What Have We Become ?

[mcipinkie]

Regarding the $75 gloves, they are on TW.  All these prices are from there, and I know that there are cheaper places to shop, but almost everyone knows TW.  I looked again this morning.  There are gloves for $130 that I didn't see.

 

I didn't make any of this up.

 

Just interesting.

 

Hell of a lot more interesting than WuFlu !!

[DomQ]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Those prices listed are mostly the very top or close to the top of the line products too though. I own all those items and didn't spend nearly that much on any of them.

Or those are low end prices for us Canadians. Oh how our dollar sucks ?

[galyonj]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Some people buy high end for no other reason than they can. I have a buddy that's stupid rich, we were on Toledo Bend & he was having trouble adjusting his Metanium DC which was mounted on a Loomis Conquest MBR. While running 70 mph to the next spot he said let me see that rod, I handed to him & he chunked it overboard.

When I was younger, and before MS made my balance so bad that it wasn't worth trying anymore, I played golf every once in a while with my dad and our friends.

 

One evening we went to the driving range and a friend of ours was there, and this dude had just got a new driver. I can't even remember what it was he bought now, but he was real proud of it. He squares up to the tee, does his dance, and claps it. Shanked it so bad we joked he was throwing a boomerang. Same result for the next few balls.

 

He got mad at the club and told me to try.

 

I wasn't any better at golf than I am at fishing, which is to say that I'm hilariously bad at both. But, somehow, I hit that ball as hard as as straight as I've ever struck a golf ball. Absolutely smashed it.

 

Turned around to give it back to him and he said "Hell, just keep it!"

 

And that's how I got a nice new driver.

[TOXIC]

I have been fishing for near 50 years 15 of them as a guide.  I have learned over time where I can cut corners and where I need to spend the coin.  

[Greeneye8181]

This is a great topic and pertains to just about every hobby at this point. People have extra time on their hands as well as money and enjoy spending it. Inflation as well. Companies will continue making more and more expensive stuff as long as people buy them. Imagine the next rods to come out... I was blown away at the price for the new Legend Xtreme as well as the Conquest. Wait a couple years and there will be a $1000 rod made by G Loomis, Shimano, Daiwa or St.Croix.

[Bird]

15 minutes ago, Greeneye8181 said:

This is a great topic and pertains to just about every hobby at this point. People have extra time on their hands as well as money and enjoy spending it. Inflation as well. Companies will continue making more and more expensive stuff as long as people buy them. Imagine the next rods to come out... I was blown away at the price for the new Legend Xtreme as well as the Conquest. Wait a couple years and there will be a $1000 rod made by G Loomis, Shimano, Daiwa or St.Croix.

Yep, ain't buying a new rod until one reaches $1000.........makes me feel successful along with a $15 cup of Starbucks. 

[Beeno]

There’s a lot of popularity in fishing at the moment and prices are being marked up this goes for everything outdoors like biking and camping. Prices are high and there’s a ton of more ppl out on the water then ever before.

[ajschn06]

19 hours ago, mcipinkie said:

RANT WARNING IN ADVANCE !!

 

I was shopping for new landing net on TW this afternoon and was shocked at the price of a new net, and they didn't have Frabills.  Then started looking at other stuff to see how much some of this stuff costs. 

 

New Fishing Shirt - $75

New Fishing Cap - $25

Fishing Gloves - $75

New Rod - $650

New Reel - $700

Chatter Bait - $18

Crank Bait - $25

Line - $35/100 yds.

Depth Finder - $6,000

Power Poles - $2,000

Trolling Motor - $3,200

1 oz Sinker - $10

Landing Net - $90

 

I'm not being critical.  I own some of this stuff myself.  I fished a tournament yesterday.  About 60 boats.  Over half of them were less than 2 years old,  including my new Skeeter.  Use $50,000 as a median price for a tournament rig = $3,000,000 worth of bass boats out for a Saturday fun tournament.  I'll bet every one of them had some of the premium products from above in the boat. 

Now I looked at the premium products so the costs will be higher than normal, but this is startling.  You know this stuff is selling.  Who buys it?  Who are the manufacturer's targeting?  I was watching some of the  ICAST videos on YouTube.  The values of some of those products is scary. How can the industry continue this?   Do we just have this much surplus income?  Boat sales are through the roof.  Tackle is in short supply.  It's a boom market.  I'm 73 years and relatively financial secure, and within reason can afford what ever I want, but I don't buy much of this premium stuff.

 

RANT OVER !!

I've upgraded a number of these items over the last year or two:

 

New rod and Reed:  I got 3, they are all very nice.  The most expensive combo was $200 the cheapest was a shade over $100

 

New fishing cap: $20 that seems normal

 

Shirt: $25

 

Chatterbait: $9

 

Depth Finder: $300

 

Trolling motor (used): $400

 

Line (150 yards- Braided)- $14

[gim]

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

plopped $2000 on a Benelli Supersport (this was a few years ago). I out-shot him, collecting my limit of ruffed grouse while he got one.

