Fishing is one of the few hobbies that can save (or even earn) you money while you enjoy it. While I suppose in the age of YouTube, any hobby out there ostensibly could do this for a select few content creators, fishing actually offers financial savings to the average joe.
The most apparent way anyone can save money while fishing is to eat the fish you catch. Fish are expensive in grocery stores and restaurants, yet are “free” in the wild. Yes, there are start up and licensing costs to the sport, but gear can last years and years and put many a fish on the table before it breaks.
There are also a number of inexpensive fishing tools you can invest in that will help you save money, and even some side gigs you can run to actively earn money while you’re out there on the water. Let’s get cracking on all the ways you can save or even earn money while fishing!
Eating Fish You Catch vs. Buying them in the Grocery Store
Fish is very expensive at the grocery store. My local Stop & Shop sells a variety of salmon products that range anywhere from $10.49 – $31.96/lb. Clearly, if you’re in a location where you can catch this fish, you can do far better getting it at sea, even after you factor in your start up costs.
You’ll also have a much more diverse platter available to you if you catch your own fish. For example, in Connecticut you’re really hard-pressed to find walleye for sale in many stores or restaurants like you would out in the midwest. If you want to eat a specific sort of fish, you may need to catch it yourself!
Eating wild-caught fish is also desirable in that you’ll never have a fresher meal than something that was breathing a few moments earlier. Shore lunch is delicious as is fish that you prepare for the table the day you’ve caught it. So, keeping fish where it makes sense is not only great for your wallet but also for your taste buds.
Fishing Side Gigs
If you’re really interested in making money with fishing, a side gig can be a huge help. I have plans to write a more indepth article about all the ways you can fishing your career soon, but in the meanwhile, here is a sneak peak at a few side gigs that can really help you make this a productive hobby.
Selling Fish
Some places will buy fresh fish. For example, for years Norms’ Bait and Tackle up in Crown Point would buy perch and other panfish. No idea if they still do or not, but back in the day, Dad and his friend George would limit out by the bridge and go sell them to Norm. George didn’t have much money at the time and it really helped him out. If you’re out there catching them anyway and you have this option, it can be a way to get a few bucks.
Making Lures
Many people make fishing lures or sinkers and then sell them. You can buy molds for soft plastics or sinkers and then mass produce them. If you’re handy with an airbrush or crafty with tying, you can also paint plugs or tie flies and either sell them online or to a local bait shop.
Writing About Fishing
Not that I’m all about competition, but this blog has been a rewarding way to earn some extra coin while fishing. You might consider writing a blog of your own! It took me a long time to see results but when they come you’ll be all the more inspired to continue!
How to Reduce the Cost of Fishing
As the old maxim goes, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Even if you don’t want to eat the fish you catch, or to start up a side gig, you can still “save” money while fishing by not wasiting it. You do this in a few was. Buying gear that will last, buying fishing tools that make gear last longer, and by buying lifetime fishing licenses in states you frequent.
Buy Gear that Lasts
I am a huge advocate of buying appropriate gear of decent quality. Every time I try to cheap out on something, in fishing or really anything else, I find myself buying something better later that I should have just started with.
This doesn’t mean that you need to buy the most expensive gear out there. Indeed, there’s a point of diminishing returns when you start talking about price vs. Relative quality. All I’m saying is that if you buy a decent rod or reel, it’s more likely to hold up over time (and you’re more likely to take care of it) than whatever the cheapest option is.
Cheap products are, well, cheap. Lousy reels will have less ball bearings and poorer engineering that makes them break down sooner. Inexpensive fishing line will be more prone to break costing you lures and fish (as well as the line). A “bargain” boat or motor may either fail to perform as you need it to, or even worse, could have a hidden history of neglect that you’ll pay for in spades shortly.
If you really want to save money while fishing, a good way to do that is to buy stuff that will last more than a season. The great news is that you can even buy a lot of fishing gear used, which can increase those savings substantially. Check out this article I wrote about how to buy used fishing rods with confidence to get you started.
Consider Using Braided Fishing Line
While I’d recommend swapping out old monofilament or fluorocarbon line after each season, you can get away with a spool full of braid for as long as you have enough line to cast well.
