Well, not enough is said about having the right equipment and lure, and without those properly matched you can turn a potentially good day of fishing into garbage. I firmly believe in matching my equipment to my quarry and I do so fanatically. Like you mentioned, you have to find that rod/reel/lure combo that best suits your fishing style and tactics. Once you do, you'll be rewarding yourself with fish in the boat. A fish hooked but not landed is no better than snagging an underwater tree limb: the end result is one re-tied hook and multiple muttered adjectives.