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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Since the economy is a little up and down, and there is some uncertainty about what the future holds for my business, I've been thinking about what I spend on entertainment. Since I'm mostly a golfer now/again, I was tallying up what I can expect to spend over the course of this year for a family membership, clubs, balls and miscellaneous equipment purchases, fuel costs to get to the course, food and beverages while there, etc.
When I got a ballpark total, I realized that while many have perceptions about how expensive golf can be as a past time, the way I/we do it is money well spent, considering what we get out of it. I would sacrifice other indulgences before I would give up the routine we established last year.
That made me think about what a musky fisherman or musky fishing family might spend in a year. Travel, boat costs, insurance, fuel, bait, rods, reels, food, beverages, launching and or parking fees, etc. I don't know much about some of these costs having never been a boat owner, but wow, it seems like fishing can be quite the costly endeavor.
I understand the amount of money someone might spend on something they love is a personal thing, so I did this in the form of a poll. My first poll thread ever. It might also be cool to hear how some have strategies to save a little money, how some might have a few things they love to splurge on and cannot do without, what part of the fishing addiction are completely out of line price-wise, or some products or services you think are really a great bang for the buck. Don't bash products specifically, as those posts won't be allowed here.
Might also be fun to hear about any indulgences that no matter what the circumstances, you just can't help yourself.
Kevin
I'm in a contemplative mood as I'm feeling middle aged, no, wait, I'm feeling aged this week.
Edited by MuskyHopeful 4/16/2009 12:04 AM
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Posts: 1286
Location: WI | I recycle pop cans for lure money. At least I did before it went down to 25 cents/lb. No clue on the yearly tab for musky expenses...I really don't want to think about it. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | I could look on our Microsoft Money and find out real easy....BUT...I don't want to. I know that the gas costs got out of control last year, although I didn't fish any less. It just lead to a little more grief than usual from the wife.
I started selling bucktails a couple years ago to buy my fishing toys so my expenses are limited to gasoline and boat maintenance. I am lucky to have a friend who makes top shelf topwater baits and since I primarily throw those and bucktails I don't buy very many lures anymore. The 300 or so that I have acquired over the years are enough. I just buy an occasional Dawg or Joe when some of those get trashed.
I love it. It is the one thing that I truly love to do. I retired from my other love, playing hoops two years ago. After destroying an ankle and breaking a rib, I decided it was time to quit chasing the young guys around on the court.
You can't worry about how much money you spend on something you truly love to do. It keeps me sane and makes me happy. That makes it priceless in my book.
Insomnia sucks! |
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Posts: 392
Location: lake x...where the hell is it? | priceless for sure. but i bet i would spend less if i was buying crack insted.lol. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | With muskie related trips, 11-12 Tourneys, fees, food,drink,fuel and gear.......
Way over what is on the poll . Doesn't include any work on the boat if needed.
Jerome |
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Posts: 83
Location: Antioch IL | my vote is i don't want to even think about. |
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Posts: 529
Location: Not Where I Want To Be | I've tried to widdle my hobbies down to a select few and be Passionate about them. After realizing the money i was spending throughout a year.
I say Save Some / Spend Some and Enjoy Life. Like a good friend of mine told me before he passed away. Your not here for a long time your here for a Good time. |
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Location: Twin Cities | There are some things I just don't dare calculate for fear of my wife finding out. |
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Posts: 1080
| JRedig - 4/16/2009 8:15 AM
There are some things I just don't dare calculate for fear of my wife finding out.
Well said. Same here.
Since I've been married and now having two kids, I've had to cut waaaaaaaaaay back on a lot of my fun hobbies and past times. I used to be a golfer, downhill skier, BMX & freestyle biker, drag and road course racer with a car and used to spend a lot more time with friends and on the road to different places around the U.S. Can't do all of that stuff anymore. Some of it my age and body won't allow me to physically do anymore, which, helps in the way of letting those interests go.  Others, I've had to let go due to costs and time associated with those hobbies.
For the past four years, I've primarily whittled everything down to just my one, true passion that I've done all my life: fishing. It's worked out great that way too because the family can be involved with that and I'm now teaching my kids to fish and I love taking them fishing and as they get older, I can only imagine the fun we'll have. So...to me...it's justifiable to have the expense that comes with the hobby of fishing and owning and maintaining a boat. It's something we can all enjoy and do together, whereas some of those other hobbies, would have been just for me.
I am starting to get the itch back again for the car hobby though. I've had a car that's been "down" for the past five years. I'm starting to think about getting it put back together and back on the road hopefully for next year of 2010. Not sure how much racing I'll do with it due to the associated high risks that come with that and with me now being a husband and a father...I gotta be a lot smarter with that now. But...still...might put something back together with that that will be fun on the streets and maybe be a father/son project over the years. But that stuff is NOT cheap!
