Line Snobs

I was just reading a couple of fishing magazines I picked up in the
supermarket earlier today. One thing I noticed was a bit of a pro attitude
that I just can't see a weekend angler being able to go with.

One is line strength. Most of the pros listed said things, like, "the
amateurs I fish with use 12-14lb line and think they are fishing with heavy
lines when I am am using 25-40lb line." I can see why a pro would want to
use heavier line after he has had some really nice fish break off. What I
fail to see is why they can't see why most of us amateurs like to use
lighter line. Its simple. We don't fish 3-5 days a week, and if we ever did
it was during our week of vacation last summer. We get more hits on lighter
line. With the skills we have we get more hits. Aybody remember a pro ever
saying anything about confidence? Nah. I have more confidence in gettign a
hot onlighter line.

Another thing I noticed was that a lot of the pros change line on a daily
basis. If they used a rig they put new line on it before going out with it
again. Cool. That makes sense if Yo-Zuri or Berkely or Power-Pro is your
sponsor and giving you free line or even at a substantial discount. It also
makes sense if that is what you are doing for a living, and your off the
water time is also being dedicated to earning a living from recreational
sport fishing. For an amateur angler its is tough. Relatively speaking its
not that big of an expense, but think about it. Most of us semi serious
amateurs have 30 or 40 rods that get regular use. Some a lot more. When I
go out in my own boat I usually have about 15 - 20 rods in the boat. If I
am taking out friends, family, a visiting tackle rep, or the owner of a cool
local tackle shop every rod in my boat will see some use. That can add up.
Now I go out an prefish a tournament. Then I fsih the tournament. Then
next week I stop by the canal bank on the way home to convince myself I can
still catcha fish since I blanked the tounament, or to revel in my own
personl glory becasue I won it. Thats a lot of line to change.

I remember when I was a kid. I had a Zebco 606 on a buggy whip fiberglass
pole. I had it spooled with 14lb mono. I caught 10" trout, 4-6" bream, and
5lb channel cats on that rod. If I was lucky that line got changed once a
year. If I got a snarl in my line, no matter how bad, I sat down and
carefully unsnarled it. Did I break off a lot fo fish. No. I did not.
Admittedly I didn't catcha lot of fish compared to what I can catch today,
but I didn't break them off. In fact the first decent fish I remember
breaking off was a catfish in the vVermillion River when I was 15. Guess
what broke? It was the snelled leader on the hook. You know what the next
decent fish I had break off on me was? It was a big striper off the cliff
face outside of Oak Canyon on Lake Powell. You know what broke? It was the
hook. I was using cheap 17lb line by then, but it wasn't the line that
gave.

Now I understand that going after largemouth bass in heavier cover or over
rock piles subjects a line to a lot more abuse than open water striper
fishing or floating a minnow under a bobber, but think about it. That
generic 10 or 12lb mono I had spooled on my spincaster took more than ten
times that much abuse after a year and a half. If from nothing other than
siting in a storage shed in the Arizona desert soaking up heat and solar
radiation and breaking down.

Now to be honest. I can pretty much afford whatever I really want. Maybe
not every thing I want, but those things I am willing to work for I can get.
Its still hard to break to the idea of throwing away a hundred dollars
worth of line every time I go fishing.

--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
Promote Your Fishing Website FOR FREE

i am with you on this one. i have guided steady until last year and spooled
up new maxima only when the reels ran low enough to justify it. that was
mostly due to spoons snagging and having to be broke off, clients casting
into log jams from 60 yds away and wondering why crankbaits don't run though
the timber like on tv, and other various snags and hangups. very seldom
would i ever have to change line due to it wearing out, and that includes
the hybrid guiding i did using live shad and 10 pound test line.

the real reason pros and magazines stress respooling is to sell line. i
know guys so cheap they flip the line after a full year and fish the other
end of it another year. i don't go that far, but i sure don't change line
after every trip and never will.

this year for the first time i plan on hitting a few local tournaments, and
i still am not going to change line every week.

crownliner
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
.. .
I was just reading a couple of fishing magazines I picked up in the
supermarket earlier today. One thing I noticed was a bit of a pro
attitude
that I just can't see a weekend angler being able to go with.

