Money pit?

Some good answers and replies. There's no right or wrong answer as it's really all about your perspective. I always enjoy and find it interesting to read how other people view a similar or same interest as mine.

A couple people mentioned boats. I think it may be safe to say they are universally recognized as one of the biggest money pits known to man haha.
 
Swattie87 wrote:

$100/year for tackle…new flies, shot, tippet, leaders, floatant…maybe replace one fly line per year.
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Dang, I couldn't get by with only $100 a year on tackle, I tie way to many flies, and go through way to much tippet / leader material to stay under 100 bucks for an entire year
 
I think I have a correct answer.

If FF ever starts to feel like a money pit to me, I'll quit. Until then, it is not a money pit.

Some day I hope to be able to do it more often.;-)

A couple people mentioned boats. I think it may be safe to say they are universally recognized as one of the biggest money pits known to man haha.
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I can't argue that. Although I loved it, it got too expensive to keep, maintain, and even operate, plus the season is too short. It was my first boat.

Note to everyone. Don't take your wife with you when shopping for a boat. I originally wanted something for day use and that I could fish out of. Was thinking about 18 foot, so I could even use it on Erie on calm days. Long story short: Ended up with a 26 foot cabin cruiser and didn't have anything big enough to tow it. So add dock fees to the cost.

We loved it, and to this day we miss the boat. It was our weekend getaway.

And if you don't like your neighbors, pull up anchor and move.

They say the two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day he buys it, and the day he sells it. That wasn't true for me. I hated selling it, but felt I had to. That is the ultimate definition of a money pit.

One day I towed it to storage on the step bumper of my Ranger pickup. Going down one hill, I half jokingly asked my wife to climb out on the hood to help keep the wheels on the ground so I could steer.

The looks I got from other people as i drove by. Darn thing was over 11 feet tall when on the trailer. Being towed by a Ranger?

Short distance on back roads, so no big deal. But the boat alone was 2.5 tons dry.

My second boat was a 12 foot sears rowboat that I paid $100 for, and I still have that one. LOL!
 
NewSal wrote:
Dang, I couldn't get by with only $100 a year on tackle, I tie way to many flies, and go through way to much tippet / leader material to stay under 100 bucks for an entire year
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I use a furled leader as the butt section of my leader with a loop on the end. Then just taper tippet down from that. Other than my Brookie leader, which gets beat on in rhodo/trees/etc, I can usually get a full season out of the furled section, sometimes more. I'm essentially just buying tippet this way.
 
Well, as far as I'm concerned it's money well spent. My "Money Pit" hobby is Amateur Radio. Talk about a wallet draining, float a 2nd mortgage hobby! All for the ability to talk to that one and only radio operator in some far off island like Tristan de Cunha or Tromelin in the Indian Ocean!LOL. Fly fishing is at least reasonable in dollars spent. Well, Kinda.
 
Swattie87 wrote:
NewSal wrote:
Dang, I couldn't get by with only $100 a year on tackle, I tie way to many flies, and go through way to much tippet / leader material to stay under 100 bucks for an entire year
Click to expand...

I use a furled leader as the butt section of my leader with a loop on the end. Then just taper tippet down from that. Other than my Brookie leader, which gets beat on in rhodo/trees/etc, I can usually get a full season out of the furled section, sometimes more. I'm essentially just buying tippet this way.
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Right, I'm pretty much the same way actually but not furled, I use a tapered butt section down to .011". then 12" of sighter material at .009". That never comes off my rod, then from the .009 ill either run straight 4 or 5x to nymph, or taper to 5x or 6x to dry dropper/ dry fish.
I still go through a lot of tippet regardless, that's probably low on the amount of money spent, most money spent is on fly tying by far
 
FiveWeight wrote:
Well, as far as I'm concerned it's money well spent. My "Money Pit" hobby is Amateur Radio. Talk about a wallet draining, float a 2nd mortgage hobby! All for the ability to talk to that one and only radio operator in some far off island like Tristan de Cunha or Tromelin in the Indian Ocean!LOL. Fly fishing is at least reasonable in dollars spent. Well, Kinda.
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Reminded me of an episode of Last Man Standing.

Mandy got here celphone taken away. Then Kyle showed her how to use Mike's ham radio. She really got into it and proclaimed it was just like Twitter only she didn't have to type.

Something like that.

Kind of like the old party lines that some of us remember from way back, only much longer distance.

I'm not dissing on it though. I could probably get into that, but too many expensive hobbies as it is.
 
I buy stuff when it is on sale/closeout despite my immediate needs, IF it is something I'll eventually use or could sell. That includes tippet material, leaders, line, gadgets, fly-tying materials, even big-ticket items like reels if it’s a deal that is too good to pass up.

It sounds quirky but I check pricing on consumables (tippet, floatant, hooks, lines, etc.) often and pounce on deals, discounts and old pricing like it’s the last wing at a Super Bowl party.

The bottom line is I've accumulated so much stuff that I could go years without spending a dime on fly-fishing unless cigars, beer & whiskey count as tackle.

As a result, I rarely buy anything in fly shops if I casually stroll in and I haven’t dropped a penny at a fishing show in years on anything other than ****tails.

While the “money pit” thing is still there, it is somewhat forgotten because it was spent long ago and it is way less painful than having to drop $20 more on something you have an immediate need or desire for.

