Has Fishing Gotten Easier? 2024
VAfishin4me reply :
I was just curious to here from some of the members who have been fishign for a while now. Do you think with the newest reels, rods, electronics, etc. it is actually easier to catch fish? Do you think you could go back say 20 years and catch the same amount of fish you do today with that equipment? I'm not old enough to be able to gauge this myself, but it seems difficult most of the time for me. ;D
I would think it might be easier to catch fish these days with electronics, and more efficient drags and reels, but what do you think? Some of my family members who fish have told me that they couldn't fish the same as they do today when they were kids and young adults because for example all they really had to use were Zebcos and just one company that made worms.
I guess another thing could be how this sport has changed in your lifetime. Has it always been the same for you, or did you only recently begin to fish in the same way and for the same reasons as you do now?
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
Well I have to say no its not easier for me. 24 years ago I had my best day fishing ever nothing has come close since . Outside of Topeka Kansas my Uncle's farm pond I caught one 17"-19" bass after another every cast with just a chum-n-minnow little spinnerbait and $20 spinning reel.
I have 20yo reels that still get used not often but they still in good shape, lures if used in the right spot Im sure would catch fish just dont use them cause they are old and would hate to lose one.
One thought is it is more difficult today to catch based on the number of people to compete with and waters being over-fished. All the top equipment wont catch fish if there arent any to catch.
MFBAB reply :
I think there's no doubt it has gotten easier, every aspect of equipment is better and more efficient across the board. Not to mention C&R is the norm now, didn't used to be that way at all. Just the fact that we're sitting here chatting about fishing makes it easier, good information was harder to come by back in the day.
slonezp reply :
I have 20 years more fishing knowledge than 20 years ago, 20 years of working to pay for my hobby, and a boat. 
I don't know if fishing is necessarily easier but the knowledge and the boat have given me the ability to find and catch more fish. I still primarily throw the same types of baits now as I did then. I still use my old Abu Ambassaduer reels for some applications. Last season my #'s were down but quailty was up, and I worked for these fish.
New electronics do the same as knowledge and a boat do. They give the ability to find more fish which increases the chances of catching them. Sad to say I don't have SI/DI yet.
Raul reply :
It 's not about with what you physically fish ( rod/lreel/line/lure ), it 's about with what you mentally fish with, it 's called knoledge/experience: I 've been in this hobby for a while, a little bit of over three and half decades, so today I have many of the newest reels, some of the newest rods, lots and lots of the newest most innovative lures .... they haven 't made it easier to catch fish, you still have to fish the right place at the right time with the right presentation, it doesn 't matter if you are fishing with the most modern gear you still have to make the fish want and bite your offering. BTW I still fish with 20+ years old lures.
BassThumb reply :
There's no doubt it has gotten easier because of the advancements in tackle alone. I would like to hear one of the naysayers make an argument to an old school pro who used to flip with broomstick rods and 25 lb mono, that fishing hasn't gotten easier since the development of braided fishing lines, light, crisp, sensitive flipping sticks, high end sonar, and whisper quiet trolling motors.
MFBAB reply :
Raul, I agree that you still have to know where and how to fish, no doubt.
I was basically saying that the technological advances have made the learning curve so much faster for people today compared to "back in the day" that the comparison isn't even really fair. We have better boats, motors, quieter trollers, stronger & thinner lines, easier casting reels, gazillions of improved terminal tackle options and new techniques, sonar, gps w/ Navionics charts, more detailed magazines, books, internet forums, satellite imagery, up to the minute weather forecasts, etc. That isn't to say that a lot of those older lures don't still work, I just think that I've got a lot more arrows in my quiver than I did when I started 30 sumpin' years ago 
Fish Chris reply :
Well yes, and no.
All the advancements in tackle and equipment are great..... However, none of this can compare to this one tool.... The Internet !
In the old days, a guy would have had to spend years and years on the water, picking up valuable pieces of info through personal experience, or those rare chance encounters, with guys who had already been catching the fish they were looking for, for many years.
