It's an interesting thread. I suspect that most of us don't get to spend as much time as we'd like outside fishing and hunting and it results in a lot more reading, discussing and dreaming than doing. I hope to change that next year with retirement.
Before the CF I had just a couple centerfire rifles (A P64 M70 fwt in 243 and a M70 in .338 WM) and I had shot every deer I'd killed with it for 20+ years using it and hunted elk with the other (but never killed one with it) with no issues. Somehow I now have a bunch of rifles that don't do that any better than the M70 but they bring me enjoyment.
Sort of the same with fly rods. I have good coverage from 3 weight to 10 weight but mostly fish the 3-6 weights for trout and smallmouth these days. In fact, I fish the 9' 4 weight helios more than any others. But, if it's dry flies I do enjoy the one bamboo I have and if the stream and fish are small the 3 weight gets the nod. The 9 and 10 weights has not been out of their tubes in 20 years except for a trip fishing for Stripers on the Chesapeake quite a while ago.
There
have been innovations over the years that have made fishing better or more fun.
Flies - CDC and Synthetic materials delivered much more successful flies especially in nitch situations like emergers and streamers, much stronger hooks, and barbless from the start.
Lines - Remember the "memory" of the 333/666 lines and how, especially in cold water, they just stayed in coils and you enjoyed that abrupt halt as the knot you missed hit the guide.
New lines don't do that.
Leaders/tippets- Sure I still tie up my own leaders, or more often take a knotless and rebuild them when they get broken but the materials, mono is so much better these days - thinner, stronger, more flexible. We also have fluorocarbon that in the right time and place is really amazing stuff.
Waders - heavy rubber waders and neoprene that were either cold or hot and it didn't matter in either case because you'd be sweating inside them? Give me modern breathables.
Rods - Here, I have to admit, I got nothing. Rods are such a personal thing and used for such a wide variety of places and styles. I used to Salmon and Steelhead a lot in the Pac NW and my Powell North Umpqua was perfect then. I suspect if I was fishing there now I'd be all over the new longer spey rods.
So while a lot of outdoors stuff is designed to separate us from our money, reality is there have been improvements and sometimes we bite and get fooled and sometimes it really is better. If you haven't bought anything in 20 years you may be missing out.
