Do you have any fishing idiosyncrasies? You know, those things that  border on the superstitious that you apply to your fishing experience. I know I do; at least a few.  For one thing I refuse to use red bullet weights or red weight stoppers. I don't know why! I just convince myself that if I use red I'm not going to catch fish. So if I have red on, I try it for a few casts, take it off and put on either black or green pumpkin. I have a buddy that says he does well with red. It just doesn't work for me. I'm sure color has nothing to do with it but in my own thinking it does. What about you? Anything that would be considered a fishing idiosyncrasy even bordering on the superstitious?

You can probably spot mine ~

A-Jay

More like fishing idiocracies 

This isn't so much a superstition as a shortcoming.  I'm a cast and reel guy, always have been.  It is incredibly hard for me to force myself to vary my retrieve, even though I am absolutely convinced it is effective. It's like a mental block.

Monofilament has to be green for me. No idea why, it just has to be. I'm uncomfortable if it's clear. 

 

 

 

28 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

You can probably spot mine ~

A-Jay

Thanks. I'm on my road to recovery. 

No Leaders

No Mono 

No off colored braid (green only)

No spinning rods 

 

 

Only Trokar hooks for plastics 

Red trebles on all front hangers

Only white plastics for bedding bass

Always throw a frog first

Always use trailer hook on spinner baits

Always trim jig skirts

Always try to spread jig weed guards

Always have reels professionally serviced

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

I am OCD?

Tom

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

No Leaders

No Mono 

No off colored braid (green only)

No spinning rods 

 

 

Only Trokar hooks for plastics 

Red trebles on all front hangers

Only white plastics for bedding bass

Always throw a frog first

Always use trailer hook on spinner baits

Always trim jig skirts

Always try to spread jig weed guards

Always have reels professionally serviced

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

I'm stressed out just reading this. ?

9 minutes ago, MacJig said:

I'm stressed out just reading this. ?

I agree. Trailer hooks on spinnerbaits stress me out too.

 

Just kidding ?. All personal preference 

I dont like red bobber stops either . Not because they dont catch fish but I'm afraid panfish will nibble at it .

2 hours ago, MacJig said:

I'm stressed out just reading this. ?

You asked…

?

 

 

 

 

Mike

I reach for my fly rod before I reach for my spinning rod. 

The only time I carry a lot of lures with me is when I go to a lodge in NE Ontario.  The first ones to go in the tackle box are the ones that have teeth marks on them.  Most people who go there fish for walleye and pike.  I prefer fishing for the smallmouth.  If the walleye and pike like the lures so do the smallmouth.

I'll put on a top water lure or fly first if I'm casting.  Then adapt as needed.

The hooks on my lures, in-line spinners and flies have the barb crushed down, or have barbless hooks.

I'm sure I have a few more.

I dont need green pumpkin to catch fish. That held up until last year when I broke down and used a GP stick bait wacky rigged and tore em up. Now sometimes it seems they will only bite green pumpkin. I hate it but I'll get over it. 

Here's another. So when I marry a rod to a reel I  feel like they both have to have the same price value. If I buy a $200 rod then I feel like I need to marry it to a $200 reel. If I have a perfectly good $80-$100 reel already in house (and in great working order) I'm hesitant to set it up with that rod. In my mind it's not an equal . So some reels just  sit there with no rod to call their own until, of course, I pick up that $100 rod then I conduct a ceremony.  I'm getting better at this but not totally there.

I don't think I have any.

When holding my Worm or Jig rod in my left hand my thumb & forefinger of my right hand is on the reel handle with my pinky on the other one.

1 hour ago, MacJig said:

Here's another. So when I marry a rod to a reel I  feel like they both have to have the same price value. If I buy a $200 rod then I feel like I need to marry it to a $200 reel. If I have a perfectly good $80-$100 reel already in house (and in great working order) I'm hesitant to set it up with that rod. In my mind it's not an equal ?. So some reels just  sit there with no rod to call their own until, of course, I pick up that $100 rod then I conduct a ceremony.  I'm getting better at this but not totally there.

Ive only bought rods and reels separately three times now, but I don't like mix and matching brands. Like you are with cost I am with brands. My favorite are Lew's and when I bought two different ratios of Speed Spool LFS I almost went with a Diawa rod for one and an Abu Garcia for the other but in then end I refuse to mix and match, so when I put together a frog setup I just went with the SLX XT reel and SLX rod combo Alf offers because I wasn't mix and matching those either!!

9 hours ago, A-Jay said:

You can probably spot mine ~

A-Jay

 

Over priced jacket and matching hat?...  

1 minute ago, Deleted account said:

 

Over priced jacket and matching hat?...  

You forgot matching gloves too..... ?

35 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

 

Over priced jacket and matching hat?...  

 

32 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

You forgot matching gloves too..... ?

Truth ~

And I didn't stop there ~

There's the shirt, pants & matching footwear as well.

Rocking the complete ensemble.  

Thanks for noticing.

I'm flattered . . . . I guess.

A-Jay

 

 

5 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

 

Truth ~

And I didn't stop there ~

There's the shirt, pants & matching footwear as well.

Rocking the complete ensemble.  

Thanks for noticing.

I'm flattered . . . . I guess.

A-Jay

 

 

10 hours ago, MacJig said:

Do you have any fishing idiosyncrasies? You know, those things that  border on the superstitious that you apply to your fishing experience.

Between my truck and the lake I need to say three Hail Marys and one Rama Lama Ding Dong. If I mess up on even a single word I turn around and go home.

4 hours ago, MacJig said:

Here's another. So when I marry a rod to a reel I  feel like they both have to have the same price value. If I buy a $200 rod then I feel like I need to marry it to a $200 reel.

I never thought about this but I'll be damned if I don't do the exact same thing.

I don't really have any, but when I was tournament fishing my buddy always drive and I would drink a few beers during the day. He would always say "We won't catch one till you open a beer". I would always say, "no, it's too early". Then about noon I would give in and have a couple. The only time I went against my rule was on Texoma one time when he convinced me to open one when we got to our first spot about 6 am and he told me to get one. It was so hot by 10 and I had already had a few so I took my shirt off and just fished away, when he noticed he was embarrassed to say the least. That's was the last time he ever requested that. Even to this day though, if he drives, he always tries to get me to crack one open. 

 

BTW, I don't know why, but his theory has held true and he still swears by it.