The Truth about Kayak Fishing:

[wiredantz]

The truth of a kayak fisher man
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One day the desire to fish in born within you. You tell yourself I will buy a cheap fishing rod and fish how hard can it be. A few weeks later your reel starts to rust, next thing you know your reel is useless, and you are left with a big fishing stick without a reel. By this time I hope you have learned not to buy the cheap stuff and buy a good Reel and Rod, and while you’re at it you pick out a few more lures and leader lines and maybe a few more weights.
So after a couple of times out on the pier you realize you’re not catching anything, and you tell yourself if you could only reach that spot where the kelp is. So you look in your wallet , yes the one with the hole in it, you realize that after your car payment, mortgage payment, utility bills, and groceries there is hardly any money left to spend. So you start saving….
By now you know that it is not cost effective for a poor guy to own a boat so you realize you can get a kayak and don’t have to spend money on boat maintenance and gas for the boat or registration, so you go out and buy a kayak.
Hopefully, you tested out many kayaks at the rental shop and choose the one you want. So finally you buy a kayak and buy a cheap seat and a cheap paddle your off in the water take out the fishpoles and are having a great time.
Until, you paddle breaks and you realize that you went cheap on the paddle and your should of bought the nice Carbon Fiber Werner paddle. So fine, you buy the nice paddle and now you’re out in the water and THEN you realize you can’t find the fish!!!
So you drop some more money on fish finder/gps and battery with an inline fuse. You go out again and BAM you find the fish. You start catching bait fish, and then you realize you don’t have a bait tank. So you wait until your next paycheck and go out and buy a bait tank.
Well by this time you finally realized that this new hobby is costing a lot more money than you thought.
And let me tell you it’s not over yet:
You find yourself buying more reels and rods more lures, fishing rod leashes for your new reels, gaff, net, A VHF RADIO, a game clip. More lures, fluorocarbon line, more fishing rods and reels.
Well, the best advice I can give anyone who is going to start this hobby is: Don’t tell your wife how much money your things cost.!.@!!!
And the real truth about kayak fishing is:
If you think you’re going to save money and if you think that kayak fishing is only going to cost so much well your DEAD WRONG !!!
Please feel free to add any more truths you have found over the years...

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by wiredantz

Well, the best advice I can give anyone who is going to start this hobby is: Don’t tell your wife how much money your things cost.!.@!!!

Did your wife find a receipt?

[dorado50]

Kayak fishing is very inexpensive in the total scheme of things. It only gets expensive when you try to keep up with the "jones'". I like the "kiss" rule....I remember back in the day when I worked two jobs to afford anything...

[old_rookie]

And now you need a truck (or a bigger truck) to haul everything down to the beach....

[grey zone]

There are only so many ways to get out there and a kayak is about as cheep as it gets. Use your savings to buy the best equipment and clothing you can afford, it really pays off.

[Phatford]

I got the Kayak to pick up chicks... Hasn't worked yet though!!! ha ha

[bus kid]

Originally Posted by old_rookie

And now you need a truck (or a bigger truck) to haul everything down to the beach....

Tell me about it.....

all in all I have spent less on kayak fishing then I did on just my boat. New truck included.

[wiredantz]

Originally Posted by Phatford

I got the Kayak to pick up chicks... Hasn't worked yet though!!! ha ha

I love this!!!

No my wife doesn't know the real price, i keep my receipts at work.

Lol i thought this sport would be cheaper that playing video games. Lol was i wrong.

Originally Posted by grey zone

There are only so many ways to get out there and a kayak is about as cheep as it gets. Use your savings to buy the best equipment and clothing you can afford, it really pays off.

I can not stress this enough.


Don't get me wrong I am not complaining about the price, just when i first started I think i just deceived myself and thought this sport was a set price.


I keep finding things I need... (want/need is a fine line)

[coxtanker421]

i spent 6 grand on my hobie with torqee/hummingbird/werner/livewell. not including rods and reels. i still owe 26 thou on my f250 . but this is the best article yet

[dsafety]

Sure, you can spend a lot of money going high end feeding your kayak fishing addiction. You can also get by with a very modest investment. I have a fishing buddy whose gear looks like it was picked up in the Craig's list free section. No bait tank, no fish finder, stuff is held together with duct tape and spit. Still, the guy usually catches more fish than I do. Go figure.

Regardless of the entrance fee cost, there are many things that make kayak fishing a low budget way to feed the addiction. Here is a partial list.

No slip fees

No launch fees

No registration fees

No insurance

Minimal maintenance costs

The only fuel burned is breakfast, (unless fishing with Josh when lunch and sometimes dinner is also required).

A day of fishing burns more calories than a day at the gym.

Free live bait

A twice daily opportunity to make a fool of yourself during launches and landings.

The freshest fish on the planet, (except for last summer)

Free whale watching tours

Camaraderie with a wonderful cast of characters

BWE

Being a frugal guy by nature, kayak fishing is the perfect fit for me. On the other hand, I am also an old guy who should be forgiven for forgetting some of the minor expenses that I may have failed to mention to my wife.

