Fishing... inexpensive sport?

[jambop]

Just sitting musing over things because of the situation with the weather... its baltic so can't do much at all. Anyway mind drifted to the costs involved in getting a bit of fishing kit together and I came to the conclusion that it is not a hugely expensive pastime when compared to some other sports and pastimes and it gets you out into the fresh air.
Just as an example even if you bought a nice rod say £300 - 400 and a good reel another £250 and all the other bits and bobs involved and run up another couple of hundred quid to get you started. So you have spent yourself a grand plus or so on some pukka stuff that seems like a lot? Then look at other sports golf, shooting and watching football come to mind. I do quite a bit of shooting and to be honest compared to fishing the costs are eye watering eg a starter gun £1000- 1500 , cartridges £200+ per thousand which lasts me about 5-6 weeks but if I shoot a comp or two they will only last 4 weeks tops. Then there is the cost of competitions £40 for a club event which I rarely see a return on because I am not a good enough shot to get in the prizes ? . Golfers are spending hundreds on one club and they have 14 of the things, then they have their club fees costing several hundreds per year and thee the nineteenth . Being a football supporter. When I used to go out nearly every Saturday it cost me at least £75 by the time beer money and food was added in.
So I think that from my perspective fishing could be classed as a very cost effective way of enjoying plenty of fresh air and keeping fit with the added bonus of perhaps a nice fish dinner from time to time. I know I used to love it if I got a couple of nice bass and we had them baked with ginger, lime and spring onions... I am salivating at the thought ?

 

[Trampster]

Just sitting musing over things because of the situation with the weather... its baltic so can't do much at all. Anyway mind drifted to the costs involved in getting a bit of fishing kit together and I came to the conclusion that it is not a hugely expensive pastime when compared to some other sports and pastimes and it gets you out into the fresh air.
Just as an example even if you bought a nice rod say £300 - 400 and a good reel another £250 and all the other bits and bobs involved and run up another couple of hundred quid to get you started. So you have spent yourself a grand plus or so on some pukka stuff that seems like a lot? Then look at other sports golf, shooting and watching football come to mind. I do quite a bit of shooting and to be honest compared to fishing the costs are eye watering eg a starter gun £1000- 1500 , cartridges £200+ per thousand which lasts me about 5-6 weeks but if I shoot a comp or two they will only last 4 weeks tops. Then there is the cost of competitions £40 for a club event which I rarely see a return on because I am not a good enough shot to get in the prizes ? . Golfers are spending hundreds on one club and they have 14 of the things, then they have their club fees costing several hundreds per year and thee the nineteenth . Being a football supporter. When I used to go out nearly every Saturday it cost me at least £75 by the time beer money and food was added in.
So I think that from my perspective fishing could be classed as a very cost effective way of enjoying plenty of fresh air and keeping fit with the added bonus of perhaps a nice fish dinner from time to time. I know I used to love it if I got a couple of nice bass and we had them baked with ginger, lime and spring onions... I am salivating at the thought ?

Nice thread Jammie one! Hope all is well down there. ??

 

[Grimleyfiendish]

Fishing can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it, rod design has come a long way, even the cheaper end of the market has the DNA of the more expensive rods, you can buy a £100 (or cheaper ! ) rod that will perform to a standard that was considered top of the range a few years previous, couple that with a proven sub £100 reel ( Diawa SL20SH, anywhere between £65 and £90 ) or a good second hand reel and you are good to go. tripod, terminal gear, basic headlamp prob would see total kit costing around the £300 mark that's for a fully functional outfit that's more than capable of fishing with complete confidence.

 

[jambop]

Nice thread Jammie one! Hope all is well down there. ??

Yes all good but I have to say I feel a bit hemmed in. Because of the COVID situation even though we are not on lockdown at the moment we are just reluctant to go anywhere and as said it is bloody freezing. So it is endless pots of tea and the internet ?

 

[Trampster]

Yes all good but I have to say I feel a bit hemmed in. Because of the COVID situation even though we are not on lockdown at the moment we are just reluctant to go anywhere and as said it is bloody freezing. So it is endless pots of tea and the internet ?

I always thought the South of France was quite a bit warmer? Not been down that way for years! On lockdown here, first told we couldn't go fishing, now told we can. All makes little difference to me as I've got health issues, high risk from Covid, and have been trying not to go out unless essential since February. It has given me plenty of time to sort out my growing collection of tackle, service and respool a few reels, and search for some bargains on eBay! I do love the Hinterweb! I did venture out briefly yesterday to pick up a couple of bargain seat-box sized storage boxes yesterday, so now going to have another good tidy up!

 

[Thrasher]

Fishing can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it, rod design has come a long way, even the cheaper end of the market has the DNA of the more expensive rods, you can buy a £100 (or cheaper ! ) rod that will perform to a standard that was considered top of the range a few years previous, couple that with a proven sub £100 reel ( Diawa SL20SH, anywhere between £65 and £90 ) or a good second hand reel and you are good to go. tripod, terminal gear, basic headlamp prob would see total kit costing around the £300 mark that's for a fully functional outfit that's more than capable of fishing with complete confidence.

