1. Exercise more and go fishing --- without your health you can't enjoy much in life.

2. Learn to catch and cook fish --- eat well and healthy meals (read #1 again), save $ for your dream vacation, upgrade your gears , or go for that lamb racks, lobsters or prime ribs, etc. once in awhile, go ahead you can afford it.

3. Catfishing (crappies and white bass) is probably one of the few sports that can save you $ in the long term, (the key to #1 and #2), and one of the few fish that you can catch enough for your church or temple large gathering, etc. The last few things that a man can provide for his family that is wholesome without the artificial growth hormone and antibiotics, etc. And still have some $ left in his banking accounts. Lol

Oh BTW, it's mother nature and the catfish that laid those eggs who produced the fish in the lakes that we fish. My tax dollars and yours help pay for lakes engineering and TPWD.

It's going to take a lot of fish meals for me to put me in the black, but I'm up for a challenge.

Heavylead, since you already paid for your current gears (hopefully you don't just pile debts on your credit card ), it's a done deal, the savings are for your next upgrade

Btw I saw your posts on Shimano Altegra Ci4 reel... If I were you I would spent a few more dollars and get a Shimano Sustain 5000FG for $370, this one has everything you ever needed, power speed and smooth drag. I got mine last week and paired it with my TeamDaiwa Classic 12' rod, for the first time I can jig that 12 footer with one hand. Rod n reel plus 200 yards of 20 lb PP super slick weight less than 25 oz.