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Location: Northern Wisconsin | what are some expenses to musky fishing?
will being a teacher leave me enough money to still fish everyday in the summer?
Edited by fish4musky1 5/9/2008 1:16 PM
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Location: Athens, Ohio | How much have you got?
You'll need more than that! m |
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Posts: 485
Location: On my favorite lake! | Gas for the boat and maintenance on the boat are two major ones. If you have to pay launch fees or slip fees is a couple others. |
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Posts: 284
| You can get started pretty easy. Here is what you do. Get a job at gander mt., sportsmans warehouse, or cabellas. Enjoy 20% off everything you buy. Even if your part time. A lot of these retailers offer vendor discounts through st.croix and Gloomis and you can get really nice rods for cheap. Plus come the end of sumer you'll get first dibs at all the clearance merchandise. You'll need a good 300 dollars still to get a very basic set-up and a few baits. But don't think that you have to go and buy everything all at once. If you get say a good twitch bait a good topwater and a few good bucktails you could go have fun. The expensive part is the disease. Once your hooked you'll only be interested in buying $25.00 baits and the $5.00 bass and walleye baits that you used to buy will be a thing of the past. If you fish the right lakes launch fees and gas don't become an issue. I rarely use the outboard and relly primarily on the trolling motor and the lakes i fish don't have launch fee's. Another good tip. Find a friend who likes to musky fish but doesn't have anybody to go with. He'll be happy to have a net man in the boat and also happy to split the costs. |
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Posts: 2378
| fish4musky1 - 5/9/2008 1:06 PM
will being a teacher leave me enough money to still fish everyday in the summer?
that all depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to live. It can be more than enough...or not nearly enough. that's up to you |
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Posts: 250
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | A LOT
Edited by baldeaglefisherman 5/9/2008 1:36 PM
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Posts: 8781
| Getting to the lake pulling a boat will cost you $.039/mile. Gas for the boat varies depending on how you fish, where you fish, and out of what. If you already have a truck, a boat, rods reels tackle, etc. gas is your only expense other than new line and lost/broken equipment. If you don't want to buy a boat, guide trips run around $300 - 400/day.
If you are going to be way over the top about it? Well:
you can spend $40,000 on a truck
you can spend $55,000 on a boat
you can spend $500 each on rod and reel combos
you can buy a couple hundred lures at $20/each ($4,000)
Then you need tools, line, a net, leaders, split rings, snaps
Then you need rain gear
Not the answer you wanted I'm sure.
To get started? Like "I think I might enjoy muskie fishing" and have some gear of your own? I'd say $1,000 will get you off the ground in terms of the bare essentials.
If you become some crazy muskie freak like most of the guys here? Well... let's just say most of us here could pay off our mortgages if we had all the money we ever spent on muskie fishing.
Personally, if someone aksed me how much I have spent on muskie fishing? My answer would be simple:
"All of it. And THEN some."
And that ain't no BS, man.
Edited by esoxaddict 5/9/2008 2:30 PM
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Posts: 393
Location: Hopefully on the water | What is your sanity, peace of mind, commoradity, and enjoyment of the outdoors worth? It is not a pretty thing to sit and add up how much you have invested in this sport but well worth it when you look at the first part of my comment. Start small and build it from there. There is a lot of teachers who do it and fish a good majority of the summer. I say good luck and congrats to being able to fish a good chunk of the summer. |
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Posts: 427
Location: Wausau | Being an educator myself (Guidance Counselor/Principal) - one way to budget for fishing is teaching summer school. For the Wausau District a summer school teacher makes about $2500 after taxes. This is for 24 days, 6 weeks, Monday - Thursday, 7:30 - 12:30. Still have a 4 day weekend and evenings to fish. The extra money is used for fishing and your occupational salary is used for life's bills. Another tip - max out your education - Master's, plus more credits...this will help on the pay scale. |
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| not much if your dad has a musky sickness and doesnt notice that you have taken over 50 baits...haha |
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Posts: 444
Location: Indiana | It costs as much as you want. A lot of musky fisherman, myself included, spend way more than we need to.
A simple v-hull fishing boat with a tiller, some basic bucktails and cranks, and the proper release gear is all you need. My uncle did quite well for years with that set up.
Then you can go to the other end of the spectrum. A Ranger 621 with 250hp Evinrude, a kicker, lowrance 10" depthfinders and more tackle than you could ever use. No one needs this, but it sure is fun to have.