I am headed to the Fred Hall show on Friday and will probably come back with a few necessities that I can't live without. Regardless of the cost, they will surely be worth it. Nope, I won't be telling my wife about those purchases either.

Feel free to add to the list.

Bob

[Amish Ed]

Losing my good paying job, I'm definitely back to KISS. yak, paddle, FF, 2 flushmounts, 2 bass setups and a variety of plastics and lead.

[tagyak]

when i first started out, matt told me that it would only cost $750 and we would be set.

i tell my wife this and go ahead purchase my $750 kayak.

since then i have gone thru four kayaks, several fish finders, four "new" reels, four new rods, tons of weights, hooks, beads, line, a bait tank, wheels, rack, turbo fins, pdf, paddle, and probably some other items that i have forgotten about.

and i still have a few other items that i am about to get. so in the end yes, this sport is not as "cheap" as you may originally think. it is a hobby and like all hobbies it usually cost more than we would really like. but it is also relative; what one may say is expensive another guy says it is reasonable. but even so, i have enjoyed it and will continue to.

for my wife hers is shopping and eating. i don't get mad at her when she spends her dough, and in return she shouldn't either.

[onetriphudson]

Don't forget to figure in the money you earn back by fishing...

Seabass / Halibut / Yellowtail $8 a lb.

Gas not used $4 a gallon.

Gym membership $50 a month.

Psychatrist $200 an hour.



It's cheaper than golf!

[BT]

Originally Posted by dsafety

Being a frugal guy by nature, kayak fishing is the perfect fit for me. On the other hand, I am also an old guy who should be forgiven for forgetting some of the minor expenses that I may have failed to mention to my wife.

I am headed to the Fred Hall show on Friday and will probably come back with a few necessities that I can't live without. Regardless of the cost, they will surely be worth it. Nope, I won't be telling my wife about those purchases either.

I have won SOOOOO many rod and reel setups on fishing trips I have taken with co-workers on a charter....I AM SOOOOOOO LUCKY!

Originally Posted by tagyak

since then i have gone thru four kayaks, several fish finders, four "new" reels, four new rods, tons of weights, hooks, beads, line, a bait tank, wheels, rack, turbo fins, pdf, paddle, and probably some other items that i have forgotten about.

Ditto! I think the hardest item to convince my wife I needed was a $400 carbon fiber paddle. But after I got it I couldnt have lived without it!

Originally Posted by onetriphudson

Don't forget to figure in the money you earn back by fishing...

Seabass / Halibut / Yellowtail $8 a lb.

Gas not used $4 a gallon.

Gym membership $50 a month.

Psychatrist $200 an hour.



It's cheaper than golf!

Dont forget lobster @ $20 a pound! And some of the halibut prices I have seen lately are ridiculous!


I do get hit up a lot too about the OEX and Squidco charges on our credit card, especially during lobster season. I have solved that problem as I have told my wife I will take over paying the billls and doing our budget!

[hatchetman]

Originally Posted by wiredantz

Well, the best advice I can give anyone who is going to start this hobby is: Don’t tell your wife how much money your things cost.!.@!!!
...

Save the headache and get your wife to go out with you, ya it does double the expense but you get double the gear. Just think how easy it is to get new reels, rods, and tackle by saying "I think you could really use this, it'll make time on the water easier dear." Get her hooked on fishing saves money, your wife will want better gear instead of fine jewelry, at least it works for me. I should also mention that my wife and I have been fishing together since we dated in high school.

[mtnbykr2]

Ok Frank,
great post, well done....

various fishing trips to various locations $? depends on how you roll...
various fishing trips with good friends...$? again it depends on your choices in hotels
various fishing trips, with good friends, and just bein "out on the water" with all the afore mentioned...priceless...

[JoeBeck]

Originally Posted by hatchetman

Save the headache and get your wife to go out with you, ya it does double the expense but you get double the gear. Just think how easy it is to get new reels, rods, and tackle by saying "I think you could really use this, it'll make time on the water easier dear." Get her hooked on fishing saves money, your wife will want better gear instead of fine jewelry, at least it works for me. I should also mention that my wife and I have been fishing together since we dated in high school.

X2, my wife was using my old gear now her fishing poles are better than mine . All that said, once you have the gear kayak fishing is not that expensive. Good fishing rods and reels last a long time, same with good tackle if maintained. Compared to a boat I'm saving thousands a year. When I go skiing I'm dropping a good dime on lift tickets, golfing you have green fees. I thought running would be cheap but now I have to get new shoes every couple months along with fees for races. All and all comparative I don't think fishing is that expensive. Really all you need is 1 fishing pole and reel spooled up with line to have a good time.

[taggermike]

You gotta pay if you want to pay in any hobby but I think yak fishing is fairly cheap. No entry fees, use fees, lift passes, special licenses, registration fees. I'm using an old Malibu Extream that I bought used. Came with seat, paddle, FF, and dry bags. My gear is mostly used or rods that I wrapped myself. I keep saying when this yak gives out I'll buy some thing else but I just keep catching fish on it. I fished this kayak all over So Cal, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and a few places in Baja. Of course, if you need to have the latest and greatest it can get pricey. MIke