Pricing Out The Average Angler?

[flipin4bass]

Just for clarification, I wasn't talking about myself. I was just curious what everyone thought about the crazy prices on stuff now days.

High priced, high end tackle has been around a long time. Can you imagine an "average angler" forking out $2.25 for one of these in the mid to late 50s. Sears & Roebuck sold these then for that price and at the time this store targeted the masses. There was cheaper lures you could buy, but back then, if you wanted to play with these you had to pay. Today, we laugh about going into the water to retrieve a lure...I remember as a preteen making .50 cents a week doing that.  Those "crazy prices" have been around a long time.

[Sam]

I don't buy $100,000 boats, $400 combos, or $20 crankbaits. I fish from the bank, so no need for a boat. I snag deals on combos; right now I'm fishing a $190 combo that cost me $80 new, and another combo somebody gave me. I get my baits from trees and bargain bins . You can bass fish on a budget, but (admittedly) it is hard.

 

Wait until Senko Lover gets over girls, graduates from college, starts a career and then looks to get back into bass fishing with a $100,000 boat, $400 combos and $20 crankbaits.

 

It usually happens to all of us.

 

The cure?  Wedding cake.

[Lund Explorer]

In this day of $100,000 bass boats, $400 rod/reel combos and $20 crankbaits, do you (or any of your friends) feel like

you may need to look for a cheaper hobby or do you just buy less?

 

Don't you think that the higher costs are due more to improvements in technology, materials, and quality?

 

30 years ago you could buy a fully rigged Ranger for $20k and you had the very best of everything.  I can't think of anyone who would enjoy buying a brand new boat today if they knew they would be flying down the lake with a smoking old two stroke that drank gas like it was an ice cold beer and required constant tune-ups due to fouled plugs.  Besides that, the overall size of the main engine has doubled in size since then, which means they've been able to add another 3'-4' to the length of the boat.  Then consider the electronics installed on that 1980's boat, when the selling point was "pixel count" which got you target separation measured in inches instead of feet, or "super twist" so you could see them in the sunlight.

 

Rods/Reels?  Does anyone really want to go back to the days of pistol grip rods made with that cutting edge material called Boron?  I still have one of the first "low profile" reels that Abu Garcia came out with.  It sits in storage and even though it still works almost as good as when it was new, it feels like it's full of gravel.

 

$20 Crankbaits?  Well, you got me there.  Probably because I never fished with them much back when they only cost $5 a pop.

 

Regardless of all that, this hobby can be as expensive as someone wants to make it.  Reading through the stories of people's fishing trips, quite a few members here are really enjoying themselves spending a whole lot less than top dollar.

[papajoe222]

I also golf on occasion. I don't have a $300 driver or a $150 putter. I aLso am not a scratch player nor do I aspire to be. When I fished competitively, I purchased the best equipment I could afford. If I ever felt a $20 crankbait would make a difference at weigh in, I wouldn't think twice about purchasing one.

[roadwarrior]

Another thing is that after a decade or more most guys have all the basics.

So most of what we purchase are replacements for tackle and "new toys"

when it comes to rods & reels. Every year most of us buy a few new or

different lures, but regardless of the cost, it's generally not much in the

scheme of things. The killer costs are boats, boat maintenance and tow

vehicles.

 

 

 

[Catt]

I've followed JT around the WWW since he's been on the dang think!

He doesn't post much but he says a lot

Let's see what I can add

How much y'all pay for your iphone, ipad, android, & other tablets?

How much y'all pay to play on the WWW?

Bass fishing is heading the way of waterfowl hunting which has all but priced the little guys out!

A lot of what we use in bass fishing is nothing more than creature comforts!

[A-Jay]

The past few years the price of fuel alone has been enough to keep many anglers from being able to afford the $$$ for the truck - forget about filling up a boat tank.

 

Not this year though - at least so far.

 

A-Jay

[J Francho]

When the guy that had the $100k boat, $50k truck, $400 combos, and $25 crank baits stuffs yours and everyone else's entry fees in his pocket, do you blame the gear, the guy, or yourself?

Gear doesn't make the man, but there are some good sticks with good gear. Some guys with big hats actually have some cattle.

[FunkJishing]

I do the best I can with what I can afford. Marketing schemes arent what make fishing great and never will be. I've seen anglers get their backside handed to them in tourneys with 400$ combos against anglers with less pricy equipment such as boats, rods & reels. 99.9 percent of fishing rods fish better than the fisherman using them. To me if you're skilled you can be a great angler with ANY equipment available.

[roadwarrior]

Better equipment doesn't make a poor fisherman good,

but it can help make a good fisherman better. 

[J Francho]

Exactly, Kent.

[Ratherbfishing]

Those figures seem awfully inflated.  If I spent even half the amount you've described, I'd have to get a second (or third) job.  It IS true that I spend more than I probably ought but compared to those figures, I'm an absolute pauper.  I'm certainly NOT going to suggest someone else spend more, less, or the same as I do but I am happy to say I personally would never spend that much-even if I had it (or could get that line of credit).

 

I still grieve the day I cracked my old Berkley Lightning rod under one of my boat cleats.  Not because it was an expensive purchase but, rather, because it did the job well enough.  Price (or "high dollar") doesn't impress me.

[SirSnookalot]

The average angler will never be priced out, there will always be something affordable for every budget.  I would venture a guess the majority of manufactures stay in business by selling mid range equipment over high end.

When it comes to boats where I'm at fishing boats come in all sizes and price ranges, from kayaks and jon boats on up to some pretty lofty numbers.  The kayakers go offshore ocean a few miles, fish ICW and freshwater, so getting on the water is affordable where ever you are at.  Don't think the average fisherman is priced out.

