24 minutes ago, OldManLure said:

 It is more about an uncluttered mind v. a cluttered mind than it is about an uncluttered boat v. a cluttered boat.  And I think Thoreau would agree.

 

Well, here Thoreau disagrees with your assertion: "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."

 

And here Thoreau agrees: "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

I like variety and as long as simplify does detract from my ability to experience variety I’m good with it.  What draws me to bass fishing is vast means to catch them.  That feeds my variety diet.  For me the simplicity is  surface, mid depth or deep bottom.  Oh,  simplicity should come natural to me as I’m simple minded.

I dove a bit deeper into Walden Pond. Thoreau wasn't a linear thinker. 

 

Here's another argument for an uncluttered mind: "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

 

And here is another rebuttal, suggesting that the best life is lived by not acquiring: "The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."

 

 

 

54 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Well, here Thoreau disagrees with your assertion: "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."

 

And here Thoreau agrees: "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

Metaphor.  You gotta love ‘em.

Started simple and never strayed so I haven’t simplified, just fish whenever possible with whatever I’ve got 

3 minutes ago, OldManLure said:

Metaphor.  You gotta love ‘em.

 

As someone who's lived a lifetime of literally launching myself on waves, I'm especially fond of the one above.

 

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Started simple and never strayed so I haven’t simplified, just fish whenever possible with whatever I’ve got 

 

I so agree. You are Henry David II. 

 

I am a mix of other anglers. I learn by watching others. I take note of the fine movements others make, so the way KVD whips his rod when he moves a jerkbait, the way Bill Dance lightly moves his jig when pulling over cover, the way Ott Defoe pulls a shad rap with the rod and not the reel in cold water are all techniques that I've integrated into my fishing.

 

I not only emulate the movements of those great anglers and others, but I study the why. I am learning their decision making process, how to change gears on the water. 

 

Along with my assimilation of other's information, I build my own subtle technique as I gain experience and time on the water.

 

My goal is simple: To become the best bass angler in the world. This includes being the best bank angler, which I am primarily working towards currently.

 

Then it will be boats of various sizes. I am learning things about boats now that I can't use yet, but that will be helpful when I do get my boats working, or get the chance to backseat on a bassboat.

 

I couple this all with a love of nature. I love watching a dragonfly land on my rod tip, a bat run into my line, or a bass grab my lure before it hits the water.

Would the experience be lessened by the presence of a boat around me? Yes, I think it would, to some degree. But, I will never be the type of angler who eschews bank angling for the complexity of boat angling.

 

I will do both, the same as I still occasionally sit on shore and watch a bobber dance above a drowning worm amid the swirl of a pack of ferocious bluegill.

 

If someone doesn’t keep pace with his companions, maybe it’s because he hears a different drummer. Let him follow the music he hears, however measured or far away.

- Henry David Thoreau

We see very different opinions about a lot of topics on this forum every day. While we all love to fish, it’s clear we all fish for different reasons. Thoreau would say we’re all hearing a different drummer. Some of us hear the drum played by the bait monkey. Others hear different drums.

 

I think it’s important to try to understand the drummer we march to, in fishing and in life. It can take a lifetime to figure that out.

 

By looking within, maybe we can understand what really motivates us. Will a nicer boat make you happy? If so, why? Those are not simple questions.

 

When I ordered my current boat in 2018, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I should order. It wasn’t just about what I wanted or what I could afford; it felt deeper than that. I went back and forth for a couple of weeks on motor size. I had two options: 90 hp or 115 hp. The 115 was about $1,500 more. I could afford it, and it made sense for resale.

 

After a lot of thought, I chose the 90 hp. It’s hard to explain exactly why. I realized I was already very blessed to be able to buy a new boat, and if I couldn’t be content running 40 mph, going 45 mph wasn’t going to fix that.

 

I also had to admit I felt some pull to impress my friends with a nicer boat and a bigger motor. Was that really a drummer I wanted to march to? I decided a long time ago that it shouldn’t be—though I still hear that beat from time to time.

 

I’m still trying to truly understand why I love bass fishing so much. As I grow in that understanding, everything gets simpler. It goes much deeper than boat selection.