The Benelli Supersport isn't designed for ruffed grouse hunting and anyone using it for that purpose is going to fail.  Its a competition trap/skeet shotgun.  The barrel is way too long to carry through thick woods for grouse.  He was lucky to bag even one grouse with that gun.

[Mobasser]

I just bought a big box of older plastic baits at a yard sale for 10 bucks. Some are probably twenty years old. They'll still catch fish as they did when new. We're always looking for that hot bait, newer rod, smoother reel etc. As others have said, you don't need all this high end stuff to catch bass. It's nice for sure, and if you can afford it then of course buy  the best. Lots of really good reels for around 100.00, and rods for a similar price too.

Everything keeps going up in price. Have you priced any good tools lately?

[PhishLI]

Ultra high end and high end stuff is good for everyone. Standards for the lower end stuff almost always get raised in the process.

[Fishes in trees]

I'm still trying, in my head, to get to the point of this rant.  I get it - fishing gear costs money and some gear costs more than other gear.   Concerning the $75 fishing gloves, knock on wood, I haven't gotten skin cancer yet AND I do make a point of putting sun screen on the backs of my hands.  Once upon a time, I had a buddy who didn't, skin cancer happened on the backs of his hands and the tips of his ears and while he is still breathing, it costs money to fix that stuff, money that didn't have to be spent had he been making a habit of using the proper gear and using sun screen, etc.  A $75 pair of fishing gloves seems pretty cheap to me, compared to a couple of grand of doctor bills.   Anyone with light skin, freckles, who sunburn easily, a pair of sun gloves is a smart investment, along with a good spa 50 or better long sleeve fishing shirt and you'll probably want that  $25 hat mentioned as well.

 

As mentioned a few posts earlier, you learn where you can cut corners and where it is dumb to.   For me, using my fishing buddy as an example of what not to do, I choose to get all the high tech protective gear I can - AND - I want it to look cool too.

 

I don't think this rant over the cost of gear is a new thing.   It is my opinion that back in cave man days, one guy had a cooler club than some other guy did and club envy/ ranting about the cost of clubs ensued.   I think that one of the cool things about fishing is that anyone can get into it at the level that they want to/ can afford.

 

 

[whitwolf]

10 hours ago, Catt said:

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

 

We give to much credit to the tackle & not enough to the angler.

 

A lot of this started with the "technique specific" sales gimmicks.

 

One example I was told I need a casting jig, a flipping jig, a pitching jig,  & a swim jig. If I didn't have all four I would magically miss fish.

 

I was also told due to the amount of stretch in Berkley Big Game I wouldn't feel as many bites, I wouldn't get solid hookups, & I wouldn't be able to get em out of cover.

 

My rant is over...for now! ?

Read this closely folks. There is a ton of wisdom in these few paragraphs.

[king fisher]

I try to be practical and buy the best equipment I can for the money I have.  I don't have top of the line, but feel I have quality gear.  My best gear wont catch more fish than less expensive gear, but it does increase the amount of fun I have while fishing.  I fish to enjoy myself, and if more expensive gear adds to my enjoyment, than it is worth the price.

     If a person thinks fishing equipment is too expensive, than don't buy it.  I know plenty of people that enjoy fishing as much as me, who fish from shore with a rod and reel that cost them $20, 30 years ago.  I know people that can out fish me with any gear.  They are expert anglers, and are proof that the equipment doesn't catch the fish, the fishermen does. I also know people with the best gear money can buy, that would have a hard time catching a fish throwing dynamite into an aquarium, but they are very proud of their high priced equipment, and have fun fishing, so no rant from me.  

[Chonch12]

I'm trying to find a little 10-14ft boat to rent for a week at Lake Winnipesaukee. Smallest I could find was a 16ft and they wanted $1K for the week... I could go buy a nice small boat for $1,500-2,000.  Its brutal man

[Shimano_1]

Don't really understand comments like a guy is a jerk because he has money and buys what he wants if he can't fish? Last time I checked we all make decisions for ourselves whether to buy gear or not. I don't make a ton of money but could afford to fish high end gear if I chose to. I like to feel like I'm getting a bargain so I shop for sales. The only thing I have a problem with is that the industry paints a picture that you need a 60k boat and 50k truck with 15k worth of extras on the boat to fish tournaments.  I fish a trail with a couple older guys who fish pretty much everything from the 90's that consistently take the young crowd to the wood shed. If people want to spend on costly gear who's business is it? I do agree the prices have gotten out of hand but again thats where the smart shopping and stocking up when there are sales comes into play. I'm still learning to deal with my megabass vision 110 addiction lol. Went many years refusing to spend 25 bucks on one, made the mistake this spring of buying one and now I have 8. 

