Money pit?

[724flyfishing]

Would you consider fly fishing a "money pit" hobby? Group fly tying in there as well.

These days in my 30's I enjoy fly fishing/tying, archery (hunting and backyard target shooting), running a trapline for a month or two in the winter, and going to the gym. That may sound like a lot but the gym is the only constant. Everything else is either seasonal or a once a week/month basis, as I have time. Anyways I got to thinking about costs, and I'd have to say fly fishing is my most expensive hobby by far. Im not a gear snob by any means, but if I fish a lot, there seems to be never ending expenses and needs. I'm not complaining either. It's worth every penny to me. I just never thought of it like that before and I'm wondering if anyone else would consider it a "money pit" hobby?

 

[ryansheehan]

No, I would call it my therapist.

 

[724flyfishing]

ryansheehan wrote:
No, I would call it my therapist.

Good way of thinking about it! It fills a similar niche in my life lol.

 

[Swattie87]

I do it for the chicks.

 

[SteveG]

After talking to my cousin about his adventures with getting into trapping this year, it may tie up with fly fishing for expenses haha.

But seriously, I look at it like this. A money pit is something that is a bad investment, and by that I mean if you try to justify the resources you put into it because you hope it'll grow in worth eventually (like restoring cars, under the guise that you're "making money", as opposed to the fact that you actually enjoy the process of restoring a car regardless if you are profitable or not).

That being said, fly fishing isn't that expensive to many popular hobbies. Fun and success can be had using less expensive gear. The amount of money spent on a hobby is determined by the spender, not the hobby.

 

[nomad_archer]

ryansheehan wrote:
No, I would call it my therapist.

^ what he said. Do I spend a lot of money on FF.... yes. Not because I have to but more because I want to. By and large my biggest expense right now is tying materials. I cant help myself every time I go into a fly shop I need to buy a few more things.

But really since I took up FF last May/June it is all I want to do outside of hunting seasons. I am always either thinking about it, talking about it , reading about it, or actually fishing. It has been all consuming for me and has really helped relieve stress with two little kids and work commitments. I absolutely love it so it really isn't a money pit for me. I get way more out of my time fishing then the relatively small cost of the gear and the gas money to drive to the stream.

 

[724flyfishing]

SteveG wrote:
After talking to my cousin about his adventures with getting into trapping this year, it may tie up with fly fishing for expenses haha.

But seriously, I look at it like this. A money pit is something that is a bad investment, and by that I mean if you try to justify the resources you put into it because you hope it'll grow in worth eventually (like restoring cars, under the guise that you're "making money", as opposed to the fact that you actually enjoy the process of restoring a car regardless if you are profitable or not).

That being said, fly fishing isn't that expensive to many popular hobbies. Fun and success can be had using less expensive gear. The amount of money spent on a hobby is determined by the spender, not the hobby.

Trapping is a expensive hobby to get into, but once you're past the initial investment it is really cheap. Your tools and traps will last a lifetime if you take care of them. This year I spent $27 on my furtakers license and a bottle of fox urine. That was it. I made $35 on my furs. At this rate I'll break even in my 70's ha ha.

 

[BrookieChaser]

ryansheehan wrote:
No, I would call it my therapist.

Well put.

I have a truck that's my money pit, upgrading parts gets expensive.

 

[steveo27]

BrookieChaser wrote:

I have a truck that's my money pit, upgrading parts gets expensive.

Agreed. Automotive related hobbies are a money pit 99% of the time.

I have a few hobby that I take more serious than others - fly fishing, ice hockey, and automotive (modifying cars).


Fly fishing is an expensive hobby to get into, but once youre there, it kinda tapers off until you "need" another rod or a reel or some other gear. Same goes for ice hockey. Equipment isnt cheap, and unlike fly fishing, hockey gear wears out ALOT faster. You can easily spend 1000$ a year on just ice time - thats just old man pick up hockey. Add in league fees and more ice time fees if you want to play in a league. Then throw another grand just sticks. Nothing sucks as much as breaking a 200$ a week after you buy it. Adds up fast, and keeps adding up.

Modifying cars has become my money pit. I have my Tacoma and an older VW Jetta. Neither of them is stock. The Tacoma is closer to stock than the VW is. The Tacoma isnt bad as [almost] everything Ive done to it has been somewhat purposeful (lift, aggressive tires, soft topper, LED light bar, ect). Ive given up count on what Ive sunk into the VW, my best guess shows it at well over 15k$ at the point. 3 different suspension setups, multiple sets of wheel (probably 6 now), multiple engine swaps, blah blah blah. There literally isnt a bolt on that car that hasnt been touched. It started off as a driver back in 'o5 and progressed into a full blown show car... But now, its a 25 year old car, that sits in pieces, in my buddy's dad's body shop because Ive lost interest in it. Ive got pieces of it scattered all over. Ive wasted a TON of time and money sourcing rare and expensive parts from all over the world to reassemble it with. I feel like Im never gonna finish it as Ive lost all interest. Its my money pit.

All hobbies become money pits at some point when you no longer enjoy them but keep sinking money into them.

 

[troutpoop]

Therapist for me all the way, from the outdoor exposure to the friends I have developed on the stream. This sport continues to give back to me. I have a sport/hobby 365 days a year, from fishing, to fly tying to friends, and just simple daydreaming. Fly Fishing is my happy place when things are going sideways.

