Question: why is it that some anglers look down on pan fishermen

[SenkoSam]

On another forum, a few clowns made fun of the fact that I catch bunches of fish using mostly small soft plastics on light jig heads. They target large bass, pike, walleye and other large species going over 5 lbs. in tournaments. My thing catching fish regardless of size, is the challenge we all share and in my case catching fish on lures I make or modify (many illustrated on ub.com) is thrilling.

I did the tournament thing going after bass for 6 years, but got tired of it and the money wasted. Even sold the bass boat.

They claim that only large lures catch big fish, which I've disproven time and again: a 15 lb. carp, 7.5 lb catfish, bass close to 5 lbs, a 4 lb white sucker, and pickerel longer than my arm. Other than that, light tackle and braid are a big challenge when fighting big fish of any species.

Where do they get off?!

[coldfront]

haters gotta hate sam.  not sure it's any more complex than that.

usually, it stems from some deep seated insecurity.

but you've hit on one of the key factors of why I fish and why I don't often enter into competitions.
1.  for the fun of it and
2.  competitive aspects that 'make it fun' for some, suck the fun out of it for me.  it's a personal choice.

do I keep tabs on personal bests?  you bet I do... am I always looking for 'that next big fish'?  of course.
I make sure it doesn't detract from the enjoyment, respect I get/give to any fish willing to 'climb on board'.  probably a bunch of folks who wonder why I'd post up photos of some of those 12" bass I catch...





probably puts me in a minority.  but there i am. happily chugging away at a 'blistering' 43mph in my tiny tin boat.

[SenkoSam]

Like so many in the days of Jimmie Houston, KVD, Roland Martin and other ceIebrity bass anglers, I too was bitten by the B.A.S.S. bug and followed the southern pro's on TV every Sat. influenced by the advertising of crap still stored unopened in my basement.

The thing that bothered me most on that forum was their distraction away from my posts about lurecraft and lure modification that many appreciated. Sharing what I've discovered and learned, to me, is as important as the sport itself. Their thing is bragging; mine is opening up the universe of possibilities other anglers may find helpful and interesting regardless the fish they target or the waters they fish.

Denying the fact the small lures are capable of catching big fish shows their ignorance, closed-mindedness and a limited imagination. In fact, rather than push tackle or products, my thing is to exhibit whatever helps me catch fish of any species or size using light tackle vs the 7' heavy action rods and 30 lb test mono of days past.

These fish (channel catfish, carp, bass and white sucker) put up just as much fight as any large bass and I was proud of the fact they didn't break my 8 lb test line or 6' 6"med. action pole!

[J.W.]

It was probably just like you said, a few clowns. I've never really seen anyone look down on other types of anglers personally. I know for a fact bass anglers, myself included, get a little irritated with the white perch guys that fish in the boat roads during bass tournaments (yes, I still slow down for them    )
Other than that minor irritation, I guess I haven't seen anything like what you mention.

Honestly I get more irritated with the drunk party boaters with the loud music and obnoxious constant wakes than any type of angler. But then again, I also like to catch bream and cats when I'm not bass fishing.

[Smallie_Stalker]

I agree with you Frank. I did the tournament thing for a LONG time and I enjoyed it (and still would if health and financial conditions permitted) but I also enjoy fishing for crappie, gills, perch and whatever else may bite.

Yes, regardless of species I am always trying to catch "the biggest I've caught so far" but I do it while having fun. There is still a challenge involved but you can make a challenge fun and enjoy it.

When I had a vehicle I always had a "panfish" pole and tackle bag with me. I've caught  panfish on bass lures/gear and bass on panfish lures/gear. In fact my personal best largemouth (8.27 lbs.) was caught on a 3 inch straight tail worm and 6 pound line.

I also have to tell you the some of the greatest amount of joy I ever got out being an angler was the years I worked with MASSWILDLIFE teaching young kids and sometimes adults the basics of catching fish.

Whether we were taking them out with  simple equipment like a bobber and a worm or the more advanced classes with artificials the huge smiles on their faces when they caught a fish of any size or species was the best part.

Most of us start out as kids fishing for whatever will bite and having fun while we do it. I believe we need to get that youthful enthusiasm back into our adult fishing lives.

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[big g]

Different strokes for different folks.  Just do what you love and don't worry about what others think!  The important thing is to have fun!

[D.W. Verts]

Bass fishing as a sport is full of ego. And while bass are my favorite fish, and always will be, I love ALL fishin'. Catching carp on light tackle using corn for bait will make anybody happy. And bream on my flyrod? Pure bliss.

Dale

[bassjiggin1955]

Ego's get in the way of bass fisherman now days it's all about catching a DD bass and there water. It the same In any sport.

[Oldfart9999]

They just don't know any better, terrible upbringing. I think many won't admit to have an outfit or two and some baits to with them. Get out and do some fishing for the lowly panfish and you may just get better at bass fishing.
Rodney

[SenkoSam]

Quoting the first line of the post:

On another forum, a few clowns made fun of the fact that I catch bunches of fish using mostly small soft plastics on light jig heads.

