What do You Mean I Can't Use Bait?

So, as I began fishing again, I did what men have done for centuries.  I looked at the internet.  It turns out that fishing is a lot more high-tech than crickets and bobbers.  Of course, I was told by the experts that I needed this rod and that reel and these lures over here to catch the big ones.

So I dove into the information out there about jigs, spinners, poppers, etc.  My head was spinning faster than whatever reel spins the fastest these days.  I started buying kits, not knowing what they were supposed to do, other than catch fish.  I packed up my plastic box with rubber things that didn't look like anything I've ever seen in the water and drove to Umstead Park.

I didn't catch a thing.  I tied on these rubber things, tossed them into open water, and lost most of them somewhere on the bottom.  I cursed myself for getting back into this stupid activity.  I could have been home, watching TV, listening to my wife talk about how I just sit there, watching TV and looking at fishing sites.  But, I stayed until I was ready to go home, and I learned a valuable lesson.

Sometimes it's just about GOING fishing. 

I also learned that sparkly squishy things may have been a bit premature for me, and that most kits are just the bits nobody wanted to buy individually.

Life lessons:
1.  If you don't have a strong knot from the start, you lose your lure and a lot of line in the process.
2.  The lure you think you should use may not be the the right one.
3.  You can have lots of gear, but it boils down to patience, practice, and time.