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I was curious to see how much this wonderful hobby of fishing costs per pound of fish caught, that is if it is a good day and any fish are caught at all.
I took a hypothetical trip to Willard Bay and this is what I came up with.
$12.97 per pound of fish.
I looked up the price of seafood at my local grocery store,
Atlantic Salmon- $9.99 per pound
Cod Fillet- $7.99 per pound
Catfish Fillet- $8.39 per pound
Red Snapper Fillet $7.79 per pound
Raw Shrimp- $7.99 per pound
Lobster Tails- $8.39 per pound
King Crab Legs- $19.89 per pound
If fishing weren't so darn addicting, I may be better off just splurging on a nice seafood dinner once or twice a month!
I'll attach the spreadsheet that I used to make the calculations and a picture of my sheet as well. I will then promptly hide this sheet on my computer and never let my wife see the results.
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Lol, me thinks someone was bored today? [  ]. Yes it can get pricey depending upon how far one travels, how expensive baits are etc... But I think the advantages and rewards out weigh the costs.
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Yep, I'm bored. No kitchen pass today from the wife. I should be out on the water next week though.
I have always just wondered how much catching your own fish cost and today I was bored enough to figure it out.
I definitely agree with you that it is worth it, the exercise, fresh air, fresh (not shipped from across the world) fish for tacos that night. Can't put a price on what it is worth for me.
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Depends a lot on the limits too. There are lakes up here in WY where you can keep 50 freshwater drum, crappie, and perch in combination. I've had plenty of days where I catch and keep 50 drum. That is a lot of meat. Especially when you get 6 nice walleyes to go with.
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That's true, the factors definitely change. There are day you come home with the skunk as well though no matter the limit. So it all just evens itself out I guess.
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[#0000FF]If you look at fishing strictly as a system for acquiring protein, then you probably should stick with buying your fish at a retail outlet.
I am pretty good at rationalizing my vices. So I prefer to think of fishing in terms of either entertainment or "professional" treatment...as in doctors or psychiatrists. For me, a good fishing trip does a lot to reduce stress...and that reduces the incidence of stroke, heart attack, nervous breakdown, etc. All of those things can cost a lot more than a trip to Willard.
Heck, how much does it cost for a ticket to a sporting or entertainment event these days? And if you want food value you gotta spend even more.
Then there is the divided view of fishing trips as a marriage enhancer...or destroyer. If you take the spouse fishing...and she has a good time...big savings in legal fees, alimony and all that good stuff. But if you insist on going fishing alone...and blowing off the "honeydo list"...you could be setting yourself up for a lot of grief and a whole lot of new expenses. As the attorneys say: "Love is grand. Divorce is 10 grand." And that is only the ticket out. The costs never end.
With apologies to Bill Shakespeare..."To fish or not to fish. That is the question. Whether 'tis better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous life circumstances...or to just go fishing and forget 'em."
My philosophy: You can fish or you can worry. But you can't fish AND worry.
Bottom line? I get a lot more out of fishing than just a meal or two. But I do enjoy keeping some of my catch for the table. So catching and keeping are a big part of the enjoys...and the therapeutic value. Like a lot of things...if you have to put a price tag on the fish you catch you have misplaced values.
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If it was just for the meat we'd quit after getting skunked a couple times. Though I do have to say, as I get better at this I would say that the days where I'm hiking back to my car with a stringer that is actually making my arm hurt due to the weight of fish on it are starting to catch up to the days that end with a nice easy walk back while I hope that no one notices I don't have any fish....or God forbid, asks what I caught.
Another factor is going fishing for the right fish on the right day. Starting into this filthy habit three years ago I'd go whenever, especially in the summer, but nowadays I spend a little time looking at weather patterns, barometric pressure, last years reports, water temperature, water levels. (I've also stolen a lot of knowledge from you guys in regards to tackle, especially Tubedude.) Ultimately I think that having the ability to go mostly whenever I want helps because I can choose to go on days when they're biting, while guys who can only go on certain weekend days end up having to choose less productive days.
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I have thought about it before... and I like eating fish like crappie and walleye enough that I would go fishing even if I absolutely hated the fishing part, because I really love the eating part... And on the flip side, I enjoy fishing and catching so much I would do it even if we weren't allowed to keep any fish to eat.
I love fishing and eating fish[  ]
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Who cares !! Where are you going to find a pass time that provides so much to the individual. I don't even try and moderate my habit, the heck with moderation, the more the better !!!!
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A round of golf costs about the same as a day of fishing when calculating in the price of gas for the boat and truck...
And if you ask me, fresh fish tastes better than, birdies, and pars! (Although some birdies can be pretty tasty too!)
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I wanna know where you can buy lobster tails for $8.39 lb.[shocked]
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Well, I ran the numbers just for fun and on a average 2 day trip to Flaming Gorge with two of us bringing home our 3 Kokanee. The real cost was only $205.02 per fish.
No wonder my wife thinks fishing is nuts.
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Well don't figure out what that Alaska Salmon will cost you. Those Kokes are probably cheap. We caught a lot of fish in Alaska, but we could only bring home 50 lbs without paying really high luggage fees so I'm sure if I counted all those costs it would be pretty high. Doesn't matter though I'm in it for so much more than the eating. That's just the bonus after a great reset that gets me ready for the next week. When I don't get out I can tell it definitely has a therapy effect for me. Later J
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[quote F15Hwhisperer]
... $12.97 per pound of fish. ...
[/quote]
What a deal you got!
(From my childhood) 41 foot mahogany and teak wood Chris Craft, twin diesel conversation,twin 300 gallon custom stainless steel diesel tanks, radar, loran, rdf, paper chart sonar, ...
The list goes on and on and on, so no point in even getting into fishing equipment and bait. Our fish cost tens of thousands of dollars a pound.
But, then I've caught fish with some string wrapped around a stick with a hook and fried oyster leftovers.
Wow! Free fish! What a deal!
Later in life, I got into fly fishing. The price of fish went up to hundreds per pound. Then I got into fly tying and it went up some more and that's without a boat.
Next, spin casting with lures from shore was productive and cheap at only pennies per pound.
But, I kept buying more and more and better equipment , so the price went way up.
I bought several surf casting rods and reels (still need experienced help to learn surf casting technique) and hope to use them someday on vacation to a coast, so the fish so far cost infinity (or division by zero is undefined).
Lately, it's been ice fishing. Divide Marcum LX-9, high quality rods, reels, lures, line, bags, compartmented trays, tent ... by a few fish and perhaps I'm getting close to that twin diesel deep sea fishing again and I still don't have a boat larger than my fly fishing pontoon boat.
How does any of this make sense for getting food?
Well, perhaps not in these good times, but the skills and equipment have preparedness value for the harsh times to come.
Some see merit to preparedness and are sitting on the fence without making commitments to buying actual supplies and instead buying gold and silver coins.
But, I get the best of both worlds! I own what the fence sitters will want to buy with their gold coins and I get to enjoy the use of it now for practice and skills development for the near future times when I need to catch fish to eat.
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