Just like most tools, fishing gear has been experiencing great technological advances in the last 20 years. This is why the success on the water is ever-increasing. One drawback - you have to pay for those advancements, and quite a lot in some cases. Not every angler can afford the latest and the greatest.
Whatever fish you are after and whatever budget constraints you have, there are always ways to stretch that dollar just a little bit. Let us suggest a few smart ways to be more cost-efficient without sacrificing the upgrades.
You can definitely extend the life of your soft plastics. Make sure you have a bottle of Mend-it or a tube of superglue in your possession. Just a few drops of either one will do a great repair job and won't damage the performance one bit. If that doesn't always work, try repurposing the old plastic. If you have a craw or a creature too far gone for fixing, use it as a dynamite jig trailer after shortening it a bit.
We create so much unnecessary waste by throwing away hard baits once their original hooks break, become worn, dull or rust. There is absolutely no need for that. You just have to buy a set of split ring pliers and a few treble hooks to breathe a new life to your various hard baits. And it will only cost you a few dollars.
Lures can get lost and that can happen quite often - such is a reality of fishing. And this reality can get expensive sometimes. If you are not lazy and will keep re-tying it, you will not lose that many bait and will save money if the need to get new ones all the time is eliminated. Imagine saving 10% of your tackle cost just by preventing 10% of break-offs.
Some fishing lines might be very expensive, especially when it comes to braided or fluorocarbon kinds. Many anglers waste a huge amount of it only be letting it waste away at the bottom of their reel spools. Reels often hold a lot more line than you need, so add an inexpensive backing line right before your main line to get the most savings. 60 or 70 yards a year is really all you need, so you can easily spool three reels with one 200 yard filler spool.
You should always reverse your braid at the end of the year. This is important to do because your first 20-40 yards of braid will be mostly used and worn out. The rest of the braided line remains in a relatively good shape and does not need renewal. So at the end of the season, instead of getting a new spool, just reverse what you have by tying the end of the line to another empty reel, and wind it off the original reel. This way the fresh end will be on top for the next season and more money will stay in your wallet.
This might be obvious, but it needs to be reminded sometimes. You should get only what you really need. Yes, there is an enticing variety of gadgets and accessories, but you don't really need them. Don't get carried away and buy your plastics in every color of the rainbow, but instead get the essential green pumpkin, watermelon, and black or blue. The same thing goes for hard baits - get only what you have to have in standard patterns, like shad, crawfish, and one bright variety.
These Tungsten weights are top of the line, they work and feel great. But do you always need them? No. Are they expensive? Yes. So use them only in cases when they can really make a difference. Carolina rigs and drop shots, Texas rigs with sinkers less than ¼-oz in weight don't require Tungsten at all, lead is just perfect. Keep the money in your pocket and forgo Tungsten in those presentations.
Saving money is great when you sign up for a subscription service, like Mystery Tackle Box. You will be sent different baits and discover new techniques every month while still saving about 40% on the cost, if compared with retail fishing shops.