Fishing, cars, whatever, hobbies are simply what you make of them. They can be done as cheap or inexpensively as you can afford or allow yourself to spend, or....you can go off the deep end and spend way too much. I think it's like anything else in life, you just have to be responsible with it, know your limits, know your budget and be smart about it. Some have the money to blow on lots of gear and big expensive boats, some don't. Some have the ability to spend more time on the water, some don't. Doesn't matter one way or the other. Fishing is fishing. It can be done from shore or from a dock or a pier...or from a 14' aluminum fishing boat with oars, or...from a $50k high end boat.
At the end of the day, the fish don't have the ability to discriminate. The fish don't have the ability to sit down there and watch the lures zip by their heads and say to themselves: "Oh. I'm not going to bite THAT lure because that guy is most likely using a low-end rod and reel and is only fishing from a row boat."
Any more these days, most of the money I spend on fishing is in the way of gas for the truck and boat to and from the lake for a weekend, food and beverage, and any other maintenance. My boat may not be pretty, it may not be new, but you know what? It floats. I do not have any big purchases on the radar right now, which is a good thing. Maybe that'll allow me to focus on my car project more now. |
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Posts: 2009
| My wife did calculate credit card purchases!.... $5000+ went on the CC alone - kind of opened my eyes! |
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| maybe we should all calculate the cost per fish. that might be a bit more painful for some.... |
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Posts: 8772
| Hmph. Gas alone is a couple thousand dollars. Then there's gear, which I honestly don't spend all that much on anymore. Maybe a lure here and there. then you factor in guide trips, lodging, and food. And the bar bill, you can't forget the bar bill... I guess it's probably not all THAT bad. Well, unless you factor in the payments on this:
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | 6 days at LOTW fuel cost: $2000.00
2 new Lowrance HD 10's : $4000.00
5 new Just Encase Boxes : $700
55 New baits : $600
My wife never seeing a receipt, credit card bill, or this post: Priceless |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | lambeau - 4/16/2009 9:16 AM
there was a time when i was golfing 4-5 rounds per week. golf is considered and expensive hobby, but even at the peak when i was playing that often it doesn't begin to approach what i spend in a year on muskie fishing...boat payments and gas alone outpace the cost of golf memberships, greens fees, and equipment. and then you add in all the cool muskie "toys"...trouble.
That's why I posted this. My wife is a little concerned about the golf budget, so I wanted a comparison. Boats are expensive, and a lot guys travel to fish. I'm 15-20 minutes from the course, and carts are included in the membership. My golf costs for a year are in the middle of the range, and that's for the three of us. Last years we tallied around 110 rounds for the family.
Kevin
I'm feeling younger today. |
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Posts: 897
| Gotta spend your money on something right? Musky fisherman definitely do their part to support the economy...speaking of which, I need to order a couple baits! |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | I don't spend that much on muskie fishing anymore. Have my lure selection down to my specific technique (open water) and maybe add a few colors or a new model or 2 every year. Spent some money over the last few years revamping my walleye/smallmouth gear, and find myself doing more of that type of fishing nowdays (walleye fillets...mmmm).
JS |
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Posts: 1264
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | You can't put a price tag on enjoyment. Eat, sleep, and work; I hope that's not all there is to life. Do what you can afford to do. Life's to short! |
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Posts: 8772
| Kev, you asked about paying for it all. I've recently had to take a pretty substantial pay cut at my job, which unfortunately will cut into my fishing pretty hard this year. But there are a few things I've done to soften the blow:
1. Sold some unused gear
2. 3 drink limit at the bar
3. Instead of drinking Crown Royal, I've switched to Old Style.
4. No more drinking during the week
5. Coupons. Serious.
6. No more bar food, I cook at home now
7. Wait until stuff goes on sale before you buy it
Another thing that I am doing this year that is really going to help: The fishing fund...
I opened up a special account with the money I had from selling lures at the swap.
Worked a few hours overtime, put that money into the fishing fund.
$10 rebate? Into the fishing fund.
Tax refund? Fishing fund.
emptied out the change bucket -into the fishing fund
Took in all those aluminum cans (old style, LOL) - fishing fund.
Garage sale money - yep.
Any extra money I get outside of my regular paycheck, even if it's a dollar I found on the street, goes in the fishing fund.
It's actually pretty amazing how much money you can put aside that way.
