Cheap thrills

 From the very start of my YouTube channel, I wanted to show that you don’t need the best gear to have fun catching fish. Especially as coming to the US from South Africa meant leaving most of my fishing gear behind. This is an idea that I tend to hammer on and feel strongly about; anyone can catch fish if they apply themselves. Understanding the fish’s behavior and how to target them is more important than the price tag on the rod or reel. Some of the best fishermen in the world don’t even use a rod. It is knowledge that is the ultimate tool for catching fish on anything.

From experience, I know that cheap does not always equal inferior. The Ugly Stick GX2 is a relatively cheap rod, found at most large stores in the US. What makes this rod great is that it is reasonably sensitive, but almost indestructible. This means you can catch almost anything on this rod; from trout to big catfish. This rod then mirrors my sentiment, but by no means is this the best rod out there. It is the jack-of-all-trades-(but-master-of-none)-type of rod. You learn this as you start to fine-tune your skills. You need your gear to act or react, in a certain way.

Several species of fish act and fight very differently from one another and often you need the gear to match that. Add into the mix the different styles of lures and rigs, and it gets complicated quickly. When considering all these things, it becomes rather challenging to know or understand what it is you are looking for from your gear. One angler’s preferred choice might not match your fishing style or you might not know how to use that setup. It can thus be expensive when blindly following someone else’s opinions or recommendations.

To better understand my gear and the role it plays in my fishing, I did a cheap rod review. I needed a new bass rod and found a cheap one online. Based on what I thought I knew, I looked for certain key phrases connected with a good rod. It is not the best rod out there, but it does exactly what it should and that makes it good. I did, however, get very lucky. Not understanding what I needed from the rod, it could have easily backfired. Someday, I might buy a decent bass rod, but what I have learned from this cheap one will be invaluable in that decision. Until then, my good, cheap rod will serve me well in honing my skills and becoming a better fisherman.