A quick mooch online at the GAC and I think you could nearly get fishing for under £100.

 

[Dutchman]

A quick mooch online at the GAC and I think you could nearly get fishing for under £100.

Probably less than that at the local to beach tackle shops in coastal towns.

 

[jambop]

A quick mooch online at the GAC and I think you could nearly get fishing for under £100.

Exactly Thrasher my figures were to highlight that even fairly pricey kit is still relatively inexpensive when you look closely at other pastimes. The gun I shoot with would not get you any change out of £12000 but you can buy a perfectly usable trap gun for about £ 750 -1000 . Cartridges are the thing though you cannot get them for less than £200 per thousand and as they only go band once have to be bought very frequently. Every time I shoot a target it costs me a minimum of 35 pence and that is cheap some places in the UK are nearly charging that for the target alone so for me one round of OT costs about £12 and takes only 20 mins or so.
My dad used to take me sea fishing and it was a good cheap day out in the fresh air, nowadays kids are all sitting in front of a screen of some sort.

 

[jambop]

I always thought the South of France was quite a bit warmer? Not been down that way for years! On lockdown here, first told we couldn't go fishing, now told we can. All makes little difference to me as I've got health issues, high risk from Covid, and have been trying not to go out unless essential since February. It has given me plenty of time to sort out my growing collection of tackle, service and respool a few reels, and search for some bargains on eBay! I do love the Hinterweb! I did venture out briefly yesterday to pick up a couple of bargain seat-box sized storage boxes yesterday, so now going to have another good tidy up!

It is even a few days before Christmas we were sitting in the garden in tee shirts enjoying some nice sunshine... been baltic since. Getting some light snow at the moment up on the Pyrenees its a blizzard . I have been retired for ten years now took it early but now I have hit the retirement age I suddenly feel the cold, at sixty five you enter the world of the elderly and infirm ? but I am in pretty good nick for my age I suppose still keep a huge garden and grow lots of vegs... long may that be the case.

 

[Radio Rental]

Buying used main gear can keep you costs` down but if you`ve got to have all the latest top brand names on a regular basis then it can work out pretty dam expensive especially as no one size fits all now days...Alan

 

[Trampster]

From what i`ve seen a lot of it depends on how many cans of booze one takes to each session ...Alan

None - like most, I've got to drive to get there.

 

[Trampster]

It is even a few days before Christmas we were sitting in the garden in tee shirts enjoying some nice sunshine... been baltic since. Getting some light snow at the moment up on the Pyrenees its a blizzard . I have been retired for ten years now took it early but now I have hit the retirement age I suddenly feel the cold, at sixty five you enter the world of the elderly and infirm ? but I am in pretty good nick for my age I suppose still keep a huge garden and grow lots of vegs... long may that be the case.

2 years behind you at 63, and due to a hard working life & bad health luck, my body thinks it is 83!

 

[Radio Rental]

2 years behind you at 63, and due to a hard working life & bad health luck, my body thinks it is 83!

Nearly 67,bodies fooked due to the same,but i still think i`m 18 .....till i look in the mirror ...Alan

 

[Mike hemming]

it can be cheap if you can stop yourself from buying lol and what do we find ourselves doing at times like these retail therapy god I love the Internet ?

I crap my self every time I go in my tackle shed and start adding up the costs ,30 top line rods 20+ quality reels ,boxes of bits n pieces, draws full of rig making bits ,then wet weather gear suits ,trolleys, beach buddy's, the list is endless

 

[jambop]

Nearly 67,bodies fooked due to the same,but i still think i`m 18 .....till i look in the mirror ...Alan

Yeh your like aye am no bad for 65 but sooner or later you have to breath out then the blub pack flops over the top of your trouser top

 

[Ollieollie]

£500 and you would be set up with nice kit that’ll last many years to come. Could break that down to £100 per year over 5 and it’s incredibly good value! Depending on how much you fish of course!

 

[Another Angle UK]

I thought the lockdowns would save me money as I wouldn't be loosing tackle in rough grounds. However, too much time to browse online shops means it's costing more.

 

[stan m]

A nice round £2400.oo on guides alone. £400 a set.

 

[Neilos]

I managed to replace all my cheapo beach fishing stuff with decent midrange rods and reels. 2x Penn Powerstix and a Sonik SK4 as well as 4 Penn reels all FS, a beach shelter, tripod, seatbox and enough terminal tackle and rigs to last years...as well as some other bits and pieces...weights etc...all in great condition.... £350 from ebay. There are bargains to be had if you're patient.

 

[Thrasher]

A nice round £2400.oo on guides alone. £400 a set. View attachment 3739

Wow· Needed for the rods you will be building with them though.