 

[FarmerDave]

From a purely financial viewpoint, nearly all hobbies are money pits. You put more cash into them than you will ever get out of them.

Even my farm is a money pit hobby.

Golf is another one. Years ago I used to golf, and enjoyed it a lot, but as it grew in popularity and got more crowded and more expensive, and more frustrating, About 20 years ago I gave it up and haven't regretted it. But I still haven't sold my clubs.

As I said, almost all hobbies are money pits if you only look at it from a monetary standpoint. Otherwise we would have to call them business and pay taxes. However, it is impossible to put a monetary value on what we may actually get out of our hobbies.

 

[NPflychucker]

I tend to never look at my hobbies as money pits. Are most of them relatively expensive? Yes. Do I really care? No. Its what I enjoy doing. Between fly fishing, trapping, archery hunting and guns I know I spend at least a few hundred dollars on each of these hobbies a year and it doesn't bother me one bit. I wouldn't even want to know what I have invested just in tying materials let alone the rest of my fishing gear!

 

[JeffK]

Fly fishing is easy to be a money pit, but it doesn't have to be. The major purchases, except maybe waders, last a long time and the consumables are tippet (cheap) and flies. The fly thing is complex. Cheap flies on-line can save money but I like to get decent ones at local fly shops. And don't get started on fly tying. It is cheaper if one sticks to a few guide style flies - but no one but guides does that.

The big ticket items like rods and reels last years if taken care of, but then we flyfishers are always attracted to new bright shiny objects. Unfortunately, we rarely blame our deficiencies on our skills and are on the constant look out for the "perfect" rod that solves all our casting issues.

BTW, my new sport is disc golf. That can be a cheap sport and is very relaxing in my opinion. However, one can get caught up with buying dozens of discs to find the "perfect" one.

 

[724flyfishing]

When I asked of FF being a money pit, I didn't mean it in a negative context per say. Like FarmerDave pointed out, all hobbies are money pits. I enjoy all my hobbies and I couldn't put a price on what I get out of them. It just seemed FF to me in comparison to everything else I enjoy doing or have done is just more so of one, and fly tying even more so than the actual fishing itself.

I'll also add I'm a firm believer that everyone needs at least one money pit hobby that has a continuous learning curve. It's good for the mind, body, and soul.

 

[NewSal]

Its as much of a money pit as you make it out to be, but personally, yeah I think its a big money pit. One that I wouldn't give up, and like Ryan said, its also my therapist.
Once you get over the major purchases there isn't much in the way of high priced items, but its more like a nickel-and dime ya to death kind of thing.
The biggest thing I spend money on is fly tying materials, mainly tungsten beads and hooks. They seem to add up $

 

[Bamboozle]

I consider a money pit something that you HAVE to spend money on, not CHOOSE to spend money on.

An old house that needs work or a large boat is an example. Spend nothing at your own peril...

Fly-fishing or even golf after a certain point is all about spending money because you want to.

When I started fly fishing I owned three rods, fished my a$$ off and had a blast. Now I have a rod & reel for every occasion, fish my a$$ off and have a blast but I spent the money, not because I had to…

…it’s because I don’t own an old house or boat.

 

[FarmerDave]

Bamboozle wrote:

…it’s because I don’t own an old house or boat.

Having owned both, I can relate to that.

However, when I owned them, I enjoyed owning both of them. But I'd still consider both to be money pits even though I actually made money off of that old house which allowed me buy a new house, and a hole in the water surrounded by fiberglass to throw what's left, into.

And I may own another (boat) some day when I have more time and am living in a climate where I can enjoy it more. ;-)

 

[salmo]

Having a place at the Jersey shore I can tell you that my FF habit is much less expensive than a boat. I got rid of the boat without going through withdrawal. I'm "jonesing" for some brookie fishing now. That being said I got out of the Somerset Show for under $200 including: ticket, PA non-resident fishing license, 12 flies, & misc. tying material (I made some donations to various causes not included). Gee, I just thought about gas and tolls, so maybe I went over $200. Addicts never realize what their habit costs them and others until they are clean.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

If you know people in the industry and can be cheaper...........

 

[Swattie87]

Ok, so for my serious answer now…No, I don’t see FFing as a money pit. We all spend extra money on things we enjoy…as long as you enjoy your hobby, and aren’t spending beyond your means, it’s not a money pit IMO. My hobbies are FFing and golf. Some of my buddies are into traveling a couple weekends a year to major sporting events. One of my other buddies is into cars. We earn similar salaries and have similar financial requirements, and probably all roughly spend the same amount of recreation money each year, just on different things.

For me golf is the more expensive of the two…weekly greens fee for my league, and then figure maybe another dozen or so weekend rounds in a year maybe. After the initial hump of rod/reel/fly collection building purchases, FFing is pretty reasonable in any given year, for me:

$30ish for a license.
$100/year on average for wading boots…I hike a lot in mine and blow out the stitching quick. A year, two tops, of life is about all I get.
$100/year on average for waders. More expensive ones last longer, cheaper ones less, but it averages out to about $100/year based on how much I spend.
$100/year for tackle…new flies, shot, tippet, leaders, floatant…maybe replace one fly line per year.

The rest is just spent on peripherals…gas, campground/lodging fees if staying overnight on a trip, food/beer, etc.