Is It Expensive to Start Fishing?

No, it is not expensive to start fishing. A realistic budget of $60 can get you a yearly license (~$25), rod and reel combo pre-spooled with line (~$25), and $10 to pick up hooks, weights, bait, or lures for your desired fishery. If someone tells you that you have to spend a bunch of money to start fishing they are trying to sell you something. The $60 budget is a realistic estimate, we will break down the prices to show you could pay less or more.

License Costs

The cost of the license depends on what US state you are trying to fish in. For a yearly resident license this can vary from roughly $11 to $44, $25 seems to be a good average price. States with higher-than-average license prices, tend to offer one-day or a few-day licenses for a fraction of the cost. Some people may qualify for a discounted or free license and there are often promotions such as free fishing days or fishing buddy programs. If you want to know more about fishing licenses check out our question and answer page.

Rod, Reel, and Line Costs

A realistic budget of $25 can get you a basic fishing combo from brands like Shakespeare, Zebco, Ugly Stik, Berkley, or Jawbone. If your reel doesn't come pre-spooled with line, you can probably fill it with monofilament line for about $5. You can also probably get a cheap rod and reel combo for less than $25 from a thrift store or garage sale. The even cheaper path to fishing is through handlining or using a reel-less setup like a bamboo rod. But casting is such a fun and enjoyable element to fishing you won't mind spending the extra $20 or so to get in on the casting action. For advice on picking out that first rod and reel check out our question and answer page.

Hooks, Lures, and Other Tackle Costs

Depending on what style of fishing you want to do such as bait or lure fishing, you will need to buy the associated tackle. If you don't know the difference between bait and lures check out our page here. In either case, you can get what you need for about $10. Hooks, floats, and splitshot can be bought for $10. (or substitute the float for bigger weights if bottom fishing) Basic lures like jigheads with plastics can be bought for $10 as well.

How Does Fishing Get Expensive?

Fishing gets expensive when you want to target more species of fish and try different styles of fishing. For example, the tackle you use to fish for trout in freshwater streams will probably not be the same tackle you use for surf fishing at the beach. If all you want to do is fish for a specific set of fish in a specific environment then fishing can remain a cheap hobby indefinitely. If you want to fish for everything, everywhere you will find yourself buying many rods, reels, lines, hooks, lures, and much more supporting gear.

Fishing Advice for Beginners