[Sticky] Is the enthusiast community dying?

Time, cost, Bidenflation, daily life stresses, along with the influx of OEM equipment and the drying up of JDM specialized gear...

Also the younger generation and next are essentially being programmed by Private Equity Group Corporate machines to become indebted addicted consumers to materials items designed for planned obsolescence.

Lots of other reasons as well...which I hope other members will chime in with.

Obviously the products/equipment that we share/discuss/display on this forum are costly which limits certain folks to obtain on an aggressive basis. And the ability to find/locate these products can be limited as well unless you are constantly scanning the over seas sites on a daily basis.

Just these 2 examples mentioned above probably reduces the amount of posts or interaction by members. I am sure that everyone loves the posts created…. Hence the likes and views by all. Todays economy and rising costs of daily needs to survive probably take precedence over the TDZ reel on everyone’s wish list.

Perhaps posts about recent tuning projects, upgrades/re organizations during the off seasons or even live chats would excite/stimulate the juices…..

I’ll chime in and say that for me it’s just been life lately that’s relegated me to lurking in the background instead of posting, which is crap. I’ve had a lot of interesting experiences and I’ve had some neat finds and I just need to get off my ass and post about it. I took on some extra responsibilities in the past 8 months and I’m still figuring that out. One thing is that no matter how busy I might get, I will not sacrifice time spent fishing and I haven’t. That’s a f’n line in the sand. But, I’ve had little time for anything else. The enthusiasm that goes along with participating in forums is however, an important part of my hobby. It’s not just the time on the water. That’s the enthusiasm. In that regard, I’ve sacrificed. But, that’s not going to last, because ultimately my hobby keeps me grounded and grateful. If more people lurk like I’ve been doing recently, then post then the forum suffers. I like the idea of posting about projects. I also like seeing what guys are doing with their older gear. “They don’t make ‘‘em like they used” is an idea for a thread. Let’s see what all you guys are hoarding from me. We know a lot about Rise’s gems, but others are more bashful. 

I’ll try to put my posts where my mouth is and see if I can’t get more involved.

I read everything here, although I might not write a response.  I think part of the problem is how Balkanized even Enthusiast and JDM tackle has become.  I wonder, is Megabass Enthusiast any more or has it just dethroned Loomis?  Some sectors of Shimano and Daiwa are premium but much of that is being diluted as well.  Evergreen, REAL Evergreen, not the bastardization that is Evergreen America, is still is the king of the hill, as far as I'm concerned.

I like RAID Japan.  I like O.S.P and Ryugi.  There are other brands I know are quality but I don't care too much for DEPS and Lucky Craft.  Then there are the brands that have a few good products but run short.

I think another issue is an embarrassment of riches.  We get spoiled.

MANY good points. Indeed, the premise of owning top shelf gear takes time, effort, desire, and money. Then divide it by willingness to use, ability to use as in ability to differentiate benefit, those who showcase, those on financial edge, life in general from relationship to health to number of times able or willing to wet line, all detrimental. Positive must outweigh negative or it doesn’t happen.

And whether any of us admit it or not the addiction has an at best 50/50 probability of being desirable. Many times, I’ve dropped serious coin on many things and been very disappointed. Sometimes even embarrassed. High dollar reels that don’t cast what most claim, high dollar sticks that shatter or arrive in pieces or simply suck, high dollar baits that don’t catch, high dollar baits that made a gorgeous arch prior to splashdown. With no line on them anymore. Dammit. Yes, I’ve been embarrassed plenty. Even felt stupid many times. But I have also found gems. Which is what this is all about to me.

And to most others, they have nothing to compare it to. And many anglers' fish to eat. Some are in it to make a living, as such a splurge is burdensome expense. Media, marketing, availability, all part of the equation. In truth, this is a niche cult we occupy. We are a minority here. And I suspect a high percentage of us have a unique view on life. I know I do. None of which precludes participation, of course. We need a happy place, easy means to share and inquire. Which we do have here.

This forum is more “underground” than social media which I like. It makes it the enthusiast level in my eyes- getting out to find new spots, trying new things. This is a different side of jdm than what comes up on popular u.s pages on social media. I also think reel tuning plays a big part on here which you don’t see anywhere else on social media, which is fine with me. Some things are better left not blown out

Posted by: @one-love

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MANY good points. Indeed, the premise of owning top shelf gear takes time, effort, desire, and money. Then divide it by willingness to use, ability to use as in ability to differentiate benefit, those who showcase, those on financial edge, life in general from relationship to health to number of times able or willing to wet line, all detrimental. Positive must outweigh negative or it doesn’t happen.

 

And whether any of us admit it or not the addiction has an at best 50/50 probability of being desirable. Many times, I’ve dropped serious coin on many things and been very disappointed. Sometimes even embarrassed. High dollar reels that don’t cast what most claim, high dollar sticks that shatter or arrive in pieces or simply suck, high dollar baits that don’t catch, high dollar baits that made a gorgeous arch prior to splashdown. With no line on them anymore. Dammit. Yes, I’ve been embarrassed plenty. Even felt stupid many times. But I have also found gems. Which is what this is all about to me.