[A-Jay]

Life is too short.

 

15 Things Money Can’t Buy
Time.

Happiness.

Inner Peace.

Integrity.

Love.

Character.

Manners.

Health.

Respect.

Morals.

Trust.

Patience.

Class.

Common sense.

Dignity.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

[Mobasser]

54 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Life is too short.

 

15 Things Money Can’t Buy
Time.

Happiness.

Inner Peace.

Integrity.

Love.

Character.

Manners.

Health.

Respect.

Morals.

Trust.

Patience.

Class.

Common sense.

Dignity.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

Truth right here! Thank you A-Jay

[Catt]

I believe in keeping my tools simple, functional, durable & dependable

 

One can go to Wal/Mart, Harbor Freight, Sears or some other outlet store to buy mechanic, carpenter, electrician, machinist tools ECT and these tools will work but they are not designed for commercial use. Yes these tools wills last the weekend guy a lifetime of light to medium use and serve him quite well.

 

Now look at it through my eyes I am a journeyman carpenter/mechanic my tools are what I make my livelihood with so I must depend on my tools to perform every single time I use them under every conceivable conditions with limited failure.

 

Now relate this to bass fishing; when I hit the lake it will be from sunup to sunset, under extremely adverse conditions, and with full expectations of bass in excess of 6 pounds so any failure on the part of my tools is not accepted.

 

Definitions

Tools: lures, line, hooks, rods, reels, depth finders, trolling motors; get where I'm going here?

[WRB]

If I like something I buy it at a competitive price. After 60 years of buying the only thing that matters are the memories and I am selling everything, keeping the memories.

Tom

[Mobasser]

As an example, my favourite UV fishing shirt is a Magellen, from Academy. I don't own fishing gloves. Caps? I have too many to count, mesh back for summer.Cooler weather, Carhart sweatshirts, or jackets. Standard work clothes much of the time. I can still catch lots of bass. The very top end gear is very nice, but don't be misled into thinking that you need to have it all to be good at fishing.

[soflabasser]

It is nice to fish with high end gear but it does not guarantee anyone that they will catch more big bass than someone using normal quality gear. A highly skilled bass fisherman can fish with a sub $50 combo and they can out fish a regular bass fisherman with a +$500 combo. 

[schplurg]

14 hours ago, RAMBLER said:

There are a lot of people in this country who are making a ton of money pushing buttons and typing codes and don't really work hard for their money.  So, the retailers are charging what they can get for a product, not what the product is worth.

Oh really?

 

After a long day typing code (which I don't do much anymore) I sometimes wish I had a simpler job, like sweeping the parking lot or working construction again. It can be very strenuous on the brain and nerves, stressful, and it took a whole lot of time and experience to learn how to do. Oh and tendinitis which affects my fishing.

 

 

Walk a mile in my shoes. You like your phone, fish finder, Playstation, coffee maker? Bunch of geeks made that possible.

 

I buy much of my gear at Walmart.

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Life is too short.

 

15 Things Money Can’t Buy
Time.

Happiness.

Inner Peace.

Integrity.

Love.

Character.

Manners.

Health.

Respect.

Morals.

Trust.

Patience.

Class.

Common sense.

Dignity.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

I was much happier when I had more money than I do now. It indeed can buy some, or even a lot of happiness. If one is a miserable ***** then maybe not.

 

I'm gonna say health too. Good medical care/coverage is worth a lot. Trust me, mine sucks. It can be the difference between life and death.

 

But at the same time, I hear ya man  

[Hammer 4]

I don't know about some of you guys, but growing up in the 50's and 60's, and even into the 70's, things were pretty much priced so you didn't have to go into deep debt to buy a nice car, in fact a nice car would cost about 1/3 of your yearly salary. Gas when I began driving was .18 cents per gal, as a young 16 year old working in a gas station, I could afford to fill up once or twice a week.

 

Put this into prospective re: the cost of items, and gas today. People are spending sometimes 1 to 1 1/2 their yearly salary on a car, hence why they have 6 year financing..

 

So, it's hard for older folks like me to justify the cost of some of today's items. Everyone deserves to make a decnt living, but in some cases what I would term ripping people off is hard for me to swallow.  

[cheezyridr]

for the first time in my life i spent $300 on a reel, and $200 on a rod, just a few weeks ago. i liked them so much i did it again yesterday, when i discovered my older lew's  rod  has a bad tip and no one wants to repair it. sometimes i can understand spending a little more.  there is a point of diminishing return, but you do get more for your money in some cases. 

 

that's my preface to say  holy crap $18 for a chatterbait?  glad i don't live in Missouri!    they don't cost anywhere close to that here.