The "Better Gear" Conversation
It starts innocent enough with a phone call, text, email and sometimes even on the water. Someone will begin a conversation about better gear and the conversation always goes to the same place where every single one of the initiators of the conversation gets it all wrong! Also, interesting enough, I'm never really asked my opinion but told my own opinion along with the opinion of the person telling me. In this blog I'll share a typical conversation and let's see if you can spot where it goes wrong.
Friend: Hey AWB, do you really believe more expensive gear is better
Me: Not necessarily more expensive.. bett...
Friend interrupting: But I'm very good and I know tons of people that are great anglers and they don't have expensive gear
Me: Not expensive, bett...
Friend interrupting: IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU A BETTER ANGLER
Me: If you're not a good angler it's not going to make you a better angler. But if you're a good angler it will....
Friend interrupting: IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU A BETTER ANGLER
Okay, so you see how the conversation is going, this one's a bit abbreviated but you get the gist. They ALWAYS go this way.
My goal here is to explain to you the better gear conversation BEFORE I get rebutted and hopefully my message gets across. I have not and have NEVER told anyone to buy more expensive gear. I am however, a strong advocate for better gear. If I recommend a specific rod or reel it's because I was asked for a specific recommendation. I have never teased anyone about their gear (Kev-O and Frigid-I-Hole are exemptions from this) Yes, I am very biased towards certain brands. However, when I give advice I ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS tell a person to go and handle rods and reels in person. If you don't like the way it feels at the store you won't like it when fishing. Which means you're not going to use it. If it's 10 cents or 10,000 dollars, you have now spent too much. The opposite is also true. If you love it, and it's 10 cents or 10,000 dollars, you have now spent just right.
If you look at fishing gear like tools, no matter what kind of tools the difference becomes clear. I work in Information Technology, therefore a computer built for the average home user will NOT work for me. With tools, applications and the scripts I use, a normal PC will not be able to do the job. Ask a good mechanic about tools and ask to see theirs. I promise their tools will not be from bargain basement stores. I've known mechanics that you could put a wrench in their hand and they can tell you the brand without even seeing it. Ask a landscaper if they can do their job with a Miata. Ever see a landscaper without a truck? Again, this comes down to tools. Your rods and reels are no different, they are tools for fishing and better tools will improve your angling. If you're new to fishing you won't notice a difference. It's like anything else, you don't know the difference in quality until you use the generic first. Just ask The Boss about knives. When we met, she didn't understand the difference a good sharp knife could make. She now has more knives than I do fishing gear.
Better gear does not necessarily mean more expensive. There are lots of great products out there which are not out of reach of the average angler. Here are 2 quick stories about better gear, the first is a person I had this conversation with and he still uses the NOT better angler argument, the 2nd is something I witnessed and better gear would improve an already great angler's game.
Person number one has gone through this conversation with me not only via text, but email and in person. lol In between these conversations he has purchased a fairly high end rod with a great reel. As far as I can tell when we speak this is his favorite combination to take where he goes for whatever he fishes for. Yet he sticks to the argument. Here is what I think about this. He is taking this combo not because it cost more, but it is the most comfortable in his hands. It provides better hook up ratios due to increased sensitivity and faster line retrieval. He likes the reel so much, he bought one for his wife. So to reiterate my point.. it's not about expense or that you're suddenly going to be a great fisherman, it's about a better quality tool.
Person number two I met at a lake shortly after my surgery so I couldn't fish but I could hang out and keep them company. He was using a tube jig and he was bouncing it pretty good so there would frequently be slack in his line. Fish tend to hit tubes on the drop! I witnessed him get a few bites and miss them. Remember what I said about tools? This is where the right tool for the job would have increased his hookup ratio. My friend was using a moderate action rod and if he were using a fast or extra fast action rod, he would have had more success. The reason is the parabolic bend in the rod. Moderate action bends more from the middle and has more give so it is much slower at setting the hook. Whereas a fast action rod bends closer to the tip and will take up line much more quickly. For you boat guys, setting the hook jigging from directly beneath your boat is nothing like setting the hook on a long cast from shore.
To bring this home, it IS NOT about spending more money. It is about having a better tool to do the task. Also, please spare me the story about the guy you saw on the river with his very expensive Sage or Orvis rod and super expensive waders and how they couldn't catch a fish while you were slaying them. It only proves my point, better gear will not make you a better fisherman but if you're already a good fisherman, it will help improve your success. If you're happy with what you have, PERFECT! If you want to improve your angling experience, better gear will make a difference.
Coyute, I know, I know, I'm a gear pimp. That I may not be able to dispute.