3.7 ounces … 6 feet, 6 inches … 17 colors … 5.1:1 retrieve ratio … dives 6 to 8 feet … and on and on and on. These are the facts, stats, specs and figures that clutter my office, fill my head and get typed into my computer.
That’s because every year, when we return from ICAST, we get started trying to make sense of all the new products we saw at the show so we can produce the annual Buyer’s Guide. And it’s not a simple process.
We search catalogs, review ICAST show notes, make phone calls, browse Web sites and do just about anything else we can to get the dirt on what’s going on at as many fishing industry companies as we can contact.
Then we sort through the marketing jargon, words like: super, nano, micro, ultra, high-tech, lightest, fastest, smoothest, strongest, and on and on and on.
Once we get through with the list, then we set about writing descriptions, reviewing products, getting gear in the hands of our field editors and, basically, learning as much about the applications for these products as we can. If you’re a gear junkie, this probably sounds like heaven. And honestly, I have a blast doing it. But after awhile, it’s really easy to just want a little break from it all, a chance to go fishing, hunting, camping or whatever it is that eases the mind, just to get back to the simple fun of the outdoors sports we all enjoy.
That’s the real reason we go through all the trouble of making a Buyer’s Guide, anyway, isn’t it? We aren’t telling you what to buy, rather showing you what’s new so you can go check it out at a dealer and maybe even find something that will help you enjoy your fishing passion even more.
As of this writing, we’re exactly eight hours and 44 minutes of work time away from the Labor Day weekend. I’m going spend my weekend helping out at a charity bass tournament for a co-worker who was injured in a car accident, stopping in on a dove shoot, celebrating a birthday, shooting skeet and, hopefully, finding some time to relax. And in all that, I don’t think I’ll be worrying about how long a fishing rod is or how many ball bearings are in the latest reels. I’ll just be looking to have an enjoyable time.
I hope you try to do the same when you head to the lake, woods, backyard BBQ or wherever it is you plan to go. Don’t worry about the material things involved, just worry about enjoying the experience.