I read a news blurb recently reporting that trout anglers spend about $700 a year in their pursuits of rainbows, browns, brookies and other salmonids. This info was attributed to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; details forthcoming in the soon-to-be-released 2010 hunting and fishing survey.
My question: Who was surveyed and where do these folks fish?
I don’t have a trout stream in my backyard and for me it’s about 200 miles to decent trout water. I make the trip more often that I should. Fuel, food and pocket money works out to about $100 per day trip; more when fuel prices spike. An overnight junket doubles the price. This doesn’t include guide fees, boat rentals, etc.
Add a couple of out-of-state trips (like my friend Bill Moore, pictured, from Arkansas’ White River) and that easily cracks the federal cost estimate. And this doesn’t even consider the price of a new rod or two; lines, reels, flies, tying materials . . . . and all the rest.
I realize that I am not a typical user as most of my trips are couched as business junkets. But these kind of numbers might help explain the federal budget mess.
The Outdoor Notebook 