fishing rods and skis

I forgot how to comment on things in this blog, so I’ll just write a new post. It’s fascinating that there are so many different rods for different situations. I suppose a compromise would work fine for a while. What would be a good compromise to start with, as far as rod, line, and reel? After getting into the sport you probably start to notice the nuances and develop special techniques and preferences. I liken this to skiing and ski equipment. I get a new pair of skiis about every other year. Sure, the old ones would work fine, but every year around this time, ski prices drop to about $30 to $40 for new. Those same skis sold for $300 to $400 just a few months earlier. You tell me who is the smart one. The sellers or the buyers. I suppose the same markup is true for many other sports. This year, for the first time, shaped skis are on sale. I have never tried a pair, but I hear they help turning quite a bit. Back country skis are always a compromise, just like a fly rod. Certain ones excel in certain situations. There is no all around good ski yet. The fat, shaped skis are slow on trails, but great for turning on a hill. My narrow skis are fast on a trail, but harder to turn. Actually, the fastest skis I have are probably 30 years old, the old all wooden Madshus. They are the lightest and have no sidecut at all. Terrible for turning, but lots of fun sometimes. I really have to get rid of a few pairs that fall between others in categories. It seems a shame to throw away a perfectly good pair of skis, but it’s almost cheaper to buy new ones than repair and tune up the old ones. Boots are another piece of equipment that has changes over the years. I’m still using my 10 year old leather ones. They have buckles and are stiff, but are starting to show their age. I’ve had them resoled once. I just hate to part with them, so I’ll probably go another year. Plastic boots seem so much better for downhill, but most of my skiing is such a mix, that maybe my old ones are just the best compromise. The simple way would be to continue with what I’ve got. It’s just fine. The big difference between the sports of fishing and xc skiing I see is that you can make your rod and flies. Both sports are getting you back to nature and can be both relaxing and an endurance test. It’s good to have a new interest every year, but to keep working on the old ones. It gets to a point where you have to limit your interests, though.