Again, it can be done on most any budget. Just enjoy yourself. |
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Way too much!! |
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Posts: 389
Location: Corning, Iowa | If you got to ask, you don't have enough. As was already stated, you don't need high dollar equipment.Start out slow, and upgrade as you go. Good luck, and have fun Doug |
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Posts: 1636
| This is my deal... and no... daddy isnt paying for it  350 a month truck payment
100 bucks a month for truck insurance
160 a month boat payment
15 bucks a month for boat insurance
70 bucks in fuel each weekend trip - times that by 3 OR 4
10-20 bucks for closer trips during the week after work
Once in a while enter a tournament and dish out some cash (but I usually make it back after I cash a check  )
rods, reels, lures....and stuff I STILL need or want...
STUFF BREAKS, GETS LOST, OR STOLEN!
hotel...food...beer....
Luckily... I had a girlfriend that didnt care if I fished every weekend and didnt spend a lot of money on her. I'm a dumb*** for letting that one go! Or... I could sell my truck and boat and buy an old s-10 and a used flat bottom jon boat and fish just as much, but have extra money to do all the stuff i do more often when i dont fish... but why would I want to do that? I'm about to go fish for some Smallies right now... and its going to cost me 5 cents to drive to the river I wish I could do that more often.... but like someone states above... The sickness takes over you and your wallet!
Edited by Reelwise 5/9/2008 7:41 PM
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Last year I had some monthly gas bills that were over 750 bucks. I have cut way back and won't musky fish anless where I am going is prime. It's not worth the money to go fishless, picking and choosing the right time to go has become paramount. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'd be more concerned what it would cost me trying to find something else to obsess over if I didn't fish muskies. I have a ton of great water within 10 miles, so gas isn't a big deal. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, I tell you what--I can sure find a way to spend a BUNCH of money on the boat, when it isn't fishing season! In the last week I ordered a new trailer, an automatic bilge pump and a swim platform for the Tyee (gotta have a way to get back on-board when the big one pulls over the side).
I think musky fishing will be relatively inexpensive compared to what I get myself into during the off-season...
TB |
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Posts: 271
Location: davis,IL | The cost! Well I guess it's the old story, how much are you willing to spend? I've seen guys who spent their kids inheritance and catch fish. I've also seen guys with the cheapest crap imaginable catch fish. I guess to be honest though and to get the most out of it you'll need to spend a little $ for a couple halfway decent rods and reels, also a few choice lures, a boat wouldn't hurt either. Remember you don't HAVE to have a 40 - 50K boat to catch a fish, I seem to remember not so many years ago outfishing most guy's in a little 12 footer on my home lake.
Edited by muskydope 5/9/2008 10:12 PM
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Posts: 3867
| You can start small, just get the right stuff. Decent rod and reel, good line, some proven hair baits, some proven wood baits, and a big a$$ net. That's what I did 15 years ago.
I guess I should mention that now I have 8 nice rod/reel set ups and about $2,000 in baits. But I'm still small time compared to many serious musky guys. The really big money is in the boats so many guys run.
Edited by Ranger 5/10/2008 12:23 AM
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | fish4musky1 - 5/9/2008 2:06 PM
what are some expenses to musky fishing?
will being a teacher leave me enough money to still fish everyday in the summer?
We are not rich but have developed a way to fish as much as we want. It involved getting two boats and doing some saving. First of all we live in Michigan in the Muskegon area. There are small Musky lakes in every direction but west. Most within an hour or two. We have an 18 foot Starcraft Superfisherman with a 115 merc 4 stroke. We pull it with our 1 ton van or fwd Dodge pickup. We started with this boat in 2003 and when gas prices went thru the roof we decided to get beat the pump.
In 2005 I bought a new 2004 Chevy Aveo with a 5 speed stick. I found a trailor hitch for it and and added a 14 foot Sea Ark Jon Boat (1448)powered by a 9.9 merc 2 stroke. We built the Jon into a mini bass boat with floors and a front and rear casting deck. bow mount trolling motor and Lowrance depthfinder and a new 3500 c Lowrance Gps. I also added roller bunks from Cabelas to the trailor. The little Jon even has dry storage and 4 tube rod holders along the sides. I can troll 6 rods with planer boards or 4 rods down and out. We can do a mix casting and trolling all day for about half a battery charge and 1.5 gallons of gas. The Aveo gets near 30 mpg at 55 pulling the boat.
Needless to say we dont use the Starcraft much unless we are staying at a given lake for more than 5 days. This makes pulling it more cost effective. We use our big boat for Lake St. Clair and several northern michigan lakes where the little jon is too small. Short hops used to cost 50 to 60 bucks a day now 10 to 15. Big savings in the little Jon boat and Aveo. Those two were the best investment we ever made for fishing. I can put that little boat anywhere I want to with the truck as well. Rivers without launches, lakes with sand launches etc. A s gas prices keep climbing it will pay off more and more. Kingfisher
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Posts: 553
Location: WI | Here's my no truck, no place to store a boat, and not a whole lot a money plan I used getting into muskie fishing last year.
