Originally Posted by
OBT
Okay, get ready to get pissed off at me.
Dixie-Raven hit the nail on the head. This "Grow the Sport" crap is about nothing more than making money. It is veiled in so many ways, like "it's for the kids" etc., NO. The motive is cash plain and simple. Even the timing of pro tourneys are set to the time of year when the fish bite is at it's crazy best and it's all about getting you wound up and hooking you and your wallet. We all have fallen victim to it, some worse than others.
And speaking of Pro's,,, I'm sure most all of them are great guys as well as the best of fisherman, but they are, at the same time, "Salesmen". (Once they hit the big time). They remind me of the guys you used to see at an old Macy's or Sears department store. They used to be just inside the doors with a couple of tables and some amazing demonstrations of "The worlds Sharpest Knife" or "The World’s Best Pots and Pans". It was quite entertaining to watch them at it and it was a great way of sucking people into making a purchase or two. This is about what fishing has become to and it is, IMHO, greed gone wild.
It’s our own fault though. We’re easy marks. So many of us have become the Perfect Consumers, 'delicately' trained, manipulated and indoctrinated since childhood, into buying nearly anything regardless of price. Cars, trucks, boats, clothes, homes, entertainment, sports, including ours. Many of us even do it with a big goofy smile on our face.
In a way, it's kind of like a milking barn full of cows all hooked up to the milking machines that are pumping out milk. But in our case it is the same idea only the milking hoses are attached to our wallets. There's a human philological aspect to it that "those who make the world go round" know about and have mastered. They seem to have developed a way of keeping everything priced at what could be the breaking point for some people and "just" below the tipping point for the rest so no ones the wiser. Meanwhile, and just like everyone else, I spend more than I should, but I try very hard to make wise and prudent purchases.
As for the prices of used boats, with a well-kept 15 year old boat and a new trailer as a foundation, I'll do a re-power after 10 years, (Done in 2018) upgrade electronics every 3-4 years, etc., Which, basically means that my well-kept old boat will go anywhere and do anything that a new rig five times more than I paid for mine will do. So if I ever do sell it, the price I set will be based on that and will be a real deal compared to the cost of a brand new rig.
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