Fisherman Upgrade: Reflection from my Truman Lake Crappie Fishing trip.
April 2nd, 2008 | by Diesel FueledI have always believed that a true fisherman doesn’t need the extras to lure in quality fish. The real fisherman relies on instincts and technique and a general feel for the fish. Give me a wal-mart rod / reel combo, dirt cheap line, and any size hook and I will catch as much as the next guy. You know this might be true. You might be that good or lucky. You could have a good day and everything work out for you while these gear heads and decked out in their Bass Pro 100mph Gore-Tex® Rain Gear sporting their quality Pflueger reels on a nice St. Croix or Sams ultra light rod with top of the line high visibility line are not necessarily slaying you. Their jig kits sporting 300 color combinations, hook and weights sorted by size and weight, freshly oiled and cleaned reels, and polarized glasses will soon have them sitting right next to Lou Mansfield filming the next crappie video right? In the end it lies in the fisherman.
So why buy the quality stuff? Why put in all the time to sort and categorize all of your gear in your “crappie purse”? When it all comes down to it is just a line with a hook right?
Well the obvious answer is it is a hobby. We all know that. It’s something to collect.
The other answer is what I have realized this last weekend. By having everything prepared, organized and in good quality condition you eliminate many intangibles that create frustration and take away from good fishing time and relaxation. While I spent a big chunk of time wrestling with my equipment and looking for tackle, those “gear heads” spent more time in the water going after the king slab. I want to point out some situations I ran into that point this out.
Purchase quality gloves for windy and cold temperatures: While my friends are sporting their new waterproof / windproof gloves I am showcasing gardener gloves trying not to lose a finger to frostbite as we cruise the lake in 20 degree wind chill conditions. Once I had feeling back I was 20 minutes behind on the chase for the whopper slab.
Have quality rain gear: How many times do you go out and buy that $10 rain coat thinking you will never need it? Chances are you have done this 4 or 5 times at least over the years. Why not spend the money to purchase a quality set that will last you multiple years? You spend less time messing with being dry and more time fishing.
Do inventory check on equipment prior to the night before: Of course the marina has some things. Yes you can mooch off you friends as long as they aren’t “fresh out”. Well I had more costs buying things I was missing and spent fishing time searching for things I had, but were not easily found. How much time did I spent digging through unopened packages and unorganized fishing gear?
Reels really are important: The better reel and line the less times you will spend messing with tangles and issues with casting. Having a shady reel made it tough to cast accurately hanging me up in trees more and losing fishing time. Not to mention all of the tangles from using dirt cheap line.
There are many others. You may not see me looking like a Bass Pro or Cabela’s spokesman like Gill Slayer, but I am definitely sold on the idea that you get what you pay for and it is time to upgrade this fisherman!
3 Responses to “Fisherman Upgrade: Reflection from my Truman Lake Crappie Fishing trip.”
By Gill Slayer on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
I hear ya DF, I hate being frustrated with faulty gear that cuts down on my time in the water where my line NEEDS to be. Two things that have helped me over the years to be better prepared for fishing trips are:
The older I get the “smarter” I get on what I bring on my trips. I only bring with me the stuff that I plan on using and I bring a variety of it. For example, if I know that I’m going to fish with tube jigs, bring 10 different body color, jig-head color and size combinations. That way no matter what the locals say they are bitin’ on, you’ll have something close to it. I use to bring my entire tackle box with me that included bass tackle, catfish tackle, etc…even though I didn’t plan on fishing for those species…DUMB! I use to bring different spools of line with me out on the water…DUMB! Bring one (small) spool of line out with you in case of emergencies. (or if your buddy forgot to tie on new line on one of his reels, ha!) By doing this, as proven in this last trip, fishing was much more enjoyable & less cluttered!
One of the other things I started last year that is a HUGE help with me preparing for my trips is an electronic checklist of all the “typical” gear I take on fishing trips. I use a program called ListPro and store the checklist on my phone (Treo 700wx) along with many of my other frequently used checklists. (grocery list, Bass Pro list, etc) Trust me, there are things on my list that I would have completely forgotten about if it wasn’t for this list. Little things like cricket cages, Chapstick, pillow, etc…are just a few things I tend to forget unless it’s on my checklist.
Hope this helps!
By Slab Master on Apr 13, 2008 | Reply
Funny, you’re talking about why the big and small fish outfitters are in business. All that stuff we buy prior to every fishing trip, first to catch more fish, second to be more comfortable while doing it.
There is a reason we have to have that big tackle box with all those different lures, colors, niblets, scents, spinners, and everything else we got sold on while on that pre-fishing trip shop. We have to have that supply when we don’t catch any fish. If the first 19 cent tube jig starts catching fish we don’t look at that tackle box again unless it wears out or gets snagged. If we’re not catching fish we try every color we have and then we lay out our supply of $5 lures to try to determine what will do the trick. The real desperation comes later when we start looking at that three inch treble hook someone gave us as a joke or that big turd with hooks.
As far as the other stuff like gloves, rain gear, jackets. Who really notices how cold it is while the fish are hopping in the boat.
By Lead Jig on Apr 13, 2008 | Reply
Big turd with hooks. For the fisherman who has everything.