Do you have one or do you just buy stuff?  I have two self imposed budgets.  One is for rods, reels, line and baits.  The other is for truck and boat gasoline.  The mention of the amount is not necessary.  With what I have on hand my tackle budget rarely hits my limit so it moves over to the gasoline side if needed.

No budget, I buy what I need. Always try to find something on sale or use my military discount.

Use to be that I got money every Yule from the parents, and that was my budget for the year.

Since they died during the holiday season of 2023, I'm limited to what I can free up here and there.

Being on nothing but Social Security, and the loss of purchasing power every year, I find I can buy less and less.

 

Of course, with the cancer, now I'm going to be selling....

I don’t think I’ve spent anything on fishing this year other than gas and boat maintenance.  The latest rods and reels don’t excite me like they used to.  The bait monkey has all but given up on me.  I have enough lures to last me until sometime in the year 2130.  The only purchases I’ve made in the last 10 years that have made any difference in the way I fish were electronics.  That requires about $5K to 10K every 5 years to stay up to date.

I’m not but I feel like I am. I do save by making my own jigs - at least painting and applying the skirt materials. I may get some new trailers every year as well but that’s about it. I spend maybe $50 per year on lures. 
 

I think I may have burn just under $100 in gas last year. 
 

My biggest expense is winterizing and commissioning the engine on the boat every year. 

Fishing budget….you got to be kidding!
Tom

So many lures were kindly suggested to me when I returned to lmb fishing three years ago and I bought pert near all of them. Now I have a lifetime supply EXCEPT for the lures I lose, which are mostly soft plastics, specifically Keitechs, Mayors, and Zakos. However, I do chew through those, rather the bass do, so I spend hundreds on them each summer. I don't have a budget. I just buy to replace what I've lost.

I don’t have a budget Realy. But last year I stocked up after the move and I’m pretty well set for this coming season. I try to buy on sale and not buy a ton honestly. 

No budget. I just buy what the monkey tells me to buy. He let me off pretty easy this year, which is good because he talked me into spending about 4K on muskie gear last year. 

It's rumored that my 'budget' sort of varies ~

A-Jay

 

I’m in @Swamp Girl’s position now, I’m replacing what I lose or use up. Soft plastics and terminal tackle, and line and such.

I still look at new reels/ rods, but I can’t take all that I have fishing with me now. 
So my budget is pretty low, my boat with a 25 hp it just sips the gas, it only holds 6 1/2 gallons.

No wife, no budget.

What’s a budget.. 

 

I haven’t had to do that since my Navy days 🤪

I’ve been cruising tackle warehouse. Other than replacing some line maybe adding one rod and a pack of bellows gill to try out. I’m not buying a dang thing except jig heads and some skirt tabs lol 

I have always thought of tackle as an investment for my retirement.  Instead of investing in a 401 K  I have invested in a 401 C.  401 COLORS of Senko,s, Rattle traps etc.  My brother brags about how much his retirement account has gone up, and I brag about how many big bass my retirement account has caught.  The big difference is My friends like to look at the pictures of the results of my investments, and all he has is a piece of paper with numbers on it. Why bother even taking pictures of that.

 

Now that I'm thinking about it, I need to order a couple new  colors of Rattle traps for my 401 C while they are on sale.

Look at this guys @Jig Man tries his hand at comedy. Let’s hear it for him! Where you headlining next. This was such a great joke that the rest of your jokes have to be gas!!

 

That said, my budget get determined by how often the wife checks the credit card statement. If I hear things like “these small $20-40 charges add up!”, I cut back to only a few packs of senkos vs 10…

I will admit to salting away some scratch during hard water season for pre-spawn & pre-Fall truck & boat gas. 

A-Jay

I see lots of comments about spouses having opinions on fishing budgets. A thing my wife and I did early on was establish three bank accounts. A joint family one and then separate personal accounts. We have an agreed to set amount we each get to put into our personal account each month and don't get to have an opinion on how our personal money is spent. It's been hugely helpful to keep drama down. 

 

I didn't grow up with a lot, so I try to keep my fishing spending in check. But this year has been pricey because I've needed to get some new rods and reels. But even then, I'm probably spending less on an average month than many of my buddies probably spend on bar tabs. 

15 minutes ago, Rucksack said:

We have an agreed to set amount we each get to put into our personal account each month and don't get to have an opinion on how our personal money is spent.

 

Great system. 

Boat insurance, routine maintenance, an angling license, and gasoline are required annually to participate.  Most of the gasoline I use is in the truck hauling the boat to and from the lake; not the actual gasoline the outboard uses.

 

In terms of tackle, I basically only replace items that routinely wear out.  Line, hooks, sinkers, plastics.

 

Haven't bought a hard bait, reel, or rod in years.  No need.

27 minutes ago, gim said:

 

Haven't bought a hard bait, reel, or rod in years.  No need.

 

Three years ago when I started fishing for lmb, I realized my smallmouth rods couldn't control bass in the weeds, so I bought about five MH rods, but I keep using my old reels, up to 40 years old. 

There is no budget per se.

 

Wife and I are responsible with money and trust each other not to bankrupt the household with silly purchases. For example, my most extravagant personal purchase ever didn't happen until I was 50, and it was $1000. 

 

I also feel extremely fortunate that she wants to be an active participant in my fishing adventures, so money for the boat, gas, etc is for "us" rather than just me.

I usually end up buying stuff when it’s on sale through gift cards mainly. 
 

I do not have a budget. I spend it like I have it 😂

I have a part time job since retirement. It pays for my fishing and golfing addiction, so I pretty much buy what I want (as long as it is on sale).