Youth over experience?

[Sea Dangles]

After watching some of the younger contingent fishing for the last few days I feel old.They fish two tides a night for three days straight and still don't sleep in the daytime. There aren't many tricks an old dog can teach them when they fish this much.Four or five hours is enough for me and then I suffer from lack of sleep.I know I wish I had that energy as I feel it more than makes up for years of experience providing it is done with intelligence.Which of these factors do you consider more valuable?

[Slingah]

stamina is the ticket...
more time on the water = more fish
fish are not that smart

[BigFish]

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!

[Sea Dangles]

If gin and tonic paired with Bud is an energy drink we have an advantage.

[BigFish]

I must agree Chris! Guys been using G and T and coffee for years...no ill effects in fact many lead long lives on those alone!!

[Back Beach]

You already have my answer.

[luds]

Originally Posted by BigFish

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!

Nah, the younger generation stays away from donuts for the most part. We figured that one out so that should buy us a few years.

[BigFish]

Donuts never slowed me down! The extra weight slowed me down!!

[BigFish]

Oh...and I have not had a donut in over 5 weeks so......look out!!

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by BigFish

They all drink those "new fangled" energy drinks to "HOP" them up!!! They will all die of a heart attack at 35 from that stuff!!!

yeah what happened to the days of a couple of lines and a spliff or 2 per nite. If i did that now I'd be useless. I'll just take the 5 hours and feel like crap for rest of day feeling, I really have no other choice. I hope being older I do a few things wiser though. Time fished will usually pan out better in the long run but I give up easy now and don't feel cheated doing it. Fishing is more for enjoyment nowadays,not bragging rights.

[numbskull]

The rewards of fishing increase with age even when results diminish.

Until, of course, you get as old as Sauerkraut at which stage consistency of bowel function becomes more important.

[jimmy z]

With things being so hectic lately, one tide is a blessing. And I'll fish thay whole tide, and than some.

[justplugit]

At 70 I find I fish a lot less but enjoy it more. Four hours is about the limit
in the surf, but then it ends up a total of 7 hours with the driving.

[Slingah]

I am inspired by the new & improved Tagger a.k.a. Belcher Goonfock....he has 10 years on me and the stamina of a 25 year old...
Life has found a way of diminishing my time on the water...that and home improvements....

[Rmarsh]

I agree that stamina plays a big part of it. I am 54 and only been striper fishing the last 8 so I don't have youth or experience.
But I have less family commitments now and can fish as often as I like. I'm in good health and can easily keep up with my 35 year old fishing buddy as well as my nephews and two sons. They have other distractions that keep them from fishing while I am pursuing stripers.

[SAUERKRAUT]

[QUOTE=numbskull;772019]The rewards of fishing increase with age even when results diminish.

Until, of course, you get as old as Sauerkraut...

YOUTH. Numbskull just ate my lunch...caught ALL OF MY FISH... by youthfully wetsuiting while I stood on dry rock and sand in my waders, two nights ago when I hosted him over to the Vineyard.

At least I hope it was his 50 or so feet of casting advantage. I would hate to admit otherwise that he's just better than I am.

[tattoobob]

As long as I have plenty of coffee and redbull I can fish forever
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[SurfCaster413]

Cant stand the taste off coffee its only energy drinks for me

[Slipknot]

can't catch any fish laying in bed asleep except in my dreams. I passed out this afternoon and woke up to a zinging drag and actually sat up, realized I was asleep, laid back down. It's a sickness.
I choose youth

[Jimmy Fee]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

can't catch any fish laying in bed asleep except in my dreams. I passed out this afternoon and woke up to a zinging drag and actually sat up, realized I was asleep, laid back down. It's a sickness.
I choose youth

Was catching a truck nap the other night, dreamt i had a fish take a pencil and woke myself up by actually trying to set the hook. I thought I was the only one.

[mrstriper]

Hey George...I actually laughed out loud and got as strange look from the dog on your reply...

[Ed B]

When there are feeding fish around and everybody is catching, youth has the advantage.

When everybody tells you there are no fish around and things are slow. The advantage goes to the man with experience.

This was actually a pretty common occurance in the older days when guys fished for money and you could lose the fish for weeks at a time with nothing coming in to the markets. The guys who became well known were the ones who caught when nobody else did.

To be both young and experienced is the ideal combo and some young guys are quick studies. Like anything else in life, there is a learning curve with fishing and it takes a little knowledge and skill to get a fish on the hook.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Ed B

When there are feeding fish around and everybody is catching, youth has the advantage.

When everybody tells you there are no fish around and things are slow. The advantage goes to the man with experience.

This was actually a pretty common occurance in the older days when guys fished for money and you could lose the fish for weeks at a time with nothing coming in to the markets. The guys who became well known were the ones who caught when nobody else did.

To be both young and experienced is the ideal combo and some young guys are quick studies. Like anything else in life, there is a learning curve with fishing and it takes a little knowledge and skill to get a fish on the hook.

I think you have the highest knowledge to post ratio in this game. Never have so few posts said so much (me on the other hand...)

[Nebe]

Stress has more of an effect over me than age. If I'm stressed out I can't fish at all.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[numbskull]

Sooooooo...we agree then that fishing is like sex.

Young guys get the most.
Stamina is important.
Going to the gym helps.
Stress screws it up.
Dreaming about it feels good.
Once your married, it gets harder.
With age, everything hurts afterwards.
When you get older, you read about more than you do it and when you do get a chance you have to pay for it later.

[Joe]

I'd say youth - unless there are a lot of older guys doing as well privately. I think it more likely we're seeing the true representation of the evolution of the sport when we see young, fit guys in wetsuits with huge fish. It's hard to argue with those photos.

Before we oldsters get overly depressed, we have to take into context the differences between the recent past and the distant past. The learning curve is about a 1/4 of what it used to be. Younger people who have come to the sport post-Internet and post-publication of definitive manuals, now can couple unbounded enthusiasm with plentiful resources and reach a higher level of skill in a much shorter time.

[SurfCaster413]

Geesh with all this complaining and bickering and whinning I think this post should be moved to the grumpy old farts forum.

[MAKAI]

Maybe us old guys should go back to talking in code and let the young ones have a longer learning curve.

[Pete F.]

At 55 all I have to say is Ibuprofen is your friend. Steroids would be better though.
After fishing all night sat I walked out to the light on the short wall shortly before dawn and realized that my bag was in my truck. Ohhh )(*&^%$#@!

[ivanputski]

Hopefully the guy who arranged the rocks at the short wall years ago got fired... you gotta zig zag like a drunkard to get to the end