Saving Money While Fishing

When fishing, tackle can get expensive!

There are so many lures out there that it's hard, I admit, to resist adding one more to your tackle box every time you go into the tackle store. So, in the spirit of saving a little money, here are a few tips.

Your Hooks and Lures

Fish are attracted to most lures or spinners. But most hooks today in the hook-swivel-split ring package are made from hard metal, which easily snags on logs and branches. This generally results in you loosing your lure. So what I do is change my hooks, as soon as I buy them, to a softer, snag-proof one.

People are sometimes concerned that their fish will get away with a softer hook, but this cannot happen. You see, when a hard hook snags a branch or log, it is the pointy tip of the hook that goes into the log. So when you pull, the softer hook can straighten itself out (this of course is where a harder hook will break). But when a hook is inside a fish, it is not the hook's tip that is being pulled on, it is the bend in the hook. And when you pull on your line in that situation, I assure you that your soft hook will not straighten and free the fish.

I therefore change the hook on my lures, usually to a Gamakatsu Si-wash hook. A Si-wash hook has an extra long shank and an open eye, which allows you to attach the hook onto a split ring or swivel quickly with hardly any effort. All you need is a pair of pliers to close the eye once its on the swivel or the split ring. When you buy your next lure, pick up a pack of Si-wash hooks (and make sure you match the size of the hook on the lure to your Si-wash hooks).

Leader and Lines

You need to consider many things when putting your line on to a reel, and I think Shimano reels are the best on the market. From their offshore reels to the cool new digital control reels, they have something for every fisherman. I don't use any thing else but Shimano.

When you buy larger, one shot spools for re-spooling your reels, you typically pay between seventeen and twenty-two dollars for 220 yards. Now, most reels only hold 120 to 175 yards so, because you don't want to use the same diameter for leader as mainline, that extra 45 to 100 yards is waste! If instead you take your reels into the tackle store for re-spooling, you'll only pay for the exact amount of line that actually goes on to the reel. Re-spooling in this way will usually save you over 50%.

If you save your spools and have the tackle store spool the diameter you use most often for mainline, then, when you need new line, re-spool the reel with the bulk line. I like fifteen to twenty pound test.