One of the beauties of this fishery is the many ways to go about it. For many years it was just an occasional popper trip down the Elizabeths, swimmer plugs along Middle ground, and oh, so many things to catch off the WHOI dock. Then I found fly fishing, and it hasn't been same since.
I like FF because it's so many things besides catching fish - heck, casting's an end in itself. FF immediately weans you from blind fishing. Learning that bass are often underfoot's been quite a revelation. And there's nothing like a quiet 1/2 hr stop on the way home form work. On the down side, I have to say the snobby FF mag drivel, marketing and the FF guide scene really puts me off fly fishing.
Got back into plugs this year because of Marco (6). Fishing's a great way for spending quality time with him, but he just can't fly-cast yet. So we got into plugs. Funny, getting back to plugs after flies got me to look at them in a whole new light. All of a suden, close-in, 'precision' casting just hit me. It's amazing how many years you can be doing something ineffectively and not know better. Swimming plugs is much more an art form than I ever imagined it to be.
Then there's eels: got into that thanks to BBS5. It's sort of baitfishing from a FF point of view, and you all got to follow our travails as we sorted out knots. Swiming an eel around Nobska rips and rocks is a lot like FF with three times the reach. And big fish like'em! Interestingly, Marco didn't take to eels, I think because the first few big bass scared him. He's just not ready for big fish by himself.
Haven't joined the dead pogies society yet...
To get to the point of this post, what to do when? I've gotten into carrying a bucket of eels and a fly rod together. Search the water with eels, and go back for a fly rod if something's showing. I still haven't worked off the thrill of keeper bass on a fly rod. Interestingly, I find myself wondering where plugs fit it now. I guess they're a daytime lure(?). My fishing 's degenerated into dawn & after-dinner, with a boatride or two over the weeekend. But, there's always more to learn, and I'm sure I'll get plugs to fit in there somewhwere again. Is there a place/time when Dannys outfish eels?
The interesting part is, I've discovered that I don't fish to catch fish - I fish to learn to catch fish. The good part is the drive to do things better, harder and differently is a challenging lot of fun. The down side is there's only so many ways to catch bass. But there's a long way to go before I learn ALL about bass fishing...
I'd be curious to know how you folks choose to fish and why.