Bass fishing can be an expensive hobby. If you spend any time at all watching professional bass fishing or even just spending time at a local boat ramp on the weekend, you would think you need a few years pay just to get started. Between the boats and boat motors, the trucks hauling the boats, rods and reels, and the endless Plano style boxes filled with fishing tackle, one can amass quite a fortune in fishing gear. Granted, some are fishing professionally or trying to get to that level and you do need a certain level of fishing gear and equipment to compete. But the frugal angler and the weekend fisherman (or woman) can manage on much less and still bring quality fish to the bank or boat. So let’s talk sensibly about bass fishing on a budget and how you can navigate the fishing landscape without breaking the bank.
Lures
Spend about 20 minutes in the lure section of your local Bass Pro Shop tossing lures in your cart and it won’t take you long to burn up a Benjamin. Lures these days are expensive, even if many of the best ones are worth the money. But if you are not experienced with that baitcaster you bought last weekend, you may as well start lighting ten dollars bills on fire as many of those lures will be burned through snagging trees and stumps on your next fishing trip. Thankfully, you have options. A great option is Ozark Trail brand baits from your local Walmart. You can buy several of them for the price of one expensive bait and have several styles of baits to choose from. (jerkbait, lipless crankbait, squarebill, etc.) If you want to know if they work, check out this video on our YouTube channel where we reviewed Ozark Trail lures. If you don’t mind spending the money on the brand name baits, start with the basics. There are certain baits that are tried and true and work in just about any situation. For example, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and plastic worms. Grab what you can afford, even if it is some lures from the bargain bin, and get out fishing.
Rods and Reels
You really do get what you pay for with most rods and reels. The top of line rods and reels are worth what you pay for them and they will pay you back in the years of service they will provide. However, you do not need a $300 Abu Garcia® Revo® Rocket right out of the gate. Most of the brand name reel manufacturers (Lews, Abu Garcia, Shimano) offer entry level reels that you can pick up for $100 or less. Same goes for rods. You can also pick up a rod and reel combo for about $50 just about anywhere that will bring fish to the boat or bank. Facebook marketplace is another option to find better rods and reels at more affordable prices. Lastly, never pass up a garage sale or yard sale that has fishing equipment laid out. You never know when you might uncover a gem.
Gear
Confession…I recently paid $70 for a new tackle box at Cabelas. It wasn’t even the biggest tackle box they had but I have acquired a lot of fishing tackle over the last 20 years and I needed an upgrade. However, before I upgraded, I bought a Plano 3600 “weekender” tackle box for about $20 as an expansion to my normal box. I have been very happy with this little tackle box. It comes with two Plano boxes of decent size and you can pick up a third for just a few bucks. I have drug it all over with me to the lake and local ponds over the last year and I would recommend something similar for the beginning fisherman. Even just a Plano box or two by themselves works well to carry a few baits out with on your next fishing trip. The amount of gear you can buy is endless. Start with the basics: a tackle box, a scale, and some long-nosed pliers for removing hooks. They will all fit nicely in your “weekender” box.
Bass Boats and Watercraft
Inevitably if you are just getting started fishing, standing on the bank may get old. It is a short walk from fishing on the bank to wanting a boat. Especially as you think about the access you can gain to better fishing spots on your local body of water with a boat. Once again, you don’t have to jump off the deep end and take out a second mortgage to get your first boat. (Although you will look really cool with your hat turned around backwards and the hammer down on that new Triton!) A friend of mine just traded an old Winchester rifle for a John Boat in decent shape. A little elbow grease and a few upgrades later and he is out fishing on the lake every week now having a blast. I started out on the lake with a John boat a borrowed motor and thought I was the king of the world. Kayaks and canoes are also growing in popularity and can be picked up very cheap. Some people will let you borrow theirs and you don’t even have to buy one!
As you can see, if you do some quick math reading through the topics above, you should easily be able to get started with bass fishing for under a hundred bucks. There is nothing wrong with starting out slow and building up your tackle and gear to a higher quality over time. It will make the wife happier, and it will make you appreciate the good stuff once you do have it!
