I was reading through some of my flyfishing magazines tonight and seeing all of the wonderfull places to go and fish in these United States. At the end of most of these articles the price for daily and weekly excusions was listed. Do these prices seem kind of expensive to any one else? I have never begrudged anyone a good wage and a profit( God bless capitalism).I have been hanging around with a few groups of fly fishers and havent really gotten to know many of them on a real personal level .It does occur to me that the majority of these fellows are at some form of executive level in their occupations. Most of these folkes think that 2500$-4500$ for a week of fishing (with all of the stuff)is a great bargain. I have yet to see in any of the magazines that I read any place that advertises fishing areas that are at what might be described as a “bargain” ne economical for the blue collar guy.
Am I the only blue collar guy here? :?
Am I the only fellow here that thinks like this? 
I know its nice to have a dream and all but are there a lot of guys here that do these trips very often or is it mostly the sports writters?
Patagonia?New Zealand? Kamchatca? All wonderfull places Im sure. Im also sure that the lottery is not comming my way. I know Im grousing and all but this has been on my mind for a bit.Any one else think along these lines? Hear of any bargains lately? :idea:
perch,
I hear what you are saying and I agree with you. I read about these trips and I would love to take one. I do not make the money that a lot do, but, if I wanted to take one of those trips bad enough, I could afford to go to the bank and get the money, but, I do not ever see myself doing that. I just do not think that would be fair to my family to spend that kind of money on myself plus I do not think I would fit in very well with the rest of the crowd. Where I live in Tennessee, I could travel 2 to 4 hours and spend a weekend fishing some beautiful streams, stay in motels and come back home and only spend maybe $300. I would love to be able to do that every weekend, but, I really could not afford to do that every weekend. If I was single, it would be a different story. I was raised that the family comes first and that is just the way it will be with me. Maybe one of these days I can retire and things will be better. Until then, I will be content with fishing my local streams, lakes and ponds. If you would like to fish new water, come visit me and I will take you on my local streams and not charge you one cent! 
Hey Perch
You aint the only feller here who thinks that way. Ya gotta think about what you really gettin though.
Its an experience of a life time, and the memories ya bring back from one of those trips are priceless. This sport is expensive, but you pay to do everything else so why not buy some fun.
WWFF
Like yourself I don’t begrudge anyone a profit. I own a small service business and have found that when quoting the same work to different customers, one will ask if I’m charging enough and the next person will throw me out for trying to “rip them off.” Often, there is not much, if any, difference in the socio-economic stature of these individuals, but it’s the individual’s perception of value and the willingness to pay a given price for what each feels is a good value to them.
I have a friend who books trips to the exotic destinations, and he tells me there’s no shortages of people willing to pay big bucks to have an “experience of a lifetime,” and many book repeat trips after taking the first trip. Personally, I have not seen enough of this country to make me want to go to Belize or Patagonia. I would like to make a trip to Slovenia to visit my ancestral village and to fish for marble trout. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/worldwide/europe/part5.html
Oh, I almost forgot. Collar color does not enter into it. I know lots of blue collar people who have more money and take better trips than the white collar folks, because they learned early on to save for the things they feel are important. I know too many white collar people who are one paycheck away from losing it all because they spend money like drunken sailors (no offense to the sailors, it’s just a neat phrase.) and have saved nothing for the future or for nice vacations. If they take a vacation it’s all on the credit card and deeper in debt.
Joe
I’m with my buddies Warren & Joe on this. If you can get to Warren’s, he’s a great host & even greater friend. Real down to earth & fun. He catches lots of trout too! I would LOVE to fish all over the USA, but the places I fish will most likely be while visiting friends & relatives rather than staying at some of the luxurious lodges. A bargain I WILL mention is an FAOL Fish-In…our Michigan Fish-In is not expensive & you will make friends & memories to cherish for a lifetime. Try to join us if you can.
Mike
Perch, I have never been to those places you mentioned, nor do I want to. Probably wonderful though. I absolutely love fishing for bonefish, and have a few times. Will I ever again? God, I hope so, and share it with my wife. This job takes too much time and does not pay well enough so, we wait a while longer. No, you for sure are not the only blue collar guy, and it’s the guys like you who are in the majority and keep the recreation strong.
What 'tuber said!! And I’ll have spare rooms for ya!! We may have to share the KP duties though!!