 

@Swamp Girl  I’m sorry it’s getting too cold to fish your ponds up there in Maine, but I really enjoy your winter posts!

26 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I also had to admit I felt some pull to impress my friends with a nicer boat and a bigger motor. Was that really a drummer I wanted to march to? I decided a long time ago that it shouldn’t be—though I still hear that beat from time to time.

 

You self-reflect like @Lottabass catches bass: BIG TIME!

 

Well I've come well equipped with a simple mind so a simple approach is inevitable 😁.

Having owned many boats and fishing kayaks, portability doesn't equate to simplicity.

I find a bass boat much simpler than even a kayak but a ramp is required.

No physical labor involved with a bass boat and nothing gets removed after a day of fishing other than a couple of empty water bottles.

I get the maintenance though, 

Oil changes, lower unit, tire pressure.

Oh who is Thoreau ❓

 

When I was young I used to backpack for a few days, fishing along the way for trout. Take just enough food so I wouldn’t  starve, cooked what I caught.   
Today….I have a small aluminum mod-v with 25 hp. When I was building this rig I wanted it simple, if nothing else, for the maintenance side of it. 
I think I’m fish like a minimalist compared to a lot of other anglers but, I’m not like I was when I was a kid. 

14 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I so agree. You are Henry David II. 

 

Nah, I’m far from a philosopher. I don’t go to the woods intentionally to live simply. Or think or write. Just fish 

19 hours ago, GreenPig said:

When I sneak along the bank with one rod with a hard bait/frog tied on or a pack of plastics in my back pocket, very simple

I just noticed this,  I'm pretty much the same way sometimes. If I know I have limited time I'll take a rod with a bucktail on it. Throw a couple of back-ups in a bag and put them in my pockets, I can run down the river and drift fish. And you're right, very simple!

I had a bass boat , and a 12 foot little tri-hull boat, along with access to a jon boat.

 I enjoyed the bass boat at first, but it did not serve me well at tournaments because it was too tempting for me to crank up and enjoy riding around looking for a better spot. 
I was very glad to get rid of it in the late 80s. I quit fishing tournaments then too, which also increased my happiness ( and fish caught! ).

I went out snd bought a 12 foot jb, along with a little gamefisher kicker. 
I fished out of the same boat yesterday !

I now have that boat, a bass hunter, a canoe, and a ( very leaky ) kayak. The main reason I got the last 3  is because of the deals I got them for. I paid a total of 210.00 for all 3.

I rarely fish out of them though.

When I got the JB, I never got a trailer. I had constant problems with my bass boat trailer, motor , and the boat itself.

with the JB, I just slide it into the back of the truck and out to fish. I spent years fishing small waters that would not be accessible to bass boats. I am kinda over the big lake scene, because there is just too much pressure.

So to summarize, I downsized 40 years ago, and have never regretted it. I still have a couple Friends that have boats that I can go with if I have the time. I have caught many more fish than I would have, without all the hassle …

17 hours ago, Bazoo said:

 

My goal is simple: To become the best bass angler in the world.

 

Simple? I don't think @WRB-2.0 would agree that it's simple and Tom has caught two 17+-pounders, two 18+-pounders, and one 19+-pounder. Tom also had the likely world record bass hooked...and Tom would know what the world record bass would look and feel like.*

 

Then there's Pat Cullen who caught more than 1,200 DD bass.

 

For perspective, Kevin VanDam's biggest bass ever caught in a tournament weighed in at 11 pounds, 13 ounces. For Tom, that bass would be a nice one, but not a giant, and for Pat Cullen, that bass would be yet another Thursday night, as he fished at night. 

 

 

*Unlike me. If I ever hooked an 11-pound bass, I'd be screaming, "It's the world record! It's the world record!"

 

In other words, Most of us have a “low eye for a high fence” ,lol..

My fishing has always been simplified, even when I had a boat and motor I fished in lakes close to my home with not too much equipment. Sold the boat and now fish ponds, rivers, streams on foot I have never taken 2 rods.  A small over the shoulder satchel and I rarely change lures.  But I have to say fishing is a sport for different people so many people like many different things, what ever floats your boat or not.