1. Saric and Heiting's book. A must read before you start. ($20)
2. Sea eagle "fisherman's dream" raft. Don't worry, it comes w/ some patching equipment(Which I had to replenish coming into this year)($500)
3. 30lb thrust minnkota trolling motor. Trims that raft out at a good 5mph (120)
4. Anchors. Those muskie lures will pull you around the lake if you don't use one.($cheap)
5. rods, reels, nets, lures, etc. They aren't cheap, but you just have to suck it up.($never ending)
6. portable fish locator. got that one of the old man
Probably more important than anything given my set up is that you have small lakes around you(200 acres is perfect, no bigger than 500) that offer you good fishing. I happen to have some really good ones that offer great opportunities at fish over forty inches and I had an absolute blast last year getting into the sport. I'm sticking w/ this rig for at least one more year, but I will head up to big v for a week this summer to try out my luck on the some bigger water muskies(I'll be renting a real boat of course).
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Posts: 315
| heres another look at the spectrum......the way ive gone about handling the money issue. i dont make a lot so i budget myself.....
i dont have money for a boat or a truck so i have talked to and met some great guys in the local muskie club who dont mind taking me fishing. ive become good friends with lots of guys and you cant put a price on that.
when it comes to baits and tackle ive taken my time and looked into some great deals.....used baits are a great find and usually guys that are getting rid of baits have plenty for a really good price  rods and reels ive also found great deals on. Gander has a great selection of rods for a great price $99 for a rod is managable for anyone. and another $120-140 for a great reel. also birthdays and holidays i usually ask for lures or tackle and thats a great gift especially in the middle of winter so thats how ive handled the costs and ive gotten by and have caught many fish on a budget. cant put a price on having a great time with friends and family especially since my family and friends are fishing addicts.
-brian- |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | On a budget:
1) Decent used boat with 50-60HP motor and trailer $5000
2) Rod/Reel for general use plus good line $150
3) Don't buy a $100 Lakewood. Get 4-5 PLANO boxes and an old duffle bag $30-$40
4) No frills net $50
5) Lures (I bought at least half of mine used on eBay) 20 lures in various colors and types for most situations $100-$150
6) If you don't already have a truck buy a $3000 one to just get your boat around.
Budget is easy to do. Cost you about as much as crappie fishing. Just need a bigger rod/reela nd some lures with a good net.
James |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | alright thanks for the replies,
well i have 5 musky rods/reels already, 150 lures, frabil net, the gore-tex rain gear, polarized sunglassed, and pretty much everything else i need for musky fishing, just wanted to see if teaching is going to leave me enough money to fish or if ill be broke, i guess its more up to me and how i spend the money, im sure it can be done.
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| Shoot...if you've got a good friend who already has all that stuff and likes to take a buddy fishing with him...it doesn't cost you anything. |
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Posts: 550
Location: So. Illinois | I've often been told that if you have to ask the price...it is too expensive. That didn't keep me from dropping a bunch of coin on musky stuff....
J |
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Posts: 156
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Expensive Hobby! Can't think of any that costs as much. Remote control airplanes? If you stay simple the sport can be enjoyed on a budget. For lures two of each technique can work. Two meaning one bright color and one natural color. Technique's include surface, blade, crank, plastic, glide/jerk. Even more technical you can have one fast surface bait(prop style), and one slow creeper style surface bait (hawg wobbler). The bass pro maina rods are a good "cheap" musky rod, and a 6500 abu is a good "cheaper" reel for starters. Tackle boxes are a preference thing, but a styrofoam cooler works just fine or 5gal bucket, but don't last especially if carrying plastics.
Edited by needa70lber 5/11/2008 11:50 PM
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Posts: 221
Location: ohio | Run,,,just run as fast as you can !!!!!!!!!!!
Esoxaddict summed it up pretty good.
it's a very addictive and VERY costly ,,and these Gas prices are absolutley Not helping any matters either. |
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Posts: 1636
| If you didnt see, the BPS Maina combos are on sale for $130, so you will save 70 dollars. The reels can have problems (like any reel) but the rods are pretty solid. |
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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | Didn't read everone response, but if this has not been suggested here goes.
Join a muskie club. Before you know it you will have new friends for life & they will want to take you with them when they go fishing. Split the gas & bring a lunch & your all good to go. |
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