By Bob Jensen
Fishing Isn’t Always About Perfect Conditions or Perfect Plans
Through the years I’ve had the good luck to go fishing in lots of interesting places. Some of those experiences were more interesting than I like. Take the time I was in a walleye tournament on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. The tournament headquarters where we took off from was on the south end. The fish that I had found were on the north end. During the day the wind from the south picked up significantly. It was a very interesting ride back to the check-in. And not interesting in a good way. Memorable? Yes. Good? No.
Do You Really Need Specialized Fishing Gear?
I’ve also had the opportunity to use lots of different fishing products, from rods and reels to lures to boats to whatever else anglers use to get more fish to bite. This past year I didn’t go fishing as much as I have in previous years. When I did go fishing, I paid more attention to details than I have in previous seasons. I discovered something that I found interesting. Here’s what I discovered.
Just as a carpenter uses specific tools for specific tasks, some anglers have specific tools for specific tasks. An angler’s tools are rods, reels, sonar, lures, boats, and on and on. Some anglers are very particular about their equipment. They want/need to have the exact right rod, reel, and line for a specific technique. For instance, they have a rod/reel combo devoted to throwing quarter ounce spinnerbaits. In many situations, that’s maybe not necessary.
Using the “Wrong” Rod and Still Catching Fish
I remember a while back a friend and I were after walleyes. We were on a good walleye lake that was also a good smallmouth bass lake. The walleye weren’t interested in getting caught, so we switched to bass chasing. The bass were eating. We learned that they were most willing to eat a KVD Dream Shot on a drop shot rig. I had a really nice rod designed specifically for drop shotting, but since our initial plan was to fish for walleyes, I left that rod at home. So I tied a drop shot rig onto my walleye jigging rod. It wasn’t the best tool for drop shotting, but you know what? The bass didn’t care. They ate my baits as frequently as they ate my friend’s bait that was worked on a rod specifically designed for drop shotting. I landed almost as many fish as my boat partner even though I didn’t have exactly the right tool for the task. I caught some smallmouth and had a nice time. Having a nice time is why many of us go fishing.
Different Boats for Different Fishing Experiences
I’ve owned quite a few boats through the years. Some of those boats were basic jon boats, others were not-so-basic deep-vee boats. The basic boats enabled me to go places where I would not or could not take the larger boats. Shallow rivers and such. The deep-vee boats enabled me to explore rougher water and cover a larger area. Both have a place, and I have fond memories from both ends of the boat spectrum when it comes to fishing.
Fishing Enjoyment Matters More Than Equipment
I’ve re-discovered that fishing is a wonderful thing that almost anyone can enjoy. You don’t need to overthink things unless you want to. You can have fishing success without a bunch of expensive equipment, but if you enjoy fine-tuning your gear selections to specific techniques, go for it. My suggestion for maximum fishing enjoyment: Just go fishing. Take a family member or a friend or sometimes go by yourself. But just go fishing.
