How much does it cost to go fishing?

How much does it cost to go fishing? The fact that someone would even ask a question like that reveals a deep-rooted, guilt-ridden, shame-based sinkhole of personal problems that's not uncommon among people who fish. If you cannot afford an attorney then you probably won't understand the fishing laws and probably can't afford to go fishing. 

Most anglers are in complete denial over how much they spend on fishing until other members of the family start whining about food or shoes. As a fishing guide and unlicensed relationship counselor, I’ve seen first-hand the effects of the fishing problem on a free and open society.

The true costs of fishing are paid by all of us. The effects have to include the loss of productivity in business and industry. If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to work with someone with a fishing problem you know it can affect job performance.   

People with fishing problems may spend most of the day talking about their disease, even if they do show up for work.   

All too often, some fishermen will stop production to insist everyone look at their fish pictures, or make co-workers check out a dead fish in the back of my truck. Hours are wasted repeating the one-that-got-away fables that all have one thing in common, an inbred sense of failure that only makes a bad fishing problem worse. Add up all the other miscellaneous expenses that are associated with fishing, the $1,000 rods, $500 reels and divorce-and you can understand how the negative effects of fishing could stall the economic recovery that made our country so cool. 

One man’s obsessive-compulsive hoarding disorder is another man’s fishing tackle collection. Someone with a bad fishing problem can’t admit to themselves how much it costs to fish. To illustrate the true costs of fishing, I dumped my tackle box in the river. As I watched the colorful assortment of lures that didn't sink, float away. I paused to calculate the value of this experiment. 

I determined the value of the contents of that tackle box at roughly $500. This figure was determined by an accounting method designed specifically for fishing, fish math.  Each number is rounded off, then multiplied or divided by a factor of two, depending on whom you're talking to.    

Still, no amount of money can compare to the human costs of fishing.

How much does it cost to go fishing? So far it has cost me everything.