22 minutes ago, Bigassbass said:

My fishing has always been simplified, even when I had a boat and motor I fished in lakes close to my home with not too much equipment. Sold the boat and now fish ponds, rivers, streams on foot I have never taken 2 rods.  A small over the shoulder satchel and I rarely change lures.  But I have to say fishing is a sport for different people so many people like many different things, what ever floats your boat or not.

 

Yo, Thoreau! 

I've definitely complicated it and I am catching fewer fish for it. I used to fish out of a 14 foot jon boat decked out and a cheap little fish finder that basically was good for depth. I was fishing a small lake (200 acres) and catching all the fish I wanted to every time I went. I moved to a bass boat and medium level electronics and started fishing Pickwick (33,000 acres) because I lost access to the small lake. Now I am lucky to catch three or four fish on a good outing and the electronics do very little for me. I am now have a 1990 Lowe Commander 170. It is a small bass boat with a flat bottom. It hasn't seen the water yet due to some bad circumstances. However, come Spring, I hope to get back to catching fish again by learning about using my electronics to fish offshore. If I still had the small lake to fish, I'd buy a jon boat and get back to doing that some again. But as it is, I will learn and grow being more complicated. 

I am both. For decades I was north country flyfishing with waders and a canoe, coupled with a salt water boat for the summer.

 I met the missus some twenty plus years ago and we settled on fishing out of a canoe for bass. When that got too uncomfortable ( medical issues) we bought a skiff. That worked for a few years until that got too uncomfortable, and now we have a multi species boat. I have an ulterra trolling motor and fishfinders with it so that part is more complicated.

 However, my fishing tackle is simplified, to an extent. I keep five rods in the boat, all spinning, with the same line on all. The only tackle I've bought recently is because of the upcoming lead ban in Maine. 

 My folks did things real simple. They fished the salt for years, using nothing but a boat with a compass and handlines, and never got skunked.

On 11/26/2025 at 9:42 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

Numbers are fun but not my thing anymore. I do understand the allure of simplicity and very occasionally limit myself to just one outfit & only a few baits. 

I'm just the opposite. I've simplified my approach and in so doing, I've stopped chasing big fish. Now, I just go fishing. No competition, no excessive time scoping out potential spots, no waiting for conditions to be in favor of a great outing. I just go fishing. The more fish I catch, and I don't limit myself to one species, the more I enjoy it. If the fish aren't cooperating, I just enjoy the time on the water. 

9 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I'm just the opposite. I've simplified my approach and in so doing, I've stopped chasing big fish. Now, I just go fishing.

 

Me too, PapaJoe. 2024 was my season of big fish catching and I succeeded, but I literally had to lug my canoe over hill and over dale, down the dusty, dusty trails to reach big fish water. 2025 was my season of fishing my pond and my pal's pond and being so happy catching three and four-pounders. 2026 will be more of the same. I'll launch at big bass bogs a few times in 2026, but three and four-pounders thrill me and nothing makes me happier than simply being on my pond.

 

Nothing.

 

On 11/26/2025 at 12:55 PM, Swamp Girl said:

 

They had it much easier than you're thinking. The eastern forest was described as "park-like" by those who first forayed into it. That's because the old growth trees subdued the brush. The Maine first today is a scrum, created by successive clear-cuttings, a tangle of flora all struggling to claim the rugby ball/light. 

 

Like the Coastal Redwood Forests, easy to get around in, unless you have to get around a fallen Redwood lol 

 

My favorite place on Earth, the Smith River in NorCal, it's the only watershed out there that has 100% of it's drainage basin, intact, never been logged in the history of history. It can get a foot of rain and it just becomes this gorgeous green, every other river out there, goes brown from sediment in large rain events. Probably the best place on the planet to show the impacts of improper logging practices of the past, even places that have since largely been "recovered" are still nowhere near the same...

 

 

@Goby: I once read that a forest loses about 30% of its diversity with each clear cutting. A forest's soil also loses vast amounts of its organic matter as trees are cut and hauled away. It is estimated that it takes a forest about 500 years to recover from clear cutting. 

 

I did not know about the Smith River turning green because its forest is intact. So cool.

 

I can (and do) go either way.