Is enough ever enough?

[djtrout 0]

I gave thought to this by reading the thread on not being as good as I used to be. I remember my father, an avid trout stream fisherman, who had one favorite rod, and that for as long as I knew him. He was that way anyway, simplicity and loyal to his gear to a fault.

 

I realize that most of us are to one degree or another gearheads; I own two 8 wts, one 7 wt, one 5 wt, one 4 wt rod. yes, they do serve different purposes as I'm in a bass/trout/brookie/pike .... river/creek/lake environment. Sure, I can still be tempted by the latest landing net technology .... now comes Tenkara .... and etc.

 

I find I pass on all that, though, these days. I've made friends with my rods. When I consider how I might lighten up and spark up my look with a nice new reel, I always end up with "it's good enough, what I have, don't need anything else." I don't change flylines every month anymore experimenting. That's a remarkable statement from this guy who as a young man wanted to buy it all.

 

Is there, then, for you out there, a point you reached (or do you think there will be) where you are satisfied (can't adequately define what "satisfied" means though...); that you don't need the latest in rods and reels, you replace waders only when yours wear out, you wear one shirt until it becomes totally socially unacceptable, and then you tuck it in your pack to put on streamside.

 

For old gearheads like me, do any of you reach that point (it is more like nirvana than death, now ...)? I have, kind of nice, just thought I'd reach out and get some perspectives ...

 

Maybe you have one rod you built that has captured your heart and will never be replaced?

[FlaFly 0]

DJ.... you're a lot like me. I take a lot of thought and deliberation before I'll spring for a new toy. But in my case it's because I'm so cheap. :-) I still use my original flyrod and reel that I bought for $25 in 1959. Still have my first open-faced spinning reel (Pfleuger) that I bought in 1961. I don't wear things out or mistreat them, or throw them away. I have to admit I did finally buy my Old Town canoe that I wanted for years two years ago. Figured I'd waited long enough, and every year I waited, the price went up another hundred bucks.

[Gene L 0]

I am an impulse buyer. I haven't reached the point of saturation so far. But i should have a long time ago. I long for good deals and for fine fishing equipment. It's a weakness, I admit.

[Piker20 0]

I think everyone hits the point when their pocket now longer runs to their dreams. So for me I believe that good quality kit performs better and lasts longer over the long term but I've found in the world of fly fishing, especially salmon fly the prices can be ridiculous and you're not necessarily paying for better quality over a certain name. I find I'm much more deliberate with any purchases now and with a young family I find myself saying"my current stuff is fine" more and more.

[JSzymczyk 0]

when you have to pack up and move, you realize how much is enough.

[flytire 0]

going into retirement at the end of the month I have decided that I have enough or even too much to get me by.

 

I do have too many rods, reel and too many tying materials (I could stock a small fly shop)

 

some of my rods are still in the original rod tubes and have never seen time on the water

 

no use putting them up for sale in the trading floor as nobody want to buy them. so they just sit in the closet collecting dust. no kids to hand them down to

 

I can only use one rod/reel combo at a time

[mikechell 0]

I've never been attached to my "stuff". I've never named a vehicle. Didn't feel any remorse when I sold my Harley, it was just another motorcycle.

I am not a boater, and I don't wave at other boaters making waves on the water. I am an angler who uses a boat to get to my fishing spot.

My fishing equipment allows me to go fishing. I buy inexpensive rods and reels. They might not last for decades, but don't cause emotional distress when I have to replace it. I am not attracted to the "new and improved" oxymoron. I tie enough flies to support my next trip.

I have 6 fly rods, but each is tied up with a different type of fly so I don't have to retie each time I want to change. Just pick up another rod and throw a different presentation. But then, I am on my boat so I can have them all there at once. I don't know what I'd do if I was restricted to wading every trip.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

This is a timely question for me - I am, at this moment, in the preparation stage of the process of building a little wooden rack to hold all of my rod tubes (tired of all of them sliding to the floor when I pull the one I want from its inevitable place on the bottom of the stack that currently leans against a basement wall).

One of the questions I had to answer as I prepared to build was, Do I want this to simply hold the tubes (rods) I already own, or should I include some "empty" holes to accommodate future purchases/builds?

Up until last year, I would have told anyone that asked that I had all the fly rods I would ever need (and then some), that I had built all but two of the ten of them up from blanks myself, and that I liked them all well enough that I saw no need to replace them unless they broke or were stolen.

Then I bought my first Sage.

Now I still like all my old rods a lot, and they all still work really well, but I really, really, REALLY like that Sage. A lot. Enough that the acquisitive part of me (aka my inner child) is thinking that if one Sage is nice, more must be better...

So far I've resisted. Time will tell.

Do I have enough rods? Of course I do, far more than enough, especially when the items in question ALL (even the Sage) amount to toys in the final analysis.

But do I have "enough"? That's a different quesion.

[Warren_G 0]

I never seem to have enough. I am a fly fisherman and tier, but also into spinning, baitcasting, trolling, downrigging, and ultralight tackle, so I have many rods and reels around the house. It is the same with tackle, I will never run out based on what I already have, but I still look at the shiny new hooks and rigs every time I am at Cabelas. I have often said that I could lose a hook on every cast for the rest of my life and never run out. At this point, the sport has deeply hooked me, and shopping for the newest piece of tackle is almost as much fun as being on the water.

[Bugsy 0]

Some of us are happy with little or less. Some of us are only happy with much more. Some of us will never be happy with what we have.

 

Nothing wrong if you enjoy your current gear but would like to acquire another setup. If you're happy with exactly what you own and desire nothing more, more power to you; some would say you're closer to happiness.

 

Ever hear of "n + 1 = x" where n represent the quantity of ____ you currently own, and x is the total quantity you want?

[FlaFly 0]

n + ∞ = x is more like it.

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

I've never really felt like I've had to have the latest rod or reel or gadget. I've accumulated many rods by now and 'stuff'. I don't 'need' more stuff but sometimes I want more.

 

It's only a problem if I/we think its a problem.

[FlaFly 0]

It's not so much about need as it is want. I like to collect old things like lures and reels, and display them on shelves, etc. Old rods aren't that useful... about all you can do is stand them up in an umbrella stand.

 

Bryon... do you have a plan for your rod holder? I've got one if you're interested. PM me.

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

(trying to NOT hi-jack the thread but...) I need to build one in a corner space.. Rod tube holder thingy...

[RickZieger 0]

I have enough rods to outfit the Disciples and go with them.

Have not bought a rod or eel in the past 10 years.

Also trying to use up all the materials I have now.

 

Rick