It’s not that I’ve never wanted to go to the $2,500-$4,500 spread and it’s not that I haven’t had the money or don’t now. It’s just that I can’t justify going, spending like that when there is so much here in the good ole USA that I haven’t seen or fly fished. I like going someplace new and discovering everything about the place for myself. It’s ironic too, because I’ve been on the other side of the equation before. Oh and not only that, I was a drunken sailor at one time ! :))
Point is, to me anyway, I think one could have a heck of a lot more fun going to visit a fellow fly fisher, for example, from right here at FAOL and learning their favorite waters, fabled or not. Then of course ‘pay it forward’ when someone mentions they’d like to go fish such and such river. Like the generous guys in the above posts, I invite perch or anyone here on FAOL to come on out for the ‘$4,500’ spread and yeah, you’ll have to pay me…say a cup of coffee on the way to my secret streams?
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I just kind of chuckle at these folks that just have to spend big bucks to travel for that trophy fish or Boone and Crockett buck. Like most of us in the U.S.A. and Canada all I have to do is spend maybe $15 on gas, at the very most, to catch a trophy trout or shoot a Boone and Crockett buck. Heck, all I have to do is walk out my back door.
I got a chance to see some of the world while in the U.S. Army. I can tell you for certain that, while there are some nice countries out there, there is nothing you can do there that you cannot do in the U.S.A. You will spend less money too.
Dear perch,
I don’t begrudge anybody the chance to go on the fishing vacation of a lifetime but frankly that kind of stuff is not for me.
I’ve had the money to go to Alaska or New Zealand and decided I didn’t want to spend it. I’d rather fish for sunnies than trout personally. I just wish we had more lakes around here in Harrisburg.
Best Wishes,
Avalon
Hear of any bargains lately?
My fishing partner and myself have driven to and camped at different fishing spots since the '70s
12 years ago we started going to Cape Cod, and we are addicted.
Beautiful scenery, trophy size fish, miles of fishable beaches, estuaries, and flats
Camping at the state park costs about $130.00 for a week.
We bring prepared food,like chili and stew,from home so there’s minimal time spent cooking. Some days we splurge and eat at Wendys.
On our first trip there we bought a local map and picked the brain of the guy at the fly shop. He was very helpful. Now there’s just not enough time to fish all the great spots we’ve found
It’s blue ribbon fishing on the cheap and it’s just a car ride away.
Destination fishing on “private waters” is probably the least enticing scenario to which I aspire.I’d rather beat the water to a froth on my favorite stream ANYTIME. The only person I care to have “put me on” fish is myself or perhaps Rich Ward. And it has nothing to do with the cost. It’s just that I don’t care for “catered” fishing. It’s me/I against the trouts, PERIOD.
Mark
First, I would say that magazines are probably not where you will find the economical trips. They are showcasing their topend stuff for the most part.
If you want some great fishing, head west on I-70 into Colorado. Find a camping spot with some fishing streams nearby. If you are willing to hike, it doesn’t usually take much of a hike to get away from any people that might be around. A little research should get you into an area with some terrific action. And you won’t beat the scenery anywhere. Or the cost. Most likely your gas out there will be your highest expense.
I just looked at the Kaufmann’s catalog the other day and they have trips to everywhere in the world.
I have never fished in any country except the USA.
If I ever went to let’s say, Christmas Island, in the south pacific, I would have to keep going back there year after year, so I would feel comfortable and relaxed.
I enjoy thinking and dreaming about exotic places to fish, but I wouldn’t want to ruin my dreams with the reality of being in debt for $5,000.00.
Doug
Doug,
Bet you could hook up with some of our members in British Columbia, Canada and it wouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Just a thought.
As a child at least one week in the summer was spent at Rice lake, Ontario, fishing for walleye and perch. I will go back there sometime just to see if the old place is still there.
Here’s a dandy “destination trip” that I didn’t expect. My wife signed us up for a 7-day Caribbean cruise for next February with a large group from our church. 5 islands in 7 days will be more than enough for me to sample the flavor of near shore fly fishing. I’m going to order a 7-piece rod from H&H cuz they are on sale, and so I can make my “Caribbean Special”.
BTW, we have been on several cruises, so I know she’ll have plenty to do with her church friends while I fish. I really love that woman!