Now, a total newby can come to a place like this, and get all kinds of info, specific to his intentions, in no time at all !
On the other hand, directly because of this, big fish have become more wary than ever !
As fishermen evolve, so do the fish ! It's a two edged sword.
Peace,
Fish
Team9nine reply :
Not easier - just more efficient. Used to be you could run down a bank and whack stupid fish on obvious places. Not necessarily so today. I can still catch plenty, and maybe more because equipment, information, sonar, etc. have made us all more efficient and more knowledgable, but the fish aren't "as easy" as they used to be , IMO.
-T9
Lund Explorer reply :
Like Chris, my answer is both yes and no. But first I have to question going back only 20 years to when there was only one company making worms?
That would be 1991 B.S. <Before Senko>, and there were tons of companies making all kinds of soft plastics by then.
Easier yes in some ways. More comfort for sure as boats have continued to be designed better. Does anybody else remember the tri-hull bassboats? Better electronic tools with GPS, SI, DSI, as compared to the older paper graphs and Loran C from 40 years ago or the first flashers and LCD's that came next.
Not easier in some other aspects. Some of us can remember the days before jetskis! We also didn't face all of the invasives like we have now. There was a time before grass carp, zebra mussels, milfoil, and countless others. Does anybody remember when VHS became an issue?
All in the name of "what if", I'd be more interested to see today's crop of fishermen go back to those old days to compete against the likes of Roland Martin. It would be interesting to see which of them could amass the same number of tournament wins and AOY trophies.
Mudwalker reply :
Interesting question and responses. There are a lot of good points brought up in the replies. I would have to say tha fishing is easier but catching is still the difficult part.
jdw174 reply :
QuoteInteresting question and responses. There are a lot of good points brought up in the replies. I would have to say tha fishing is easier but catching is still the difficult part.
I agree with this one . Go back and look at the videos of the older Classics and look at the bags caught with the old "round reels" and shorter pistol grip rods. Finding fish has been made easier thru electronics but you still have to put the right bait in the right spot with the right technique to CATCH them.
VAfishin4me reply :
QuoteLikeThat would be 1991 B.S. <Before Senko>, and there were tons of companies making all kinds of soft plastics by then.quote]
I didn't mean one company of worms in the 90's. I meant more like 50's or 60's or even later when Creme first mass produced worms. I just sorta threw the number 20 years out there becasue it applies to more people than does 50 or 60 years ago.
VAfishin4me reply :
QuoteQuoteInteresting question and responses. There are a lot of good points brought up in the replies. I would have to say tha fishing is easier but catching is still the difficult part.I agree with this one
. Go back and look at the videos of the older Classics and look at the bags caught with the old "round reels" and shorter pistol grip rods. Finding fish has been made easier thru electronics but you still have to put the right bait in the right spot with the right technique to CATCH them.
So you don't think that it is easier to catch fish because of the electronics. I guess I see what you are saying, but for me at least finding the fish is the hardest part.
B-Dozer reply :
QuoteQuoteInteresting question and responses. There are a lot of good points brought up in the replies. I would have to say tha fishing is easier but catching is still the difficult part.I agree with this one
Some of us prefer to use those "old" round reels
paangler3117 reply :
I think it might be harder, just from increase in fishing pressure alone. There might not be as many "weekend anglers", but the ones who are out there seem to be better equipped, and have waaaay more oppertunities to gain knowledge on bodies of water and specific techniques.
Jim
bilgerat reply :
Speaking just for myself, I made fishing harder for myself the last few years by second guessing my bait choices and tying on new baits way too often. I lost focus on what I was doing.
This winter I cleared out all of my tackle bags and retired a bunch of stuff. I have two tackle bags, each the size of a six pack cooler. One for ultra light and one for the rest. I have baits to cover all water levels in a few basic colors. I have three rigs - ultra light spinning, a 6' 6" MF spinning and a 6'8" MH baitcast.
