Juniors being out priced?

[patrick donovan]

ok i am a 16 year old and have been fishing since i was about 6/7 in the days when my dad would by my a few bits of tackle and a cheap rod for christmas. Nowadays i have a pole, good tackle box etc, mainly thanks to my hard work. However when i was around 10-15 i struggled to fish as the tackle that i needed was just far too expensive how are we suppost to get younger people into fishing when prices continue to soar. I mean 2pound for a pole float!!!!! 2pound for a little bait tub!!! whats the world coming to?
I read an article o here where a man took his nephew and daughter fishing which was great and it only cost him 30 pound but what if they want to improve and become better fisherman they will require more/better tackle which in turn is more money, and i am a believer to a certain extent that better tackle helps you fish better what do you all think?

 

[EC]

I think you need to shop around via the mail order shops in the magazines etc Patrick!

For small items like pole floats hooks etc I agree they can become expensive especially if you are buying 'branded' tackle endorsed by a big name angler. Sometimes the unbranded products sold by some shops under their own name is no different and no less effective but a hell of a lot cheaper. IYCF is full of adverts mate so check this mag out first.

As far as rods and reels are concerned, in my opinion, tackle has never been cheaper and we have never had a better choice, especially with several of the new firms okuma, ron thompson etc coming on to the market in the last few years or so.

A lot of items such as chairs/bed chairs etc have actually decreased in price in the last few years also. When I look at what I paid for rods and reels 20 years ago, we are still paying the same prices today except the quality is so much better in a lot of cases.

However for things like bait boxes etc I would (and still do) make do with containers that have been used for food etc, such as ice cream tubs and so on, it may not look pretty but if cost is a factor there is no diference in reality between that and a maggot tub.

You could always try and post a new thread asking anglers how they make certain bits of tackle. I do not consider myself particularly good at practical stuff such as this but I can say without doubt that some of my homemade floats easily surpass shop bought floats in certain situations.

 

[John McLaren]

Good response Eddie, main items of tackle are definitely as cheap as or cheaper than they were when I was Patrick's age (in comparative terms). Apart from anything else there is far more competition these days, which tends to drive prices down.

The problem though is the cost of consumables: I think maggots are probably dearer than they were in real terms and if you use proprietary brands of boilie then it is useful to have shares in an oilwell.

The only answer generally is to shop around for hooks, shot etc but floats, feeders and bait boxes are easily made and non-angling resources can be put to use by the fisherman, eg the daily pill organisers yoiu can buy make very serviceable dry fly boxes or containers for swivels and other bits.

Like Eddie, I'm not especially good at the practical stuff but roving around "bargain" stores with the thought "can I use this for fishing?" is quite a good starting point, imagination is a wonderful help.

 

[Wag]

Don't think you need piles of expensive gear to catch fish. I think Bob Nudd would still catch fish using a cheap starter kit from Argos. The thing to do is get out there fishing and hone your skills. Most experienced anglers would agree that reading a swim and learning to feed at the right rate are far more important than how much you rod and reel cost.
I have accumulated an amazing amount of tackle over the years, and I'll bet I don't use more than 5% of it most of the time.
Most tackle dealers will do good deals for novices, after all they have a vested interest in encouraging you to continue fishing (I know there a few lamentable exceptions)and if you stick with a good local shop you'll help ensure it's still there in the future, when hopefully you can afford to spend a bit more. They are also usually the best place for tips on where and when to fish.

 

[Ron Clay]

Eddie is quite right, tackle has never been cheaper.

When I was 10 years of age I was given a simple bamboo rod 9 ft long by my Grandfather for a birthday present. I added to this over the years by scratching and saving and picking spuds in the school holidays.

By the age of 14 I had quite a decent set of gear.

My 1st decent rod, I made myself. In fact I made all my own tackle except reels, lines and hooks for many years after that. By the time I was 18 I was building rods for other people, and making my own split cane too.

A good rod in those days cost the equivalent of two weeks wages. Today you can get a very nice float rod for ?40.00!!

 

[Shrek]

But when all you have is a paper round, say, ?40 is virtually a months wages surely.

It's all relative. If you can afford it, is cheap, if you can't it's dead expensive.

 

[Laurie Harper]

All good advice above, Patrick. It does seem a bit daunting when you look at the prices of kit, but there are many ways to save money. Don't believe the manufacturers hype - you don't need to buy the latest, staggeringly expensive kit to be successful. When I was young, I used to ask relatives for a cash contribution towards things when they asked me what I wanted for birthdays, Xmas, etc. I would then pool the money and get what I wanted with it. You could try it. Whatever you do, don't ask non-anglers for tackle. You'll end up with a beachcaster and a set of pole rigs! Good luck.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Patrick
a good place to get main items of tackle is masterline.
they do exspensive stuff as well, but the build quality on their budget tackle is fantastic.the shadow range is a good place to start. try looking on there web site.
http://www.thenumberone.co.uk/options.asp