[K_Mac]

When the guy that had the $100k boat, $50k truck, $400 combos, and $25 crank baits stuffs yours and everyone else's entry fees in his pocket, do you blame the gear, the guy, or yourself?

Gear doesn't make the man, but there are some good sticks with good gear. Some guys with big hats actually have some cattle.

Well said John. It reflects what I was trying to say earlier. The idea that high-end or low-end gear somehow relects a persons skills is silly. There are guys at both end of the economic spectrum that will always catch fish. There are also guys who will never be very good regardless of equipment.

It is the folks who make judgments about someone based on what they drive, the boat they own, or the gear they use that challenges me. Those are all incidental to skill and character, and you can't buy either one of those.

[roadwarrior]

Yep...

 

Take BPS as the perfect example. Appears to be a VERY successful company and they

do not even offer much "high end" tackle. I have asked if that might be a niche for them

to enter and was told "That is not the direction we are headed".

[buzzed bait]

as long as Walmart continues to have a fishing section, there will be reasonably priced fishing gear available.

[primetime]

I like to buy the Japanese lures simply because I feel all the places I fish get way to much pressure and I figure a different color, action, or anything slightly different may be better. With that said, The bulk of the fish I catch are on the "standard lures and baits" and I could go fishing for 12 hours with $50 worth of tackle and be 100% confident, but I feel better with a full bag of stuff.

 

One thing I have been doing is using saltwater lures, or at least lures marketed to the saltwater croud like Mirrorlure, Unfair lures, Yo-zuri etc...The colors are different and some of the shapes look just like a large shiner or bluegill and produce well. I look for sales and when I find a good deal I buy them. Tackle warehouse recently had the Skimmer's for $10, and Ebay often has the Sebile lures (not the action series) for under $10 so you can buy plenty of quality tackle without breaking the bank...I also don't care if I have the nicest or fastest boat, I also have a cheap kayak that works fine, and I rarely spend more than $100 on a reel, or rod, I look for deals and sales, but I have no doubt some of the Japanese lures work better than the American stuff, but give me a few Rapala, Bomber, and Strike King hardbaits, big bite, Yum & Netbait plastics, and even regular Berkley Trilene and I am good to go if need be...I have a box full of expensive jerkbaits I have accumulated over the years, and  the bomber long a, and Rapala Balsa Minnow hardbaits tend to see the most work, zara spooks will produce with the best of them as well for walkers, same with the Rebel Pop'r....I recently have gotten into the glide baits and bigger swimbaits, but you rarely lose them, and for me I buy the Savage, River2sea, and they seem to do the job..Same with the Spro and Sebile swimbaits which you can find deals on especially the versions from the year before.....

[primetime]

I would say some of the best angler's I have ever fished with used a very limited amount of tackle, usually lures that have been around forever and are classics for a reason, and one guy had all shakespeare reels, Ande line, $2 wallmart spinnerbaits, all house brand soft plastics and less expensive cranks like the cordell Big O, and Older rattle traps, and I doubt I could beat him no matter what I was using....Skill is skill, $50 lures can't make up for time and experience on the water. 

[roadwarrior]

Well, maybe that's true to some extent, but here in the Mid South more

10 lb bass have been caught in the past three years than in the last ninety

years. The "Magic Lure" is the Alabama Rig.

 

 

 

[BassmanDan]

You don't even need a rod and reel. You could use a stick with line and hook. The use that all over the world. I get nice gear, because it improves my fishing experence. There are deals to be had on nice gear and dirt cheap stuff on craigslist. If your goal is to fish cheep it is very possible.

 

Yeah but if you could only bring one stick, line and hook what is the best one to use?

 

I fish from a jonboat so that eliminates a huge portion of the expense for me. When it comes to equipment I do go overboard like most but it's just a matter of making good choices for your budget.

[Catt]

The #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of you wallet!

[OK Bass Hunter]

The average angler will never be priced out. For as long as there is a market, a manufacturer or group of manufacturers will be there to serve them. That being said, Bass Resource does not cater to the average angler. I would say we are in the 5% of the market that is catered to by the Cabela's, Bass Pro's and Tackle warehouses of the world. Some of us might fit in to the .5% that pays more than $200 for a rod or reel. For us fishing is not just a hobby, but a passion and we are willing to spend accordingly to pursue that. There's a reason the Ugly Stik is the best selling rod brand year in and year out.

[0119]

Opinions are like, ........ , everybody has one!   I think being "priced out" is a matter of ones position in life and situation.  Many of us might feel it could never happen but sadly most of the country lives pay check to pay check.   I'm sure there are plenty of folks who feel they are "priced out".  Just like there are golfer's who can't afford fee's down here when they inflate prices for snowbird arrival.  Sure there will always be a lot of Zebco 33 and Ugly Stick sales but there will also be those who just can't or won't fish, at least like they used to and join the bucket brigade so many of you hate so much.

[K_Mac]

0119 I think the likelihood of avid bass fishermen joining the "bucket brigade" due to cost is about the same as angry Floridians moving to New England to avoid the invading hoards of nasty snowbirds.

[0119]

I didnt say 'avid' bass anglers, I said anglers......   None of us should assume that everyone is in a place financially, that they may have to give up a hobby.  You honestly think that of all the millions of anglers in the US there hasnt been someone, or many, who became disenchanted by boat prices higher than their first house or the latest uber light baitcaster or the price of Lucky Craft baits.  Or hung out on this site and been drowned in suggestions to buy high priced shimano's or sensed that to fit in or find success in fishing they had to buy over their initial plans and then just give up.