Bottom line - If you can afford to “buy in advance” I heartily recommend it because NOTHING in this hobby we love ever goes down in price and ultimately you will save a TON of money…

…maybe enough to buy a boat!!
 
I don't really see fly fishing as a money pit so much, it's more like...my mistress...

She takes your money, but she treats you well.
 
I know guys that spend thousands $'s on FFing each year

Other guys spend hundreds $'s

Some just pocket change

They all have fun

That's really what counts

 
1. Therapy
2. Church since I worship at the Church of the Trout Stream and Salmon River
 
The beautiful thing about fly fishing is that you really don't HAVE to spend a lot of money on the gear if you don't want to. The same with travel. We are blessed with a state that has relatively close access to trout fishing pretty much everywhere. Don't feel like driving a couple of hours? Fine. Smallies, bucketsmouths, carp, etc. abound everywhere.

In today's world you have so many choices and so many product price ranges... you can find decent, very functional gear for not a lot of bank. Including flies, if you don't tie your own.

For example, a great Redington Crosswater outfit complete with line for less than $150. Or go the used route on eBay for much less... Get a decent pair of waders for less than $100 (Frogg Toggs)

No... this sport DOES NOT have to be a money pit. The choice is yours.
 
And speaking of money pit hobbies (Greenghost), I thing I can add Beekeeping to that list.

You talked me into doing it for one more year. It's all your fault! ;-)

Ended up buying bees for 6 hives. Then I put out swarm traps near a wild hive and another optimal spot. Ended up with 5 wild swarms when all was said and done. Between that and a split I did, I was up to 12 hives by late July, which is 3 times more than I had any other year. I then pulled the traps.

Because of the increased number, I probably spend close to 2 grand in supplies over the year. But I did get about $300 worth of honey out of them. :roll:

Well, I checked 9 of those hives the other day and only 1 was still alive (multiple reasons) What's weird it that the survivor hive happens to be the only hive that I fed a jar of that honey based substance that I brought to the jam last year. You remember, that stuff in the mason jar. So maybe that stuff has medicinal value afterall. The bees sucked it up, and I can tell you that bees make angry drunks.;-)

I haven't checked the other three hives because of their location, but I'd bet money that no more than 1 is still alive. Two were late swarms, that likely didn't make it.

Now that I have all that new wooden-ware, I figured I can't give it up, but I gaurandamntee that if I start catching swarms again, I'm selling some of the swarms instead of the honey. ;-)

I do it for the environment. ;-)
 
Not even close. Get into waterfowl hunting and you'll see what a money pit is for outdoor recreation. Makes fly fishing look like you can do it with the change jingling in your pocket haha.
 
FarmerDave wrote:
FiveWeight wrote:
Well, as far as I'm concerned it's money well spent. My "Money Pit" hobby is Amateur Radio. Talk about a wallet draining, float a 2nd mortgage hobby! All for the ability to talk to that one and only radio operator in some far off island like Tristan de Cunha or Tromelin in the Indian Ocean!LOL. Fly fishing is at least reasonable in dollars spent. Well, Kinda.
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Reminded me of an episode of Last Man Standing.

Mandy got here celphone taken away. Then Kyle showed her how to use Mike's ham radio. She really got into it and proclaimed it was just like Twitter only she didn't have to type.

Something like that.

Kind of like the old party lines that some of us remember from way back, only much longer distance.

I'm not dissing on it though. I could probably get into that, but too many expensive hobbies as it is.
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It is a very, very cool hobby. Between the public services that are performed in emergencies for the local community, state, national, international and of course the ability to talk from local within 100 mile with friends to anywhere in the world. I do most of that hobby over the winter months and fish the hatches in the nice weather. Fish'n in the cold takes all the fun right out of it. Little like ride'n a motorcycle in the rain. It ain't any fun for me no mo. So when it's cold out I'll spend my time talk'n down under and in the spring. The LJ and Grannoms will be call'n me. Fly'n and radio are both great past times.
 
Look at Bill Shaadt hands down the best fly fisherman there ever was and ever will be. He found used and recycled fly rods etc. He found and scavanged all his gear and never paid a dime. You should be blessed to even have a fly rod. People in most countries use a stick and a string. Quite your whining and get fishing.
 
Flyfishing42 wrote:
Look at Bill Shaadt hands down the best fly fisherman there ever was and ever will be. He found used and recycled fly rods etc. He found and scavanged all his gear and never paid a dime. You should be blessed to even have a fly rod. People in most countries use a stick and a string. Quite your whining and get fishing.
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Dude seriously? I don't think anyone is whining at all, I don't know what you're reading
 
Schaadt was a great fly fisherman. I don't think you can call him hands down the best though. There were a lot of great ones, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Lee Wulff, and my personal pick, the 2016 trout legend pro champ Ricky Ozmar. Word on the street is Schaadt didn't even know how to euro nymph.
 
Flyfishing42 wrote:
Look at Bill Shaadt hands down the best fly fisherman there ever was and ever will be. He found used and recycled fly rods etc. He found and scavanged all his gear and never paid a dime. You should be blessed to even have a fly rod. People in most countries use a stick and a string. Quite your whining and get fishing.
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Wow, that's quite (see how I used that correctly)a statement. This should get everyone going.
Oh and by the way, Ronnie Kittredge, hands down, best fly fisherman that ever was or will be. Hey recycles treble hooks from lost catfish rigs.
 
The best fly fisherman was the first guy who put a bug on a piece of bent metal. You try fishing that way.
 
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