It's easy to get caught up in the gear race these days.... on an average trip to the river you can expect to see $30,000 jet sleds, $8,000 drift boats, $300 rods, $200 reels, and thousands of dollars worth of anchors, anchor systems, downriggers, flashers, dodgers, divers, plugs, jigs, floats, hooks, waders, wading boots, tackle boxes, wading staffs, fishing vests, leader holders, fillet knives, corkies, spinners, spoons, spin n glows, bait, landing nets, stringers, coolers, sinkers, pencil lead, swivels...... you get the idea.... this beloved hobby/sport/passion/lifestyle can be VERY expensive.
I was thinking about that the other day.... the amount of money people spend on gear.... the amount of people that think they have to have the top of the line gear to catch fish. Now, don't get me wrong... I'm a firm believer in having quality gear... there's nothing worse then having a hook break because you bought a cheap jig, or ruining a fillet because your knife isn't sharp enough. I also feel that having certain items can definitely increase your chances of catching fish. For instance... if you have a boat you can definitely cover more water, which then will increase your chances of catching fish. If you have a dedicated rod designed for float fishing, a dedicated rod designed for pulling plugs, a dedicated rod for drift fishing, etc..... it will definitely give you a better chance of catching fish because you can focus on different techniques depending on water conditions and what method is working that particular day. If you have a nice net it will increase your chances of landing fish since it's generally more effective then trying to tail a fish or beach a fish, but one thing that I think all of these items have in common is they are LUXURY items and are not a NECESSITY to catch a Salmon or Steelhead.
I feel that nowadays we all get caught up in keeping up with the Jones' and if you're anything like me, you sometimes find yourself buying gear that you could probably live without. The fact of the matter is.... you don't have to have a $30,000 jet sled to catch a fish. Most of us caught our first Salmon on some really cheap gear or hand me downs from our Dads and Grandpas. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have stood in a freezing cold river in shorts or soaking wet blue jeans because I didn't own any waders yet. Most of us didn't start with expensive gear, didn't have boats in the beginning, and I'm sure have had to jerry rig non fishing items into tackle (nuts and bolts used for sinkers, etc.) at one point in time or another.
I decided to write this blog about getting back to our roots... so that we take the time to remember where we came from. I want to hear the story of your first Salmon/Steelhead. Where did you catch the fish, what method did you use, what kind of gear did you use to hook and land the fish? Share your story! I'll be posting the story of my first Salmon soon.
I was thinking about that the other day.... the amount of money people spend on gear.... the amount of people that think they have to have the top of the line gear to catch fish. Now, don't get me wrong... I'm a firm believer in having quality gear... there's nothing worse then having a hook break because you bought a cheap jig, or ruining a fillet because your knife isn't sharp enough. I also feel that having certain items can definitely increase your chances of catching fish. For instance... if you have a boat you can definitely cover more water, which then will increase your chances of catching fish. If you have a dedicated rod designed for float fishing, a dedicated rod designed for pulling plugs, a dedicated rod for drift fishing, etc..... it will definitely give you a better chance of catching fish because you can focus on different techniques depending on water conditions and what method is working that particular day. If you have a nice net it will increase your chances of landing fish since it's generally more effective then trying to tail a fish or beach a fish, but one thing that I think all of these items have in common is they are LUXURY items and are not a NECESSITY to catch a Salmon or Steelhead.
I feel that nowadays we all get caught up in keeping up with the Jones' and if you're anything like me, you sometimes find yourself buying gear that you could probably live without. The fact of the matter is.... you don't have to have a $30,000 jet sled to catch a fish. Most of us caught our first Salmon on some really cheap gear or hand me downs from our Dads and Grandpas. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have stood in a freezing cold river in shorts or soaking wet blue jeans because I didn't own any waders yet. Most of us didn't start with expensive gear, didn't have boats in the beginning, and I'm sure have had to jerry rig non fishing items into tackle (nuts and bolts used for sinkers, etc.) at one point in time or another.
I decided to write this blog about getting back to our roots... so that we take the time to remember where we came from. I want to hear the story of your first Salmon/Steelhead. Where did you catch the fish, what method did you use, what kind of gear did you use to hook and land the fish? Share your story! I'll be posting the story of my first Salmon soon.
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