 

And to most others, they have nothing to compare it to. And many anglers' fish to eat. Some are in it to make a living, as such a splurge is burdensome expense. Media, marketing, availability, all part of the equation. In truth, this is a niche cult we occupy. We are a minority here. And I suspect a high percentage of us have a unique view on life. I know I do. None of which precludes participation, of course. We need a happy place, easy means to share and inquire. Which we do have here.

Beautifully and eloquent said...😎

For me, life has just been crazy-busy. I thought it would ease up when I got my daughter off to college, but it has only accelerated. I don't get to fish except for an hour here or there at local ponds anymore. I actually bought a ton of gear lately, mostly user pieces, a couple nice ones, but haven't even had time to post it. I turned 50 a few months back and just can't seem to get my head above water, time-wise anyway. Maybe I'm just being lazy, but if that's the case, I'm way too tired for that to be the case.

@hoohoorjoo 

Yeppers, here as well bro...although you have snagged some damn nice gear lately.

Very solid input…looking forward to responding and elaborating on a few things later today. 

This has been something that has been on my mind the last year. 

I moved here to Japan from Springfield, MO exactly one year ago. In MO I did a lot of fishing. At least going once a week for a full day or even two. My life revolved around fishing. Before moving here I sold off a lot of my "enthusiast" gear to save weight and thinking I could easily acquire it here. After getting here and going through the culture shock and just trying to be a present husband and father Ive realized fishing or the act of going fishing has been put on the back burner. I continue to buy lures and gear that I find or have been "needing" for years. After it sits on my shelf for a few weeks it starts to sadden me that I haven't had the opportunity to get out on the water. Why? To be honest, I've gotten lazy. Because in the states it was so easy for me to throw my stuff in my car and go. Here.. I need to take public transportation to where I want to go. And on top of that the pressure here in the Tokyo area is unreal. It's hard to get a good bite. All that said I catch my self missing MO and not doing much about my situation. Funny thing is my wife told me to go fishing tomorrow I was telling her how I wanted to get another reel and she said "Before you do that, go catch a bass." I was insulted, shocked, my pride was hurt, and I was overjoyed at the encouragement to go fishing. 

What makes an enthusiast.. This is a loaded question. Because everyone has a different opinion of what that is in their mind. For a long time I thought it meant liking fishing more than anyone else. But after meeting some people that love fishing but don't care for their gear, I have changed what I think an enthusiast is. Then I've met people who care so much about their gear and yet... they don't even fish and Im shocked. So all that said, I believe there is a beautiful balance that needs to happen in ones life to be an enthusiast. 

How to get more to engage. Simple. Just share. Post. But, engage more than just a like. As some know, I left social media and a smartphone life. This will be my outlet and my fishing community. I'll try my best to get on once a day and say hi or make a post. 

p.s. @TILB your spool is on its way. Im sorry for the delay and I hope the RJ stuff makes up for it. Me love you long time. 

@gaijin 

SALUTE

an enthusiast is someone who desires to enjoy the connection between beauty and functionality in the most simplistic terms ( imho ). There is certainly a balance between function and refinement of course and that's more of where I think I am. 

I may not always post but i am certainly still here. I had listed my boat up for sale but now in 2024 im just like forget it.. if you think people will low ball you on a reel try a boat. Still.

I just think the world is a muck right now and so much uncertainty that many people are just not going to spend what they have spent in times past , plus inflation is real. At work we are constantly talking about auto insurance and how the rates in florida are just a joke and i hear the pain in some peoples voices. 1000 dollars  a month for car insurance is hard for me to hear let alone if I was the one paying.. I dont speed intentionally but when i do the thought of an insurance hike is enough to make me keep my attorney on retainer.   

Lots of great points and I agree with most. I also feel like the market has changed quite a bit. I remember the days of yearly Megabass releases of Monoblocks and Lins and whatever else black magic Yuki Ito would dream up. Now it’s adding a Pop-X stick to the P5 lineup of 25 existing rod models, the 20th version of the griffon re-marketed as BFS and “limited color” #215 for the Vision 110. I am being facetious but I am so so so less excited about the market now than I was 7+ years ago. Maybe that’s what getting old is, looking back on the good ol’ days… lol. Maybe innovation has plateaued, maybe I’ve become a bit saturated and a bit jaded.

For me, the mail calls are few and far between, as are the outings, my Monoblocks have been through the mod ringer and most of my stuff has been through Ian’s magic shop.

I have less to say overall and less time / energy to say it. So I’ve become more of an occasional spectator than a contributor unfortunately and that’s really lame…

But I still love fishing and I still love enthusiast tackle. I’ve definitely focused more on enjoying what I have than chasing the next thing. And I still really enjoy seeing mail calls, outing reports, discussions about mods and tunes, etc.

Maybe I’ll make a New Year resolution to be more active 😎