Fishing Gear That Helps Save You Money
Aside from licensing, your biggest overhead cost is going to be your lures and gear. If you’re interested in saving money while fishing, you will want to purchase gear that pays for itself. There are a few fishing tools that are designed to reduce the number of lures you lose, which is a great place to start shaving away the costs of this hobby. Here are some of my favorites.
O-Ring Tool for Senkos
A fishing tool I’ve referenced frequently over the years is the O-Ring tool for rigging Senko worms up wacky style. This is a piece of fishing gear that will save you so much money that it can pay for itself in a couple of hours. It’s extremely inexpensive, very light to cary in your pocket, and very useful for helping your lures last longer.
Senko worms are notoriously soft. This gives them a great action and probably convinces wary bass to hold onto them just a bit longer than usual, but it also means that you will lose a ton of them on a fishing trip “out the box,” especially if you wacky rig them. The problem is they’re so soft that they just pull right off the hook when something (like a fish) gives them a tug.
The solution is to use an o-ring, which is just a piece of rubber in the shape of an o that slides over the Senko. This almost acts like a safety belt for the hook, so when a fish or snag gives it a tug, it’s less likely to pull the hook out of the worm. Given the price of Senkos these days, anything you can do to help them last longer is going to be key. (Honestly, check the best price at Amazon and do the math on them per worm and take a cold shower after).
The o-ring tool is a must-buy. You can pick one up at Amazon today.
Hook Retriever
There are many underwater hazards that you can’t necessarily see that will steel your crankbaits, jigs, and other lures. Rocks are the main culprits though you’ll also snag on your share of laydowns, debris, and junk in your life. When you consider that most crankbaits these days are going to start at $7.00 or so, a quality hook retriever can quickly pay for itself.
I purchased a telescoping hook retriever by Frabill to keep on my boat. It only took a few trips out with it to recoup my investment. While these aren’t too practical when fishing from shore, if you have a boat, one certainly belongs in your locker.
Wire Leaders
Sometimes a wire leader can save you a lot of money while fishing, especially if you’re in pike-infested waters. These toothy critters can make short work of fishing line and can take some expensive lures with them. I’d never throw a lure I wasn’t willing to lose forever without a wire leader in Lake Champlain. Even a large enough chain pickerely could spell the end.
Split Ring Pliers
Split ring pliers save you money in the sense that whereas some folks will break hooks on a crankbait and toss the lure, smart anglers will buy replacement hooks for a fraction of that cost and keep that lure in their tackle box. “Waste not, want not” after all. I once wrote an article about my favorite split ring pliers that you can check out here.
Another Great Way to Save Money While Fishing: Buy a Lifetime License!
Many states offer a lifetime fishing license that can be purchased. While this is an expensive investment (usually several hundred dollars) they tend to pay for themselves after 10-15 years or so, especially if the cost of fishing licenses goes up over time (and what doesn’t). Most will only offer this to residents, though a few allow non-residents to also purchase one for a premium.
Some states will even allow you to buy your children one of these lifetime licenses, and believe it or not, this can be less expensive than buying one as an adult. For example, in VT a resident fishing license for a child less than one years old costs $224. The instant that kid reaches one year of age, it doubles to $448. Even this only constitutes a price 16x greater than the current cost of a fishing license. If you’re a granparent and you have a grandchild who loves fishing, you really might want to look into one of these for them.
Conclusion: Fishing Is One of the Few Hobbies That Can Save You Money
While there are certainly start up costs, fishing is the only hobby I have where I actually make money. Yes, the way I do it is from this blog, but even if I just wanted to keep some fish to eat, I’d at least be able to break even each year.
A big part of the reason for this is that years ago I invested in decent equipment, often bought used, that has held up over time. I also have invested in useful fishing tools like o-ring pliers and hook retrievers that save me many lures each season. While I’m kicking myself in the head for not buying my kids VT fishing licenses (since they reciprocate for most of Lake Champlain) when they were younger, I might try and grab them one of those in the next few years as well.
Hopefully this article helped you figure out a few different ways you can save and even make money while fishing. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
Thanks,
John Paxton
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