These a lot of good commentary already in this thread.

I do catch more then my fair share of large fish, but unlike many people I have put the effort in. I have fished a range of spots, in a range of conditions trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. I am also not afraid to follow any advice which I might have read or been told.

A few years back when I was first getting serious into landbased fishing, a experience angler told me about a certain spot. He was genuinely surprised when I told him that I tried the spot the following weekend. According to him I was the only person to have made the effort to go there. I have the impression a lot of people read advice then never act on it. Not all advice is good advice but these only one way to find out wither its good or not. In my experience, these a lot of very good advice given freely online, its just needs to be acted upon.

Even when I go out and catch nothing, that is not a unsuccessful trip because I still had the chance to learn how a spot fishes under certain conditions.

A lot of people, especially on forums seem to suffer from Performance Anxiety and only posts a report when they have a extra successful trip. This makes them seem like much more successful anglers then they really are.

I do have spots which many would consider good spots. But I rarely fish them. I enjoy the challenge of finding and fishing new spots. I even continue to fish some mediocre spots simply because I enjoy the vista. To me, fishing is about the challenge, rather then the catching.