Bass Fishing- "Only for the rich and privileged" - Is it FOO?
Over the last few weeks I have switched into high gear as we decided that we will have another De Hoop friendly in December. I will send out a mail with more details including the sponsors' names which is making all this happen for you guys.
Apart from that I had to urgently hit Tzaneen dam with my small mapping and GPS pinning boat before the heavy rains hit and hide the treasures of the deep again below the water line.
Without expensive equipment manually photographing and pinning structure is my best bet to be effective at fishing these spots later.
While sitting on the water looking at another boat screaming by I thought to myself how expensive our hobby has got. Just a day of fun fishing could really make a big dent in your budget. Is our sport turning into a past time of the rich and privileged toppies on pension?
Like golf of the water if you will. . .
Later the day after successfully pinning many good structures in the ultra low Tzaneen I visited a friend who just returned from a prestigious fishing event. There we were talking about his experience at this tournament when side scanning and the distinct advantage it can provide came up, we stumbled onto the price that he paid for these units.
It hit me like a brick, his combo unit cost more than my entire rig combined. Motor, boat and trailer plus all the extras.
Damn!
For that price this thing had to be able to google for hotels, order pizza, coffee and set and alarm while fishing and telling me exactly where to cast, what colors to use and which techniques to utilize.
Sadly it doesn't work that way but it doesn't make it any less impressive for someone that knows how to use it. I can't pretend to even begin to understand exactly bit by bit how a sonar unit works but the problem I have in my brain is that I make the following logical assessments which may be grossly wrong but it makes sense to me.
Quality and deadly accurate handheld GPS can be acquired for as little as R1500. Heck, even the phone in your pocket has one built in these days which in my experience can pin accurately up to 2M. Which is great!
That means the sonar itself is that expensive part? But 30, 50 or even 60k for a plastic box with a little screen and a few buttons. LOL!? Are we mad?
How can a electronic unit that sends a pulse and receives a bounce from it which is then converted into digital format and displayed on a screen cost that much? Does it add up? Is it justified? I don't think so. It costs more than a 80" smart TV and weighs a hundred times less.
The only few reasons I can see that they cost this much are:
If they are built to last the company wouldn't have many return customers for a long haul so they need to capitalize while they can on first purchase.
The must-have factor as many people want to win and this piece of equipment will magically transform them into much better fishermen which creates a sense of must have to be competitive.
The fact that your friend can see better what is going on on your magic spot will drive you insane and soon you will be having delusions of making loans and selling off family members to afford something alike.
Moving on from the finder dilemma, on my way home I thought about what a decent seventeen or larger tournament rig would cost today. If we look at something quality like the Crackleback or Rebel you can easily shell out a mill if you spare no expense.
If you buy hull only it's about 200k.
Kitting it with quality second hands you could get away with about 300k to 400k...
Still way above the achievable mark for me. Then after this investment you have to cover insurances, services and operating costs. Urgh!
Importing would even be more expensive.
As with the Fish Finders, the only option is to buy tourney rigs complete secondhand as the current owners upgrade to the aforementioned dream rigs.
I can imagine that skippering a rig like this does instill a good level of confidence which is a big factor in bass fishing but the only time 100 km/h + makes sense to me is to beat the race to the spot which many skippers use as their main "excuse" if you will for investing in these beasts.
so let's say you get lucky and pick up a rigged Crackleback for 250k. Being a normal guy you have to have it financed which is going to bite you in the end but what else can you do? There is no other way short of winning lotto or saving for 13 millenniums to buy it. Your premium would be about 5k providing you didn't have a deposit. Ouch. That is 5k Per Month for 72 months. OK
Now you need a vehicle capable of towing and launching this boat. Another 5 -8k P/M
Petrol for getting to and from the dam and for the boat. About 2k per trip.
Pushes you well over 10k just for that month with one fishing trip. #SIGH
Baits, food, rods, reels and the list goes on...
The conclusion is yes, there is no doubt about it, it is a rich man's valley so if you have a boat and is able to fish it regularly you are truly privileged. Although you won't be particularly doing it in style with the latest and greatest gadgets to boost your fishing prowess. Or from the sexiest boat at the launch for that matter. What counts is that you are on the water safely. If I look at the math involved coupled with the never ending hikes of the fuel price, being on the water is a blessing and a privilege and over time I would think that it would get less and less for everyone as the economy wails so let's enjoy and cherish our time out there on the blue stuff.
The beauty of the sport is that you can get on the water cheaply and just do what you love, catch fish, same fish that the guy with the half mil dream-rig is fishing for he might just find them a bit easier, he might get there first, see them more clearly and even have wetted 3 lines already by the time you get there. It still doesn't mean that Mr.Bass will definitely eat what he's throwing at him anyway. :)
Hobby.Passion.Obsession
-AvS.