Other than that, no one on any fishing forum has acted that way. One of them kept at me no matter what a posted, and it had nothing to do with tournament bass fishing. You find dickheads wherever you go - especially on the water - and they're unavoidable at times, which is why I fish weekdays on lakes where gas motors are allowed and many smaller lakes where only trolling motors are allowed. The best fishing is in lakes few fish in.

BTW the forum that the jerk was harassing me was sdfish.com/forums, which is down for good. Too bad, there were many nice guys to relate some experiences and share ideas with and the site design was one of the best.  Zero moderation kept me from posting there a lot.

[Larry Francis]

I love fishing with them. I to went through the Tournament thing and just don't care for it much if there is money involved because of what money does to people.

That said I do love Big Bass Tournaments now and again.

I fish with a guy some have come to know on here as Crappie Carl. He loves his Crappie fishing  but also fishing in general. Our last trip to the local chain. you will see below  6lb 2 oz Largemouth caught on a Crappie jig and 6 lb test with an Ultra Lite rod.

[SenkoSam]

One thing I forgot to mention was that in general, smaller lures are used to catch more fish species and therefore more fish in general. The attack didn't make sense in that there's a great deal of proof that small lures catch big fish and have done so for centuries.
Jigcraft.com is a forum where jig tiers would show their hand-tied creations and the huge fish they caught on them. I introduced small soft plastics used on light jig heads and included photos of the large-size range of fish I caught on various shapes and actions.
It's ignorance of the facts when someone ridicules one's choice of lures and makes assumptions regarding what is caught on them. Heck, I've caught sunnies on 5" plastic worms and 7 lb. catfish on 1.5" lures!!

[Hobious]

Internet forums can be fun and useful.  sometime it can be hell on earth.

looks like you got a taste.  it took time, but I kinda dont give a single F what some person, a total stranger thinks about what I do or think. 

life would suck if we were all "step ford wives" and doing the same thing, looking the same, acting the same.

I would love to up my Crappie game which I non existent at this point.  and pound for pound, I think a bluegill can outfight most fish.  they are crazy strong.

[coldfront]

I love fishing with them. I to went through the Tournament thing and just don't care for it much if there is money involved because of what money does to people.

never fished with 'big' money on the line.  but club AOY points?  that's REAL SERIOUS business!      but even that level was enough for me to see the way it 'fit' my preferences.

[size=78%]like GOLF... it's a very individualized activity or sport... and available to be enjoyed at many levels of accomplishment.[/size]




imo, the difference between most anglers comes down to the ability to FIND the fish ...  and then the best find 'the right' fish...  catching is not the hard part.

[SenkoSam]

the difference between most anglers comes down to the ability to FIND the fish ...  and then the best find 'the right' fish...  catching is not the hard part.

No doubt!
    Crappie fishing is just fishing but with smaller lures than cast for bass or large species of fish. I just went through my written log book (before pc's even existed) going back to 1982 and was surprised how many sm and lm bass I caught - far more than crappie. I must have be obsessed with mostly using crankbaits, j & p's , surface lures, spinnerbaits and plastic worms of different shapes (most no longer sold). The waters fished had a good population of bass so 15-20 bass outings were a sure thing including fish weighing 2 - 6 1/2 lbs.
     So it's not as if I never new what to cast for bass or where to find them in waters I knew like the back of my hand. But once I started making my own bass lures and pouring plastics, did  I veer away from mostly targeting bass as that challenge needed an upgrade from same ol same ol. It started in 1991 with logs showing more panfish, pickerel and catfish caught - many trophy-size fish of those species along with many bass!
     My reason for checking the log was to see how well I did in March and April after getting many emails from a bud showing how well he did on different lakes so far this year.
Not impressive and not worth spending that much on gas for just a few panfish and small bass (15 or less in total).
     The above proves my fanaticism over many years trying out many lures to catch fish and not simply catch fish, but where and when to use them on specific waters - lakes and rivers. Most obvious were the waters where I couldn't launch the Ranger, which produced better numbers overall. More hp doesn't guarantee more fish; slowing down, rather than jumping from one spot to another (as in tournament fishing), showed far better numbers over many years.

[Eric-Maine]

I live I a part of the country that looks down on bass fishermen. Until the last 15 years or so, bass were a fish to throw up on the bank for the raccoons. With fisheries, the focus on bass was one of containment rather than management. These old diehards are slowly retiring, so there might be hope.
Other than kids off a dock, I don't often see pan fishermen here. Crappie are a relatively new thing, though if you want to catch a 3 lb Crappie, Maine is the place to come. Very few target them.

I am guilty of looking down at trollers. Trout are meant to be caught on a casted fly. To each his own.

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[SenkoSam]

Agree about trollers.