It seemed over the years as I crept away from the basics my success dwindled. I don't buy that nice gear = easier fishing. It makes it more fun. It's what's going on in your head that makes it easier or harder.
grimlin reply :
In some extent I think yes.....but nothing beats knowledge and experience. I'm definitely getting better,but I still have my days I'm stumped.
I don't use any fancy electronics.I don't even have a boat yet.
Internet helps a lot...you can search the topo maps on a said body of water and kind of figure out where you need to be fishing that day.
Blue Streak reply :
We have better equioment for sure but the fishing is not easier around here because we just don't have the number of bass we used to have, not in the river or the lakes. And the big ones are pretty scarce. Too much pressure and poor management I think.
IntroC reply :
IMO it basically boils down to whats between your ears. I also agree with Fish Chris that the internet has proven to be a priceless tool when it comes to shortening the learning curve by leaps and bounds. I have also seen guys with $50,000 boats equipped with all the goodies and the most expensive gear and they still can't catch squat on their own. You still have to put the pieces together. In the hands of the right person the high tech gadgetry will definately be of an advantage. I also think another reason that it seems we catch more fish is probably because there is more fish. Lakes are being managed much better than they used to be which some people may debate but for the most part I feel its true. More people practicing catch and release, slot limits being implemented you name it it helps.
PondBoss reply :
Yes and no, all the new modern tech is great and I'm sure it helps. On the other hand all the new modern tech is great and can hurt too. Back in the day there were less choices. I think an angler had to be more of a technician then with the presentation. Now there are so many things to choose from that if this isn't working, you just tie on something else and cast away. When maybe the first bait was really the ticket, you may have just got in a hurry to try other options. Lines and lures are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were 20 years ago, but in the end "it's the Indian, not the arrow". (please excuse the maybe not so PC quote)
roadwarrior reply :
Much easier for both size and numbers. Water quality
has improved dramatically. C & R has become the norm
among better fishermen. Modern electronics has opened
the door for the average guy to fish offshore and deep.
Many lures and baits are more effective than those
available years ago.
For me personally, the Senko turned me into a bass
"catcher" not just a fisherman. Once the door was opened,
learning to fish other lures and techniques became
a passion.
8-)
SirSnookalot reply :
The good ole days are history, all that matters is now. I catch enough fish to make me happy, so why think about what was.
IntroC reply :
QuoteThe good ole days are history, all that matters is now. I catch enough fish to make me happy, so why think about what was.
I think we are living in the good ole days.
tholmes reply :
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
QuoteNot to mention C&R is the norm now, didn't used to be that way at all. .
Well its not the norm everywhere. Up here where Im at my circle of people that I know Im the only one that C&R. They think Im crazy and waisting my time for not keeping anything, even my wife. If they catch it they keep it. I see lots and lots of fish kept out of little local lakes/ponds here.
MFBAB reply :
QuoteQuoteNot to mention C&R is the norm now, didn't used to be that way at all. .Well its not the norm everywhere. Up here where Im at my circle of people that I know Im the only one that C&R. They think Im crazy and waisting my time for not keeping anything, even my wife. If they catch it they keep it. I see lots and lots of fish kept out of little local lakes/ponds here.
Ha, I guess it isn't 100% but I'd say there's no question it is much more prevalent than back in the day. I was over at Wheeler dam a couple of months ago (see avatar pic:) )and a lot of the locals were throwing those nice smallies in coolers there, kinda cracked me up. I never met a legal crappie I felt like putting back but for whatever reason I treat bass differently unless I'm on a pond that actually needs some removed.
farmpond1 reply :
To the extent that I can now fish locations that haven't seen ten bazillion lures froth up every square inch of water, yes, it's gotten somewhat easier. And yes, my equipment far exceeds the old Zebco "gravel crushers" of my youth. But easier? Fish are still fish. I hope I can say I've gotten better.
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