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Location: Twin Cities | Jsondag - 4/15/2009 11:37 PM
2 new Lowrance HD 10's : $4000.00
So, eehhh, what did you do with your old sonar units? |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | One, died on me - and the other, I am going to keep as a backup and Bow unit for when I go to Canada. |
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Posts: 484
Location: St. Louis, MO., Marco Is., FL, Nestor Falls, ON | I spend 4 months each year on LOTW and 3 months in Florida fishing. I think my tab for fishing almost exceeds my wife's shopping expenses in Florida. But I don't ask her...and she doesn't ask me. LOL
Edited by rpieske 4/16/2009 10:49 AM
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Posts: 29
| I am thinking it might get kind of depressing! But its all worth it, can't beat the time on the water. We all may spend a good amount of $$ on fishing, but think of all the memories you have had musky fishing. And times fishing with friends and family are priceless! |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | interesting post ...
last year was the year of adjustment for me with an illness and then a job change causing me to downsize life in a big, big way. i figure i went from about $8 - 10k or more of entertainment budget on golf and fishing down to about $3500 for this year and by next year will be even further reduced while still spending as much or more time doing all the same things.
i CAN run a used boat vs. a brand new ranger with a huge motor
i CAN fish with an old black and white depth finder vs. a couple grand in hd color widescrean graphs
i CAN pull it with a used crown victoria vs. a diesel superduty (this is the next great thought)
i CAN fish across the street instead of going all over the place
i CAN use the baits i have and not need or want anything at all over and above what's worked
i CAN say no to fishing leagues and tournaments that cost me time and money over just fishing for enjoyment
i CAN walk instead of riding a cart when i play golf
i CAN make a sandwich and go hit a few buckets of balls or just go fishing instead of going out
just doing those things will deliver even more piece-of-mind than i've ever had and the combination has meant even more enjoyment of sports i already thought i'd gotten a lot out of. when i add that not being able to go out to smokey places due to my illness and i've 1. saved a ton, 2. feel healthier and 3. am in more control of something than i ever thought i'd be.
when i see people spending the kind of money i know i did and felt i could afford on a 40 - 60k boat, all the fancy rods, baits and crap that come along with the stigma while working a regular job with a wife or ex, kids and mortgage it makes me happy to have made the hard choices i have. folks may think they'll be able to make the payments or squeak by but take it from a guy who quite literally had the world by the nuts ... you can get a wake-up call too! better to be in a position to respond than not, and i have what i would consider to be a pretty good job.
this economy has been concerning me for about 5 years now and i'm glad i took notice when i did. when we all come out of this and we will ... i'm going to stick to my guns on some of the lessons learned and always keep the "entertainment" component of my lifestyle simple because the other things are far more important. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | lambeau - 4/16/2009 9:16 AM boat payments
That is the price you pay for always upgrading. I am glad that I have never had a boat payment. My current rig was my first new boat but I still paid cash for it and I plan to keep it for a long time....plus it appears to have some serious mojo as the fish love to visit it.
I am a firm believer in tracking all of my expenses though. Everything I spend on fishing gets recorded as such in Money. At least I don't have to or try to hide anything from my wife. She likes to tell me how much I spend but it doesn't deter me.
I remind her that she "walked that aisle" to be with a fisherman. There are a lot worse things that I could be spending that money on. |
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Posts: 2009
| bean counter - 4/16/2009 9:19 AM
maybe we should all calculate the cost per fish. that might be a bit more painful for some....
That actually makes 5K justified $150 per fish thats cheap entertainment! |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | Nice post Jon...sorry to hear about your illness.
The guys that think you need $4,000 of electronics kill me. They need two of them as well. My gps until last year was a handheld. My sonar unit was an X-51 ($200). Somehow I still managed to catch a lot of fish. Last year I did a 'big' upgrade and got a HB 595c. It cost me $350 and it is on my console. It is a great little color unit.When I am fishing I just flip it around so I use it while I fish on the front deck as well.
Spending $400 on a reel to use for one application, burning double 10's, is not something that I can justify to myself. This winter I picked up a very gently used Saltist for $100.
Family comes first to me....always has and always will. My youngest was born with some special needs, it really helped me figure out what is important. People need to prioritize. I love fishing but at the end of the day it is just my hobby. |
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Posts: 1168
| Excluding "start up" costs I spend very very little each year. The first couple of years I got into this racket it was very costly. This spring I bought a bait for the first time in about 4 years when I went in with a couple of buddies of mine and we ordered a bunch of DDD blanks. I've been using more homemade baits so I won't count those in as an expense. Wood and paint is free, basically only have to buy the hardward.