One is line strength. Most of the pros listed said things, like, "the
amateurs I fish with use 12-14lb line and think they are fishing with
heavy
lines when I am am using 25-40lb line." I can see why a pro would want to
use heavier line after he has had some really nice fish break off. What I
fail to see is why they can't see why most of us amateurs like to use
lighter line. Its simple. We don't fish 3-5 days a week, and if we ever
did
it was during our week of vacation last summer. We get more hits on
lighter
line. With the skills we have we get more hits. Aybody remember a pro
ever
saying anything about confidence? Nah. I have more confidence in gettign
a
hot onlighter line.

Another thing I noticed was that a lot of the pros change line on a daily
basis. If they used a rig they put new line on it before going out with
it
again. Cool. That makes sense if Yo-Zuri or Berkely or Power-Pro is your
sponsor and giving you free line or even at a substantial discount. It
also
makes sense if that is what you are doing for a living, and your off the
water time is also being dedicated to earning a living from recreational
sport fishing. For an amateur angler its is tough. Relatively speaking
its
not that big of an expense, but think about it. Most of us semi serious
amateurs have 30 or 40 rods that get regular use. Some a lot more. When
I
go out in my own boat I usually have about 15 - 20 rods in the boat. If I
am taking out friends, family, a visiting tackle rep, or the owner of a
cool
local tackle shop every rod in my boat will see some use. That can add
up.
Now I go out an prefish a tournament. Then I fsih the tournament. Then
next week I stop by the canal bank on the way home to convince myself I
can
still catcha fish since I blanked the tounament, or to revel in my own
personl glory becasue I won it. Thats a lot of line to change.

I remember when I was a kid. I had a Zebco 606 on a buggy whip fiberglass
pole. I had it spooled with 14lb mono. I caught 10" trout, 4-6" bream,
and
5lb channel cats on that rod. If I was lucky that line got changed once a
year. If I got a snarl in my line, no matter how bad, I sat down and
carefully unsnarled it. Did I break off a lot fo fish. No. I did not.
Admittedly I didn't catcha lot of fish compared to what I can catch
today,
but I didn't break them off. In fact the first decent fish I remember
breaking off was a catfish in the vVermillion River when I was 15. Guess
what broke? It was the snelled leader on the hook. You know what the
next
decent fish I had break off on me was? It was a big striper off the cliff
face outside of Oak Canyon on Lake Powell. You know what broke? It was
the
hook. I was using cheap 17lb line by then, but it wasn't the line that
gave.

Now I understand that going after largemouth bass in heavier cover or over
rock piles subjects a line to a lot more abuse than open water striper
fishing or floating a minnow under a bobber, but think about it. That
generic 10 or 12lb mono I had spooled on my spincaster took more than ten
times that much abuse after a year and a half. If from nothing other than
siting in a storage shed in the Arizona desert soaking up heat and solar
radiation and breaking down.

Now to be honest. I can pretty much afford whatever I really want. Maybe
not every thing I want, but those things I am willing to work for I can
get.
Its still hard to break to the idea of throwing away a hundred dollars
worth of line every time I go fishing.

