Hey Fellas: Still on vacation, back in Brooklyn with my girlfriend, where I am originally from I will return to PA in a few days

I was getting all caught up with trying to upgrade my equipment, it has occured to me that what i have is fine enough

I had a great few days on a pond with some bass, none bigger than 2 lbs most just ounces short. I realized I am happy the way things are and if I use mostly BPS and Pflueger reels and 60 dollar rods I still always have fun so I decided to be grateful and happy with what I have . I do not *** or think the fellas who spend all that dough on the high end stuff are wrong, I am glad they are blessed to ejoy their lives also. I decided I am fishing within my humble means and it is time to enjoy every minute of it

As you well know, all that matters is that you are enjoying yourself.  Thanks for the post, Muddy.  It reminds us all to not forget what is truly important.  

I'm with ya, muddy.

Have been looking to upgrade for quite a while now, myself. Have had my eye on a sweeeet Johnny Morris elite set up from BPS for quite a while now. With some extra $$$ I had stashed away and some gift certificates to BPS, was getting close to what I needed. As I planned my trip to BPS, the more I thought about it, just couldn't justify spending $400+ for a rod & reel. Not saying it is not worth it, I am a firm believer in quality and that you get what you pay for, however, my skills just aren't good enough to get all the benefit from really high end gear. I am not a pro-angler, nor do I plan on being one, and, do not do tournaments. I just enjoy fishing and want good equipment to catch a fish.

The fish will never know the difference between Kistler, Loomis, JM elite, or, uglystik when it is in my hands know there are a lot of people out there and on this forum who know how to get the most out of the high-end equipment, but not me, although hope to one day. Would be like me playing with a $2,000 set of Ping golf clubs vs. my $300 knock offs the more expensive clubs are just not going to make that big a difference in my game saving the extra $$$ ALWAYS helps.

So, instead of the JM elite setup, I bought a less expensive one (Quantum KVD), a extreme trigger rod, and, took the girls out for a nice dinner. As you said, living within my means and enjoying every minute of it.

Hey Fellas: Still on vacation, back in Brooklyn with my girlfriend, where I am originally from I will return to PA in a few days

I was getting all caught up with trying to upgrade my equipment, it has occured to me that what i have is fine enough

I had a great few days on a pond with some bass, none bigger than 2 lbs most just ounces short. I realized I am happy the way things are and if I use mostly BPS and Pflueger reels and 60 dollar rods I still always have fun so I decided to be grateful and happy with what I have . I do not *** or think the fellas who spend all that dough on the high end stuff are wrong, I am glad they are blessed to ejoy their lives also. I decided I am fishing within my humble means and it is time to enjoy every minute of it

I hear ya!  Working in the human services field does not exactly offer the opportunity to get rich.  I make due with lower end stuff and "treat" myself when I have a few extra bucks.

By treat I mean by Senkos instead of copies and spend $2 to $3 more for Spiderwire.

I hear ya Muddy. You and I have fished together, so you know very well that a $150 rod and a $75 reel are my absolute upper limits.  If I win the lottery, then I might spring for one of those $300 Loomis rods, but I don't play the lottery, so my chances of winning are pretty slim.

BTW, sine you are an experienced boater, I am having a problem with the trolling motor on my new boat.  It seem that the faster I want to go the more to the right it turns - and when I try to slow down the boat turns to the left.  Can you offer any assistance to a new boat owner like me?

If you like I have a copy of the Rick the D**K boat rental instructions for a beat trolling motoer I can send you