Joe
i too am a “blue callar guy” and wish i could afford the cushy ranch lodge but not on my budget without haucking everything i have. why are there not more $1000 - $1200 trip, like what is offered for spinfishers in canada or appalachian mountains? but besides that, i have fished the west, north platte, madison, blue, spokane, coeur d’alene, but i’ve been lucky to go on business trips to these areas but then i go out on my own to explore and fish. i talk to local shops, ask advise here, like on trip this summer to portland, or, and read thru the internet and mags about destinations, tactics and techniques. so even if i didn’t save on the sirfare it would be a relatively cheap trip. if your budget can handle it, spring for a guide on the 1st day to get a lay of the land, so to speak, to teach you local streams, flies and techniques to catch fish. then go out on your own and have a blast. you can also put out a notice you’ll be in the area and i’m sure, as has already been offered, you’ll have a fishing partner too. so with a little leg work you can have your own ‘dream trip’ without the price tag.
One year I added up all the expenses I could think of for the fishing I had done in the previous twelve months, and divided it by the # of fish I had caught (in one of my insane years when I kept a log). It came out to about a dollar a fish. Now, that was ten years back, and if I was stupid enough to add up all the $ I spend now, it would, I estimate, come out to three dollars a fish or so. Admittedly, this is a lousy weigh to measure the benefits fishing has in anyone’s life, or the enjoyment it brings. But it is one of the few that I can quanitfy, and since we are talking $…
Which is why it is hard for me to consider dropping $400 for a guided trip on some river, regardless of how fantastic the fishing is supposed to be. That is a couple days’ wages for me, and if I spent it on one day on the river, that would effectively prevent me from spending eight or ten days on my own on the river. And I have to think I would get more enjoyment out of spending eight days on the river, even if the fishing was mediocre, than I would in one day on the river, even if the advertising hype came true.
I have hired a guide twice, both times in concert with my brother-in-law. Once was on the Green, where we floated in a blizzard and threw out-of-season bugs and had a BFR miss falling on us by one pool. Think I caught four fish, and my brother-in-law caught a few more. Couldn’t have, at that time, done a float like that by myself, and did have fun. Will not do it again, tho.
Second time was Lee’s Ferry. Jet boat, guide telling us where and how and what to fish (three guys with 70 years total experience in front of him), lousy shore lunch, guide fishing without asking, and the fishing frankly a poor shadow of what I was led to believe and would have expected to have on similar waters without someone telling me what to do. And the shop charged us for EVERY fly that the guide gave us throughout the day.
But, that is not to say that there is no place for guides, and high dollar week-long packages, in this sport. But I feel that it should not be presented as the norm, or something to be desired by the average fisherman. I get bent every time I hear a guide say something to the effect that your experience on a river won’t be as good unless you hire him (or another guide). That you won’t catch fish, that you won’t catch as many or as big fish… It may be true in some instances, and is likely true for inexperienced anglers or those who need someone to figure it out for them, but in general, I disagree. Most of the guys I fish with would do just fine if you plopped em down on any river anywhere in the world and let them start fishing.
If you want to spend several hundred dollars and have a great time, though, I highly recommend the Idaho fish-in in September.
Go to the fish in’s . Always great fishing for the cost of gas and a room. You have everything there you could wish for whether its casting help, fly tying , willing guides, absolutly great friends. Enough BS around the campfire at night to fertilize all of Kansas and part of Wyoming. They are held in some of the best fishing spots in North America. Plus you don’t have to learn the local language.
Someone mentioned Canada, Well there is a fish in there too. The Ste Margurite Quebec Regional fish in. Reports are it was a huge success in 2006 and should be again in 2007.
I wish I could afford to go to them all but alas only two a year. Hopefully 3 this year if plans gel just right.
To answer your question , I think spending huge bux on the fishing trip of a lifetime is beyond most peoples budget. But heck we can all dream and live vicariously thru others.
I am not blue or white collar , I mostly wear tee shirts. ( retired )
Most of fly fishers I know and see around my parts of the world are “blue”. Myself I used to be blue but now I’m white and still could not justify that kind of spending. As a matter of fact summer vacation for the whole family is someplace in the campgroud on the water. Few hundred will get you covered for a week.(That of course if you already have all camp gear). You can ave a reaaly good fishing time without spending big dough. Although it would be nice to go on one of them “tropical” trips… Someday maybe when I’m a millionare. Gotta go now, I need to get me some lottery tickets. :lol: