Warming stream conditions can cause marital stress too...

[MathFish]

So with the lackluster late summer trout fishing conditions, I took it upon myself to finally organize my gear from the past three seasons of use. My gear was organized at one point some time ago, but since then I have amassed a few more rods and reels, picked up extra lines and many other odds and ends to feed this obsession. Up until last weekend, all of these extra necessities were just making a bigger and messier pile in my basement in the section where I store my gear. I had no issue with my unorganized mess because given the option of fishing or organizing - I chose fishing...

But since trout fishing has been off the radar for the last few weeks, the unorganized pile of gear just seemed to be a sad reminder that I wasn't fishing, so I got to work. Some scrap wood from an old bed frame and scrap dowel rods were repurposed as a rod tube rack. Reels and extra lines found a new home below the rod tubes. I used a spare hardware organizer to house extra tippet spools, leaders, tippet spools, indicators and other various items. An old wader box now houses all my fly boxes. My mess cleaned up quite nicely in comparison with "the pile."

I was quite proud of my work and decided to share this accomplishment with my wife, so I called her down to take a look. She reviewed the my organized gear with a quiet observance and a little smile. But she was quiet... Really quiet...

Realizing it was a drastic change and that she needed some time to take it in, I offered up, "How about that rod tube holder? Didn't it turn out great?" To my chagrin, she responded, "You have HOW MANY rods? You DO realize that you can only hold ONE rod when you're out fishing?!?"

When I offered that I got a really good deal on all of them, it didn't help my case...

I like my organized gear, but I didn't realize the safety and security offered up by "the pile"...

Perhaps I should have spent the time learning how to fly fish for smallmouth!

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Yep you should.
I haven't fished for trout since late April and don't plan to until November.
Smallmouth are a blast

 

[FarmerDave]

MathFish wrote:
... "How about that rod tube holder? Didn't it turn out great?" To my chagrin, she responded, "You have HOW MANY rods? You DO realize that you can only hold ONE rod when you're out fishing?!?"

Great story!

I saw the part above coming a mile away and I'll bet most of us who have been married a long time saw it.

However, most of my rods were gifts. That is my story and I am sticking with it.;-)

Glad my wife doesn't feel that way about my guns. In fact, she bought me a safe.

Oh wait, I have no guns. ;-)

She also bought me a rod rack, but it is mostly empty.;-)

 

[flyflicker]

Bwahahaha! Good chuckle.

 

[Mike]

I don't know whether or not you are a strictly C&R angler, but I would bet that at least some wives, like mine, would be more sympathetic regarding the numbers of rods possessed and utilized if they occasionally produced a savory meal or two of a variety that approached the variety of rods possessed. In my case it is understood that one or two rods produce the trout dinners. She particularly likes late season stockies and wild Browns. Additionally, the trout rods typically produce the white crappie sandwiches that she loves; one of those can produce the American shad fish cakes that she requests and produces those good November Susquehanna walleye fillets as well; two produce those great striped bass dinners; and two surf rods produce those ****tail bluefish sandwiches. The variety also allows for the C&R of various other species, such as Muskies, bass, sunfish,,and channel cats. It also helps on the home front when it is known that all of the rods have cost $75 or less, mostly the $30-45 range.

 

[Maurice]

Walk her to the kitchen and ask her to show you her knives. Ask her why she needs so many? She can only hold one at a time. Be sure you are closer to the door and have 911 on speed dial tho. LOL.

 

[Troy]

Mike wrote:
I don't know whether or not you are a strictly C&R angler, but I would bet that at least some wives, like mine, would be more sympathetic regarding the numbers of rods possessed and utilized if they occasionally produced a savory meal or two of a variety that approached the variety of rods possessed. In my case it is understood that one or two rods produce the trout dinners. She particularly likes late season stockies and wild Browns. Additionally, the trout rods typically produce the white crappie sandwiches that she loves; one of those can produce the American shad fish cakes that she requests and produces those good November Susquehanna walleye fillets as well; two produce those great striped bass dinners; and two surf rods produce those ****tail bluefish sandwiches. The variety also allows for the C&R of various other species, such as Muskies, bass, sunfish,,and channel cats. It also helps on the home front when it is known that all of the rods have cost $75 or less, mostly the $30-45 range.

Wow, I wouldn't have guessed it. A fish commission employee turns a story about gear organization and upset wives into something pertaining to the harvest of fish. Shocker.

 

[Dave_W]

I'll second Mike's opinion.

A fresh fish dinner is a treat and if you have family that likes fish, it's a good way to earn back some points for the time we're away on the water or the space we take up with gear. I often make it a resolution to keep some more fish for dinner...but often don't do it, especially this time of year when the stockies are gone from most of the local creeks and I'm focused on bass.

 

[Dave_W]

Maurice wrote:
Walk her to the kitchen and ask her to show you her knives. Ask her why she needs so many? She can only hold one at a time. Be sure you are closer to the door and have 911 on speed dial tho. LOL.

Ahhhhh.... Maurice, you're ever the philospher and keen observer of human nature. int:

 

[lestrout]

Maurice wrote:
Walk her to the kitchen and ask her to show you her knives. Ask her why she needs so many? She can only hold one at a time. Be sure you are closer to the door and have 911 on speed dial tho. LOL.

Yo Mau - what do they say about bringing rods to a knife fight? lol

Actually, Mike brings up a good perspective, more common among the general public than in this forum. I've been a believer in C&R from even before Lee Wulff was such an advocate of it; but I do try to be non-ideological about it.

 

[Fredrick]

TRout are for suckers in the summer months join the WWI team

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

 

[moon1284]

Does anyone here eat smallmouth bass? I grew up eating them from lake Erie and they tasted very good breaded and fried.

 

[pcray1231]

Specialized tool for specialized jobs.

Fishing rods, guns, knives, sunglasses, shoes, cameras. I am like that. She isn't. She really doesn't have any consumer items she wants more than one of. Even in women's stuff like jewelry or shoes.

My wife used to pick fights over stuff like that but now she doesn't. I'll even start to say "it only costed.." She'll stop me right there and tell me she doesn't want to know.

But she will keep a scoresheet of household and parenting chores and call me out on it when I fall behind. I disagree with her point system. IMO, mowing should be worth far more than putting the baby to bed.

 

[UncleShorty]

I have instructed my buddy to do something for me upon the event of my death.

That is, make sure my wife sells my fly fishing/fly tying gear for what it's worth, not for what I told her I paid for it...

 

[rrt]

Hey Math,

How many pairs of shoes does your wife have? She can wear only one pair at a time. How many necklaces? Earrings?

Your f/f area looks really nice. My wife would be ecstatic if my fly-tying room were as neat.

I don't think I would have the courage to mention knives, though!

 

[MathFish]

I'm glad to see you enjoyed my story. Now I have to say, my wife, as I'd assume any good wife would, likes to give me some good natured hassle anytime she can. And I sure set her up to do so...

She does have a bunch of knives, shoes and necklaces, but I'm not going to hassle her about how much she has because I don't have a problem with it. Besides the danger of mentioning the knives (too funny BTW), I feel like I would be welcoming more criticism of my accumulating gear.

She really was just giving me good-natured hassle over it. I am really blessed to have a wife that accepts that I love to fly fish and she actually welcomes me to get out and fish (and no, I don't think she is running behind my back while I'm out! We agree that we are together because nobody else would have us...).

Thanks for the compliment on my organization of my gear rrt. That rode tube rack was a pretty easy build by the way.

 

[BrookTroutLover]

You will laugh until you cry:

https://www.facebook.com/ThrillOnFishing/videos/1064319903609757/