Quote Originally Posted by CRStriper View Post
.I truly believe newbies need to earn and really put in the work before the older guys give up all of the secerts of fishing they have worked to learn themselves through the years of fishing......in other words, newbies and people wanting to learn have to "pay their dues" before given the right to have the knowledge of the best places, best times, best bait, etc......why should anyone help me if they don't see I share the same passion for the sport as they do and don't want to put in the effort........




I singled out this passage as well because I thought if that's what you really believe, there will be no obstacles to you becoming a better fisherman, other than having enough time to put into it and learn the little nuances that help guys to catch consistently...

You're right, more people from your generation need to have this awareness...but they don't....too many people want everything handed to them on the internet. I lost count of how many times I tried to steer guys in the right direction, and they would have been successful if they only put that extra effort into it...but it was too much for them.

I was catching bass on bait since I was 12, but lost a lot of Salt fishing time because in my 20's I was single and the pursuit of land tuna seemed more valuable to me.

When I finally got back into it and decided to learn artificials, it took me 2 years to catch a keeper bass on them...plenty of bluefish and small bass, but I struggled to catch that keeper bass, one that didn't come from a bunker blitz....and let me tell ya's, it was hard, frustrating, and embarassing, that I couldn't catch a keeper, and others were...it almost made ya want to give up...but I didn't....and I succeeded...







To learn more, I tried to meet surfcasters I admired... and to learn from them. I managed to do that, but the advice they gave me was in bits and pieces...for example....."you need to learn to fish the rocks, and what time to be on what pile....and learn to move with the tide"..... based on that very general advice, and some other great mentors I had who gave me equally generic advice (some of whom you may be lucky enough to meet here)

I owe a debt of gratitude to all those who helped me along the way. I try never to forget that, and that's one of the reasons I try to help a new guy...but for me to help him, he has to bring hunger to succeed, motivation, and perseverance to the table or I quickly decide it's a waste of time....

..., I learned here and there....my biggest learning experiences were my failures, skunks, nights of plugging for hours, and not even a tap.....teaching me the value of planning a trip around the most "active" water....you'll hear me talk about "dead water" a lot here...even the most productive spots have times when they are absolutely dead, and times when they are alive with action.....

And you won't learn that from posts on the internet...you have to go out and experience it yourself, see, feel, touch., and learn from being there...and seeing what works, and doesn't work...and keeping a good log so you can begin to plan your trips each year according to the bait and fish migration......



Welcome again CR, and I see you are already on a great path,,,,feel free to PM or call if you need a few words of advice....