By Bob Jensen
Fishing the Midwest Fishing Team

My friends and I got together again a few days ago. It seems like when a person becomes a “certain age”, a.k.a. “retired”, they spend more time getting together with friends or acquaintances who have also achieved “retired” status.

Topics of conversation vary I’m told, but with the group that lets me hang out with them, the talk usually revolves around fishing. In our recent fishing conversation, the topic was “The Cost of Fishing”. Some members of our group feel that fishing has got too expensive.

For some anglers, fishing certainly has become more expensive. Fishing poles, reels, lures and line, just like guns and golf clubs are more expensive than they used to be. But compare today’s mid-range price rods or reels with mid-range price rods or reels of a couple of decades ago. Today’s mid-range rod or reel, just like a gun or golf club, costs more than it used to, but it’s also a much better product. Prices on most things go up. That’s the way it is.

Today’s angler is much more versatile. We use a lot more techniques for our fishing, and those techniques, much of the time, are best employed with specialized equipment.

Take walleye fishing for example. Jigs and live bait rigs were the primary tools for catching walleyes not so long ago. One or two rod/reel combos were all we thought we needed.  Today we have so many more rod/reel options. Although two are probably still enough, most of us want a rod for light jigs, another for heavier jigs. We want a rod for pulling live bait rigs, and another for bottom-bouncing. Most walleye chasers troll, and trolling rods, the ones with line counter reels, are only used for trolling. And you’re going to want to get some planer boards so you can cover the water more efficiently. The same thing holds true for bass fishing. Lots of new and different techniques, and each technique is best employed with a technique specific rod.

Acquiring new fishing equipment is part of the fun of fishing. We’re always looking for ways to trick a fish into biting our bait. But as our group discussion was winding down, I looked around the room. I realized that one of the anglers didn’t catch more fish than me because he had more and better equipment, he caught more fish because he went fishing more often.  Another group member also usually catches more fish than me. She catches more fish because she’s a better angler.

The group consensus was that although fishing today is more expensive than it used to be, it doesn’t need to be so expensive that we don’t go fishing. Catching a few fish is a fun part of fishing, but catching is only part of the fun. The value of spending time by the water with family, friends, or by yourself, can’t be measured in dollars. It costs a little more to go fishing these days, but in the long run, fishing is still one of the best deals there is.

(photo by Bob Jensen) Fishing can be as simple or as involved as we want. Fish the way you enjoy fishing.

Editor’s note: Bob Jensen’s 45 year career in the fishing and outdoor industry includes producing and hosting award-winning television and radio shows, co-authoring 5 best-selling books, writing a weekly syndicated outdoor column and numerous feature articles, and presenting fishing seminars at various outdoor events.