do everything ‘right’–just relax and have some fun.” And I did.
I’ve found this with all sorts of things in life–cameras (you have to take the perfect picture, until you ding the camera; motorbikes–you don’t ride it hard enough while it’s still shiny; etc etc.)”
Just my 2p worth.
Jolyon
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