Funny thing is that I could drop a couple grand on baits in the next week and yet I'll still throw the same versatile crescent wrench type baits I have for the past few years. I could legitimately only keep maybe 10 baits and dump all the rest and I wouldn't cramp how I fish. A better follow up question might be to ask how many baits do you own that you've never caught a fish on and do some statistical analysis of how often you throw those baits vs. how much you've spent on stuff that doesn't produce. |
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Posts: 8772
| think of it this way:
It's probably cheaper than therapy and anti-depressants, and a muskie will never ask about your childhood or say things like "how does that make you feel?"... |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | ulbian - 4/16/2009 1:33 PM
I could legitimately only keep maybe 10 baits and dump all the rest and I wouldn't cramp how I fish. .
Yup |
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| there is a much bigger difference between a "need" and a "want"...I don't need 4k in electronics but I am 100% certain I want them and I can guarantee it helps me put more big fish in my boat over the course of a season...utilizing GPS/Sonar to the fullest extent is a want...I can still put big fish in the boat on Lake X out of a 14' Jon boat with zero electronics but I know when I'm in MN I am on more fish because of the added benefits of using GPS/Sonar as a system for success....
I don't spend much on baits any more...as most of us, we get into this sport and feel the need to buy 5 of everything made...I know what I have confidence in now and don't need to buy much....I am an equipment junkie and love getting all the new custom rods/reels that I have splurged on the last year or 2...don't need em, but I like em....
the biggest expense last season was definitely fuel and lodging and that will probably be the same this year....not sure what I spend in a season on this addiction...probably best I don't know! ; )
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Gas, food, baits, house on a Vilas musky lake
The House part easily puts me into the last catagory. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Gander Mt Guide - 4/16/2009 3:56 PM
Gas, food, baits, house on a Vilas musky lake
The House part easily puts me into the last catagory.
That's an investment. Might be a little slow in the appreciation department these days, but lake property will always work out in the long run.
Kevin
Birdies. I want more. |
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Posts: 292
Location: SW MI | I gave up hunting so I could keep up my muskie addiction. |
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Being an apprentice electrician has its perks. I get to cash in all the scrap copper and we get a lot of it. It was 4 dollars a pound last year but not as much this year. This helps payin for all the toys!! |
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Posts: 203
Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | Whew!!!!!! I thought I was the only crazy one. |
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Posts: 193
Location: Mayer, MN | I have a young family, 3 year old and 5 week old. I don't own a cowgirl, that $25 bucks buys formula or diapers.
I received my Rollie and Helens catalog today and am alarmed by the trend in new bait pricing, up, up and away. I can't afford trends. I started 5 years ago and feel like the manufacturers are trying to price me out. I see why guys are like hawks on the used stuff on the classifieds.
Being layed off now doesn't help either.
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Posts: 392
Location: lake x...where the hell is it? | "Your not here for a long time your here for a Good time." i love that. money comes and goes and you cant take it with you when you pass. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | I love reading this thread, it has me thinking from a lot of different angles. I, too, have been telling myself that what I have is enough for what I do. I can't help but to stray from that mentality once in a while when I walk through smokey's or R&H - There's always that voice saying "What about such and such conditions" or "What if I lose my other one?" Buying lures becomes an expensice side car to an already pricey hobby. Newly married, I think about this more and more. If I spend an arm and a leg at a musky shop, or even drop $30 on ONE bait, what if I lose my job next week and while I struggle to feed myself and my wife I'm feeling the burn of the $30 lure I bought in the back of my head? Like Sloan said, I have what I need for what I do on the water. I think you spend the bulk of your gear investment trying to find your niche`. After so many years chasing ski's, you find what works best for you and you shift the majority of your focus to those tactics - All be it, this isn't always the case. . . I know.
Hmm... Now I'm thinking too much and getting depressed. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I don't buy many new baits any more. I mostly replace a few worn baits and maybe add a few new ones each year. I mostly throw CJs spinner baits and Storm plastics because they work so well for me. There is little reason to buy much else because "other" lures get so little water time.
With gas, lures, tackle and everything, I expect to spend around $1000 this year. |
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Posts: 283
| For this year this is what my tab looks like
New rod and reel combo 260
Lures about 300
New Net much needed 140
Line, Leaders, Hooks,etc.- 140
Musky club 120
Gas dont want to know
Lakewood tackle box 140
Plus a bunch of other stuff that I really don't want to think about right now. 
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Posts: 646
Location: In a shack in the woods | So far since last fall I have bought
G loomis rod$230
2 mi 9 footers $323 at expo
$1000 in lure making supplies and lures
Shimano torium $170
Lakewood musky hybrid box $160
Still need 2 shimano tekota longer pliers and fluoro leader making supplies |
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