--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
Promote Your Fishing Website FOR FREE

Most of us semi serious amateurs have 30 or 40 rods that get regular
use. Some a lot more

Wow...I had no idea LoL

I wonder where he got the 30-40 number from?..I must have 25 but I need
therapy...
I wonder where he gets the $100 to change line? Maybe he got started
early for New Years Evegrin





I fish therefore I lie

I believe we all choose our equiptment based on our goals and
expectations. We often do that through trial and error, until we find
what suits our needs at the time. A pro would certainly do things
different than someone that is just recreational fishing. One fish might
mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to the top pros, to me it would
matter not. (or very little g)
If someone was furnishing me all my equiptment, I would probably make
sure I was as ready as I could possibly be to ply my trade if I were a
pro. Lose a fish because of technique...but never because of equiptment
would be my thoughts as a pro. So I would change line like changing my
socks if it meant "being sure"!
I don't fish competively now, and I don't change line unless I feel it
is prudent to do so...I do inspect the line often though. I still don't
wnat to lose a fish because of equiptment, but I don't get overly
prepared....now it is the fishing that is the goal for me, not the
"stage".
JK

"AJH" wrote in message
...
I wonder where he got the 30-40 number from?..I must have 25 but I need
therapy...

I gave away a bunch of rods this year to friends and family or I would have
more. I'm also not counting those rods that belong to wife and kids. As to
the number of rods, I'm just comparing to the number of rods my cronies in
Yuma Bassmasters or Desert Bass own.

I wonder where he gets the $100 to change line?

Do the math. Quality line on thirty rods. I quit doing the backing thing
except on pitching and flipping rods, because I always estimat wrong and
wind up casting past my knot. To be honest I only change line on 8 - 10
rods at a time.

Maybe he got started
early for New Years Evegrin


I remember those days. I don't play on amateur night anymore.


--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
Promote Your Fishing Website FOR FREE

www.DiyComponents.com
Buy professional quality components for
DIY Projects

You go thru different stages with fishing rods, reel lures ect, spend
big bucks until you realize you don't need or can't use all that much
stuff, then you down size to 6-7 rods 7-8 types of lures ( the perfect
lure hasn't been made yet) read less bass fishing magazines and just go
fishing..I am at the point where I take 3 rods on a trip. one with a duo
lock snap for cranks, spinnerbaits and topwater . one T rigged for
worms and tubes and a jig and pig rod. I can make adjustments in the
boat if necessary. I may change line 3-4 times a season. I fish for fun,
the pressure of fishing a T is not for me,,but we all must do our own
thing..JMO





I fish therefore I lie

the real reason pros and magazines stress respooling is to sell line.

You're partly right and partly wrong.

Yeah, pros want their sponsor's line to get sold. Magazines want their
advertisers to sell line.

Pros on the other hand, MUST get every bite in the boat they can. They CANNOT
afford ot lose a fish. One lost fish could cost 10's of thousands of dollars
and a trip to a championship or to another circuit. They usually do not pay
for line or pay full price, so they can afford to change line every day. Why
lose fish to bad line when there is no reason not to?

I'm far from a pro. I have 14 rods I use all the time. I fish one or two club
tourneys each month during our season. I respool rods before each and every
tourney, but not in between. I use three sizes of line, 6 on spinning, 10 for
cranks/topwaters and 15 on everything else. I buy a small bulk spool of 6 and
a large bulk spool of 10 and 15 each year. I spend about $65.00 a year on
line. Not a bank breaker by any means.

Brad

Bob, they were probably talking about flipping heavy cover, which usually is
with heavy baits and in this application, line size means squat IMO as far as
bait action.

Now as far as their amateurs, those amateuers are fishing with them in a
tourney, otherwise why would they be in a boat with a pro. Those amateurs are
competing as well, not for the same big money, but for money or a boat
nonetheless. I do not want to be the am in 6th place at the end of the day,
4lbs out of first and a new boat, who lost a big fish because of wimpy line.

I think most of the comments made by the pros are just what you said in many
parts of your post Bob, they are talking tourney fishing, not fun fishing and I
do not think they are being line "snobs". There is no reason to make your line
a potential handicap when tourney fishing. I have learned this from experience
and I bet there are few others around here who have as well.

Brad

I know how to tie knots and use a tackle box. IOW, poor boy.

"J Buck" wrote in message
...
Most of us semi serious amateurs have 30 or 40 rods that get regular
use. Some a lot more

Wow...I had no idea LoL