Food for throught.

[dalesman]

Sat in the pub the other night, there was old chap in late 80's who has fished man and lad on the local rivers and becks since the 1940's. When he piped up on hearing a couple off lads commenting on the need for a shorter rod to fish still waters/commercials as there match rods where to long.

Saying you youngs (30's) are just following a trend put about by tackle companys to get at your hard earned and finishing saying "got qty fibre glass rods and I can fish float on river, pond and ledger with the one rod and theres nowt wrong with them and I still catch big fish"

 

[sam vimes]

Sat in the pub the other night, there was old chap in late 80's who has fished man and lad on the local rivers and becks since the 1940's. When he piped up on hearing a couple off lads commenting on the need for a shorter rod to fish still waters/commercials as there match rods where to long.

Saying you youngs (30's) are just following a trend put about by tackle companys to get at your hard earned and finishing saying "got qty fibre glass rods and I can fish float on river, pond and ledger with the one rod and theres nowt wrong with them and I still catch big fish"

There's no doubt that he's right that the tackle companies deliberately try to convince us that we need a different rod for as many specific jobs as is possible. I've no doubt that he does catch big fish on his single multi-use rod. However, I'll bet that I could find perfectly legitimate, and not all that extreme, fishing methods that will be beyond his single rod or even destroy it in short order. He has half a point, but no more.

 

[dalesman]

Sam at 88years of age, he only fishes for fun and fishes the swale and bedale beck nearly every day and keeps him active, but you should have seen the faces when he chirped up

 

[audi]

Can't understand the guys who don't fish for fun; even those who fish competitively. Sometimes I think they miss the point of angling and get caught up in taking themselves and their preferred methods and species far too seriously; most of them you can guarantee will have an opinion on every thing that anyone dares to voice on this and any other forum. There's plenty of your "old guys" up this way who have a laugh at modern methods and gear; God knows I'm one of the worlds worst for new tackle; but who quietly and consistently catch fish without craving recognition from their peers. Surely the essence of what we do is to be out, in all weathers, in touch with nature and seeking to outwit those little creatures who live in a different element to ours. :w

 

[no-one in particular]

I have some empathy with the old guys, as I am getting there myself. I have gone through the whole gamut of rods, tackle etc over the years. ten tons of it at times. I don't bother now. I good general float rod, and a few floats does me and its all cheap and cheerful.. The only thing a did recently was get a 13ft rod, second hand mind you for a couple of quid and a bit of doing up so, I could fish a few stretches beyond the vegetation and I do own a carp rod for a fiver at a boot sale which I pull out occasionally . I don't even bother with elaborate shotting any more either. A shot near the bottom and a shot half way up even for carp! Pretty poor really I know but, I am happy. saves on the head aches, the pocket and the arms. Less fish, probably but, the previous comments make up for it!

I wouldn't advise any youngster to be the same though as part of the fun is exploring all the avenues but, I bet some will come to the same conclusion later in life.